Christian's Weekly Communication

Principal Christian started with District 97 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. He helped navigate a tremendous transformation for our middle school's learning environment. From hosting virtual classes, implementing hybrid learning (when students rotated the weeks that they came into the building), until now where we're finally back to some normalcy. What a wild ride it has been these past 3 years! Thanks Mr. Christian for the snack carts, the Student Leadership Team, BIOP, the Black History Month Celebration Night, Self Care Wednesdays, Night of Excellence, the Sneaker Ball, treats from the ice cream truck, Starbucks' runs, the many championship t-shirts, and the countless prize giveaways! There's so much, we just can't list it all. But we can thank Principal Christian for his leadership, his vision and his passion for giving the students of Julian Middle School the tools they need to succeed! And for making all our Julian students feel seen and heard! Your heart for the students was felt and truly appreciated.

We wish you well Mr. Christian and hope you enjoy your new career path!

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration

Thank you so much to everyone who supported the APIDA Expo - there were many people who helped brainstorm, set up, store and move artifacts, create materials, cheer students on, etc. Students were able to view cultural artifacts, traditonal wardrobe and celebrate the diverse heritage of the Julian staff and students.

--

Katie Trathen, LCSW

(she/her/hers) - Hear my name

Culture & Climate Coach
Percy Julian Middle School

416 Ridgeland Ave, Oak Park, IL

We are excited about your 8th grade student's final week of classes! Have a quick review of the upcoming activities:

• Tuesday, June 6 - Six Flags Great America (Students attending the field trip must wear their new Class of 2023 t-shirts). Click here to find out when to pick up your student and the rules of the amusement park that must be followed. And remember, Great America is a cashless park (students will need to convert their dollars or carry a debit or credit card for purchasing souvenirs and/or additional food & beverages). Students will receive one voucher for their lunch, one for a snack and one for the refillable beverage.

• Wednesday, June 7 - Chromebook Collection (students turn in D97 chromebook devices and chargers)

• Friday, June 9 - Students arrive at school at 9am, per usual. We will have a few activities then head over via bus transportation to OPRFHS for the 10am graduation rehearsal. IF YOU PLAN TO EXCUSE YOUR STUDENT FOR AN EARLY DISMISSAL, PLAN TO PICK THEM UP FROM THE SCHOOL OFFICE AFTER 12:00PM (once we get back from the rehearsal practice).

• Friday, June 9 -The graduation ceremony is at OPRFHS in their auditorium and begins promptly at 6:30pm. ******Students should arrive by 5:45pm at Door 3. Students should come dressed, with their cap & gowns on. Parents/Guardians and guests use Door 4 and Door 5. Doors open at 6:00pm for families and guests. And remember, it is general admission and seats are unassigned. Parents/Guardians and guests please line up for entry based on the ticket (Center Left, Center Right, House Left or House Right).

Have a great rest of your week and we'll see you on Friday night!

Remember, if your Jayhawk needs new summer gear or if you have an incoming 6th grader, check out 1st Place Spiritwear! They have shorts, hats, t-shirts and much more! They have a 25% off end of the year sale going on now until June 6. Orders ship directly to your home or office. And a portion of the sales goes to Julian Middle School!

*REMINDER*

Please be aware that THE SCHOOL OFFICE WILL CLOSE AT 4PM on Friday, June 9 - Last Day of School/Graduation Day

Parents/Guardians:

• LOCKERS - Every locker will be cleaned out and items will be disposed of at the end of the week. We will not store or keep forgotten or lost items over the summer. Please remind your child to clean out their locker this week.

• LOST & FOUND - The Lost & Found area will be cleared out on Friday. We can not store or keep lost items, so please be sure to remind your child to take all their belongings home this week. Thank you.

From the Julian Library:

Please relax, have fun, and READ over the summer! Reading what you like and reading often can help you keep the learning gains you've made this school year.

Here is a slideshow of books published from summer 2022-spring 2023. I hope it will help you find inspiration!

AudiobookSYNC gives away 2 free audiobooks each week!

Graduating 8th graders can look to the 2024 Lincoln Award nominees for reading ideas.

Please feel free to share your reading with me or let me know if you need book ideas!

Ms. Winchell

jwinchell@op97.org

Teacher Librarian

Percy Julian Middle School

pronouns: she/hers

Online registration for the 2023-24 school year in District 97 officially launched for returning students on Friday, May 26! This year, the registration window will be open May 26 through July 1 for returning students. Please see below for details. Information is also available on the district website at https://www.op97.org/hr/student-registration.

***Returning Students***

The parent/guardian listed as PG1 in PowerSchool will receive an email from infosnap@is.op97.org with their student’s snapcode and instructions to register. Emails were sent on Friday, May 26, 2023. All current 6th and 7th graders should REGISTER for the 2023-24 school year.

