The Eagle's Nest

Hello Walsh Families!

As we progress through the academic year, I would like to take a moment to discuss a matter of great importance: school attendance. Chronic absenteeism is a significant issue that affects many students has a profound impact on their educational success and future opportunities. Partnership between home and school is essential for promoting student success.

Why is school attendance important? Regular school attendance is crucial for several reasons:

1. Academic Achievement: Consistent attendance helps students keep up with daily lessons and assignments, participate in classroom discussions, and grasp complex concepts. Chronic absenteeism can lead to gaps in learning, lower grades, and a higher risk of falling behind or even dropping out.

2. Social Skills: School is not just an academic environment; it's where children learn to interact, negotiate, and build relationships with their peers. Regular attendance fosters social interaction and emotional growth.

3. Future Success: Studies show that students who maintain good attendance are more likely to graduate from high school, pursue higher education, and secure stable employment in the future.

Thank you for getting your child to school daily and on time!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ms. Chris Smith, Walsh Principal

Monday, September 14

• After School Programs Begin

Wednesday, September 16

• Late Start - 8:50 AM

Tuesday, September 22

• MAP Testing Begins ~ Grades 1-5

Wednesday, September 23

• Late Start - 8:50 AM
• Fall Picture Day

August and September bring the close of summer with sunflowers in their glory so students across all grade levels will be learning about the Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890). He is famous for heavily brush-stroked oil paintings like Sunflowers and The Starry Night. We will use Visual Thinking Skills (vtshome.org) when we look at his paintings. Students will be asked to answer three questions: What is going on? What do you see? What more can you say?

Also, students will be learning about making artists’ statements. First grade through 5th graders will practice showing their artwork to the class with a document camera and briefly tell what they made, what media they used, and what they wanted to convey with their artwork.

This year I hope to encourage and inspire students’ creativity while giving students freedom to express themselves, opportunities to try different art media, and time to find their own styles. Teaching for Artistic Behavior/TAB (teachingforartisticbehavior.org) will be the format for creating art.

For all art lessons the Illinois Visual Arts Standards (isbe.net/Documents/Visual-Arts-Standards.pdf) are used. Here are the standards for the first trimester Pre-K through 5th Grade:

VA:Cr1.1.PK Engage in self-directed play with materials.

VA:Cr1.1.K Engage in exploration and imaginative play with materials.

VA:Cr1.1.1 Engage collaboratively in exploration and imaginative play with materials.

VA:Cr1.1.2 Brainstorm collaboratively multiple approaches to an art or design problem.

VA:Cr1.1.3 Elaborate on an imaginative idea.

VA:Cr1.1.4 Brainstorm multiple approaches to a creative art or design problem.

VA:Cr1.1.5 Combine ideas to generate an innovative idea for art making.

5th graders are reading all about corn and working on understanding nonfiction text. So, we analyzed real corn ears.

In science we are learning about food webs and decomposers. Students observed worms and completed an experiment to see if worms like damp or dry areas better.

Tier 1 or Universal

Communication and awareness are the primary Tier 1 or Universal Level interventions. This will be accomplished through PowerSchool and Attendance Intervention and Communication System.

• Daily, the office staff will attempt to contact the parents/guardians of the student(s) who are marked absent. Additionally, a daily reminder will be sent at 9:30 AM to parents, letting them know their student(s) has been marked absent.

• All student's attendance will be tracked through PowerSchool and Attendance Intervention of Communication. Attendance postcards will be sent electronically to all students at every 5 absences (5, 10, 15, 20, 25…).

Most students/families (80% or more) are expected to respond to the Universal interventions.

Tier 2

Students’ families that have between 9 and 18 absences will receive personal communication from the school and school principal.

• 9 days of absences o A truancy letter regarding absence concerns (indicating the dates of absences) will be mailed. A copy will be placed in the student’s temporary file. o Meeting with the student (when appropriate)

• 18 days of absences

• A truancy letter will be mailed and added to their file
• The building administrator will contact the family/guardian regarding concerns.
• Future absences will be marked as Truant unless accomplished by a doctor's note.
• An attendance intervention plan can be implemented via social worker and administrator.

Students that have 19 or more truancies

• 21-Days of absences o A truancy letter will be mailed on each subsequent absence and added to the file.

• The building administrator will facilitate meeting with parent to discuss concerns.
• Social worker will provide resources for student and/or family counseling as well as agency support.
• Attendance intervention plan will be restructured as needed.
• Potential Involvement of the Summit Police Department
• Contact the Intermediate Service Center for Truancy

· All Health forms are due by October 15th.

·Missing health requirement letters have gone home. If your child received a letter, please submit forms before the October 15th exclusionary date or your child may be excluded from school.

-The Ronald McDonald mobile clinic will be in district on September 30th. If you child is in need or vaccines or a physical, please reach out to the nurse to sign up for this free service.

· Reach out to the nurse with question or updates by calling the school or emailing her at TJustin@sd104.us. You can also now submit forms via fax at 708-728-3103.

· Please note all student absences should be reported to the main office. Call the main office if your child is ill or will be absent. 708-458-7165.

We ask that parents do not sent in birthday treats/snacks for student birthdays.

Just a reminder that students should be taking care of their technology devices, especially when they take them home.

The district will assume the cost of parts and labor associated with all repairs deemed due to natural failure. If the technical department determines a failure due to damage, the student will be responsible for any hardware costs needed to return the device to a functional state. The district will assume all labor costs associated with damage repairs. Cosmetic damage will not be charged or repaired.

• Sleeve/Cover Replacement ($10)
• Charger Replacement ($25)
• Keyboard Replacement ($25)
• Touch Screen Replacement ($115)
• iPad Replacement: ($300)
• Chromebook Replacement:

- $250 for a new device, Year 1

- $200 for a device that is 2 years old

- $150 for a device that is 3 years old

- $100 for a device that is 4 years old

Phone: 708-458-0141

Email: chsmith@sd104.us
Website: https://www.sd104.us/
Location: 5640 South 75th Avenue, Summit, IL, USA
Phone: 708-458-7165
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/summitschooldistrict104/