Emerson Families,

As we can all see and feel, the cooler fall weather is moving into the Chicagoland area - this past week started out with wearing heavy gloves and ends today with temperatures approaching the low 70’s. While the temperatures may widely vary, one constant is recess! Unless the temperatures/windchill are quite cold, the Eagles will enjoy their daily 20 minute recess OUTSIDE! Please remind your children to dress appropriately for the cooler weather!

7th grade boys basketball tryouts finished this week, and our 8th grade boys have tryouts next week. I know Mr. Schauer is amazed with the large number of talented students who came out for basketball. Soon, we’ll know the team roster. I hope that all Eagles will help cheer our boys to victory as the season begins.

In a section below you will find an updated end of the trimester dates and

report card schedules. Please note, unless otherwise requested, student report cards will be available online via PowerSchool.

As we all know, Halloween is right around the corner. I know many of our Eagles still enjoy trick or treating after school. As a reminder, we do not allow costumes at Emerson. Students may wear Halloween colors, Halloween themed shirts and school appropriate hair accessories. However, students may not wear fake blood, bring any type of props to school or wear Halloween masks/hats. Since Halloween is happening on a Monday, please limit the number of treats your children bring to school.

Red Ribbon Week starts this Monday! Check out all the fun and exciting plans we have planned for next week as we encourage all students to stay safe and be drug free.

Take care,

Martin Hopkins

Emerson at a Glance…

• M 10/24 Red Ribbon Week
• T 10/25 Fall Conferences
• T 10/25 Picture Retakes
• W 10/26 7th/8th Grade Girls Basketball Tournament
• W 10/26 PTO Dine to Donate - Chipotle
• TH 10/27 Fall Conferences
• F 10/28 7th/8th Grade Girls Basketball Tournament
• F 10/28 8th Grade Singers Field Trip

On the horizon:

• M 10/24 Red Ribbon Week
• T 10/25 Fall Conferences
• T 10/25 Picture Retakes
• W 10/26 7th/8th Grade Girls Basketball Tournament
• TH 10/27 Fall Conferences
• F 10/28 7th/8th Grade Girls Basketball Tournament

Early Entry into Emerson begins at 7:35am. ONLY students who have a signed pass from a teacher or parent may enter the building early. Students may enter through the main entrance by the office and will be let in once the door supervisor opens the door to check passes. Entry BEFORE 7:35 will not be allowed unless there is extreme weather or a situation approved by the school. Please use this link to find extra passes for home use.

EARLY ENTRY PASS LINK

Please see below for important dates regarding the upcoming end of Trimester 1. Report cards will be available electronically and will not be mailed home unless requested by parents/guardians. As we get closer to this date, more information will be available about how to make that request.

11/18 - Trimester ends.
11/19 - PowerSchool Parent Portal closes. Teachers finalize grades.
11/21 to 11/25 - Thanksgiving Week - no school
12/2 at 4PM - PowerSchool Parent Portal reopens

Please see the attached flyer for Red Ribbon Week activities.

Picture retakes are scheduled for Tuesday, October 25th, 2022 for students who were absent on the original date or families who would like their pictures retaken. If you did not order pictures, you still can by using your child's unique ticket code which student's received regardless of whether you ordered a package or not.

If your child is having their picture retaken, they must bring in the original photos that were sent home to return to Color Portraits.

The Lost and Found, located between room 174 and the Gym, grows every day! If your student has lost anything, please have them check the tables for these items. Items are donated at the end of the Trimester if they remained unclaimed. These tables will be moved closer to the front door for Parent/Teacher Conferences so please make sure you check them. Thank you!

There is SO much happening in the Vocal Music Department! Please see the Vocal Notes Newsletter from Mrs. Broeker.

Monday October 31

3:00pm - 5:00pm

Tuesday November 1

2:00pm - 5:00pm

Be prepared to attend both tryout sessions.

Please email dflorence@d64.org you have any questions.

