March 14, 2021
Weekly enews
A Letter about iReady and Assessments at St. Giles School

Dear St. Giles Families,

In recent weeks we have shared information regarding the success of iReady testing across all Archdiocese schools. We have completed the 2nd diagnostic test and individual results have been shared with parents. I am certain that this brings about questions and I hope to address those here. In this letter you will find an overview of iReady, including a guide to help you interpret the results and other parent resources listed below.  

What do we do with these results? There are many ways we use iReady data, including: 
  • Identifying tier supports for individual students in Reading and Math
  • Providing detail within the subject areas for teachers to differentiate instruction 
  • Reviewing our curriculum and identifying areas for improvement, ultimately outlined in our annual school improvement plan
  • We DO NOT use iReady for determining grades in individual classes

This is our 2nd year using iReady in grades K-8 and we have seen significant improvement through the diagnostic testing. As we end trimester 2, over 40% of our students already exceed one year’s worth of learning in Reading and 33% exceed one year’s worth of learning in Math. Students continue to outpace average targets set by the i-Ready program, which is particularly impressive given where we are in the school year. 

The Archdiocese has determined that instead of implementing the annual Aspire testing in April, we will use iReady as our final summative assessment for the 2020-21 school year. This decision was made due to the inability to test students remotely and the impact of other COVID protocols and realities. iReady assessments will occur in May and results will be immediate. For middle school families concerned by this change, area Catholic high schools are aware and many used iReady assessments as supportive data for acceptance this year.  

Please take some time to explore the iReady parent resources below. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at [email protected].

As this enews goes to print, we are preparing for what I am certain was a wonderful event last night and I will share our success of Black and Gold with you next week! 

Stay well,
Meg

Family iReady Resources

Important Calendar Adjustment
Friday, April 30th, we will be participating in an Archdiocesan system-wide staff development day. There will be no school on Friday, April 30th.  

Reminder
Thank you to those who have completed the 5 Essentials Survey from the Archdiocese. Please take a moment to share your input. The survey closes on March 26, 2021. 

Archdiocese Travel Guidance Update
If you are traveling to either an orange or red state at any time, especially during Easter Break, a 10-day quarantine is required, regardless of a negative COVID test. The city of Chicago and Cook County update the travel restrictions weekly. Please check this website for current restrictions. Close exposure quarantines remain at 14 days. We will not implement remote learning for all after Easter Break as we did at Christmas. 

If you know you are traveling over Easter, we ask that you complete this Easter Break Travel Survey in order for our teachers to know who will be out of class following the break. Students who need to quarantine after traveling are asked to bring home their books and materials ahead of travel time and follow the teacher’s webpages for daily lessons. There will not be remote instruction.  
This week I attended a webinar on Cultivating Resilience by Formative Psychological Services through the Amita Health Organization.  The webinar contained many interesting and relevant practical strategies on helping children develop resilience during the pandemic.  The one idea which struck me as a great takeaway to share with my students was the research on Post Traumatic Growth(PTG).  There is actually more evidence of learned resilience through PTG.  All of our experiences during the pandemic are contributing to stronger relationships with each other, how to handle stress and the knowledge we can survive stress, and how to build a consistent environment where we feel safe.  For more ideas check out this health website.  This week I will continue to plant the seeds for growth among the students of St. Giles.
Welcome to St. Giles!

This trimester we welcome two student teachers to St. Giles.
Ms. Amber Bell from the University of West Florida has joined Mr. Siwek in PE completing her observations and will be teaching lessons during the trimester.
Ms. Stephanie Ramirez from Concordia University is joining Mrs. Magaña in 2nd Grade. Ms. Ramirez will begin this week!
We are so glad that we can share our teachers' expertise and have them serve as mentors to teaching candidates. Both Ms. Ramirez and Ms. Bell have reviewed all COVID protocols and will follow all precautions. 
PreK 3 and PreK 4 Virtual Tours and Conversation

Do you have a new PreK 3 or PreK 4 student joining us next year? Mark your calendar for March 25th at noon for a virtual tour and information session led by Mrs. Brady and Mrs. Rominski! Our teachers will take new and prospective families through our early childhood facility, answering questions and showing how we prepare our littlest Lions for their next steps at St. Giles School. Registration can be found here.

If you know someone interested in St. Giles School for PreK, please invite them to join one of our tours to learn more. Limited spots are available for 2021-2022. Please share the virtual tour registration form found here.

St. Giles Plant Sale

Looking forward to spring? 
SO ARE WE! 

Start planning your garden and landscaping with annuals, herbs, and vegetables from our Plant Sale benefitting the outdoor classroom and garden! Browse and place orders here through March 14th.

Plants arrive May 6th - just in time for Mother’s Day!
 *** Questions or interested in getting involved? Contact Jennifer at [email protected].

2021-22 Scholarship Information
January 4  through  April 15 - St. Giles Scholarship Application Opens. Log on to your Facts account and click on Grant & Aid when available. All applications will be reviewed after the April 15 deadline.
News from Schoolbelles

Pullovers are back in stock! The new pullover is very popular and now back in stock in the store in the following sizes: SY, MY, LY, and SA. MA is on backorder but scheduled to arrive soon and they will fulfill backorders as soon as they arrive. Don't forget to take advantage of their current sale!
As you begin to explore high school options for your son, we hope you take the time to learn more about Saint Patrick High School! We will be hosting in person tours on (6) different Saturdays this spring: 3/27, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, & 5/15. All tours will begin at 10 am and will consist of a brief presentation followed by a guided tour of our campus. These will be a great opportunity to get a head start on the high school search this spring! To ensure that we continue to follow proper health guidelines, we are asking that all interested families pre-register. To learn more & to register, CLICK HERE.
Follow and like us on social media. Stay up to date with what's going on at school and see pictures of your children engaging in educational activities with their classmates during the school day.