Principal's Weekly Message

735 S. Westgate Road

Des Plaines, IL

847-824-1501

Office Hours: Weekdays from 8:00 - 4:00 PM

Terrace Website

Terrace Families,

We had a really fun week that was capped off with our Halloween festivities. All week long, teachers participated in an Underground Spirit Week. Not only was this meant to be fun for the teachers, but our students had fun trying to figure out why were all dressing up the same way together each day. This activity is part of our PBIS program and is always a highlight with staff.

Our week ended with our October PBIS assembly and our Halloween parade. We were fortunate to have good weather conditions, so we were able to take our parade outdoors so family and friends could see their little ones in their costumes. Next month our PBIS focus will be RESPECT.

As we approach Thanksgiving and winter breaks, our focus begins to shift toward recharging after a productive start to the school year. To best support our students’ well-being and ensure our technology remains in top shape for our classrooms, we will be collecting school-issued iPads prior to our Thanksgiving, winter break, and spring break. We understand that this may be a change for some, and we wanted to explain the “why” behind our decision.

• Encouraging Unplugged Time: We have heard a shared desire from families and staff to help lower screen time. By keeping devices at school, we hope to remove a digital distraction during extended periods and allow students to truly disconnect.

• Strengthening Cybersecurity & Maintenance: Just like our students, our technology also needs a chance to refresh. These extended breaks allow our technology team to perform important system updates, boost cybersecurity measures, and handle routine repairs.

• Loss Prevention & Device Safety: Storing iPads securely at school during busy holiday and travel seasons prevents accidental damage, loss or misplacement.

District 62 will once again host the parent education course, “Parenting the Love and Logic Way”. There is no cost to participate in the workshop which is open to all District 62 families. A link will be sent to families once they register. Courses will be held virtually from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning November 4, November 11, November 18, December 2, December 9 and December 16. The course will teach parents about the two rules of love and logic, the anticipatory consequence, ways to neutralize arguing and much more. To sign up, or for more information, please contact Peter Martin: (847) 824-1532, or martinpe@d62.org.

PTC News:

Just a quick reminder about our upcoming PTC activities and opportunities to get involved:

• Want to stay connected with the PTC and other Terrace families? Be sure to download Directory Spot to access the school directory and stay up to date on school events and announcements.
• Have questions or want to get involved? Reach out to the PTC at terrace.d62.ptc@gmail.com

Please take a moment to read this brief message from our school social workers:

Dear Families, please look over this Google Form to see the resources that Terrace has to offer. If you are interested in the Backpack Program, please complete this form for an enrollment slip to be sent home with your child. If you have any questions, please contact Maya Donnelly or Karen Nguyen. Thank you!

Have a nice w🎃🎃kend!

I would like to take this opportunity to please ask you to talk to your children about bringing toys to school. The toys, stuffed animals, trading cards, and fidgets are becoming a distraction. These are things that should not be brought into the classroom unless the teacher has a specific purpose. They can get lost, stolen, and ruined here at school. Please help us by keeping these items at home.

As you know, Terrace Elementary School receives Title I funds from the federal government. Title I provides funding to schools with high numbers of low-income families to improve education for all students, especially those most at risk of falling behind. It supports school-wide programs aimed at helping every child meet challenging state academic standards. Terrace uses Title I funds to:

• Provide academic interventions and clubs for students outside of the school day

• Pay for salaries for instructional assistants to support small group instruction.

• Increase parental involvement through parent engagement activities and events.

Families, this is a reminder that as a district we are now using the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) when we have safety concerns here at Terrace. You can please refer to this poster to see the language that is being used in our schools. As an example, we will use this language during our lockdown drill.

If you would like to view a calendar of events at Terrace, please click here.

Please be advised that First Student (transportation company) has an app that allows you to be aware of any significant delays or updates. Learn more about this at myfirstview.com. Use the code K1X5S.

Arrival:

Please remember these few reminders when dropping off your students in the morning in the front circle:

• Please do not drive in the fire lane. This is unsafe. That is why it is marked off by the orange cones.
  
