The Franklin Flyer
November 10, 2023
December 13, 2024
Mark Your Calendars:
December 7: PTA - Toys for Tots at 9:00 a.m.
December 9: PTA - Holiday Staff Gift Contributions Close
December 9 - 13: Winter MAP Testing Grades 2-5
December 10: 4th & 5th Grade Orchestra Concert @ Emerson - 7:00 p.m.
December 13: PTA - Pizza Monday & Volunteer, Book Club Sign-up Closes
December 16 - 20 - Spirit Week (see below)
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
Holiday Spirit Week 2024
What could be more exciting than the week before Winter Break? As everyone looks forward and begins counting down the days, let’s have some fun dressing in “themed” clothing throughout the week.
Dec 16th Merry & Bright Monday: Dress in your holiday pajamas or any pajamas
Dec 17th Tinsel Tuesday: Wear holiday socks, hats or headbands
Dec 18th Winter Wonderland Wednesday: Dress in White
Dec 19th Thermal Thursday: Wear your favorite flannel or cozy sweatshirt
Dec 20th Festive Friday: Wear Holiday Sweater/Sweatshirt or Holiday Colors
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
Yearbook
Yearbook would love holiday sing photos from everyone!
Please submit photos by email to notification.photos.360068028@treeringphotos.com or upload directly into the app into the Holiday Sing Folder.
LAST CALL: Pizza Mondays Block 2- January 6-May 19
Ordering for block 2 will be closing tonight 12/13 at 11:59 pm in Membership Toolkit. Please be sure to order for your child as this is a hard deadline and exceptions cannot be made. Thank you for understanding!
If you ordered pizza for block 1, you need to order again for block 2. If you do not purchase pizza by 12/13 there will be no other opportunity to sign up for pizza day for the remainder of the year. You must be a PTA member to order pizza through the PTA sponsored pizza days. You can join the PTA, and order pizza at franklinpta.com
A few important things to note:
Hot lunches ordered through my meal order are not available on Monday’s.
If you do not participate in the Monday Pizza lunch program, then you will need to pack a lunch.
2 kinds of pizza are offered- cheese and gluten free cheese. 1, 2, or 3 slices can be ordered.
Drinks only for Monday’s can be ordered through my meal order.
All sides must be packed from home.
Pizza day is every Monday of in school attendance.
Pricing for Block 2: (17 Mondays) regular and gluten free
1 slice $63
2 slice $100
3 slice $136
Pizza Monday Parent Volunteers
Volunteer slots for Pizza Mondays sign up is currently open in Membership Toolkit and remain open until all slots are available. When signing up, please remember the following:
Must sign up for no more than one child 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.
Lunch time slots:
Kinder/2nd: 12:05 pm (arrive 11:50 am)- FULL
1st/3rd: 11:35 am (arrive 11:15 am)- some slots
4th/5th: 12:05 pm (arrive 11:50 am)- still available
LAST CALL: Book Club 2024 Student Registration!
Today is the last day to register your child for Book Club which will be held on Fridays during lunch/recess times. A $30 fee per student that will cover the costs of the books, materials, and activities. Payments can be made in the Membership Toolkit. Please visit the PTA Membership Toolkit to sign up. Student registration will close at 11:59 pm today, 12/13.
As a reminder, if you have a half day kindergartener who is interested and would like to join Book club, please sign them up. Their day will extend through lunch/recess time until 12:25 pm where the parent leader will bring them to the front office for pick up.
Have questions or want to know more before you volunteer? Contact: Susie Dordek (sdordek@icloud.com), Jezebel Esparza (jezadanny@gmail.com), Irene Prittis (iprittis@gmail.com)
4th and 5th Grade Volleyball sign-up is open!
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 will be open until 1/14/25.
Sign up on PTA Membership Toolkit.
Volleyball season will run for 8 weeks: February 10 - April 10.
12 players max per co-ed team; 2 or 3 teams for each grade
4th grade practices and games will be 1 hour on Mondays and Wednesdays between 6:30 and 8:30pm.
5th grade practices and games will be 1 hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 6:30 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.
If you have any questions or want to help coach 4th or 5th grade (We need some 4th grade coaches to join me!), please contact the Franklin PTA Volleyball Coordinator, Rob Barrett, at Vette02@aol.com.
International Night is Thursday, January 30th - Sign Up Now Open
Ciao! Mahalo! Γεια σας! Hola! Bonjour! Hello! Здраво! Witam!
Save the Date for one of Franklin's most beloved events, International Night, on Thursday, January 30th - if you have not been you are in for a treat! Our families join together to celebrate all cultures through food, dress, music, performances, and activities. This is 100% sponsored by the PTA so we need help from each of you.
Sign ups are open on Membership Toolkit for the following opportunities:
Hosting a country table (sign-ups for the same country will be grouped together)
Performances (dances, songs, demonstrations, etc.)
General event support
Everyone is invited to participate including family members and former and future students.
Save the Date for the Winter Dance with My VIP | Friday, February 28th
Franklin is coming down with disco fever this year!
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 9:30 am.
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
Support the Park Ridge Community Fund!
The Pickwick Theater is hosting It's a Wonderful Life on December 8th at 1:00 p.m. Donations for the Park Ridge Community Fund will be accepted at the door. The Park Ridge Community Fund supports families within District 64 who need additional assistance.
Or consider donating to the Park Ridge Community Fund here. Any donations help!
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