Panther Post
March 4, 2022
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Dear Sullivan Families,
It has been wonderful this year being back to full in-person instruction with our kids! I can't believe that Monday marks the start of the third trimester and the last third of the school year. We are looking forward to the last three months of the school year and continuing to learn and grow through June.
As you will see in the classroom snapshot pictures in this newsletter, we had a great time celebrating Read Across America Week. Our classes read in so many different places in our school, and we enjoyed the many guest readers who came into the classes this week to share a favorite book with our kids.
While we love special events like these, the culture of reading of Sullivan goes beyond guest readers once per year. From our 4th grade Book Bingo to our Library Genre Challenge to our 5th grade 40 Book Challenge to the Book Battles at the end of the year, reading beyond the curriculum is something that is embedded into our daily lives at Sullivan.
Our students love to recommend books to each other and share their favorites. We even have a segment on our announcements each week where kids can share a review of a favorite read. While this joy of reading is what we strive to give our kids before they leave Sullivan, we are also seeing them grow as learners and readers as a result of the strong classroom instruction they receive daily and the exposeure to a wide variety of literature and non-fiction texts. We are so proud if how much our kids have grown this year on our benchmark tests that they take three times yearly.
Ask your kids about their Guest Readers in class this week and their favorite reads, and take a minute to read with your kids this weekend!
Keep on reading for information about:
- Free online screening of the movie Like
- 5 Essentials Survey
- PTO Family Fun Night
- St. Baldrick's Fundraiser
- How to access your child's Personalized Learner Profile
- Classroom Connections
- Pawsitive Panthers
- Community Resources
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Traci Meziere
Principal
Anne Sullivan School
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Quick Links to Important Information |
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Last chance to share your feedback - The survey window closes March 11
The State of Illinois assists schools in gathering data about our performance on a wide range of components. Staff, students, and parents are encouraged to participate in the 5Essentials survey each year. Your feedback provides insights into our work toward Strategic Goals and is very helpful in our reflection, evaluation, and planning. The survey should be completed for each school with which you are associated.
Click on the image above to take the survey!
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All 4th and 5th grade students at Sullivan will be taking the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) tests starting April 4th. In addition, 5th grade students will be taking the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) in mid-April. Please see the letter below from Dr. Zaher regarding the IAR tests. |
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5th graders are celebrating Read Across America week by "reading across Sullivan School." Classes are taking their books to various places throughout the school this week to read and then marking on a map all of the locations in which they've read. Mrs. Kaspari's class enjoyed reading their books outside of the library. They also enjoyed hearing a book read aloud by special guest reader Mrs. Ellison during their library time. |
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We celebrated TWOSday 2/22/22 with a variety of themed math and reading activities, as well as an all-school virtual dance party to the Cupid Shuffle at 2:22 PM right before dismissal. Our students enjoyed celebrating this special day with fun learning activities! |
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Reading Across Sullivan and Guest Readers |
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Our kids are reading everywhere across Sullivan to celebrate Read Across America Week! We were also lucky to have so many amazing guest readers in the building this week to read to our students in the library and in their classrooms. Thank you to our Board of Education members and our Admin building and office staff who took the time to come into Sullivan and read! |
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Evan is a Pawsitive Panther because he demonstrates respect to all and is responsible every day. He participates in class and is a positive role model for his classmates. Evan you are Pawsome! |
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Defne is a PAWsome Panther. She puts forth effort in all that she does and comes to school each day determined and eager to learn. Defne makes great connections in her learning and participates daily. Congratulations, Defne! YOU are a Pawsitive Panther! |
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Emily is kind, thoughtful, and respectful to her teachers and classmates. Emily is a leader in the classroom and continually demonstrates the qualities of a Pawsitive Panther. Congratulations, Emily! You are PAWsome! |
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Sofiya is a Pawsitive Panther. Sofiya comes to school every day with a smile on her face. She tries her best in everything she does and is kind to all. She is a role model student. Sofiya is a PAWSOME fifth grader! |
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Free Screening of the movie "Like" |
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We will be hosting a free, at-home screening of the movie LIKE, which seemingly achieves the impossible: actually getting kids and teens to put down their phones for a few minutes. See below for more information about this film, and watch the trailer here!
