ZBE Parent Bulletin

Greetings Zion-Benton East Families,

The 2024-25 school year is well underway at Zion-Benton East! Parent-Teacher conferences and Homecoming are behind us and the end of our first academic quarter is coming up on October 11th. While it may feel tempting to put the year on “cruise control,” I encourage all families to stay engaged! At ZB East, we see you as key partners in supporting student learning and success throughout the year. Your involvement and input are invaluable in advancing our school's mission.

In addition to attending our upcoming Parent Information Night on October 23rd, here are a few other ways to stay actively involved in your student’s education:

• Monitor attendance and grades regularly: Stay informed about your student’s progress and address any concerns with them or their teacher. Whether you’re seeking ways to help your child improve or you want to provide insights to help us better understand them, our staff is eager to collaborate with you!

• Encourage involvement in clubs, activities, and athletics: Research consistently shows that students who engage in extracurricular activities perform better academically. Explore opportunities for your child to get involved in something that interests them.

• Promote punctuality and readiness: Please revisit this parent communication from September, which underscores the importance of ensuring students arrive on time and prepared to learn. Your efforts in this area make a significant impact!

• Support state testing preparation: Your child’s performance on state tests is crucial, and the foundation for success starts in freshman year! Students in grades 9-11 completed their first practice assessment on September 11th. Review their results on the Horizon platform and help them set goals for the winter assessment on December 11th. Encourage them to aim for an additional three correct answers per section, which could boost their score by 1-2 points. Establishing a consistent ACT practice schedule can make a difference, and here are some free resources to help:

• ZBE Library: Offers free ACT prep materials, both hard copy and digital.
• EBSCO Learning: Available at this link.
• Varsity Tutors: Free online tutoring, accessible on your student's district device.
• In-School Resources: Students can utilize one of the many resources we have available in school to improve their ACT score.

Let’s continue to work together to ensure a successful school year for your Zee-Bee!

Kevin Wiland, Ed.S.

Principal

Contact Information

• Friday, 10/11/24 - End of Quarter 1
• Monday, 10/14/24 - Indigenous Peoples' Day -- No School
• Wednesday, 10/23/24 6pm - Family Information Night @ ZB East

• Tuesday, 11/5/24 - Election Day -- No School
• Wednesday, 11/26/24 - Day before Thanksgiving -- No School
• Thursday, 11/27/24 - Thanksgiving Day -- No School
• Friday, 11/28/24 - Day after Thanksgiving -- No School

We are proud to announce the following students earned high honors and honors for their academic performance during the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year. We held a special celebration at the conclusion of our Parent-Teacher Conferences last month recognizing each of these ZBE students! Well done, BEES!

Please take a moment to review these important reminders to keep our ZBE community safe.

Report Threats of Violence

• Every member of a school community is responsible for its safety.
• We encourage everyone to,”See Something, Say Something.”
• If you have any information of a threat of violence please bring it to the attention of a school administrator and law enforcement.

Report NOT Repost

• Spreading rumors or unverified information has the potential to cause great confusion.
• We strongly encourage parents and students to refrain from posting or sharing rumors about threats of violence on social media, text messaging, or other means.
• Report to a school administrator and Law Enforcement.

Please join us for an informational night regarding “Parenting in the Digital Age” and strengthening “Family and Community Engagement.” Our speakers include:

• Kevin Wiland- ZBE Principal
  
• Dr. Cheri Bridge- D126 Executive Director of Technology & Innovation
  
• Kayla Matthews- ZBE School Counselor
  
• Carolina Fabian - Director of Family and Community Engagement (F.A.C.E.) from the

  Illinois State Board of Education

We will also offer a Q&A session, light refreshments, a community resource fair, and a raffle drawing for some great prizes. RSVP today via the SMORE newsletter.

We look forward to seeing you and creating strong relationships that benefit our students, our families, and our community.

When? Wednesday, Oct 23, 2024, 06:00 PM

Where? Zion Benton East High School 1634 23rd Street, Zion IL 60099

Mr. DeCaprio's Health classes have been working on their Nutrition unit the last few weeks. Student groups select a specific diet and create a slideshow presentation including: the history of the diet, the foods included in the diet (or avoided), the pro's and con's, the short-term and long-term effects, their opinion on recommending the diet, and any changes they would make. Next they create a restaurant menu based on the diet with a minimum of 10 breakfast items and 10 lunch/diner items.

