The Jayhawk Weekly
Dear Julian Parents and Guardians,
This was a very exciting week at Julian! Not only are our classes underway, but we also had a few great opportunities to connect with our parent community! Thank you for joining us for the Curriculum Night and to all those who attended our PTO meeting the night prior. Our conversations at the PTO meeting were rich and inspiring. I was incredibly touched by the things that people shared, the questions that were asked, and the way that we all were able to engage as a community. I hope we continue to have everyone join us for our PTO meetings this year so we can continue to collaborate together to strengthen our school community in a deep and meaningful way.
Curriculum Night is always a great opportunity to connect. It was wonderful to see so many parents come to hear from their children's teachers and get to see the classrooms where they spend their days. If you were unable to attend, we have included the link to our the presentation that the Administrative Team gave in the auditorium. I have also included emails for myself and both Associate Principals below. Should you need to reach an Administrator, please feel free to contact all 3 of us as a team so we can address your questions.
Jayhawks together,
Nick Filipowski
Principal, Percy Julian M.S.
Mrs. Court, Associate Principal
Mr. Filipowski, Principal
Mrs. Fountain-Dotson, Associate Principal
REMINDER: New School Visitor Management System Begins Monday, Sept. 16
District 97 will implement the Raptor Visitor Management System starting Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. This system will streamline the check-in process and enhance security at all our schools. Visitors will need to present a government-issued ID to check in, and a badge will be provided to wear while on school property.
For more details and video tutorials on the check-in process, please visit our website. If you have any questions, please contact your building principal.
Thank you for your support in keeping our schools safe!
Pick up this awesome school supply
Could you use an extra backpack or bookbag for your Jayhawk? Then please have your student drop by the school office. Or if you're in the neighborhood, swing by between 8:00 a.m. - 4:00pm to pick up a new backpack. We have a number of stylish backpacks in blue, black, gray, green and red with a small number of school supplies inside each (pens, pencils, notepads, etc). And it's FREE, of course. If your student needs one, please come get one!
Every week it will be cleared out
The Lost & Found is located in the commons (the Julian lunchroom). Please be sure that your child checks the Lost & Found rack if they are missing any clothing items, lunch bags, water bottles or personal belongings. Each week, on Fridays, the Lost & Found will be cleared out and items donated. So students should never use it as a storage space. All personal belongings should be kept secure inside student lockers.
Looking for extra math or reading enrichment for your elementary student this fall?
Sessions of SMART Hephzibah math and reading enrichment will begin in October, with registration open from Sept. 13 - Oct. 7. SMART Hephzibah offers weekly sessions over Zoom for 2nd - 6th graders in the late afternoons and early evenings from Oct. 21 - Dec. 13. Regular sessions will review and practice grade-level material, and the advanced sessions will go beyond grade-level material. All sessions are taught by D97 teachers. Each 7-week session costs $84, and financial aid is available. For more information, visit our SMART Hephzibah page.
From the Office of Equity and Student Success
Hello Julian/Brooks/Roosevelt Families,
The OPRF Office of Equity and Student Success is pleased to invite you to our PLACES & FACES: People You Should Know to Help our Community Grow event at Oak Park and River Forest High School on September 17th, 2023, 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m in the South Cafeteria.
Join us! Meet teachers, administrators, support staff, and student leaders of color. This is a great opportunity for parents and students to learn more about activities, support, and resources available at OPRF. There will a student-led tour of recent facility updates as well!
Light refreshments will be served. We hope to see you there!
Thank you,
Ty Garland
Community Outreach Coordinator
Varsity Football/Varsity Track & Field (Throws) Coach
Oak Park and River Forest High School
tgarland@oprfhs.org | Rm: 3151
(708) 434-3008 | www.oprfhs.org
A message from Mr. McDonald
Special Olympics apparel is back! There are SO MANY choices for colors, shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, and more! CLICK HERE to shop for spirit wear with our CUSTOM logo. Shout out to Hannah Connell, Whittier's art teacher, for the amazing design! You can pick between logo only and logo plus words ("Special Olympics"). BONUS: 30% off thru 9/17!!!
TIPS: Use the tabs across the top of the site to choose the type of apparel you're interested in. When you click the picture of an item, more options will appear at the bottom of the screen.
CLICK HERE for our website, which includes a sign-up link, dates, locations and sports offered for the whole year. It's broken down between K-2, 3-5 and 6-8 grades.
Tim McDonald
Adapted Physical Education Teacher
Special Olympics Coach
Oak Park School District 97
**Sale ends on Tuesday, 9/17**
NEW JULIAN GEAR
Just a few more days left to get in on the sale of the year! 1st Place Spiritwear has 30% off Julian backpacks, hats, hoodies, long sleeved t-shirts, water bottles and more!
A percentage of the sales get donated to Julian Middle School. So save on your new gear and make your purchase today!!
SCAN THE QR CODE FOR HELP
Having trouble with your locker? We have your back! Please fill out the Locker Challenges Form. We will be checking this form and taking care of any issues to ensure they are fixed. There is a poster with this link at the end of every locker bay so that students may use their Chromebooks to go to bit.ly/jmslockerchallenges or use the QR code with their phone (before or after the school day) to complete the form as well. Our custodians are fixing any lockers that have issues and checking that all are securely able to close.
Is something missing from your locker? Be sure to complete the locker challenge form if you believe it does not close securely. If something has been taken, please alert your advisory teacher immediately so that an investigation can take place.
