The Franklin Flyer
November 10, 2023
December 20, 2024
I am wishing the entire Franklin Elementary School community a joyful and restful winter break! May this season bring you warmth, laughter, and precious time with loved ones. As we welcome the new year, I hope it is filled with happiness, good health, and exciting new opportunities for learning and growth.
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
Dr. Kristin Williams
Mark Your Calendars:
December 20: PTA - International Night Sign-Up Closes
December 23 - January 3: Winter Break - No School
January 6: PTA - First Pizza Monday of Block 2
January 10: PTA - Book Club Starts
January 14: PTA - 4th & 5th Grade Volleyball Sign-up Closes
January 30: PTA - International Night - 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
January 20: No School
February 6: PTA - PTA Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
February 10: PTA - 4th/5th Volleyball
February 13: Open House - 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
February 13: Valentine's Day Celebrations
February 14: No School
February 17: No School
February 27: Spring Conferences - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
February 28: PTA - Dance with my VIP
March 24 - 28: Spring Break - No School
April 18: No School
May 26: No School
Absences
Please call in or email absences by 8:45 AM. You can call our student absence line (847) 318-4390 (ext 1) is available 24 hours a day, or email Mrs. Linda Berleth at lberleth@d64.org.
If the absence is illness related, please also make sure to include Franklin's nurse, Mrs. Queta Karstens, at qkarstens@d64.org.
Franklin Office Hours
School office hours are from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
School Hours
School Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 3:30 pm
Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30
4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 12:05 - 1:00
Wednesday School Hours: 8:50 am - 2:40 pm
Wednesday Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:05 - 12:00
Wednesday 4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30
Half-Day Kindergarten Hours
Kindergarten Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 11:35 am
Kindergarten Wednesday: 8:50 am - 11:05 am
Winter Recess Gear
As more consistent winter weather approaches, please ensure your child brings appropriate gear to school each day, including winter boots, a coat, gloves, a hat, and snow pants. We strive to have outdoor recess whenever possible, and students without winter boots will need to stay on the blacktop during recess. Please remember to label all of your child's winter gear with their first and last name. Thank you for helping keep our students warm and prepared for the season!
PowerSchool Parent Portal Password Update
District 64 cares about the security of your student's personal information. Effective December 13th, we will be requiring all parents to create a minimum 12-character password for their PowerSchool Parent Portal account. Strong passwords are of the utmost importance - they protect your electronic accounts and devices from unauthorized access, keeping your sensitive personal information safe. The more complex the password, the more protected your information will be from cyber threats and hackers.
Please send a change of clothes with your children for all K-5 students. It is helpful to have a change of clothes in the event of spilled water, accidents, or an unexpected incidents. Clothes should be labeled with your child's name and can be kept in your child's locker. We encourage you to make sure your child's name is on each article of clothing.
Lunch at Franklin
District 64 partners with Quest Food Management Services to provide a high-quality hot lunch program for grades full-day kindergarten through 8th grade. Students who need to go home for lunch must bring a note from a parent to the homeroom teacher each time this need arises; the parent must pick up the student at the school office. On return, the student and parent must report to the office and sign back in before returning to class.
Peanut/nut-safe lunch tables at the elementary schools are designated for allergic children and their friends who opt to abstain from those products. Arrangements at the middle schools are handled on an individual basis to accommodate student needs. Peanut butter and other peanut products may be consumed freely by non-allergic students in each lunchroom. To promote disease prevention, parents are requested to enclose a hand sanitizer wipe in their child’s lunch or backpack for use before eating.
Information on free lunch/milk waiver is available at the bottom of the Pay Student Fees page.
Parents are discouraged from routinely delivering lunch to the office from local restaurants; lunches brought to the office should be reserved for emergency situations, such as a forgotten lunch. Please refrain from sending or dropping off any soda or energy drinks for your students. Thank you for your cooperation.
When Entering The Building
When a parent or guardian arrives to Franklin with or for a student, dropping off items or for a meeting, when ringing the doorbell, please state your name and your student(s) names to support our safety procedures.
All visitors to Franklin must have a valid state ID or driver’s license. Identification is entered into the Raptor identification system. This process only takes a short time to complete. Once you have clearance, the office staff will print a visitor pass for you and attach it to a lanyard you must wear throughout the building. The office will hold your ID until you return to the office and return the lanyard. We appreciate your support as we proceed with this district-mandated safety procedure for the safety of our students.
Issues with A School Device?
If you have are having issues with your student's device at home, please complete a ticket.
https://d64.incidentiq.com/guest/NPV6SRUK/d64-family-tech-support-ticket#top
Payments to School - My School Bucks
Park Ridge-Niles CCSD 64 employs My School Bucks as its payment platform for families. Most
purchases for students, including field trips and student orders. Directors can be found here.
