HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Oh No! That crazy time of year is back again - this is all I hear people saying. Oh yes, the complaints about the cold weather have begun too! First and foremost, we live in Chicago, it is going to get cold in the winter - so let's think of the nice things that accompany cold weather.

1) There is no humidity!!!!! (Remember - It's not the heat, it's the humidity)

2) The snow makes everything look frosted. (Who doesn't like frosting?)

3) Sleds and ice skates are being used instead of just sitting in a closet and kids are smiling!!!


Yes this time is busy but think of the good things the holiday season brings.

1) Yummy treats we only get once a year (mmmmm those Cookie Calories).

2) Kids smiling in wonder at Santa.

3) People helping others in need and showing their caring ways.


Remember to always look for the positive in things; by doing this now the weather and the season will just seem better!! I hope you all take some time to relax, enjoy your families and have a wonderful holiday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving Day is one of those joyous events we celebrate with lots of love and gratitude. Be thankful for the time spent with family (even if it's a little stressful). Don't sweat the small stuff, take time to appreciate the people in your life and the things you have. Remember the good times when you're going through the rough times; friends and family will help you through.


I am thankful for so many things this year: First and foremost, the wonderful addition to my family, Marc, who has brought so much joy and happiness to our home. My friends and family for all of their love and support. The students at Elizabeth Ide for making me smile each and everyday with their kind words and friendly smiles. The link below will take you to a fun fact page at TheHolidaySpot. This site is happy to bring you facts associated with Thanksgiving celebrations such as Thanksgiving turkey trivia, pilgrims, and Thanksgiving as a national holiday. These facts and trivia will not only enhance your knowledge about Thanksgiving Day, but will also let you share them with everyone you enjoy the day with.
http://www.theholidayspot.com/thanksgiving/trivia.htm

I hope you and your families all of a wonderful Thanksgiving!

END OF TRIMESTER

On Friday, November 12th the first trimester ended. The staff and students have worked diligently these past three months building upon skills learned last year. Report Cards will be sent home Tuesday, November 23rd to show the strengths, as well as areas of concern, for your children. Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place the week of November 30th. Teachers have sent home conference reminder slips; please make sure you send them back to confirm your appointment. We look forward to the second trimester and our continued work together for the benefit of our students!

NEW STANDARDIZED TESTING BEGINS AT IDE

MAP TESTING

MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) is a new test to District 66 this year and will replace the IOWA test which was given in years past. We will give students MAP tests to determine their instructional level and to measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year in the areas of math, reading and language arts. The test is taken on the computer.

MAP tests are unique in that they adapt to your child’s level of learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward testing. With the use of MAP tests, we can administer shorter tests and use less class time while still receiving detailed, accurate information about your child’s growth. Over the next few weeks, your child will spend a total of about two to three hours completing these tests. Each school year, students in grades 2-8 take the tests in fall and again in the spring. This fall the 2nd grade test is being piloted. We are administering the test at this time to familiarize the students with the testing procedures therefore the results will not be sent home. The spring testing results will be sent home with the final report card.

We are truly excited to begin a new era that focuses on every child’s individual growth and achievement. Partnering to help all kids learn, parents and teachers can have a profound positive effect on the lives of our children. For more information on resources for parents, download the Parent Toolkit at www.nwea.org >> Partner Support.

Please feel free to call me at 630-783-5200 with any questions.

Mrs. Hansen

LOOKING TOWARDS OCTOBER

It's hard to believe that September has come to a close and the first month of school is over. Now we can look forward to October and the beautiful Chicago Fall weather, football, basketball and hockey (unfortunately no baseball :( - there's always next year)!

October Events at Ide

Monday, October 11th - NO SCHOOL - Columbus Day

Tuesday, October 12th - School Board Meeting @ PV 7:00

Wednesday, October 20th - Early Dismissal @ 12:00

All students are dismissed at noon and only AM kindergartners attend.

