April 3, 2015 - Lincolnwood SD74

April 3, 2015
News from Lincolnwood School District 74
The District Highlights
Dear Families, We hope this newsletter finds you all enjoying the beautiful and WARM weather we’ve been experiencing. Spring is finally here! Following the Spring Break week, the District resumed and the students appear to be back in the “learning groove.” As we head into the “home stretch” of the 2014-15 school year, the District calendar is filled with wonderful student performance related opportunities! Please take a look at the calendar and try to attend any/all of the wonderful activities scheduled for the remaining months of this school year. For instance, April 25th will be a fun day as the PTA hosts a carnival for the Lincolnwood 74 students and families and we hope you can come. Please see the flyer attached to this email for more information. Also at the end of April, Lincoln Hall hosts the annual Spring Orchestra Awards Concert and the Spring Band Awards Concert. Finally, the “word” will soon be found in Lincoln Hall’s production of the wonderful musical, “Grease,” with performances on the evenings of May 15th, 16th, and 3:00pm on 17th. In addition, there are many more activities going on in and around the District. For more information, please review the various school websites for more information. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the sunshine and as always, give your child’s school a call or drop them an email with any concerns and/or questions! Lincolnwood School District 74 Online Registration for the 2015-2016 School Year is now open! An email notification was sent on March 17th to parents/guardians who had email addresses on file with Lincolnwood SD74. This email contained a direct link to the InfoSnap registration portal. Paper letters were mailed to those who did not have an email address on file. Please click on this ​Re-Registration LINK​ if you received a PAPER registration letter in the mail. You will need to type the SnapCode that was provided in the letter. Look for a string of 15 alphanumeric characters to identify a unique SnapCode for each child you re-register. Remember to re-register on or before May 1st for the $50 family discount on the school registration fee!​ For more information please go to ​www.sd74.org​ - front page. April 3, 2015
Congratulations to the Lincoln Hall Symphonic Orchestra! On Saturday, March 14th, members of Concert Orchestra and twenty select members of Concert Band joined forces to perform at Jackson Middle School in Villa Park for the Illinois Grade School Music Association (IGSMA) Organizational Contest. The Chamber Orchestra received a final rating of II, and the Lincoln Hall Symphonic Orchestra received a final rating of I. Congratulations to our hard-working musicians! Second Grader’s “Demandment” Todd Hall second grader Vanya C.'s portrait was chosen to be on the front page of local Chicago artist, ​
Lee Tracy's website​. Ms. Tracy's Demandment Project invites students of all ages to declare a hope they have to make the future a better place. Second graders created self-portraits accompanied by their own "demandment.” Ms. Tracy's project inspired them to share their own voice through their art. Vanya’s demandment was for "all parents to look after their children." On Tuesday, March 31st, Ms. Tracy visited Todd Hall and presented Vanya with an art kit. Congratulations to Vanya and thank you for sharing your thoughtfulness. A Passion for Music and Children Continuing the series of articles about District 74’s music department and teachers. At Todd Hall, students learn how to sing, dance, play Orff instruments, and explore the exciting world of classical music with the guidance and knowledge from their Music Teacher, Dr. Jermihov (Dr. J). Dr. J has been teaching music at Todd Hall School since 2001. Dr. J’s background is filled with music! At 14 years old in Russia, Dr. J worked with very small children in a music program, similar to a student teaching program in the U.S. That is when she knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. After high school, she continued on to college and received her bachelors and masters degree in Russia at St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music. Her education and experience includes Music Teacher and Choral Conductor, Singer, and Opera Stage Director. After getting married and doing much traveling with her husband’s job (who is also a musician), she received her Doctorate at Northwestern University. At this time of her life, Dr. J was teaching, guest April 3, 2015