For the health and safety of our students and community, no pets are allowed on school property. We realize the beautiful weather increases the amount of families who are walking to and from school. However, we ask that you please leave your dog or cat at home. Properly identified service animals are always permitted.
Please take a moment to review the contacts section of your ParentPortal. Any adult who has approval for after school pick-up or emergency pick-up for illness/injury should be listed. Franklin staff will not release students to adults who are not listed on the ParentPortal.
Student-Parent Handbook
Franklin Elementary School and all District 64 schools follow policies and practices reviewed and implemented by the District 64 Board of Education. Please review the D64 Student-Parent Handbook before the start of the school year.
You can find frequent updates or snapshots from our days at Franklin on Facebook and Instagram! Follow us at
Facebook: facebook.com/FranklinD64
Instagram: franklin.d64
PTA News
Toys for Tots: A huge thank you to all of those who donated toys for the collection drive. We had another successful year of Toys for Tots with a great turn out. A special thank you to our co-chairs, Katie Giannini and Katie Rice, for collecting and organizing all the gifts to present on the day of the event. What a great way to give back this holiday season!
Holiday Gifts: We would like to recognize all the hard work for those who supported the purchase of holiday gifts for our Franklin staff!
Colleen Russell, our room parent coordinator, for organizing the entire process and managing communications and directions to the head room parents.
Natalie Covello and Ashley Thielsen for quickly pulling all of the back end reporting to ensure donations were distributed in time to purchase and deliver gifts before break.
All those who purchased gifts to help our staff feel holiday love, head room parents for home room teacher gifts and Yeyin Yi for taking care of all other Franklin teachers and support staff.
Both 4th and 5th Grade Volleyball sign-ups are full!
If you'd like to put your child on the waitlist, please contact Rob Barrett at Vette02@aol.com.
Franklin PTA volleyball is back! The goal of this popular league is to introduce the sport of volleyball in a fun way. This is a co-ed program open to students in 4th and 5th grades. Registration is full, but a waitlist has been started!
Sign up on PTA Membership Toolkit.
Volleyball season will run for 8 weeks: February 10 - April 10.
10 players max per co-ed team; 3 teams for each grade
4th grade practices and games will be 1 hour on Mondays and Wednesdays between 5:30 and 8:30pm.
5th grade practices and games will be 1 hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 5:30 and 8:30pm.
Franklin will compete against Carpenter, Field, Roosevelt, and Washington teams.
$30 fee includes T-shirt, pizza party, and league supplies.
Our PTA is also offering financial scholarships. Please contact our Principal, Dr. Williams, ASAP if interested. Openings are limited based on sign-up.
Pizza Monday/Pizza Server
Ordering for Block 2 Pizza Monday has closed. First Pizza Monday will be on January 6th. We will have several Pizza day server spots available for 4th/5th grades in the Membership Toolkit. Form will remain open until all slots are filled. Please remember you can only sign up for one child’s lunch time. If you are unable to make a time slot that you are signed up for, please contact Lorena Hamzic at jazzn1@live.com.
Staff Lunches
The PTA offers teachers and staff members an option to purchase lunch on Mondays from Spuntinos via franklinpta.membershiptoolkit.com. Families are always welcome to show their appreciation for a staff member by purchasing a Monday lunch on their behalf. If this is something your family is interested in doing, please consider the following before purchasing.
Please email your staff member prior to ordering to confirm what they would like to order. The options include 10 inch Pizza with 1 Topping Choice, Hamburger/Cheeseburger and Fries, Italian Beef and Fries, Grilled Chicken Salad, Caesar Salad, Grilled or Fried Chicken Sandwich and Fries, BLT Sandwich and Fries, and Penne Pasta with Vodka or Marinara Sauce and Side Salad. Options to customize are available on the form.
The form is only available for the upcoming Monday lunch. Ordering for the following Monday will close the Friday before at 9:30am.
Please confirm with the staff member what day you purchased their lunch.
Questions about teacher and staff lunches can be directed to rebeccavanpoucke@gmail.com.
Community News
Rainbows for All Children provides peer groups for kids in 1st - 8th grade. These groups provide a safe space for them to share their experiences associated with loss of a loved one and/or a changing family dynamic due to divorce, deployment, etc. Trained facilitators help encourage communication while identifying, navigating and discussing feelings amongst the group. Our next session begins on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025. This free program meets every Tuesday, from 5:30 - 6:30 pm, at the Park Ridge Community Church.
Please use this Google Form link to register your child/children and/or to be added to our communications list. Any general questions or interest in volunteering to become a facilitator, please contact rainbows64@att.net . For more general info please visit https://rainbows.org/
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YWOBWEERhlRwR0oLRee2bU1j89cOg4Qp7jEB0yCnS-E/edit