We strive to improve the attendance of all of our students. Each minute of each school day provides opportunities for learning and it’s noticeable when students miss time. Being on time to school and attending school regularly are an important part of success! Set regular routines for bedtime and morning to ensure students are at school by 8:50 am each day!
Absences, even if they are excused, can add up to academic trouble. Missing only 2 days a month (excused or unexcused), means your child misses 10% of the school year. If your child is going to be absent, please notify the office prior to 9:00 a.m. by calling (708) 665-3064. When we do not receive a call from a parent/guardian, school regulations require that parents/guardians are contacted to verify the child's absence. Should you need resources to support your child’s attendance, please visit this link or reach out to your child’s Student Success Coach.
6th Grade - Kasey Fleming (kfleming@op97.org)
7th grade - Segio Torres (storres@op97.org)
- 8th grade - Katie Trathen (ktrathen@op97.org)
SAVE THE DATES
- No School: Thursday, October 3rd
- No School: Monday, October 14th
- Student-Family Conferences: Thursday, October 24th through Friday, October 25th, 2024
- (Full day of classes on 10/24/No school for students on 10/25)***
- School Pictures: Wednesday, October 30th
- No School: Tuesday, November 5th
- End of Trimester 1: Friday, November 15th
SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Our Jayhawk Reminder, Daily Announcements are now online! Click here or find the link on our website any time!
A and B DAY BELL SCHEDULES
We will be on a block schedule again this school year with No J days. On A days, students will attend their 1st through 5th period classes. On B days, students will attend their 6th through 10th period classes.
Here is the daily Bell Schedule for this school year.
Here is the A/B Day calendar for this school year.
FOOD ALLERGIES
Approximately 10% - 15% of students have a food allergy. The most common allergen item is nuts of any kind. Every food-allergic reaction has the possibility of developing into a life-threatening reaction within minutes. Some individuals may react to merely touching the substance, while for others, consumption of a tiny amount of that food can cause a reaction which could be fatal.
We strongly encourage packing nut-free products in your student's lunches
We strongly encourage sending nut-free products on field trips
There is NO food sharing between students at any time during school
How to identify safer foods for your children to eat:
Please read all packaging to ensure the item is not produced on equipment shared with nuts
Additional safe options may be viewed at: www.snacksafely.com
We appreciate your partnership in promoting the health and safety of our children.
LUNCH
Hot lunch will be available to students who wish to participate and have a funded or approved lunch account, starting the first day of school. If you have questions regarding your student's lunch balance, you may contact the Lunch Manager, Venus Jones at vjones@op97.org. To make payments on student lunch accounts please visit, https://www.mymealtime.com/signin.aspx
****FOOD DELIVERY POLICY****
Please note students or parents/guardians may NOT have food delivered to the school through any food delivery service (i.e. DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, etc). Food deliveries will not be accepted during the school day. Please plan to pack a lunch or purchase a school lunch each day.
ALL STUDENTS MUST CROSS AT THE LIGHT
**This is a reminder regarding Cuyler and Washington:
If your student crosses the sidewalk from the school to the North side of Washington Blvd at Cuyler Ave, PLEASE remind them that this is not a sanctioned crosswalk. There is no official crosswalk and there is no crossing guard at the Cuyler Ave and Washington Blvd intersection. Therefore, students should not cross themselves at the intersection of Cuyler & Washington. If they need to cross Washington Blvd, they should walk or bike to the corner of Ridgeland Ave. and cross at the light on Washington in order to continue north.
For their safety, please discuss the reminder with your student. Thank you.
HEALTH OFFICE REQUIREMENTS/SPORTS PHYSICALS
Incoming 6th-grade students and/or any new students who have transferred into District 97, MUST have a wellness physical and dental exam dated within one year prior to August 22nd, 2024. Your child's physical must have been performed after August 22, 2023. Your child may not be admitted to school without these documents. The interscholastic box “yes” must be checked in order for your child to be eligible to try out or participate in any interscholastic activity.
SPORTS PHYSICALS – The State of Illinois Office of Education requires that any student who wishes to participate in interscholastic sports MUST have an Athletic Physical Examination, dated within one year prior to August 22nd, 2024. It is MANDATORY that your child have this physical before they will be eligible to try out or participate in any interscholastic activity. To access student health forms please visit http://www.op97.org/hr/health-requirements
Please submit the appropriate document by mail or in person no later than September 3, 2024 to the following:
Percy Julian Middle School
Attn: Health Office
416 S. Ridgeland Ave
Oak Park, IL 60302
SCHOOL FEES
Fees may be paid online at https://oakpark.revtrak.net/Middle-Schools/BMS/BMS-School-Fees/#/list
You may also pay fees in-person (with check, money order or cash only) at the Julian School Office during the week between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM.
WE NEED YOUR VOICE!
Come help Julian be an even more awesome place...all that's missing is YOU! Julian PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization) meetings will be held every 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the Library Media Center:
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
If you can't make it in person, log onto to Zoom for the PTO meetings:
Every month on the Second Wed, until May 14, 2025, 9 occurrence(s)
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZIqd-2grzwqH9xbM57ma8Z4koONenHwAstO/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGuqTsuEtWSsByPRpwAB4igLPzzmGZfgvpFnjKwVC1SOjmiPe1tHLdxOM_x&meetingMasterEventId=8BZCj1FGQtmhEqFKmR7G4w
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86704817058?pwd=sQ8438MQAlKe75JZ21eRBMFkOpJDza.1
Meeting ID: 867 0481 7058
Passcode: 325017