YOU MUST HAVE AN ATHLETICS PHYSICAL FORM ON FILE IN THE HEALTH OFFICE IN ORDER TO TRY OUT.

NO PHYSICAL = NO TRYOUT

Please follow THIS LINK to find the physical forms required for Interscholastic Sports.

This is a friendly reminder that yearbooks for the 22-23 school year are on sale. The cost for a copy is $25. Yearbooks can be purchased online through My School Bucks, OR with cash or check in the main office. The deadline to secure a copy is Wednesday, December 14. After this date, yearbooks will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. If you have any questions, contact Ms. Apuli (mapuli@d64.org) or Ms. Dobrydnio (edobrydnio@d64.org).

We are also seeking student photos from any and all school events. If you have any to share, you can send them over through either of the following options:

• Upload through yearbookforever.com (code: eagles)

• Download the Yearbook Snap mobile app from the App Store or Google Play (code: eagles)

• Click here to access a video walking through the above steps.

• Email your photos directly to the yearbook sponsors → mapuli@d64.org / edobrydnio@d64.org

Remaining Parent Teacher Conferences dates are October 25 and October 27. Please see the Parent Guide below to assist in scheduling your conferences for your student if you have not already done so. If you need any additional assistance, please call the Emerson office at 847-318-8110.

We are happy to bring back our conference scheduling software to Emerson again this year, PowerPTC. Parents can login in directly in their PowerSchool parent portal. The conference sign-up is live right now and will close at midnight each night prior to the conference date. Please see directions here for further instructions:

Conference Scheduling Tutorial

Please note:

*Core classes (Math, Reading, Social Studies, and Science) will be conducting conferences as a team. You will see one teacher listed per team but all teachers will be in attendance.

*If you would like to meet with some of your child’s elective teachers, make sure to click on “Build Schedule Manually'' and you can select the teachers you want to meet with.

If you have any questions/concerns please email Angel Villarreal our Instructional Tech Coach.

avillarreal@d64.org

Mark you calendars for upcoming PTO events:

Fall conference Potluck

Thanks to all who have volunteered to prepare a dish, all slots are filled. We are still looking for volunteers to set up and clean up Tuesday, Oct. 25th!

Click on link to sign up:

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/409044ba8a829a3f94-parentteacher

Dine to Donate

Calling all burrito lovers!

Foil your dinner plans and stop by the Chipotle at 119 S Northwest Highway in Park Ridge on October 26th from 5-9pm

33% of the proceeds will be donated to the Emerson PTO. Use code EJQD6AX.

Membership

Help us reach our annual goal!! Your annual membership will make a HUGE difference in the events we can support. Your donation supports various PTO events throughout the year. These include grade level socials, teacher appreciation, movie night, etc!! Please join the Emerson PTO today! This is the PTO’s primary fundraiser. Once you sign up, you will have access to the PTO directory. Sign up here: https://emersonmspto.membershiptoolkit.com/

Next PTO Meeting

Wednesday, November 16th @ 6:30p.

Meeting ID: 998 9601 0820

Passcode: Eagle

Our goal is to have every student arrive on time and attend a full day of school.

WHY: The purpose of school is to educate students. Regular attendance in all classes is essential to earning good grades and establishing good habits for post high school living. A policy will not get rid of tardiness altogether, but it will set up a strong expectation for punctuality and establish firm guidelines for students.

Tardy #1 - Warning

Tardy #2 - Warning

Tardy #3 - Phone call/email home

Tardy #4 - Detention

Tardy #5 - Detention

Tardy #6 - Detention, contact home, conversation with administration

Tardy #7 - In School Suspension

This policy began the week of October 3rd.

Maine South High School has information dedicated to the incoming Class of 2027. You can find this webpage linked below. There are important dates to note, including building tours and course selection information sessions. This will culminate with a Freshman Kickoff Event on Wednesday December 7th from 6:00-9:00 pm.

