Silas Family Newsletter 25-26 #3

Click above to see the calendar for all of the District #205 schools. This will help you stay up-to-date on days off, early release days, and much more.

Silas Website

Silas Parent Calendar

We are the Silas Willard Wildcats

Galesburg 205 Vision Statement: Empowering students to realize their potential to Thrive.

Silas Willard Vision Statement:

Silas Willard Elementary School will set the standard for excellence in providing a rigorous, caring and equitable school experience.

Galesburg 205 Mission Statement: Through collaboration with families and our community, our schools will develop the potential of students in a safe, equitable, and engaging learning environment, which advances high performance and excellence for all.

Silas Willard Mission Statement:

Silas Willard welcomes everyone in an inclusive, diverse learning community that values equality while recognizing and respecting the strengths and needs of all learners-without exception.

Hello Families,

This week students have focused on showing kindness using their words and actions. I have seen many examples of kindness throughout the building. Students have also been earning tickets for following "The Wildcat Way" and demonstrating all of our building expectations. I am so proud of all of the students that I have seen in my office, in the hallway, and in classrooms who are serving as amazing role models!

Please see below for a new event! On September 9th, we will host a VIP Breakfast! Students can bring one adult for a breakfast in the cafeteria. Paper forms are going home with students, and these must be returned by Friday August 29th. We will not honor any late RSVPs since food will need to be ordered ahead of time for this event.

Students will complete our fall benchmark testing in reading and math this week. Teachers will reach out with how students scored as well as any extra support they may need.

We are looking forward to our Bus Evacuation Drills coming up this week so that students can practice safety on the bus.

Thank you,

Jodi Keever

Thank you for following "The Wildcat Way"!

This week we had a visit from OSF Healthcare. Roxanne Pacey came to talk to students about healthy habits. Make sure to review these healthy habits at home!

This week students used our new P.E. equipment from TagTime to practice literacy and math in P.E.!

The Five Essential Components of Reading

Reading with children and helping them practice specific reading components can dramatically improve their ability to read. Scientific research shows that there are five essential components of reading that children must be taught in order to learn to read. Adults can help children learn to be good readers by systematically practicing these five components:

Recognizing and using individual sounds to create words, or phonemic awareness. Children need to be taught to hear sounds in words and those words are made up of the smallest parts of sound, or phonemes.
Understanding the relationships between written letters and spoken sounds, or phonics. Children need to be taught the sounds individual printed letters and groups of letters make. Knowing the relationships between letters and sounds helps children to recognize familiar words accurately and automatically, and "decode" new words.
Developing the ability to read a text accurately and quickly, or reading fluency. Children must learn to read words rapidly and accurately in order to understand what is read. When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words automatically. When fluent readers read aloud, they read effortlessly and with expression. Readers who are weak in fluency read slowly, word by word, focusing on decoding words instead of comprehending meaning.
Learning the meaning and pronunciation of words, or vocabulary development. Children need to actively build and expand their knowledge of written and spoken words, what they mean and how they are used.
Acquiring strategies to understand, remember and communicate what is read, or reading comprehension strategies. Children need to be taught comprehension strategies, or the steps good readers use to make sure they understand text. Students who are in control of their own reading comprehension become purposeful, active readers.

This is the same as the 24-25 school year.

Printable Pick Up and Drop Off Directions

ARRIVAL:

There is NO DROP OFF on Fremont in the morning. You need to park and walk your child through the playground gate if you use this entrance to the playground. Please drop off in the circle drive on Fifer, and your child can walk to the playground. You may not leave your car parked on Fremont to bring your child to the playground. At the end of the day, please do not have your child cross Fremont to be picked up. This is very dangerous for both students and parents.

If you have a dog, please drop your child off at the gate so that the dog is not on the playground with other students.

Please do not park until 3:30 or after in the car lane on the west side of the building. This is where 3rd and 4th grade and siblings are picked up. We have deliveries scheduled for before this time, and our staff who travels needs to leave before 3:30.

3/4 Pick Up Lane: Students will exit door 10 and load from the grass in order of the cars in line. This is to ensure that all students are safely in their vehicles and that no one pulls around cars to get out of the line.

A reminder that the playground is CLOSED until 4:00 p.m. so that we can make sure that all students are picked up.

If you want to change your child's regular way home, please contact the office before 2:30 p.m.. We will make sure that your child's teacher receives the note. Office Phone: 309-973-2015.

Please do not message the teacher since we can't ensure that they will see the message before dismissal.

Please download the Galesburg App. When you receive your invitation email, then you can sign up for messaging. All staff will use this for communication this school year. Once you have the app downloaded, you will see your child's teacher and information in the app.