conducting, recording music, and singing in different groups. However, she knew in her heart that her love for music and small children was where she wanted to focus her career. During her interview with former District 74 Superintendent Dr. Lake, she was asked, “Why with all of your experience do you want to work at District 74 and teach such young students?” Dr. J’s reply was, “At this age you can truly influence children to love music and get them hooked!” Getting children hooked is what Dr. J does daily. She creates her own units about classical composers, which she tries to enhance every single year. She is very proud of this accomplishment and excited that her students are connecting with the composers’ life, history, and music. She is passionate about grounding her students and exposing them to beautiful music and composers to give them that essence and deep love for music. Besides the daily curriculum, Dr. J collaborates with Lincoln Hall and Mr. Jones Orchestra Students. Mr. Jones and a few students perform classical music for the 1​st​ grade music classes each year. Also, Dr. J’s 2​nd​ graders have been singing with Mrs. Carlberg’s 3​rd​ grade students at the Veterans’ Day program at Rutledge Hall. Dr. J also prepares her students for annual Music Shows. Dr. J loves what she does and it is so evident by the pride in her classroom and in her students. Dr. J lights up when speaking about her students and she states, “Every day these children brighten my day with their honesty, purity and innocence, and with their funny stories!” Thank you Dr. J! Do You Know A Community Member That Would Like to Sign-Up for School News? If you know of someone in our Lincolnwood Community that would be interested in receiving information from District 74 such as School News via email and they currently do not have children attending school in our District, please send them this link: ​http://bit.ly/1GJMkA6​
or direct them to the front page of District 74’s website. Parent Education Night on Wednesday, April 22nd - 6:30-8:00 p.m. Calling all parents, please join us for another Parent Education Night. Wednesday, April 22nd, parents will learn and begin using the new product called MyOn. This personalized literacy platform will provide anytime, anywhere, access to the largest library of enhanced digital books. Children will have an opportunity to read in a safe, digital environment. Parents can read along with their child or the audio function will also assist a child with their reading. Summer is just around the corner and the District wants to provide as many avenues for a child to continue reading all summer long! Additionally, parents will learn about different strategies to keep children safe and monitor that they are good digital citizens while on the Internet. Parents will walk away with specific content to watch for while checking their child’s electronic device. Parents will learn about some of the new apps that children may be talking about. Please join us and connect with other parents, listen to ideas, and share strategies for teaching children to be responsible digital citizens. Calendars Approved for the Next Three School Years District 74 calendars for the 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18 school years are attached to this email. ​School starts on AUGUST 12, 2015 for the 2015-16 school year. April 3, 2015
Date Changes The ​May Board meeting has been changed to Wednesday, April 29th at 7:00pm​ at the Village Hall and will replace the May 7​th​ Board meeting. This meeting will include reorganization of the Board of Education. It will be the last meeting for three of the District’s current Board members with two new Board members being seated. At 7:00pm, there will be a reception honoring the retiring Board members and the newly elected Board members. The ​LH Spring Band Awards Concert has been changed to Monday, April 27th​
. Please make note of these two date changes. Summer School Registration for Summer School at District 74 will officially open on Monday, April 6th for Lincolnwood residents only. On April 15th, the classes will be open to non-residence students as well. Please check the District website on Monday, April 6th to view the brochure and to sign up. Twitter To date, District 74 has 90 followers! Please join Twitter and follow us: @lincolnwoodsd74 Virtual Bulletin Board Be sure to check out the District’s ​Virtual Bulletin Board​ as new flyers have been added. Cable Channel 6 Watch Lincolnwood’s local cable station Channel 6 for videos and advertisements from District 74. PTA - Parent Teacher Association
We are looking for a few more volunteers to help supervise an activity for our carnival which will be held on Saturday, April 25th. It will be a very fun event for the students and families. Thanks to everyone that already volunteered! We are ​only​ asking for one hour of your time. Please help us host this wonderful event for the students. Click on this ​LINK​ to sign up. Questions? Email the PTA at Lincolnwoodpta@ymail.com​. See the attached PTA flyer for more carnival information. Thank you!