• Pull up to the front door, drop off your student, and pull away.
• While queued up in the circle, please do not leave your car to walk your student(s) to the front entrance. This causes a slowdown in drop-off and is unnecessary. If you wish to walk your child(ren) to the front door, we ask that you please park in the parking lot adjacent to the building and walk your child(ren) to the front door.
• Please do not park in the front circle next to the island to walk your child(ren) to the front entrance. This, too, slows down drop-off and is unsafe. It is unsafe for those crossing the driveway and is also unsafe when the parked cars try to merge back into the circle to leave. Please park your car in the parking lot if you wish to walk your child(ren) to the front door.

Dismissal:
Pickup at dismissal time continues to improve. Please understand that unfortunately our supervisors are not out there to direct traffic. They are there to help your children get into your vehicles safely and quickly. It is up to you, our community members, to be safe and patient as you wait for your students. Please, I ask you to be patient with us but also with one another. There is no rush to get into the front circle. If you follow the directions below, we will get your children to you more quickly with each passing day. Here are some way you can help us do that:

• Display the laminated sign you all should have received from your teacher. If you did not receive a sign, please contact your teacher to let them know.
• DO NOT wait or stand in front of a community member's driveway. The Des Plaines Police Department has asked me to remind you of this.
• Please do not double park on Westgate, get out of your car, and walk up to the front. If you want to park and get your child, please park in our parking lot.
• Do not drive to the left of the cars in the circle drive in order to leave the circle. This is dangerous and can hurt someone. Please be patient if the person in front of you is still loading their car.
• If your child is not outside when you drive up, you should leave the circle and make another pass. Please do not wait and hold up the line behind you.
• Remember, if you want to park on the street and get out of your car to pick up your child, please tell your child to leave out of door 3 (blacktop door) so you can meet them there. We do not want to have too many people congregating in the front of the school at dismissal time.

• There are no dogs allowed on school property before or after school. Please leave your dogs at home or in your vehicles when picking up your children. This is a safety concern, and this rule applies to all D62 schools.
• Apple Watches and other smart watches are not allowed at school. These are viewed as the same as a phone, which should remain turned off and in the lockers throughout the school day. This is a district policy, so we ask that you refrain form allowing your children to wear them to school unless otherwise noted in the below policy.
• Please remember that school breakfasts and lunches are not free (unless your family qualifies for free or reduced lunch). We do not want your children accumulating a large bill for you without you knowing it. Please talk to your children about what they are allowed to purchase and what they are not allowed to purchase. Our food service provider, Organic Life, posts all of their menus online. In order to preview the weekly menus, please click this link.

To find all things D62 and Terrace, I would strongly encourage you to please bookmark the D62 website. It is beautiful, and it has everything you could possibly need at you fingertips. Terrace also has its own school site website that you can find as well. We have a Terrace School Calendar for families that you can subscribe to. This is where we will begin to post all relevant school events such as Meet and Greet or Family-Teacher Conferences. There is a button at the top of this page that you can click to see the school calendar as well as the food services prices and menus. Please remember that breakfasts and lunches are not free. I hope this makes things a little easier for all of you. All before and after school events will eventually be posted to this calendar, so please feel free to subscribe.

Phones and Smart Watches:

Recently we have seen some students who are bringing wearable devices to school (such as an Apple Watch or other smart watch devices). Just like with mobile phones, we have a Board Policy (7:190) which states that “All electronic devices must be kept powered-off and out of sight during the regular school day unless: (a) the supervising teacher grants permission; (b) use of the device is provided in a student’s individualized education program (IEP); or (c) it is needed in an emergency that threatens the safety of students, staff, or other individuals.”

Please do not send your students with wearable devices to school. If your child is bringing a phone with them to school, the phone must be kept powered off and in the locker during the school day. If a staff member sees a student with a wearable device or a mobile phone, they will be asked to put it in the locker. Thank you for your support with this.

Parent Volunteers:

If you are interested in volunteering at a PTC event during school hours, you must contact Mrs. Bojarski in the office in order to apply to do so. She can be reached at bojarskil@d62.org. If you have been a volunteer previously and have already gone through the background check, you do not need to do so again. Again, contact Mrs. Bojarski if you are not sure of your status or have any questions.

Instagram Page:

Please do not forget that our Instagram page is where I will post pictures. To find it, you can click here, or you can go to https://www.instagram.com/ and search for terraceelementaryschool so you can follow us on Instagram. In addition, I will try and post weekly pictures here within my newsletter for those families who do not have or do not wish to have Instagram. Remember, if you do not want your child's picture posted on social media, please contact our office so you can find out the steps you need to take to make that request official.