Panther Post

August 27, 2021
Message From the Principal

Dear Sullivan Families,

The first eight days of school went by so quickly! It has been wonderful to have the kids back in the building and we are getting into routines, both old and new, as we start the year with in-person learning for all. Please take the time to read this edition of our newsletter as it contains important information about the following:

  • our upcoming Parent Night on September 1st
  • our Community Vaccination Event on September 1st
  • SHIELD Testing, which we plan to implement in October
  • drop-off and pick-up reminders
  • snapshots of the first week from 4th grade, PE, Music, and Library!

Please also note that there are now quick links to our grade-level curricular learning objectives right below this section, as well as a link to the Walking Field Trip Permission Forms for each grade level that need to be completed by every family.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Warmly,

Traci Meziere
Principal
Anne Sullivan School
Quick Links to Important Information
Transportation Information
Thank you for your patience as our bus drivers work to familiarize themselves with their routes during the first couple weeks of school and our staff members and parents get used to the pick-up and drop-off procedures at Anne Sullivan School. Our systems work but it will take some practice along the way. We definitely appreciate your patience in making this happen.
 
Drop-Off & Pick-Up Reminders:
  • Please note that our drop-off line begins 8:15 AM and our pick-up line begins shortly after the release of school at 2:25 PM.
  • All cars entering off Schoenbeck MUST enter the lot from the northernmost entrance near Palatine Road.  
  • Please do not drive into the bus pick-up and drop-off area of the parking lot.
  • If you arrive after the car drop-off entrance has closed (8:30 AM), you must park in the visitor parking in front of the Admin building near the corner of Palatine and Schoenbeck, and walk your child across the parking lot. Please drive carefully and follow the directions of our staff. They are working to ensure the safety of ALL students and staff.
Parent Night Information
The Ross/Sullivan Parent Night will be held on Wednesday, September 1st from 6-7 PM. In order to maintain social distancing to the greatest extent possible, the structure of the event will be different from Parent Night events in the past. We will send home a presentation on the afternoon of September 1st which will contain brief videos and a slideshow that should be viewed at home. The event is an Open House style event. Classrooms will be open for parents to visit, classroom teachers will be available to answer questions, and specials teachers and club sponsors will be available throughout the building. Please note, this is a parent-only event due to space constraints. 

To help you plan your evening, please click on the bingo card below to see activities you can complete during Parent Night. Families who return a card with at least one "bingo" will be entered into a drawing for some fabulous Sullivan prizes! We will have paper copies of the card available at the doors that evening.

Please also remember, Parent Night is a time for general questions about classroom procedures and curricular content. If you need to discuss specific information about your child, please contact the teacher to set up an appointment.
Vaccination Event and SHIELD Testing
We will be holding a vaccination event at MacArthur Middle school next Wednesday, September 1, from 3 PM - 8 PM. All MacArthur students 12 and older are eligible. We are striving to get our eligible students vaccinated when possible to limit instances of quarantine. All parents and community members are also welcome to get the vaccine!
 
Please see the detailed information below in the district news section regarding SHIELD Testing. You must opt-in if you would like your child to participate in the SHIELD program. Testing will occur once per week and as needed due to exposure. All unvaccinated may participate in the screening and everyone can participate in testing, but consent forms are required for students and staff. Click the link to complete the consent form below.
Sullivan Snapshots

During the first week of school, Mrs. Broms' 4th grade class spent time getting to know each other and the classroom. Students participated in a scavenger hunt around the room, completed posters that told about themselves in math equations, and created their favorite animals out of Playdoh and shared about them with their classmates. 4th grade is off to a great start!

Our students were very excited to be able to check out books for the first time this year. The 4th graders participated in a scavenger hunt so they could learn their way around the library, while the 5th graders played a review game to remind them of how to find books and use the Destiny website to help them choose good-fit books.  
Mrs. Luehr and her students are enjoying the new Music Room! Here, Mrs. Pennell's class plays the bells and boomwhackers. They are having a blast playing instruments, singing, and moving! We are looking forward to a great year in Music class!

Sullivan students are excited to participate in PE activities with their classmates this year. Mr. Miller and Mrs. Davies supervise as Ms. Funk's class work on their frisbee skills while playing Kan Jam this week.
Band and Orchestra News
It's time for Band and Orchestra Recruitment! Click to view the recruitment presentation and to find out more about our upcoming sign-up and rental night on September 2nd!
Order Your School Pictures Online
Anne Sullivan Elementary School Expectations
Our core expectations of being safe, respectful, and responsible are in place whether we are learning in person or virtually. Our expectations matrix is included below for your reference. Please review these expectations with your children.
Technology Information
Parent & Student Technology Guides: Make sure to check out our tutorials about how to use the programs and apps that we will use for instruction this year.
Important Dates
9/1: Ross/Sullivan Parent Night 6 PM
9/1: Vaccination Event @ Mac 3PM-8PM
9/6: Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
9/14: Board of Education Meeting 7 PM
9/16: Non-Attendance Day - No School
District News
District 23 has partnered with the Illinois Department of public health to provide a vaccine event to be held at MacArthur Middle School on
Sept. 1 from 3:00-8:00pm.

We highly encourage any 12+ student and adult who is unvaccinated to take advantage of this convenient opportunity.
Our goal to keep students in school can be supported by an optional screening and testing process currently being planned for District 23.

Through a partnership with the Federal and State governments, the SHIELD Illinois program is now available to all schools in Illinois, free of charge.

This 3rd party laboratory analysis uses the SHIELD saliva based test developed by the University of Illinois. More information can be found HERE.

We hope to launch weekly screening and on demand testing to monitor local community spread, identify presymptomatic or asymptomatic cases, and assist in making informed quarantining decisions. It is our goal to begin on October 1st.
Participation is optional, but requires parental consent. Please complete the form below if you are interested and willing to have your child participate in this program. More information and details will be shared as it becomes available.
From the Transportation Desk:
We are most appreciative of First Student and their team in working to get the school year off to a good start, especially under the circumstances of the pandemic and the nationwide driver shortage. We are now in the process of evaluating all bus routes and looking at actual student ridership. We are aware that at least one route is potentially above our targeted number of riders for each route of 50. We have asked the First Student team to perform load counts each day and recommend changes based on that information. This will not immediately impact stop locations or route assignments however, we are working on recommendations to bring to the Board of Education based on their data.
Community Partner Resources
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