Sign up here to view LIKE from the comfort of your home. Limited links are available, and a WiFi connection is required for streaming the film. The link you will receive to do this is viewable once between March 11 - March 20th. Sign up today!
This take-action and inspiring film is the 2nd installment in the award-winning iNDIEFLIX Mental Health Trilogy, created to entertain, engage and enlighten about issues surrounding mental health. Before COVID, 2 billion smartphone owners were checking their phones, on average, 150 times a day, and the enforced isolation and mandated screen time of the past year has only increased this figure. Research continues to confirm that having your head down, staring at the screen, chasing “likes” and seeking “followers” is the perfect recipe for low self-esteem, isolation, and depression, as well as loss of focus and patience.
LIKE explores the impact of social media on our lives and the effects of technology on the brain. Understanding that virtual connection is not going away and has many benefits, its goal is to inform, educate and inspire people of all ages to self-regulate, so they can enjoy balanced and fulfilled lives.
The filmmaker of LIKE inspires kids and teens to consider a life of JOMO (joy of missing out) as opposed to FOMO. They use their proven 4 E formula: entertainment, empathy, enlightenment, and a heavy dose of empowerment, arming their audiences with easy-to-execute strategies to change their habits that very same day. Research and data are plentiful: happiness surges when we have digital balance, not overload; when we give ourselves time to look at actual trees, animals, and all things nature, as well as interact - however we can - with other humans.
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Thank you SO much for your support this year for Kids Heart Challenge. Our school had 22 students take a challenge to stay healthy, 3 families complete Finn’s Mission together to learn how to save lives and raised (drumroll please….) $3,033 for the American Heart Association!! WOW. We are so thankful for your support. Our school has saved and changed so many lives! |
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St. Baldrick's Fundraiser |
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MacArthur’s Student Senate is excited to announce our St. Baldrick’s Event that will be held on Friday, March 11th. Together as a district and a community, we hope to raise $5000 to help fight and conquer kids’ cancer. There are many ways to get involved. If you or your child are interested in shaving for a cure you can sign up to become a St. Baldrick’s Superstar at District #23 St. Baldrick’s Fundraiser. For more information, or if you are interested in making a donation for the event to be used for raffles please contact Athena Kalaras (akalaras@d23.org) or Bryan Quesea (bquesea@d23.org ).
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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. |
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Save the date to join the fourth PTO General Meeting of the year on Thursday, March 17th at 7 pm via ZOOM. A ZOOM link will be sent out on the D23 Facebook page, the PTO e-blast, and in the principals' newsletters closer to the meeting. All are welcome and encouraged to join us. Hope to see you there! |
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3/9: Board of Education Meeting 7PM
3/10 & 3/11: Sullivan Musical 7PM
3/14: Non-Attendance Day - NO SCHOOL
3/15: Institute Day - NO SCHOOL
3/21-3/25: Spring Break
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Check out this new tool for parents…
We are excited to share a new reporting tool for parents that will provide insight into a wider range of data about your child.
Report cards are helpful in sharing information about grades and classroom performance, but we know the importance of our students growing into well-rounded individuals.
Students in grades 3-8 have been working to set goals and input data into the Personalized Learner Profile. We encourage you to ask your child to show you their PLP page, and to discuss their goals, activities, and interests.
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Using their D23 Google Account, students can login to the system provided by our partner, ECRA Group at:
We invite you to explore the interactive features, including a view of historical data. Ask your child to share the activities they completed in school to brainstorm and complete their “tiles” for the profile.
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Community Partner Resources |
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You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link at the bottom of every email |
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