W.A. Johnson Family Newsletter

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As you know, one of the major priorities within our District Strategic Plan is school safety and security. We have been working with our safety auditor on ways to continue to keep our schools as safe as possible. One new measure we will be putting in place is our visitor entrance procedure. When a parent or visitor comes to any of the schools they will need to press the intercom button. A member of the staff will come on the intercom system and request the visitor/parent to identify themself and the reason for the visit. Regardless of our familiarity with you or the frequency of your visits to our schools, you will still be asked to identify yourself and the purpose of your visit every time. We ask that you adhere to this process and state your name and the reason for your visit (i.e. picking up your child, dropping off an item, etc.) so that we can continue to enhance the safety of our schools. Please know that the safety of our staff and students are our top priority and we appreciate your support in making that happen.

Please join us Tuesday, September 19, 2023 for Curriculum Night. During curriculum night, parents will meet in your child's classroom and hear about all the wonderful things they will participate in throughout the year.

This year we will also be hosting an information/resource fair in the gym. Come to meet with your child's specials teachers, reading and math specialists, instructional technology specialist, social workers and counselors, as well as, our principals.

Please use the schedule below as a guide Curriculum Night

We are very excited for Fall and what a better way to celebrate then our annual WAJ FALL FEST!

Fall Fest will be Friday, September 22, 2023 from 5:00 - 8:00 pm.

We have many activities available for students of all ages including, gaga ball, crafts, hayrides, games, raffles, and of course food!

Please click here to purchase a wristband for your child. The cost of the wristband is $15.

Food can be purchased for an additional cost during the event.

As with all our events, we rely on parent volunteers so that our events run smoothly. If you are new to Johnson or have been her for years, we would love your help! Please click here to sign-up for a volunteer opportunity.

Chromebooks will be sent home starting the week of September 4, 2023

• Students are expected to charge their Chromebooks every night. Students are also responsible for following the guidelines for respectful Chromebook usage as listed in: Elementary Student agreement Chromebook Form Eng&Sp
• The below links are the updated BSD2 Chromebook Take-home Policy, which includes information about charges for damages.
• Chromebook Take-home Policy (English)
• Chromebook Take-home Policy (Spanish)

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Click here for more information.

The YWCA will be coming to Johnson school to give presentations to first, third, and fifth graders. Please read the attached parent letter. The letters include links to additional parent resources.

Parent Letter - English

Parent Letter - Spanish

Safe2Help Illinois is a 24/7 program where students can use a free app, text/phone, and website (Safe2HelpIllinois.com) to share information on school safety issues in a confidential environment.

Click on the images below to get more information.

We encourage all students to bring a healthy snack and water bottle to school every day. Each classroom has a designated time for students to eat a healthy snack. Below is a list of snack ideas. Please be mindful of students with allergies. You child's teacher will inform you if a particular item is not safe for all students in the classroom. School snacks are available in the event your child does not bring a snack from home.

• Cheese
• Fresh fruit
• Yogurt
• Veggies with hummus or ranch
• Dried fruit
• Granola bars
• Popcorn
• Fruit pouches
• Guacamole with chips
• Pretzels
• Crackers with cheese
• Crackers
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Cottage cheese
• Goldfish Crackers
• Cheese-its
• Graham Crackers

Each month an SEL Newsletter will be published within the School's monthly newsletter. Please use the links below to view the newsletter. The information provided will give you updates on what your student is learning in their SEL special along with helpful tips to use at home.

September Newsletter - English

September Newsletter - Spanish

• Membership Dues: Click here to pay Johnson PTA membership dues online
• The 1st PTA meeting will be held on next meeting is on September 7th at 3:45pm
• Zoom option to share with families: PTA Meeting Zoom link. This will be the same link for ALL meetings this school year

PTA Board Members:

Victoria Myhre, President

Diana Sanchez, Vice President

Nicki Zengilani, Secretary

Christina Palacios, Treasurer

PTA email: johnsonjaguarspta@gmail.com

Google Voice phone: (773) 234-8284

Special Bonus: For every 2023-24 $10 membership, the PTA will give each member $10 in scholastic dollars to use at the Book Fair!

The PowerSchool Parent Portal is an online system that will provide parents access to their students’ schedules, attendance, assignments and grades.

We all like to feel special on our birthday. One way we can do that is by celebrating with our teachers and classmates. Due to allergy concerns and ongoing COVID safety measures, students will not be allowed to pass out edible treats this year. Non-Food items may be brought in to share with classmates.

Here are some suggestions:

• Mini Play-doh
• Small bottle of bubbles
• Party Favors
• Donate a game to the classroom
• Stickers
• Fun Straws
• Donate a book to the classroom to be read aloud to the class

Halloween is around the corner, and we will be celebrating the holiday.

Here’s what you need to know about this year’s plans for Monday, October 31:

• TREATS: Due to allergy concerns and ongoing COVID safety measures, students will not be allowed to pass out anything edible this year, including pre-packaged, store-bought treats. Click here for a list of suggestions for non-food treats to pass out.

• COSTUMES: Students are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes to school. Remember, though, that face paint, fake blood and look-alike weapons are prohibited. Halloween masks should not be worn throughout the regular school day -- only during costume parades.
• PARADES: We will have an outdoor costume parades in the afternoon, and families are invited to gather outside to watch the parade,. Details such as our the start time and parade route will be shared the week of October 24. Should it rain, the parade will be cancelled.
• PARTIES: Following the costume parades, students will head back inside for their classroom parties. Parents will not be allowed to enter the buildings during these parties, and, again, no edible treats will be passed out.
• ALTERNATE ACTIVITIES: Parents who do not want their child to participate in Halloween celebrations should send a note to their child’s teacher as soon as possible. Students not celebrating will be in the library, engaged in non-Halloween related activities.

Each month, the district will post the breakfast and lunch menus for elementary and middle school.

Please use the link below to view the menus.