Maine South Class of 2027 Webpage

SAVE THE DATE: Class of 2027 Welcome Night Tuesday December 6th, 6:00pm-8:00pm: This evening is an open house style event for all incoming 9th grade students and potential 9th grade students and families to learn about Maine East High School, meet our staff and explore the different course options and electives offered at Maine East High School. All families are encouraged to attend.

Parent/Guardian presentation for District 64 families considering Maine East High School. At Maine East HS: Wednesday November 8th, Time 7:00pm This event will be an informational session for families that have students currently attending Emerson Middle School and are considering Maine East HS for their student. This event includes a presentation from Maine East administration as well as a panel of parents/guardians who currently have students at Maine East.

Fine Arts workshop opportunities at Maine East High School. We would love to have students visit our arts spaces and collaborate with current Maine East students in art programs. Students can sign up with the QR codes. We look forward to your visit!

Drama & Television Workshop

Acting for the Camera!

Theatre Games!

Tuesday, October 25th 4-5:30

Photo

Make a photogram!

Wednesday, October 19th 4-5:00

Ceramics

Make a pinch pot!

Thursday, October 27th 4-5:30 pm

Our first event this year will be an Astronomy Night! It will occur at Maine East High School on Friday, October 28th from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. We would like to invite your students to participate in this exciting event. We are partnering with the Maine East Astronomy club in order to teach students about using and interpreting data from a homemade radio telescope, identifying and understanding the background to certain constellations, and learning how to use different types of telescopes to view the night sky. We have created a Google interest form for your students to fill out and will attach it below along with a poster that we made to promote this exciting event.


Google Form: https://forms.gle/cPScFV1CX5au2c6x9

Join us at the upcoming STEM clubs and events.

• Oct. 25, 2pm Elucidating the Role of the Maternal Gut Microbiota in Nervous System Development and Sensorimotor Behaviors online
• Nov. 11, 2pm Monkeypox: What you need to know online
• For Oakton students
• Oakton IEEE:
• In-person every other week on Thursdays at 1pm in Room 2158 Des Plaines. Next in-person IEEE meeting will be held on Oct. 13 at 1pm.
• Virtually every Friday at 2pm
• Learn about the benefits of joining Oakton Society of Women Engineers virtually on Thursday, Oct. 13, 6pm.
• Contact Gloria Liu for more information about participating in the Skyway STEM Poster Competition scheduled to be held on April 21. Registration deadline (typically in February) to be announced.
• For 12th graders and younger
• AMC 8 registration
• AMC 10/12 A&B registration
• Register for Girls Who Code meeting virtually on Tuesdays at 4:30pm (novice) and 6pm (advanced)

The STEM Scholars Program which provides need-based scholarship and academic support still has a few spots available for 2022-2023 school year. VIsit the STEM Scholars Program for more information and to apply.

Gloria Liu

Co-Director and Coordinator

Center for Promoting STEM

Grants Manager - STEAM-H and Special Projects

Oakton Community College

1600 E Golf Rd

Des Plaines, IL 60016

Office: 847-635-1738

Email: gloriaL@oakton.edu

Every other Wednesday each grade level engages in a Second Step, Social-Emotional Learning, lesson with their homeroom class and teachers. To review what students learned in the month of September, please click the link below. These links also allow our families to view all of our students who earned a SOARS ticket for demonstrating exemplary behavior during the month of September.

Sept. 2022 Second Step Family Communication

To view the the bell schedule please click on the following link. Emerson Bell Schedule. Due to scheduling restraints in our PowerSchool system, we can not put the individual grade schedules in PowerSchool. Consequently, the times that you may see there can be incorrect. Please call the Emerson Office if you have any questions.

From the sixth to the eighth grade at Emerson, our students steadily mature in their social behaviors. One area in which these social skills are on display is lunchtime. This period is a time for students to relax, be with friends, and take a break from the morning work. It is intended to be a healthy, pleasant, and safe time. It is expected each class treats the cafeteria as they would their dining areas at home or at a restaurant. This has been a very successful process in teaching responsible behavior.

