Whip-Pur Family Update

Hello, Hampshire Families!

We are already one-third of the way through this school year and it's exciting to see the continuous gains our students are making each and every day here at HES. How did 58 school days fly by? We are looking forward to having families in the building for upcoming events such as Veterans Day, Family Reading Night & Book Fair, and Parent-Teacher Conferences. Your connection to HES is critical to your child's success and growth. We appreciate you!

"At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child's success is the positive involvement of parents". - Jane D. Hull

State Designation for HES

All schools receive an annual summative designation, as required by federal accountability laws. In Illinois, each school's profile of performance brings together core academic indicators such as proficiency and growth, along with elevating indicators such as EL progress, consistent attendance, and our climate survey.

For the 25-26 school year, HES has received an EXEMPLARY designation. This is exciting and we have so much to be proud of. The pictures below break down the core academic and elevating indicators and provide a more complete picture to help us focus our goals moving forward.

Every single HES staff member contributes to the success of our school with their relentless efforts to support student growth and well-being. This year our School Improvement goals are directly tied to rigorous instruction in Math and ELA to ensure our students are able to demonstrate growth on assessments such as i-Ready and IAR.

A critical part of the success of HES is YOU - your connection to your child's educational experience and dedication to learning. Sometimes it's easy to forget that school is an institute of learning and while there is a lot of fun to be had along the way, we are ultimately here to work hard and learn new things in order to prepare for the next grade level, middle and high school, and life beyond schooling years.

Remember that every time you ask your child to read with you, write a letter or grocery list, solve a math problem, or work through difficult academic challenges without giving up, you are part of their success. Thank you to all HES families for your continued support and efforts to prioritize your child's education, encouraging them to show up every single day and give it their best. Your choice to stay involved, ask questions, talk through challenges, and partner with us makes all the difference.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

During the month of November, we will shift our Leader in Me focus to Habit 3: Put First Things First! This habit reminds us to prioritize what matters most, make responsible choices, and use our time wisely. At school, students can practice Habit 3 by listening and following directions, completing assignments before moving on to preferred activities, staying organized, and making choices that support their learning.

At home, families can encourage this habit by helping children prioritize homework and chores, prepare for the next school day, follow routines, and balance responsibilities with fun and/or screen time.

As we focus on Habit 3, we will continue to build on Habit 1: Be Proactive and Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind. These habits work together! Students can be proactive by taking responsibility for their choices, begin with the end in mind by setting goals, and put first things first by taking the steps needed to reach those goals.

The poster below shows the motions Mrs. Rohde teaches our students when learning about Habit 3!

Arrival Time Reminder

Thank you for your dedication to getting your student(s) here on time for school each day. As a reminder, doors close and class begins at 8:00 AM. If a car pulls into one of the Arrival Zones at 8:00 the doors will be closed and an adult will need to enter the building to sign in a student that is tardy as the student will most likely have been marked absent and will require a tardy slip for the teacher to know he/she has been checked in. We know you are trying your best and we thank you for working to allow your child the time to exit the car, walk to the door, and get to class by 8:00 AM.

As the weather changes in the upcoming weeks and months, students may have an extra bag of winter weather gear requiring additional time to exit the car. Plan to leave the house five minutes earlier to ensure that your child is in class at 8:00 AM. Thank you!

⭐ Parent-Teacher Conferences ⭐

We are only a few weeks away from Parent-Teacher Conferences which will be facilitated on Monday, 11/23 and Tuesday, 11/24. Our goal is to have 100% parent/guardian participation.

D300 uses a system called Parent-Teacher Conference (PTC) Wizard in order to register parents/guardians for parent-teacher conferences. You may begin registering for Parent-Teacher Conferences starting Friday, 11/6. The system closes on Friday, 11/20 at 12:00 PM.

Please use the HES PTC Wizard to schedule your parent-teacher conference(s).

PTC Wizard Login Information: The username and password is your PowerSchool Parent Portal email. For example: USERNAME: bbriselda@yahoo.com PASSWORD: bbriselda@yahoo.com

Multiple Schools: If you have children in more than one school in D300, each school has its own unique URL address for PTC Wizard. The username and password is your PowerSchool Parent Portal username (all lowercase), but the web address will be different for each school.