Thursday, October 21st - Ide PTO Meeting @ 7:00

Friday, October 22nd-Family Halloween Party 6 - 8

Tuesday, October 26th - School Board Meeting @ PV 7:00

Friday, October 29th - Classroom Halloween Parties and Parades

CHARACTER COUNTS AT ELIZABETH IDE

PBIS

Later this year, Elizabeth Ide will be implementing an approach to discipline called Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). PBIS is a proactive systems approach to establishing the behavioral supports and social culture needed for all students in a school to achieve social, emotional, and academic success.

As a Response to Intervention model, PBIS applies a three-tiered system of support, and a problem-solving process to enhance the capacity of schools to effectively educate all students.
Data-based decision-making aligns curricular instruction and behavioral supports to student and staff needs. Schools applying PBIS begin by establishing clear expectations for behavior that are taught, modeled, and reinforced across all settings and by all staff.

While we are being trained to implement this program, we will continue our Positive PAWS (Positive Amazing Wonderful Students) Program. Our students can earn pawprints for demonstrating the Pillars of Character (Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship) anytime during the school day. The paws are brought down to the office and six lucky students are drawn each month to win a certificate and other "pawsitive" items. One student each month wins a Character Counts t-shirt or poster. All of the paws are hung on the Positive PAWS bulletin board at the end of the month.

RtI Begins Again

RTI

RtI will begin for our first graders on Monday, Sept. 13th and on Monday, Sept. 20th for our second graders. Letters went home today stating who your child's reading teacher will be. Our entire teaching staff works together to make this education initiative as productive as possible for our students. Therefore, your student may have a classroom teacher or one of our specialists as their reading teacher. Who the teacher is does not reflect on your child's abilities, but enables us to have teachers work with smaller groups of students to enhance their educational experience at Elizabeth Ide. Kindergarten RtI will begin after the first trimester. The following link will take you to a brochure created by District 66 to better explain RtI to you; http://www.ccsd66.org/Montes%20Website/HomePage.html . Please scroll down to "RtI: A Parent's Guide."


I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and if you have any questions please feel free to email me at jhansen@ccsd66.org or call me on Monday at 630-783-5200.

WELCOME BACK

I can't believe this will be day 3 of the school year - the summer just flew by. I really enjoy hearing the children's voices again, it gets pretty lonely in the summer!!

During the Open House I heard many positive comments about the building renovation, I am so glad that everyone is enjoying the new look. Please know that my office door (and ears) are always open if you need anything. I am looking forward to working with our new and returning families this year. Welcome back and let the fun begin!

SUMMER NEWS

This summer has been very busy and filled with unexpected (but) happy surprises.

The Ide renovation is coming along nicely and the school looks terrific. I cannot wait for our Open House so everyone can see the changes - for a sneak peek check out Dr. Tiede's blog for pictures :)

The Hansen household has increased by one! Marc a beautiful and wonderful 3 year old boy has moved in and filled our home with love and happiness. I have been able to introduce him to many Ide families as we've been out and about in the neighborhood.

I hope all of you are having a terrific summer and enjoying time with family and friends.

THE YEAR IS ALMOST OVER

I can't believe we are at the end of another school year. I have enjoyed working with all of you and your children this year. For those of you going on to Prairieview I wish you the best of luck and hope you'll come back and visit us here at Ide; especially since we'll be renovating the building this summer.

The renovations will begin immediately after school ends on Wednesday, June 2nd and should be completed by mid-August (keep your fingers crossed)!!! If you need any assistance during the month of June the office will be relocated to Prairieview (630) 783-5100. Once we are back at Ide we'll send out an email informing all of you.

When everything is complete I will be posting some before and after pictures so that everyone can view and enjoy the changes. I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing summer!!!!!

THANK YOU PTO

UNIQUE ASSEMBLY

We are so lucky to have such wonderful, supportive and generous members of the Elizabeth Ide PTO. They spend so many hours helping the staff and students enrich our educational and social programs. Last Friday, the PTO treated the students to a "Unique Assembly". At this assembly students were put into teams and asked questions from our very own curriculum, that's what makes it unique :), questions about current events and pop culture, as well as having to perform some physical challenges. It was very exciting and the students absolutely enjoyed themselves.

