Christian's Weekly Communication

**PLEASE NOTE - There are only 3 days of school this week:

A Day - Monday, April 3

J Day - Wednesday, April 5

B Day - Thursday, April 6

There is no school for students on Tuesday and on Friday:

• Tues., April 4 - Institute Day
• Fri., April 7 - Non-Attendance Day

District 97 wants to ensure that our students who observe Ramadan (March 22-April 20) are supported and comfortable. The purpose of this form is to understand how we can best accommodate our students' needs during this time. Our goal is to provide a safe and inclusive environment that respects religious observances, while also ensuring that students have access to necessary resources and support. We value your input and appreciate your participation in this process. Your feedback will help us to tailor our approach and develop appropriate accommodations that meet the needs of our students.

If your student does not observe Ramadan, or if they do and do not need an accommodation, you do not need to complete this form.

Thank you for your support and cooperation.

-Principal Christian

Check out this engaging article in Chalkbeat Chicago that features our very own, Mr. Kannan.

Current 6th and 7th Grade Parents & Guardians,

We are excited about closing this year out strong, and we're already planning for next school!! Please join us on Tuesday, April 4 for a short discussion about 2023-24 class schedules. We will host a brief zoom meeting at 7pm to update families about course options and when/how you'll be able to make course selections for the 2023-24 school year.

Principal Parker and OPRFHS staff will visit Julian this week to discuss the 8th grade transition to high school. Please be sure that your 8th grader is in attendance on Wednesday, April 5, so that they can enjoy the presentation and have an opportunity to ask questions of the OPRFHS staff. Thank you.

Now that the weather has changed and your student has grown, it's time for new Julian gear! At 1st Place Spiritwear, they have t-shirts, shorts, hats, and much more available for purchase. A percentage of the sale goes to Percy Julian Middle School and your items are shipped directly to your home or workplace. Check out the link.

GREAT AMERICA SUPER MEGA DEAL IS ONLY $100!

We are pleased to announce that we are offering a super mega deal for the 8th Grade Celebration field trip. We will go to Six Flags Great America on Tuesday, June 6, from 9:30am - 6:30pm. For only $100, students will get admission to Great America amusement park in Gurnee, transportation to and from the park, lunch, a snack, and a refillable beverage cup...plus a personalized Class of 2023 t-shirt! Wow, this is going to be amazing!

1. ALL PAYMENTS ARE DUE BY APRIL 28 (we can NOT extend the payment deadline because Great America must be paid in full prior to the trip and we must have our final t-shirt order submitted by May 1st). Therefore, no refunds will be issued because each vendor must be paid in advance, prior to the day of field trip. So please be sure to make your payment on or before 4/28 if you want your student to participate.
2. If you own a season pass to Six Flags Great America for your 8th grader, the cost of the trip is $60 (for this price, your Jayhawk will receive the Class of 2023 t-shirt, transportation, lunch, snack and refillable beverage cup). **On June 6, if your student does not bring the season pass, they will need to pay full price admission at the gate or a parent/guardian will need to pick them up from the amusement park.
3. If your student will not attend the field trip, but would like to order a Class of 2023 t-shirt, the cost is $15.

• For more information, please read the Information Sheet.
• To make your online payment for the Mega Deal or the Season Pass Deal, please click here.
• And to complete the Permission Slip for Great America, please click here now.

If you have questions, contact julianinfo@op97.org or wlee@op97.org.

Important 8th Grade DATES:

• Wednesday, April 5 - OPRFHS Bridging the Gap assembly (2:15pm)
• Wednesday, April 19 - Graduation Picture RETAKE Day (9am)
• Friday, April 28 - Deadline for all Great America payments and Class of 2023 t-shirt orders
• Saturday, May 6 - 8th Grade Celebration Dance
• Monday, May 22 - Music Dept (for Choir, Band & Orchestra students) field trip
• Tuesday, June 6 - Six Flags Great America field trip
• Friday, June 9 - rehearsal for graduation (10am) and graduation ceremony (6:30pm) @ OPRFHS

Spoken Word Club, sponsored by OPEF, will be on held at the Oak Park Art League, 720 Chicago Avenue, on Wednesdays from 4:00pm - 5:30pm. The club will be from April 12 - May 17. Contact Julian teacher, Mr. Colucci at jcolucci@op97.org or Brooks teacher, Mr. Lee at mlee@op97.org if you have any questions or for more information.

DePaul University, in partnership with the Oak Park Township Community Mental Health Board and District 97, is offering a series of free, virtual community talks to the District 97 community as part of the Mindfulness Matters Program.

Tune in to discover the wide range of community resources available to youth and families in Oak Park and the surrounding area! Learn about the easiest ways to navigate and get connected to mental health resources, social services, childcare options, and summer programs. The next talk will be held on April 17th at 6pm via zoom. Click here for registration information.

Parent University on Student Social-Emotional Wellness - April 19
Oak Park and River Forest High School will host an in-person parent university session on Wednesday, April 19, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Topics will include student mental wellness, substance use prevention, and more. The event is open to all families in Oak Park, River Forest and the surrounding communities.

• Event Flyer

• Registration Link

The Track and Field season has begun!

It's not too late for your student to join. Track practices begin on the Julian turf field, from 7:30am - 8:30am, Mon - Thurs normally (on the weeks that there is a Julian Staff meeting on a Wednesday morning, that practice will be rescheduled for Friday morning). Click here for more information>>

For track practices, students should:

• dress appropriately for the weather
• bring filled water bottles
• wear proper footwear for running

Sports physical forms should be submitted to the coach or dropped off at the school office. Contact coach Talarico at mtalarico@op97.org if you have any questions.