Order Spirit Wear Here! Proceeds go to PTO

We’re excited to announce that #Shinein205 is making its return! We're looking for your nominations of the incredible staff members who truly made a difference during those pivotal first moments of the school year and beyond! Whether it was helping a student adjust to a new environment, providing support, or reaching out with thoughtful insights for success, let us know about the remarkable efforts of our dedicated staff. Nominate today and help us recognize their hard work and dedication!

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Report Card Information

Quarter 1: August 11 - October 10, 2025

Quarter 2: October 20 - December 19, 2025

Quarter 3: January 6 - March 13, 2026

Quarter 4: March 23 - May 21, 2026*

*unless emergency days are needed

How do we grade at the elementary level? We use a standards-based report card instead of a report card with letter grades. Elementary report cards are issued at the end of each grading period. They are intended to give an evaluation of the scholastic achievement and work habits of each child. Parents should examine all cards carefully since each child is rated not only on academic progress, but also progress in development of social attitudes and work habits.

We use a 4,3,2,1 system to assess a student's mastery of standards.

4 = Exceeding State and District Standards

3 = Meeting State and District Standards

2 = Approaching State and District Standards

1 = Not Meeting State and District Standards

Our district takes student attendance very seriously and we are committed to seeing that every child is at school unless there is an excused reason for absence or tardiness. Studies have shown that when students are consistently at school they are more likely to achieve their dreams.

What Parents and Students Can Do:

Ensure children arrive to school on time.
When absent, be sure to make up missed work.
Communicate with school and seek support when needed.
Call when your child is absent from school or unavoidably late ASAP at 309-973-2016.
Know attendance is required on early dismissal days.
Return to school after appointments.
Plan appointments outside of school day.
Call within one hour of the start of school or send a note within 48 hours of the return to school.
For minor health issues—come to school.

Please call the Silas Willard Front Office to let us know of any absences. 309-973-2015

Steps taken if you do not make contact with the school:

1. Automated Call: Parents/Guardians will receive an automated call stating your child is not in attendance.

2. School Call: The school secretary or outreach worker will follow up with the family IF the family does not call the school after the automated call.

3. Unexcused Absence: The absence will be recorded as "unexcused" if no contact can be made with the family.

Examples of Unexcused Absences:

No phone call/email to explain a student's absence
Returning to school after 3 consecutive days of absence with no doctor's note.
Oversleeping
Transportation issues

Examples of Excused Absences:

Illness
Medical appointment
Observation of a religious holiday
Death in the family/funeral service
Family Emergency

Student are required to come to school each day unless there is an emergency outlined above. Please click the link below for more information about attendance and truancy through the Regional Office of Education.

Truancy Procedures from the Regional Office of Education:

Truancy staff identify students through system of referrals by the participating school district, which then initiates steps that lead to the following:

Step 1: Upon the student receiving 3 unexcused absences the Parent/Guardian will be sent Letter 1.
Step 2: Upon the student receiving 6 unexcused absences the Parent/Guardian will be sent Letter 2.
Step 3: Upon the student receiving 9 unexcused absences a citation for truancy will be written.
Step 4: Upon the student receiving 12 unexcused absences the Parent/Guardian will be sent Letter 3.
Step 5: Upon the 15th unexcused absence the Student, Parent/Guardian will be sent a Legal Notice to Appear before the Truancy Review Board in the County they reside.
Step 6: Upon any additional unexcused absences after the Truancy Review Board a petition to the State Attorney of the County resided in will be filed.

Truancy & Homeless Education

Participating school districts identify and refer students. The Stay-In program operates on the premise that dealing with kindergarten through twelfth-grade students' attendance and academic problems will result in the student improving school attendance and academic performance, eventually resulting in the acquisition of a high school diploma.

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Galesburg 205 Breakfast and Lunch Menus

CHAMPS is a proactive approach to classroom management.

Origins of CHAMPS Classroom Management

CHAMPS is part of Randy Sprick's Safe and Civil Schools and is a research-based program with over thirty years of classroom research.

The CHAMPS acronym stands for:

Conversation: Can students talk to each other during this activity?
Help: How do students get the teacher's attention and their questions answered?
Activity: What is the task/objective? What is the end product?
Movement: Can students move about during this activity?
Participation: How do students show they are fully participating? What does work behavior look/sound like?
Success: When students meet CHAMPS expectations, they will be successful!

Benefits of CHAMPS Classroom Management

According to Safe and Civil Schools, CHAMPS strategies are easy to implement and will:

Reduce classroom disruptions and office referrals
Improve classroom climate
Increase student on-task behavior
Establish respectful and civil interactions

Each month students will focus on the monthly themes above. Teachers will provide explicit, direct skill instruction in these areas so that our school community as a whole becomes stronger. The month of August is our Kindness Kick off! We will also discuss Shabeel/Confidence and how to be confident and kind like a tiger.