Christian's Weekly Communication

Julian Parents & Guardians,

We are entering the final stretch of the school year! And there are many events coming up in the next couple of weeks. As we prepare for the incoming parent orientation, staff appreciation week, graduation, etc., please be aware that the school office will close at 4pm on the following days:

• Tuesday, May 9
• Friday, May 12
• Friday, May 26
• Tuesday, May 30
• Friday, June 9

Students that do not own cell phones are allowed to use classroom phones, with the classroom teachers' permission, at the end of the school day to call home for rides. Or they can ask their coach or after-school club sponsor to use their classroom phone to reach a parent or guardian when the school office is closed. If you have any questions, please contact us via email at julianinfo@op97.org.

It was "standing room only" at the very first Julian Night of Excellence last week! It was a special night of red carpets, beautiful speeches, amazing plaques, sweet certificates, smiles, standing ovations and yummy cupcakes! Thank you to all the families that were able to join us to make the evening special for the children. And shout out to Mrs. Nancy Guarino who was nominated as the "Julian Teacher of the Year". And congrats to Mr. John Villa who received the "Student's Choice Award"!

Congratulations to all the students who received recognition for their various citizenship, advocacy, extracurricular, sports and academic achievements. It has indeed been an excellent school year thus far!

Please congratulate the members of Jukebox for achieving the highest possible rating at the IGSMA State Festival on the last Saturday in April.

These Jayhawks showed the highest level of focus and professionalism as they prepared these last several months! There are no rankings between choirs at the state level, but earning a Superior score at this festival demonstrates that they are one of the top middle school choirs in the state of Illinois!

--

Andrew Seymour, NBCT

Choral Director

Percy Julian Middle School

2020 - 2023 NAMM Best Communities for Music Education

https://www.op97.org/~aseymour@op97.org/choir

8th grade families,

The Action Team for Partnerships is a group of freshman parents and OPRFHS administrators who work collaboratively to engage families and the community in ways that support student achievement and success. The Action Team for Partnerships will focus on Priority 2 of the Strategic Plan, taking a holistic, supportive, transformative approach to providing engaging, equitable learning experiences. The Action Team will engage in monthly meetings to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the identified strategic goals, craft a One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships with activities linked to the selected goals, support the implementation of parent and community involvement activities, and monitor progress. Through this process, the members of this group will intentionally support ongoing family and community involvement that impacts student achievement and success. The Application Deadline is May 8th at 8am.

Who will do this work:

A group of 20-30 incoming freshman parents (to be selected from the submitted

applications), current freshman parents, and OPRFHS administrators.

What will the group do:

● Engage in one-hour monthly meetings

● Identify a specific area(s) of focus from Priority 2 of the Strategic Plan

● Assess the strengths and areas for improvement of the identified area of focus

● Craft a One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships with activities linked to the

selected goal(s)

● Support the implementation of the parent and community involvement activities

● Monitor progress of goal implementation

Why are we doing this:

● Partner with families and the community to enhance students' academic

experiences

● Foster ongoing family and community involvement around Priority 2

● Impact student achievement and success

If you are interested in this opportunity, please click here to sign up. Any questions can be directed to Dr. Laurie Fiorenza, assistant superintendent for student learning, at lfiorenza@oprfhs.org.

201 North Scoville Avenue | Oak Park, IL 60302

708.383.0700

www.oprfhs.org

Online registration for kindergarten and new students is now open for the 2023-24 school year. Kindergarten and new students may register from May 5, 2023, through July 1, 2023.

Kindergarten Eligibility:

In order to register your student, you must be the custodial parent/guardian and currently reside in Oak Park. Students who are registering for kindergarten for the 2023-24 school year must be at least 5 years old and must be born on or before Sept. 1, 2018.

All students entering kindergarten, including those currently enrolled in one of District 97’s early childhood programs, are considered “new students” and should follow the kindergarten and new student registration process on May 5. All other currently enrolled District 97 preschool students who are not entering kindergarten should register as a returning student beginning on May 26.

Please click the links below to learn more about the registration process for kindergarteners and new students.

• Kindergarten Registration

• New Student Registration

Returning student registration will open on Friday, May 26. Instructions for returning students will be shared in the coming weeks. We appreciate your partnership in preparing for a successful 2023-24 school year!