In the student planner, there is a section entitled “Cafeteria.” Please take a moment to review it with your student to help ensure a positive experience during lunchtime. The basis of the expected behavior directly relates to our SOARS behavior matrix, which focuses on respect, empathy, safety, responsibility, and self-regulation. Our expectations were discussed with the students on Wednesday, August 31st.

Please refer to our lunchroom guidelines for students. If you haven’t already, please sign and have your student return this form to their homeroom teacher.

The cafeteria will not be accepting cash to purchase lunch items. Students must use their MySchoolBucks account to purchase any food. Please see this flyer for more information from Quest, our food service company. You can also get a food service overview by clicking HERE.

Unlike elementary school, you do not need to pre-order meals or beverages. Students may select from daily offerings in the Emerson cafeteria. More information about our school lunch offerings and payment can be found here on the D64 Middle School Lunch webpage.

Though we have many food choices in our cafeteria, most Emerson students bring their lunch to school. We strongly encourage this during the first weeks of school while we get our cafeteria systems and procedures up and running.

We highly encourage waste-free lunches. To help reduce waste, please consider using reusable containers for your child’s food and drink, rather than disposable bags and bottles. Emerson is committed to green efforts in the lunchroom. The cafeteria also has a lunch waste sort station for students to empty their lunch waste into recycling, compost and trash. We encourage all students to do so every lunch period.

FORGOTTEN LUNCHES

If students forget something at home or are being brought a lunch, items may be dropped off at the Emerson Office. We instruct students to check in with the office during passing periods to pick up these items. We will not interrupt class to notify students of items/lunches delivered to the office. As noted in our district student/parent handbook, parents are discouraged from delivering lunch to the office from local restaurants; lunches brought to the office should be reserved for emergency situations, such as a forgotten lunch.

Please see important message from Maine South High School regarding entry and spectator guidelines.

There will be three 4:00pm activity buses that will go to the Franklin, Carpenter, and Field areas. The buses will run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. These buses leave the the school around 4:15, giving students time to get from their activity to the bus. Please note: there is no 4pm bus on Wednesday or Fridays before long weekends.

School hours for student classes are from 8:05 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. Please note that each Wednesday, students are dismissed at 2:10 p.m. for staff professional development activities.

Doors to the school open for students each morning at 7:58 a.m. Homeroom begins at 8:05 a.m. Students with an early entry pass will be permitted to enter the school between 7:35-7:45, but not before. There will be a teacher opening the door to permit entry at that time. We WILL allow students to enter before this if there is inclimate or cold weather.

School office hours are from 7:20 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Remember that our student absence line (847) 318-8110 is available 24 hours a day. Please let the Emerson Office know as soon as possible if your child will not be in attendance. Please do not rely on e-mail notification for reporting absences as it may not be seen until later in the day.

Parents and any visitors to the school should always enter through Door 1. All visitors must sign in at the front desk and put on a visitor’s badge if they have a pre-scheduled meeting or volunteer activity to attend. Never knock on a door and ask a student or staff member to let you in. Students and staff are instructed that they are not to open the locked outside doors for anyone. ALL VISITORS ARE TO ENTER DOOR 1, THE MAIN OFFICE.

You may access our guidelines for the 2022 - 2023 School Year on our website. The guidelines are very different from what we've experienced over the past two years. There are only a couple of mandatory rules we must follow when someone tests positive, yet the remainder of the guidelines only list recommendations. Each family can decide their own comfort level regarding which recommendations to follow, and we ask that everyone respects the choices of others.

All Emerson students and parents are provided access to schedules via the PowerSchool parent and student portals. The PowerSchool Parent Portal allows you access to your student’s academic information, including student schedules and grades. If you have any questions on how to login, please contact the Emerson Main Office for assistance (847) 318-8110.

The Emerson website and Emerson school calendar are valuable resources to keep informed of important updates and events throughout the year. The calendar is kept up to date throughout the school year, and new information is posted regularly. We hope that these tools are helpful resources for keeping you and your student organized and informed as we progress through the year.