The Bears Blast

Howe Families,

We have several important updates and upcoming events to share as we head into February:

5Essentials Survey
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey window is open from February 2–March 10, 2026. Your feedback is incredibly important and helps guide school improvement efforts. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey using the link below:
Click Here

Spirit Wear Competition
On February 3, we will kick off our Spirit Wear Competition, along with additional spirit days every Friday. We encourage all students and staff to participate by wearing Howe spirit wear or Howe school colors. If you are in need of spirit wear, you can access the ordering link here:
Click Here

ACCESS Testing Update
ACCESS testing for our Multilingual Learners is currently underway and is already more than 50% complete. We are proud of our students for their focus and effort during this testing window.

Research Simulated Task (RST) Practice
Students in grades 3–5 are currently practicing a Research Simulated Task (RST) in preparation for IAR testing in March. Students in K–2 will also participate in a developmentally appropriate version of this task. We are partnering with the Regional Office of Education (ROE) to receive feedback on student performance, which will help us better prepare and support students for state assessments. This experience allows students to practice responding to reading through writing while receiving coaching and feedback they can apply moving forward.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support of Howe Elementary.

In Partnership,
Chris Anderson
Principal, Howe Elementary

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Please note these health documents requirements and the due dates for students for the 2026-27 school year.

According to the School Code of Illinois, all children entering preschool, kindergarten, sixth grade, or new to Illinois Schools must submit a State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination with recent physical examination, health history, proof of up-to-date immunizations, proof of lead risk questionnaire- a blood lead test should be performed for children between age 6 months to 6 years who are enrolled in a licensed or public school daycare who live in the 60099 zip-code, diabetic screening, and TB screening no earlier than the first of the year in which their child is enrolled. The State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination should be submitted on or before October 15, 2026 or the student will be excluded from school.

Any student trying out for an athletic activity (middle school only) such as an interscholastic team, cheerleading, or dance must have a current physical examination form on record noting approval for interscholastic sports. The examination must be on file with the school PRIOR to tryouts and current through participation in the sport.

Students entering kindergarten or new to Illinois schools for the 2026-27 school year are recommended to submit a recent State of Illinois Eye Examination report no earlier than the first of the year in which their child is enrolled. The State of Illinois Eye Examination report should be submitted on or before October 15, 2026.

Proof of School Dental Examination forms are also recommended to be submitted for the 2026-27 school year by May 15, 2027 for enrolled kindergarten, second grade and sixth grade students.

Students currently enrolled ( 2025-26 school year) in kindergarten, second grade and sixth grade must submit a Proof of School Dental Examination form by May 15, 2026.

If your child will require medication while at school, a school medication authorization must be submitted. Please contact the school health clerk regarding other necessary forms for medications to be kept at school.

All health forms required for school are linked in this note, can be obtained from the school office, or can be found on the school website. Please contact your assigned health clerks for any questions or concerns.

Respectfully,

Jorge Seda,

Assistant Superintendent of Academic and Operations - BPD3

As students return from winter break, please remain vigilant for the spread of seasonal respiratory illnesses, especially influenza (flu).

The Lake County Health Department (LCHD) has noted that from Week 48 to Week 52 (November 23–December 27, 2025), there has been a continued increase in respiratory illness–related emergency department (ED) visits in Lake County, Illinois. Flu illness accounts for the largest proportion of ED visits compared to COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). On December 26, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported that flu activity has reached MODERATE levels.

Emergency Department Visit Rates (%) in Lake County, IL (2025–2026 Season)

Resources

• Preventing Spread of Infections in K-12 Schools | CDC

• Guidance for Infection Prevention and Control in K-12 Schools | CDC

• Everyday Actions for Schools to Prevent and Control the Spread of Infections | CDC

• Know the Difference: Is it a cold or flu or COVID-19? | IDPH

• Flu: A Guide for Parents | CDC

Ahora que los estudiantes regresan de las vacaciones de invierno, les rogamos que permanezcan atentos a la propagación de enfermedades respiratorias estacionales, especialmente la gripe.

El Departamento de Salud del Condado de Lake (LCHD) ha informado que, desde la semana 48 hasta la semana 52 (del 23 de noviembre al 27 de diciembre de 2025), se ha observado un aumento continuo en las visitas a los servicios de urgencias por enfermedades respiratorias en el condado de Lake, Illinois. La gripe representa la mayor proporción de estas visitas, en comparación con la COVID-19 y el virus respiratorio sincitial (VRS). El 26 de diciembre, el Departamento de Salud Pública de Illinois (IDPH) informó que la actividad gripal ha alcanzado niveles MODERADOS.