Village Hosting Free Firearm Lock Giveaway - Saturday, May 13

Gun violence is a public health crisis. District 97 is committed to partnering with the Village of Oak Park to address this crisis and help keep our community safe.

The Village of Oak Park police and health departments are hosting a free firearm lock giveaway on May 13, 2023 to encourage safe storage of firearms so our community can be safe and healthy. Attendees of the giveaway event can receive a free firearm lock from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 13 in the courtyard at Village Hall, 123 Madison St. No registration is required.

Both the health and police departments remind residents that safe firearm storage is a simple action a gun owner can take to reduce access to guns among young people, keeping families safe. Safe gun storage is an issue that impacts the entire community and saves lives.

• Save the Date! APIDA Event at OPPL on May 21

The OPPL is putting together an event for Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Month featuring performances, readings, food/drink, and much more! The event will take place on May 21 from 1:00-3:00 at the Main Library. See this flier for more information. Hope to see you there!

8th Grade Parents and Guardians,

1 - Please be sure to let us know if your 8th grader and your family will attend the graduation ceremony. As we arrange seating with OPRFHS, we do need to know how many Jayhawk families plan to attend with their 8th grade student. Fill out the google form by Friday, May 19th please.

2 - If you have not done so already, be sure to fill out the Great America permission slip. IT IS TOO LATE TO ADD A PAYMENT, AS THE DEADLINE WAS APRIL 28TH. We just need the parents and guardians that have already paid, or requested financial assistance, to fill out the Great America permission slip before the end of this month. Details about when the bus returns and the amusement park rules can be found here. Thank you.

8th Grade families:

• Monday, May 22 - Music Dept field trip (for Choir, Band & Orchestra students)
• Tuesday, May 30 - Graduation Materials Pick Up Night (a parent or guardian, 18yrs old+ must sign for the graduation tickets, class of 2023 t-shirt and/or cap & gown orders) 5:30pm - 7pm in the commons
• Tuesday, June 6 - Great America trip
• Wednesday, June 7 - Chromebook Collection (students turn in D97 devices and chargers)
• Friday, June 9 - rehearsal for graduation (10am) and graduation ceremony (6:30pm) @ OPRFHS

• HELP NEEDED - May 30th School Store

Our final school store of the school year is upon us and we need your help!

• Restock - Can you support our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports) efforts by purchasing items from our Amazon wish list for our next school store? THANK YOU SO MUCH for your generosity!

• Volunteer - If you have 30 minutes available on Tuesday, May 30, we could use your help to set up, tear down, or work the store during a lunch period! Check out our sign-up sheet here. Any questions? Please reach out to Katie Trathen at ktrathen@op97.org. Thank you so much!
  

Here's the link to the student daily announcements.

We are excited to announce that the Julian Literacy Lab launched on 4/10. Literacy Lab is a place where students can get help from teachers with their reading and writing assignments, study for assessments, make revisions and/or proofread writing, and re-take assessments. It will be held in the library media center before school on Tuesdays and Thursdays (8-8:45am) and after school on Wednesdays (3:40-4:30pm).

Sign up here ahead of time to attend (required). If you have questions, please reach out to Ms. O'Keefe at kokeefe@op97.org.

Calculation Corner: Free math support is provided by Julian math teachers on Tuesdays & Thursdays in Room A213 (Before school 8:00-8:50 AM & after school 3:40-4:30 PM). Available to any Julian student in need of math help. Students who visit the Math Lab can receive help on their homework, prepare for upcoming assessments, get assistance with assessment revisions, and retake summative assessments.

Students are required to sign up ahead of time using this link.

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.

2023-24 District 97 Blended Preschool Program
District 97 is accepting applications for the early childhood blended classrooms at Whittier Elementary School for the 2023-24 school year. There will be a limited number of spaces available. Click here to view the 2023-24 D97 Blended Preschool flyer >>

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.

The registration window will be open April 10, 2023 through May 19, 2023. For more information about the Early Childhood Blended Program or to apply, please visit https://www.op97.org/teach-learn/ecblended.

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!

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

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 our best, and then some!