TEACHER APPRECIATION

This week the PTO has supplied wonderful lunches for the staff of our school for teacher appreciation. A BIG Thank You goes out to everyone who sent in the delectable goodies. We have truly enjoyed each and every lunch and have gained at least 5 pounds apiece!

APRIL POSITIVE PAWS

Friday, May 7th the PTO has scheduled an Author Assembly for the students. This author writes books in a series called USA Dogs. He has written about racing greyhounds, therapy dogs and search and rescue dogs. He will be bringing his Greyhound, Honey, with for the assembly. As a special treat he has offered to eat lunch with the students to discuss his books. To choose the students, we picked 16 PAWS instead of 6 for the month of April and those students will get to eat lunch with the author.

The lucky winners are: Abbie S., James R., Jacob S., AJ F., Sadie M., Jake D., Tony T., Kathan A., Jacob P., Claire V., Kate S., Lucas G., Lily V., Dana K., Sydney R. and Brett K.

Congratulations :) I'll post a picture on Friday!

DISTRICT 66 GENEROSITY

Two events have taken place this past month that really show the generosity of our district.

The district PTO held their annual On-Line auction which brought in a whopping $8,300.oo! This money supplements the technology we are able to bring our students. A big thank you goes out to Jill Hegarty and Cheryl Ferreri for gathering all of the fantastic auction items and running the auction with the help of our technology director Kathy Kucera.

The response to the Adopt-A-Rainforest coin donation was tremendous! While collecting the coins over a week period, WE RAISED $293.58!! The students, parents, and teachers at Elizabeth Ide really contributed to raising the awareness about the importance of rainforests. Our donation will be used for a conservation project in either Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, or Nicaragua. I have asked the Rainforest Alliance to allocate our donation to the neediest project. Thank you for supporting our Character Counts program and Earth Day 2010!

Events at Elizabeth Ide

Spring is a busy time of the year for everyone and our school is no different. There are many exciting things going on or coming up in the near future. Take a peek and see how you can be involved!

District 66 On-Line Fundraiser http://www.ccsd66.org/AUCTION/Items2010.html

Center Cass District 66 PTO Silent Auction 2010
Auction Ends at 3:00 PM on 4/25/2010

Adopt-a-Rainforest - Send in coins to help save the Rainforest

Sponsored by the Elizabeth Ide Character Counts Committee

Event ends 04/23/2010

Spring Book Fair and Open House

Thursday, April 29th

6:30 - 8:00

Family Fun Fishing

Sunday, May 2nd

11:00 - 1:00

HAPPY BREAK

I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing spring break. The weather is supposed to be great so spend some time outdoors enjoying yourself.

April will be another busy month filled with exciting activities:

Monday, April 5th - Classes Resume

Saturday, April 10th - Market Day @ LV - 9:30 - 10:30

Tuesday, April 13th - School Board Meeting @ LV 7:00

Thursday, April 15th - Ide PTO Meeting @ 3:45

Monday - Tuesday, April 19 -20th - 2nd Grade OLSAT testing

Thursday, April 22nd - Early Dismissal at Noon

PM Kindergartners attend in the morning; AM stays home

Thursday, April 29th - Spring Open House

WEARING OF THE GREEN

WHY DO WE WEAR GREEN ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Originally the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue, not,in fact, green. However over the years the color green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. He is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. Then in 1798 in hopes of making a political statement Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching attention with their unusual fashion gimmick. The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from the song of the same name. It began as a purely Christian holiday and became an official feast day in the early 1600s. However, it has gradually become more of a secular celebration of Ireland's culture.

In honor of this Irish holiday, let's all try to wear green on March 17th!!!!

MARCH ROARS IN

The Snowflake Ball

Saturday was a beautiful night for a ball!!! The Snowflake Ball was a huge success thanks to several moms who pitched in to make sure this event was not cancelled. The gym was transformed into a winter wonderland thanks to Mrs. Prazak, Mrs. Mojica, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Qualizza and Mrs. Metherd along with many other volunteers. Unfortunately the pictures I took came out to dark to post but it was a wonderful evening!