Complete details can be found at https://www.op97.org/hr/returning-student-registration.

New Students and Kindergarteners

Registration for kindergarten and new students opened May 5 and will be open through July 1. Please click the links below to learn more about the registration process for kindergarteners and new students.

• Kindergarten Registration

• New Students

We appreciate your partnership in preparing for a successful 2023-24 school year!

Final Trimester 3 grades will be available online via PowerSchool on Friday, June 9 - the last day of school. Check anytime after 3:30pm and contact your child's teacher via email if you have any questions.

Our Julian Culture & Climate team has a lot to celebrate this year!

• Check In Check Out - This year we added a new program, wherein a Julian staff member meets with a student each day to check in, provide a pep talk, establish a relationship, provide reminders about assignments, and/or troubleshoot issues, depending on what the student needs. We had 33 students and 28 staff participate in the program this year.

• DePaul University Partnership - Our DePaul clinicians, Luxury Bryant and Gabriella Arcidiocono, offered individual and group services to approximately 60 students this school year. With an additional DePaul clinician’s support, we were able to increase the types of programs offered, including Mindfulness, Executive Functioning, and Healthy Relationships.

• Amity - This year we partnered with Amity Children’s Aid, a local organization that covers 100% of the cost for eye exams and eyeglasses for students who need it. Together, we identified and supported 10 Jayhawks in getting free exams and glasses!

• Monthly Heritage Month Celebrations & Assemblies - In collaboration with the PTO and many students and staff, we celebrated 6 heritage months this year, in a variety of ways, including: assemblies showcasing student music and spoken word, guest speakers, display cases, bulletin boards, special playlists during passing periods, Advisory lessons, and more!

• Jaybucks and School Store - This year we provided specific feedback on expected student behavior by passing out thousands of digital “Jaybucks” to our Julian students for being safe, respectful and responsible. We also utilized an online platform, PBIS Rewards, which increased our efficiency and fun-factor. In collaboration with our Julian parents and because of their generous contributions, we were able to host 4 school stores.

• PBIS Recognition - We have been recognized by the Midwest PBIS Network for our work toward implementing a PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports) framework that leads to improved student outcomes.

• Student Team Members - This year we were thrilled to welcome back 4 student members from last year, and welcome 3 new student members. They are incredibly helpful to our team and we can’t believe we ever existed without them!! Thank you Audrey Bell, Xander Caroll, Lauren Nelson, Quinn Barr, Jesus Escobedo, and Sophia Ott!

Our Culture & Climate team consists of the following staff members - Christina Bultas, Anthony Cole, Steve Hoskins, Jessie Fenske, Nora Flynn, Cecilia Foronda, Betsy Hercher, Philip Swistowicz, Erika Thomas, Katie Trathen, Jillian Williams, and Jamie Winchell. THANK YOU for all of your hard work this year, team!

Parents/Guardians of twins or triplets:

Please fill out this form if you have twin students enrolled for the 2023-24 school year.

The purpose of this survey is to determine if you would like your twins or triplets to be grouped on the same team. While we cannot guarantee a certain team or teacher, we will certainly accommodate your preference to have your twin students grouped on the same team. Thank you.

There are still spots available for early childhood blended classrooms at Whittier Elementary School for the 2023-24 school year! The deadline for applications has been extended to June 9, 2023.

District 97 is seeking students who:

• are non-IEP students who will be between the ages of 3 and 4 years by Sept. 1, 2023;

• demonstrate age-appropriate language and social skills;

• are Oak Park residents;

• are not enrolled in a preschool program.

For more information about the Early Childhood Blended Program or to apply, please visit https://www.op97.org/teach-learn/ecblended.

Here's the link to the student daily announcements.

Contact Kids College of Fellowship Community Services/Friday Night Place for more details.

Calling all 8th grade students...this one's for you! YEMBA will have summer stipends available for participating students who will start high school in the fall. Check out their website, www.yemba-inc.org, for more details.

Concordia University Chicago will host a summer program open to teens. It will be held for boys from July 10 - 13. Click here for more info.

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

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!

District 97 partners with a company called BrightArrow to deliver important information to families through calls, emails and text messaging. Next week, the BrightArrow system is adding a new texting phone number to speed up text delivery. Please note that your family may start seeing text messages from our school coming from the short code phone number 79041, in addition to the number 87569.

As a reminder, you may opt-in to text messages from our school at any time by sending YES to the shortcode 87569 and 79041. You must have your phone number on file with the school to receive text messages. Once you opt-in, BrightArrow will send you a confirmation that your phone number is opted-in.

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 it our best, and then some!