Tasas de visitas a urgencias (%) en el condado de Lake, Illinois (temporada 2025-2026)

Recursos

• Preventing Spread of Infections in K-12 Schools | CDC

• Guidance for Infection Prevention and Control in K-12 Schools | CDC

• Everyday Actions for Schools to Prevent and Control the Spread of Infections | CDC

• Know the Difference: Is it a cold or flu or COVID-19? | IDPH

• Flu: A Guide for Parents | CDC

PBIS at Howe Elementary

At Howe Elementary, we use PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) to build a safe, positive, and supportive learning environment where every child can grow and succeed.

PBIS is about teaching, modeling, and celebrating positive behaviors in every part of the school—so students know exactly what is expected and how to do their best.

Our Howe Expectations

At Howe, we focus on four simple expectations that guide student behavior in classrooms, hallways, playgrounds, and beyond:

⭐ Be Respectful – Treat others the way you want to be treated.
⭐ Be Responsible – Take care of your learning, your belongings, and our school.
⭐ Be Safe – Make choices that keep yourself and others safe.
⭐ Be Ready to Learn – Come prepared, stay focused, and give your best effort.

How PBIS Works at Howe

1. Teaching & Practicing – Students learn what expectations look like in all areas of the school, and staff model and practice them with students.

2. Recognizing Positive Behavior – Staff notice and celebrate when students demonstrate our four Howe expectations.

3. Support & Reteaching – If a student struggles, staff respond with consistency and support to help them learn from mistakes.

How Parents Can Support PBIS at Home

Families play a big role in reinforcing PBIS! Here are some easy ways to support your child:

✅ Remind your child of the Howe Expectations – Ask them what it looks like to be Respectful, Responsible, Safe, and Ready to Learn at school.

✅ Practice at home – Have your child show you what each expectation looks like:

• Respectful – using kind words at home, listening when someone else is talking.

• Responsible – helping with chores, taking care of their belongings.

• Safe – walking inside, wearing a seatbelt, following family safety rules.

• Ready to Learn – packing their backpack, getting a good night’s sleep, and being on time for school.

✅ Connect school and home – Celebrate when your child shows these expectations at home, just like we do at Howe!

Parents,

Please utilize the Parent Portal to stay up to date with your child's progress. Grades, attendance, and other school communication can be found here. It is a valuable resource for our parents.

If you are not connected through your Parent Portal account in PowerSchool, you can always reach out to the main office with any questions. (847-599-5362)

February

2 - 5 Essential Window Opens (Feb. 2-Mar. 10) Please complete our survey

3 - School Improvement Day/Spirit Wear Competition; Early Release 1:45 PM

9 - Board Meeting 6:30pm @BPMS

12 - PTO Meeting 5:30pm @Howe

13 - End of Trimester 2

16 - No School - President's Day

20 - Trimester 2 Report Cards published to Parent Portal

26 - Zion Area Choralfest 6-7:00pm @ZBTHS

March

3 - School Improvement Day/Spirit Wear Competition; Early Release 1:45 PM

4-5 IAR Testing - Reading

9 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (No school) 12pm-7pm.

9-13 Scholastic Book Fair (open during conferences)

10-12 IAR Testing - Math

Brrrr… We hope everyone has been staying warm during these extremely cold temperatures! As we bundle up and keep cozy, we wanted to share some exciting updates and upcoming events from the Howe PTO.

In-School Assembly

We’re thrilled to announce that the PTO has officially booked an in-school assembly for later this school year! Stay tuned for more details as the date approaches.

February Fundraiser

We are working on a fun and engaging fundraiser for the month of February. Two exciting options are on the table: a World’s Finest Chocolate sale and a restaurant fundraiser. We’d love to hear your ideas! Feel free to join us at our next PTO meeting on 2/12/2026 at Howe School from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM or email us with your suggestions at ptohowe@gmail.com

Spirit Wear Days

Thanks to a joint collaboration, we’ve brought back Spirit Wear Days! Get ready to show your school spirit! Whether through our awesome spirit wear gear or simply by wearing school colors. Let’s make these days fun!

Save the Date!

Our upcoming big event is People’s Choice Night on March 20, 2026. Mark your calendars and join us for an evening of fun!

