Parent Newsletter

Everyone was shining bright during our first week of school! Students have been busy learning new routines and expectations in their classrooms and throughout the school.

All grade levels kicked off the year with our Panther Power-Up Morning Meetings. Each meeting begins with a fun greeting, followed by an opportunity to share and connect with classmates, a group activity or lesson, and a morning message to get students ready for the day. These meetings are helping us build strong classroom communities while also explicitly teaching the skills and routines students need to be successful at Prospect.

During our first few days, students learned about our schoolwide voice levels and practiced choosing the appropriate voice level for different places and activities. We talked about what our voices should sound like in the classroom, hallways, stairwells, lunchroom, recess, and other areas of the school.

Students were also introduced to CHAMPS, which helps make expectations clear by teaching students about Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, Participation, and Success. They practiced our “Panther Pause” attention signal and began learning what it looks and sounds like to show P.R.I.D.E. throughout our school.

We are being very deliberate about teaching, modeling, practicing, and posting expectations. Our goal is for students to hear the same language and experience the same expectations no matter where they are in the building or which adult they are working with. This consistency helps our Panthers feel safe, confident, and ready to learn.

You will see our Voice Level Posters displayed throughout Prospect. Ask your Panther what each voice level means and see if they can teach you our Panther Pause signal! 🐾

We are off to a fantastic start as we learn together how to Shine Bright and Do What’s Right! 🌟

Per the School Safety Drill Act covered under Illinois Statute (105 ILCS 12/20), this notification is being provided to parents and guardians of students attending Prospect School.

On August 28 at approximately 10:20 a.m., Prospect School will conduct a lockdown drill that will include school staff, students, and Clarendon Hills law enforcement agency representative(s). During this drill, teachers will utilize the linked Google Slides to instruct and prepare students.

In preparation for our upcoming safety drills, on Wednesday, August 26, each class will practice our fire drill, tornado drill, and lockdown procedures together. This practice will give teachers an opportunity to walk students through each procedure in a calm and developmentally appropriate way, answer questions, and help students feel comfortable and prepared before we conduct our drills with the Clarendon Hills Fire Department and Clarendon Hills Police Department on Friday.

We understand that some parents/guardians may want to opt out of the lockdown drill for their child. As the parent/guardian of a student attending Prospect School, you have the option to exempt your child, for any reason, from the lockdown drill. If you choose to exempt your child, please notify their classroom teacher no later than August 27.

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to ensure our students understand our safety procedures and feel prepared at school.

• Log in to Skyward Family Access: http://skywardfamily.d181.org
• Click on the Fees & Fee Payments under an individual student
• Scroll down to Available Optional Fees
• Next to the specific Milk you would like to order, click Add to Fees
• Click Make a Payment within the Fees tab to pay for the Milk in RevTrak
• Milk orders will close on Friday, August 28th

Your Panther has been learning all about our Voice Levels at school! Ask them to teach you what each voice level means and then put their knowledge to the test:

What Voice Level would you use…

• 🍽️ At the dinner table?
• 🧸 Playing with friends inside?
• 📚 Reading a book?
• 🎬 Watching a movie?
• 🛝 Playing outside with friends?
• 🤫 When someone in your house is sleeping?
• 🎉 At a birthday party?

Then let your Panther turn the tables and quiz you!

And don't forget to ask them to show you our “Panther Pause” attention signal. 🐾

Our Panthers are becoming Voice Level experts as they learn to Shine Bright and Do What’s Right wherever they go! 🌟

Thank you to all of our Prospect families for helping us have such a wonderful start to the school year! We appreciate your patience, flexibility, and support as everyone settles into new routines.

The positive energy throughout our school has been contagious, and our Panthers are already doing an amazing job learning how to Shine Bright and Do What’s Right! 🌟🐾

We are so grateful for the partnership between our families and staff and are looking forward to a fantastic year together!