The event, The Taste of Zion, is modeled after the Taste of Chicago, so groups prepare a minimum of three menu dishes for sampling. They create their restaurant stands, including a poster identifying and explaining the nutritional diet they chose, and serve their food items to various classes to taste. Visiting classes are encouraged to ask questions about a group's chosen diet. Some of the diets Health students can choose from are: Metabolic Typing Diet, Blood Type Diet, Atkins Diet, DASH Diet, KETO Diet, Vegan Diet, Paleo Diet, Whole Food Diet, New Mayo Clinic Diet.

The end to the first quarter of the 2024-2025 school year is quickly approaching. This milestone is a great time to check in on your student's grades and encourage them to take advantage of the many supports available to them. Students can experience academic success by:

1. Staying after-school to get tutoring help from ZBE teachers.

ZBE teachers will assist with homework help in any subject--for FREE!

Sessions are held from 2:30 - 3:20 and bus transportation is available home.

• Mondays - Mr. Davenport (Room 209)
• Tuesdays - Ms. Benjamin (Room 207)
• Wednesday - Mr. Davenport (Room 209) and Ms. Benjamin (Room 207)
• Friday - Mr. Richardt (Room 209)

2. Making a plan with our Academic Success Coordinator.

Mr. Hutchison (Room 222) is available to help students by grade monitoring, assisting with late and missing work, offering assessment retakes, extra study time during 9th hour, and teaching organizational skills. Ms. Zamora, our bi-lingual Instructional Aide, is also available to help. Please email Mr. Hutchison (matthew.hutchison@zb126.org) if you would like to speak to him regarding your student's academic performance.

3. Attending Math Labs, Writing Labs, and PE Make-Ups.

Our ZBE teachers will request students to attend Math Labs, Writing Labs, and PE Make-Ups when they identify a student that may need extra instruction or missed a day of PE. These sessions are held during the regular scheduled school day (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) during 9th period.

4. Signing up for APEX to recover missing credits.

Seats are still available to sign-up for the Fall semester to work on recovering missing credits needed for graduation. Ms. Matthews (kayla.matthews@zb126.org) and Mr. Decker (eric.decker@zb126.org), our school counselors, are available in the Main Office to answer any questions your student may have.

5. Using the Varsity Tutors App for access to "Powerful Learning Resources" for FREE!

Students have access their district devices to utilize:

• 24/7 On-Demand Chat Tutoring
• On-Demand Essay Reviews
• Self-Study & Practice Problems
• College & Career Readiness
• Enrichment Classes, and more!

There are multiple locations and dates in the Lake County area for anyone in need of free groceries. Details are available on the Get Groceries page of the Northern Illinois Food Bank's website.

Zion-Benton East (1634 23rd Street) is a designated Mobile Market location. Stop by the next distribution date: Saturday, November 23, 2024 (10:00 AM - 11:30 AM)

Blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol (fasting), health education, COVID & flu vaccine (when available) and questions about medication, review lab results, connections to primary care. Learn about community resources by calling 847-578-8451 or 847-578-8670.

Offered through Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinics.

Check the schedule for dates/times/locations.

• Zion-Benton East Announcements
• 2024-2025 Official School Calendar

HAVE YOU MISSED AN ISSUE OF OUR PARENT BULLETIN?

• Visit the ARCHIVE page for all past issues.

Only 400 students large, Zion-Benton East provides a highly focused educational environment within Zion-Benton Township. A part of District 126, ZBE is a companion campus to the larger central campus located across town. Zion-Benton East emphasizes 21st century learning skills in addition to its college preparatory curriculum. Qualifying students have access to tuition-free dual credit college courses, the Lake County Tech Campus, and all students can participate in band, choir, and athletics as District 126 Zee-Bees!

Website: https://zbeast.zb126.org/
Location: 1634 23rd Street, Zion, IL, 60099
Phone: (847) 731-9800