Parents/Guardians,

This is a friendly reminder that we are now approaching the final months of the school year. And so it may be time to check with your Julian student to find out if there are school supplies that they need.

Here's a brief list of items they may need now:

• Pencils
• Pens
• Composition notebooks
• Spiral notebooks
• Personal Hygiene items (such as Kleenex, disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, etc.)
• Other supplies as needed for their Trimester 3 courses

And remember, students should bring the following items to school daily:

1. Fully charged Chromebook
2. Paper and pen/pencil
3. Refillable water bottle
4. School ID

Thank you for partnering with us to make the final trimester a success for all students!

• DePaul Community Talk: Navigating Resources in Oak Park
  
Tune in to discover the wide range of community resources available to youth and families in Oak Park and the surrounding area! Learn about the easiest ways to navigate and get connected to mental health resources, social services, childcare options, and summer programs. The talk will be held on April 17th at 6pm via zoom. Click here for registration information.

--

Katie Trathen, LCSW

(she/her/hers) - Hear my name

Culture & Climate Coach

Percy Julian Middle School

416 Ridgeland Ave, Oak Park, IL

Julian Request for Assistance Form - SY23

Join us in June for fun during the VEX Robotics Camp! For just two weeks only, we'll build and hone our skills together. This program is for incoming 6th, 7th and 8th grade Julian students. Please check out the flyer for more details. Or go to the Oak Park Educational Foundation's website: www.opef.org.

8th graders and their families:Oak Park and River Forest High School has an opportunity for participation in their summer musical. Here is the QR code link to a sign-up form, so that those interested in participating in the musical can receive updates as plans are finalized.

District 97's Single Subject and Whole Grade Level Acceleration process for students for the 2023-24 school year is now open!

District 97 believes that all students should be challenged and supported to develop to their maximum potential. For students who demonstrate they may benefit from accelerated placement, we provide opportunities to participate in an instructional setting that is usually reserved for students who are older or in higher grades than the child. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Single subject acceleration

• Whole grade acceleration

In accordance with the Illinois Accelerated Placement Act, District 97 has continued to refine procedures to ensure equitable access to acceleration opportunities for all students. Continuing this year: all students who are grade eligible to take the Illinois Assessment for Readiness (IAR) must participate in the assessment in order to be deemed eligible for acceleration. The IAR is a critically important measure in determining the mastery of grade level standards and must be considered by the school team along with other sources of data.

Pre-applications for single-subject and whole-grade acceleration will be accepted from March 1 to May 15 of each school year. The general process is outlined HERE.

Information about the District 97 Accelerated Placement Program, including definitions and timelines, can be found at http://www.op97.org/acceleration.

Be Safe and Healthy Reminders

In District 97, we understand and appreciate that it will take all of us—families, staff, community members—working together to have a safe and healthy winter. As we continue through the winter months, we want to remind you of a few preventative measures our school community can take to reduce the spread of illness in our schools:

• Wash hands often, especially before eating and after using the bathroom.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. These are the most common ways for germs to enter the body.
• Cover your mouth and nose with your arm when you cough or sneeze.
• Get plenty of sleep!
• Eat whole, unprocessed foods and include fruits and vegetables at each meal.
• Stay up to date on your vaccinations

Should students get sick, they should not come to school. Please do not send your child to school with any of the following symptoms:

• Constant coughing
• Constant “runny” nose, especially with yellow or green mucus
• A temperature of 100 or higher
• Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
• Rashes or any scratching for unknown reasons, with or without fever
• Watery, itching eyes that have drainage or are crusted shut upon waking

If your child tests positive for COVID-19, please report the illness by completing District 97’s Positive Case Notification form. Thank you for sharing this responsibility with us to Be Safe and Healthy by looking out for the collective care of the community this winter!

Process for Reporting Positive COVID-19 Cases to D97 Schools

If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they must complete the following steps:

1) In order to notify the school nurse and receive a return-to-school date, families/staff must complete the confidential COVID-19 Positive Case Notification Form as soon as possible following the positive test. Information provided will also be shared with the Oak Park Department of Public Health.

2) Families must continue to report student absences via the school attendance line, and staff must enter their absences in Frontline.

To see the rules for isolation and quarantine, click here. Additional resources are linked below.

• Summary of District 97's COVID-19 Mitigations

• 2022-23 COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan

In 2020, Principal Christian implemented the theme of "over-communicate" amid the flexibility of the COVID19 virus and how information might change at a moment's notice. Last year, our theme was "growing together". And now in 2022-23, we'd like to continue with our new theme of "Stronger, Together". Here are the ways in which Principal Christian and the Jayhawk staff communicates:

• Our Official Percy Julian Facebook Page (click here)
• Christian's Weekly Communication (every week)
• PowerSchool Daily Bulletin Alerts
• Text Messages (Jayhawk Text Messages District 97 uses the notification system BrightArrow to communicate with families via email and phone calls. This year, we have started using periodic text messages to send reminders directly to parents' cell phones. In order to receive text messages, parents must opt-in by texting YES to 87569. Once you have subscribed, you will receive a text confirmation.)

416 S. Ridgeland Ave.

Oak Park, IL 60302

708-524-3040

www.op97.org/julian

We give our best, and then some!