Forgotten Username/Password: If you do not know your PowerSchool Parent Portal username or need a password reset, please call the main office at 847-792-3400 for assistance.

Support for Scheduling: If you have any issues using the HES PTC Wizard, please call the school directly and Mrs. Bautista will walk you through the steps or manually schedule the conference(s) for you.

On the day of your scheduled conference(s): Please enter through the main office at your scheduled time; please exit the building through the main office when your conference is over.

Location change for Specials teachers: All Specials teachers (PE, Music, STEM, Art, & Skills for Success) will be located in the GYM for Parent-Teacher conferences. Should you sign up for a conference with one of these teachers and would like to have a more private setting, please communicate this need with the particular teacher and he/she will be happy to accommodate the request.

HES Staff is looking forward to the upcoming Parent-Teacher Conference days. If you need assistance or are without internet access, please contact the main office at 847-792-3400. Likewise, for assistance on November 23 or November 24, please contact the main office.

Take advantage of this opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher and learn more about how to support your child’s academic and social emotional growth this school year. We are excited to see you!

Scholastic Book Fair

The Book Fair is coming! The Book Fair is coming!

HES will host the Scholastic Book Fair during the week of November 16-20. Mrs. Goodnite has scheduled each class to have a "Preview Day" on Tuesday, 11/17 in which students are able to look at the available books, posters, and other items in order to make a wish list. Each classroom will also sign up for a "Purchase Time Slot" to provide time for students to make purchases with money put into their 'eWallet'. Students and families can also shop during our Family Reading Night on Thursday, 11/19.

HERE is the HES Book Fair homepage that includes information about setting up the eWallet.

Veterans Day

HES will celebrate Veterans Day on Wednesday, 11/11. Family members of HES students, who are Veterans, are invited to participate in a reception and celebration with us. The schedule of events is as follows:

Reception in Multi-Purpose Room - 8:30 AM
Procession to Gym - 9:00 AM
Assembly in Gym - 9:30 AM

We are also in need of volunteers for this special event. Please review this form if you know a Veteran who is interested in attending this special event or if you would like to volunteer!

Can't attend the event? Honor your veteran on a star!

HES Family Reading Night

Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 19, from 5:30–7:00 PM for HES Family Reading Night, held in conjunction with our Scholastic Book Fair! This year’s theme celebrates the humorous children’s books by author John Jory, featuring some silly food characters! Families and students can look forward to a fun-filled evening of reading and literacy activities for each of his books along with a themed photo booth, a scavenger hunt, and guest readers such as Mr. Mike Reid, the Hampshire High School Girls Basketball Team, Mr. Gary D. Wright, former HES teachers Mrs. Elliott, Mrs. Pflederer, and Mrs. Deb Skog (author of The Pumpkin Eating Dinosaur), Hampshire firefighters, Officer Paradies, and more! It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate the joy of reading together while exploring the Book Fair and discovering new favorite books. We can’t wait to see our HES families for an evening that is sure to be food-tastic!

Pumpkin Decorating Contest

For the last few weeks, students and staff have enjoyed looking at the many amazing pumpkins decorated as book characters. Students and families showcased their creativity and brightened up the book shelves in the Resource Center. Thank you to Mrs. Goodnite for organizing this special activity and encouraging all students and staff to vote for a winner in each grade level. Winners were announced and received a certificate from Mrs. Goodnite! Thank you to all that participated.

If your child decorated a pumpkin, he/she will bring it home by the end of this week. If the pumpkin is large or difficult to carry without assistance, please make arrangements to assist your child in getting it home. Thank you!

Winners of the Contest are:

Overall Winner: Natalie Kerwin for Golden Dumpling

KG: Vinny Zoufal for Elf on the Shelf

1st Grade: Aubrey Sawyer for Pink Dumpling

2nd Grade: Redmond Render for Fly Guy

3rd Grade: There was a tie! Bentley Morang for The Smart Cookie and Emery Mowers for Jasper Rabbit's Creepy Underwear

4th Grade: Noah Douglas for Tails

5th Grade: Aleksia Ludwick for The Lorax