Christian's Weekly Communication

**Parents/Guardians are invited to an informational meeting on Monday, March 20th at 3:45pm in the Julian Commons.** We will meet with Mr. Talarico about track team expectations. Contact coach Talarico at mtalarico@op97.org if you have any questions.

On Monday, March 20th, track practices begin on the Julian turf field. Practices will be 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.

Final Trimester 2 grades will be accessible via PowerSchool on Friday, March 24.

PLEASE NOTE: There is no school for students on the following dates:

• March 27 - 31 Spring Break
• Tues - April 4 Institute Day
• Fri - April 7 Non-Attendance Day

The District Office will be open during the week of Spring Break and on the Institute Day, 4/4. You can stop by 260 Madison St or call 708-524-3000 if you should have any questions while school is closed.

6th and 7th Grade Parents & Guardians,

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

8TH GRADE UPDATES:

• If your 8th grade student was absent on 3/13, the GRADuation Picture RETAKE Day is scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, April 19.

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!

• 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 field trip.
• If you own a season pass to Six Flags Great America, the cost of the trip is $60 (you 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.
• 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.

Parents/Guardians,

This is a friendly reminder that we are now in the last trimester of the school year. Please check with your Julian student to find out if there are school supplies that they need.

Here's a short list of school supplies that they may need replenished 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 be bringing 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!

On Friday, March 24th, the Student Leadership Team at Julian is hosting a semi-formal Sneaker Ball for all Julian students. 6th graders may attend from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. And 7th & 8th graders may attend from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. Student IDs are required and only current Julian students will be admitted with their school IDs (Brooks, OPRFHS or other students are not permitted to attend). Admission is $5.

The "Sneaker Ball" is a semi formal event and since it will be held in the main gym, students must wear gym shoes or sneakers (no hard bottom or high heeled shoes will be permitted on the gym floor). The Julian PTO is the sponsor of this school dance. They will provide a DJ, decorations, pizza, and possibly a photo booth! Parent Volunteers will be needed for the event as well as donations of drinks and snacks. Be sure to check out the PTO newsletter for more details on how to donate or volunteer for the event soon.

Sneaker Ball on Friday, March 24

• 6th grade 5:30pm - 7pm
• 7th/8th Gr 7:30pm - 9pm
• $5 admission + every student must have their school ID to enter

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.

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

Parents please read this letter about our 5Essentials survey

• 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

Parents & Guardians,

The 2023 District 97 Art Exhibition will be held at Oak Park River Forest High School. This art show will have student work from all District 97 schools, as well as artwork from neighboring District 90. The art work will be on display for the month of March as a part of Youth Art Month.

Be well and have a wonderful day!

--

Mr. Swistowicz
Fine & Applied Arts Instructor

Middle School Art Department Chair
Oak Park School District 97

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.

Hello Julian families.

I’m the Executive Director of YourPassion1st, and we have a young men’s mentoring program in partnership with the Oak Park Public Library and it’s free to young men in grades 6-12.

Here’s a link to learn more about our organization:

https://www.flowcode.com/page/yourpassion1st

--

Peace, Love & Understanding,
Christopher Thomas – Founder
YourPassion1st
chris@yourpassion1st.com
(773) 904-6814
https://www.yourpassion1st.com/

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!