Bulldog News

Note from Mr. Dubinsky

Fall MAP Growth Reports coming home today (grades 1–5)

Your child’s Fall MAP Growth report will be sent home today. This report helps teachers identify learning goals for the year. To better understand the report and how MAP Growth supports your child's learning, please visit the MAP Family Toolkit or check out this Student Sample Quick Reference Guide.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher.

🚨 Reminder: Always bring an ID when visiting our school

As a reminder, anyone who is visiting Briar Glen or picking up students early must check in using the iPad in our school's lobby. You will need to bring an ID (license, state ID, passport) whenever you are picking up a student or visiting during the school day. The check-in process takes less than two minutes, and it is an important part of our safety system.

Read more about the check-in process: https://bit.ly/3URo8ql
Watch a short video about the student check-out process: https://youtu.be/gxFvHH5UZL4
Watch a short video about the visitor process: https://youtu.be/Q814enw_x7A

Thank you for helping keep our students and staff safe at all times.

School pictures are ready!

To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account using your student's student ID number. All families can also log on and order a free Digital SmileSafe card.

Thank you!

Preschool, kindergarten and second grade health requirements

State law requires the following for students entering preschool, kindergarten, and second grade:

by Tuesday, October 14:

A physical exam (done after August 21, 2024) on a State of Illinois Child Health Exam form
Up-to-date immunizations
🚨 Students without this will not be allowed to attend school on Wednesday, October 15.

Immunization requirements:

Preschool: 3 DTaP, 3 Polio, 3 Hep B, 1 MMR, 1 Varicella
Kindergarten: 4 DTaP, 4 Polio, 3 Hep B, 2 MMR, 2 Varicella

Other requirements:

Dental exam (kindergarten, second grade): due May 15, 2026 (exam after Nov. 15, 2024)
Vision exam (kindergarten): due October 15, 2025 (exam after Aug. 21, 2024)

Send paperwork to the school nurse.
Questions? Contact Kristi Haan at khaan@ccsd89.org or visit the district website.

District increases pay rates for CCSD 89 substitute teachers

The CCSD 89 Board of Education recently approved an increase in pay rates for substitute teachers. The daily rate to substitute for a classroom teacher will be now be $160 per day, and $170 per day once the person has subbed for 10 days in the district.

There are also now incentives for people who substitute repeatedly in CCSD 89 schools. After 25 sub days, the person will receive a $15 gift card. After 50 days, and then again at 75 days, the substitute will receive a $100 bonus.

Learn more about pay rates: https://bit.ly/3ItUViI

To learn more about being a substitute teacher, go to: www.ccsd89.org/substitute

Participate in our upcoming Briar Glen Bulldog Fun Run!

It’s time! You can register your student for our Briar Glen Bulldog Fun Run! Our goal is to raise $35,000 for a new playground structure. Signing up is easy and comes with a fun prize for your student!

⭐️ Sign Up On MyBooster.com ⭐️

Thank you for being a part of our Briar Glen community and helping us make a difference for our students. We are grateful for your support!

Follow our social pages for fun progress updates in the coming weeks!

Key Dates to Remember:

🎉 Fundraiser kickoff in school – October 3

👟 Event day – October 17

We are excited to share that we have a special partnership activation with Main Event! When you sign up your student(s) on MyBooster.com, and get a $1-per-minute donation, they earn a 60-minute Main Event Play Pass. Once signed up, students will be entered into a school-wide sweepstakes for a Main Event MEGA VIP Party! Students can earn additional entries by completing sharing tasks on their student dashboards. Sign up opens today!

*Need help signing up? View video instructions.

Check out the plans below for the new playground. 👇

Briar Glen is hiring a full-time instructional aide

Are you interested in working full-time at Briar Glen School? We have an instructional aide position available.

If interested, 👉 click here and apply today!

Families can support bilingual education by joining district’s advisory committee

Parents and guardians of students in CCSD 89 English-language-learner programs are invited to join the district’s Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC). The Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee provides ongoing recommendations to the district’s English-learner and bilingual programs. Members attend four meetings – one in person and three virtual meetings. Teachers, counselors, and community leaders are also welcome to join. To sign up, go to: http://bit.ly/4geEwLH

Upcoming Events

September 25: Parent Series: Raising addiction-resistant kids, noon and 7 p.m.

September 30: Parent Series: Understanding inflexible children, noon and 7 p.m.

October 2: Parent Series: Smart and healthy discipline, 7 p.m.

October 7: Parent Series: Break the cycle of worry, noon and 7 p.m.

October 9: Parent Series: Career planning for the next generation, noon and 7 p.m.

October 10: No school (Teacher Institute)

October 13: No school (Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day)

October 15: Parent Series: Communicating with young people, noon and 7 p.m.

October 16: PTC meeting, 7 p.m. (in-person or join zoom)

October 16: Parent Series: Aprenderán acerca de la admisión a la universidad de principio a fin, 7 p.m.

October 17: Boosterthon Fun Run

October 20: Board of Education meeting, 7 p.m.

October 21: Parent Series: Raising spirited children, noon and 7 p.m.

October 23: Evening conferences, 4-7 p.m.

October 24: No school (conferences), 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

October 24: Monster Mash, 6-8 p.m. at Glen Crest

October 30: Preschool Halloween parties

October 31: K-5 Halloween parties

Parent Series: Raising addiction-resistant kids (September 25)

At noon and 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 25, author Jessica Lahey will offer an evidence-based, jargon-free exploration of substance use prevention for parents, mentors, and educators. Lahey will offer concrete, practical takeaways adults can use to begin parenting for prevention. Preview. Learn more: gpsparentseries.org/events/jessica-lahey/

The GPS Parent Series hosts free presentations on students and parenting. Full schedule: https://gpsparentseries.org/

Follow Briar Glen on Instagram!

Check out what's going on at Briar Glen and get announcements too! Click here to follow @briarglenschool on Instagram.

Follow Briar Glen on X!

Check out what's going on at Briar Glen and get announcements too! Click here to follow @BriarGlenSchool.

Students, families can report crises and threats through Safe2Help

Students and families can confidentially call, email, or text the Safe2Help tip line to report bullying, threats, or classmates in crisis. Students or families can call (844) 4-SAFE-IL, which is (844) 472-3345; text SAFE2, which is 72332; email Help@Safe2HelpIL.com; or submit tips through the online form. Safe2Help submissions are monitored every hour of every day. More info: https://bit.ly/3BPxObO