Thank you for your continued support. Stay warm, stay safe, and as always, thank you for your continued support.

Howe PTO

Our students need to be at school everyday! Please help us in fighting Truancy as a team. We need to teach our students the importance of their education as well as learning the lifelong skill of showing up. School becomes increasingly difficult the more a student is absent, which reduces confidence and brings anxiety. Let's help them succeed by sending them to school everyday.

Howe Families,

A child's attendance at school has one of the largest impacts on their development for so many reasons. First, we are teaching them the importance of an education by making it a priority to attend daily. We teach them routines that they will carry through life, such as being punctual, present and focused on a purpose. Also, looking at our district's trends, attendance has become an area of concern and focus, as we have had a large increase in absences since recovering from schools being closed down. The truth is that we have to recover from this trend and make school a priority again. Below is a comparison of the percentage of students who are Truant as compared to the state average. Truancy is defined as the problem or situation of children being absent from school regularly without permission. (Cambridge) The numbers in the chart mean the following, based on our current student count of 375 students. If we have a truancy rate of 30%, that equates to saying that over 113 students attending Howe school have been absent a minimum of 9 school days. That is 1,017 school days missed (113 X 9). That is 6,610.5 hours of instruction (1,017 X 6.5). When students return after just one day of being absent, we know that it can be hard to catch up and not get frustrated because they missed the day before. We need our students in class to receive all of the support that we have prepared so that they grow as much as they can each day.

At the end of the year, we are required to submit all absences to the state, regardless of being excused, or not. Our goal is to reduce the number of students who are absent from school. This does not mean that we want, or expect students to attend students if they are ill.

As you can see from the chart above, we focused on this last year and saw a significant decrease in our truancy rates. I challenge our community to continue to improve and beat the state percentage this year.

Students will be recognized for Perfect Attendance during each of our monthly celebrations.

If a student is tardy after 9:30 am, or misses a day due to a medically excused absence, they will not be included in the monthly perfect attendance. In order to meet our criteria for Perfect Attendance, students must be in-person at school.

Reminders for what you can do at home to help with having students ready to come to school and learn each day is to start with creating regular routines for bedtimes. Help them turn screens off an hour before their bedtime so that their bodies unwind and are ready for rest. Get them up at a regular time and make sure you feed them breakfast, or that they participate in getting breakfast at school each day.

Thank you for your continued partnership in your child's education.

Daily Schedule:

Students enter: 8:55-9:05 AM

School Day begins: 9:05 AM

School Day ends: 3:45 PM

SIP Day Schedule (Early Release; The first Tuesday of every month):

Students enter: 8:55-9:05 AM

School :Day begins 9:05 AM

School Day ends: 1:45 PM

Reminder about making adjustments to your child's transportation.

Parents/Guardians must call the office BEFORE 3:00 PM if you are planning to pick your child up and they normally take the bus. There are a lot of moving parts at the end of the day and this must be arranged ahead of time. If you show up at the end of the day and ask to take your child home, we cannot pull students from the bus because it causes major delays in our end of the day systems which will not be permitted. They will be sent home on the bus. We appreciate your support in helping us get our students home safely.

Each month, the district has an early release day for our buildings. This means that at Howe, we dismiss 2 hours earlier at 1:45 PM. When our students leave, our teachers receive Professional Development to look at teaching practices and review building data.

During the school day, we change things up completely for our students. We focus on community and team up with Buddy Classrooms where our students can meet new friends and learn with other teachers. We start the day off by having a full-school assembly to review expectations, discuss our progress and celebrate all that is going well in our school. For the rest of the day, they have opportunities to do many activities, which include buddy reading, math games, SEL activities, Team Building, and Specials. They even eat lunch and have recess together. It is a chance for them to do something different and to do it with others.

Parents/Guardians,

We have received reports from our bus drivers and the church that we have some families parking in the church parking lot and walking across to pick up their child(ren) during dismissal. This has caused some alarm from drivers not being able to see pedestrians when they are crossing between the buses. Please be sure not to cross in between any buses and only use crosswalks around the building to access the building.

Update to our School Designation for this year. We have moved from being Commendable to Targeted due to our subgroup for Children with Disabilities (CWD). We will be looking into this data with our local learning partner, the Regional Office of Education to see what caused this shift and to determine next steps. You can see the comparison between this year and last by comparing the visuals. This information comes directly from the School Report Card.