MARCH EVENTS

Monday, March 1st - NO SCHOOL - Casmir Pulaski Day

Saturday, March 6th - Market Day @ LV 9:30 - 10:30

Tuesday, March 9th - Report Cards / Conferences all week

Friday, March 12th - NO SCHOOL

Thursday, March 18th - PTO Meeting @ 7:00

Friday, March 19th - Movie Night @ PV - 6:45

Wednesday, March 24th - 1st Grade Music Concert

Monday, March 29th - SPRING BREAK :)

BEHIND BARS AT TOPAZ CAFE

THANK YOU!!!!

On Thursday, February 18th I was bailed out of jail for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. My main goal was to raise $800.00, which is enough to send a child to MDA summer camp. After all was said and done I raised $920.00. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this wonderful cause. Zach, our sheriff for the day, was very grateful and thoroughly enjoyed the day!

THIS WEEK

Tuesday, February 23rd - Board of Ed Meeting @ PV 7:00

Thursday, February 25th - Spring Picture Day

Saturday, February 26th - Snowflake Ball - 6:30 - 8:00

Monday, March 1 - NO SCHOOL - Casimir Pulaski Day

FEBRUARY IS FLYING BY!!!!

This month is flying by! We've celebrated Groundhog Day, the Superbowl, 100th Day and President's Day. The majority of students have finished their IOWA tests and makeups are taking place this week. And we still have many things coming up soon - for a short month it sure is packed with things to do!!!

February is the month of Trustworthiness - Wear Blue on Fridays

Friday, February 19th - Jump Rope for Heart

Thursday, February 25th - Spring Pictures

Saturday, February 27th - Snowflake Ball

WELCOME FEBRUARY

I can't believe today is the first day of February - where did January go? Tomorrow the Groundhog will let us know how long winter will last and our state primaries will be in full swing.




In January, we collected funds to help the survivors of the terrible earthquake in Haiti. Thanks to our students, parents and staff we were able to send $1,513.97 to the Food for the Poor organization. Thank you for your generosity and caring support.



This month I have been asked to help the Muscular Dystrophy Association by being taken to jail. Yes many of you may want to leave me there, but I need help being bailed out. I agreed to partake in this fundraiser due to the fact that this disease can affect anyone at anytime and does affect some of our district 66 families. If you would like to help set me free, please click on the link: https://www.joinmda.org/topaz10/jmhansen13

February is a busy month at Elizabeth Ide - see the events listed below

Tuesday, February 2nd - No School - Teacher Institute

Saturday, February 6th - Market Day @ PV 9:30 - 10:30

Monday, February 1 - Monday, February 8th - Collect a Can Service Project

Monday, February 8th - 100th Day

Monday, February 8th - Friday, February 12th - IOWA Week

Tuesday, February 9th - Board Meeting @ PV 7:00

Friday, February 12th - Valentine Day Parties

Monday, February 15th - NO SCHOOL - President's Day

Tuesday, February 23rd - Board Meeting @ PV 7:00

Thursday, February 25th - Spring Picture Day

Saturday, February 27th - Snowflake Ball - 6:30 - 8:00

MAGIC OF BOOKS

Rick Allen's Magic of Books

First grader Jake is floating!

Jack getting ready for a surprise!! The magical, floating Peter!!

Today our students received a special treat from our PTO, Rick Allen's Magic of Books assembly. The students learned the importance of reading while watching some amazing magic tricks. Many of our students were able to participate in this fun and educational event.

Rico waits for a magic lesson!

James watches a flying table!




Adriana waves her magic wand!

WELCOME BACK

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing holiday break. School is back in full swing with many upcoming events!

Friday, January 8th - Ide Movie Night @ PV - 6:30

Saturday, January 9th - Market Day @ LV - 9:30 - 10:30

Tuesday, January 12th - Board Meeting @ PV - 7:00 - Straight A Night

Thursday, January 14th - Vision and Hearing Screening / Ide PTO Mtg 3:45

Monday, January 18th - NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tuesday, January 26th - Board Meeting @ LV - 7:00

Thursday, January 28th - Vision and Hearing Rescreening