Alumni News
A former Lincoln Hall student, Mrugami M., was selected to the International Science and Engineering Fair, the most prestigious fair in the world. This is the second year in a row that Mrugami has received this honor. This year’s work is related to her discovery of a bacteria that reacts by glowing in the presence of heavy metals. Congratulations to Mrugami! If you have Alumni News to share at District 74, please send an email to ​rshalzi@sd74.org
April 3, 2015
Important Dates To Remember... DISTRICT 74 04/02
School Board Meeting 04/17
NO SCHOOL, Teacher Institute Day 04/21
PTA Meeting, RH Library 3:45pm 04/22
Parent Education Night, Last Session for 2014-15 school year LINCOLN HALL DATES 04/06 Home volleyball games, 4:15pm 04/07 High School Debate team to visit our Debate team, 3:30pm 04/08 STEM field trip to the high school 04/09 Home volleyball games, 4:15pm 04/16 8​th​ grade- Leaders to Feeders Program (formerly called Shadow Day) RUTLEDGE HALL DATES 04/06
Final session of Winter Chess Wizards 04/09
School Store Open During Lunch 04/15
Spirit Day- Wear Green 04/20
Spring session of Chess Wizards Begins 04/23
3rd Grade Music Concert- 6:30pm TODD HALL DATES 04/03
Pajama Day Lincoln Hall ​◎​6th Grade ⇢ 7th Grade ⇢ 8th Grade ● We hope that everyone enjoyed the break! We now have some solid instructional time. Please help by making sure your children come to school every day and are on time. We appreciate your help and support!! ● 8​th​ grade parents: We are looking for volunteers to help at this year’s Immigration Day, to be held on April 24th. Please email Dr. Weiss if you are interested. We need about 15 volunteers. Also, please watch your email for information regarding graduation and other end-of-the-year activities for your students. ● Play practice is underway! We are looking forward to “Grease” which will be held May 15, 16, and 17. Mark your calendars for this annual event. April 3, 2015
● Boys volleyball is underway. We have some great teams ready to take on their opponents. Come and cheer at a home game! ● Tryouts for girls soccer are underway. This is a fun time of year with many opportunities for students. ● On Thursday, the students heard presentations on Internet Safety, sponsored by the state. These presentations hopefully helped students to be reminded that good on-line behavior is essential. Please take time to discuss your child’s online citizenship at home. ● PARCC testing is mostly completed. We are finishing up a few make-up tests this week. The testing went well in our building. ● Divitya V. participated in the semi-finals of the state Geography Bee over spring break. She did a great job and represented us well. Congratulations to Divitya for all of her hard work!!! ● The STAR dance marathon that was held on March 13 raised $250 that will be donated to The Red Door Animal Shelter. The students had a lot of fun!! This week, STAR held a second lunch packing event. This has been very successful, and helps feed those who are homeless or less fortunate. STAR also has planned an Adopt-a-Highway event. Students should check with Mrs. Roeder or Mrs. Lange for more information. ● The Village is continuing to look for donations of nonperishable items to help support the Niles Township Food Pantry. Please send any donations to school. The drive runs through April 15. Thanks you for your efforts to help others in our community. ● One of our own, Leila Hoxha, competed and won the Skokie Idol Competition!!! She will have her own concert this summer. Congratulations Leila! April 3, 2015
Rutledge Hall ​◎​3rd Grade ⇢ 4th Grade ⇢ 5th Grade ● Welcome back to our final stretch of the 2014-2015 school year. We are all excited that the weather is improving and our recess time can be back outside. Thank you for helping us through those rough months by bundling up your children! ● The village food drive will continue through April 15th. Please send your child in with non-perishable items to help us fill our box! Rutledge Rewards are earned for contributing! ● Bus Safety poster contest entries are due on May 1. For more information, go to the ​Rutledge Hall website​. ● Chess Wizards will wrap up for the winter session on April 6th. It was amazing to see over 50 students at each class. Sign-up for the spring session will begin shortly. Three of our students participated in a Chess Wizards tournament and brought home 5th place for Rutledge Hall. Congratulations to Jad D., Kareem D., and Christian R! Stop by the LMC to see the trophy! ● On March 19th, we had our Healthy Lunch Challenge. The students were very excited to show off all they had learned on Wellness Day. ● Continuing with health and wellness, our 3rd graders had a visit from ‘Land of Smiles’ on March 19th. This was an interactive dental health presentation. ========================
April 3, 2015
Todd Hall ​◎​Pre-K ⇢ Kindergarten ⇢ 1st Grade ⇢ 2nd Grade
● Welcome Back! We hope all of you enjoyed your spring break adventures. We are excited to be back for the remainder of the third trimester. Please help us by getting your child to school on time. ​
School begins at 8:25 AM​. ● The “Land of Smiles” performers visited the students at Todd Hall. The presentation taught students how to properly brush and floss their teeth. The students were engaged and involved in the interactive show. Each student received a gift bag with a new toothbrush and floss. ● New student and re-registration is underway. If you have a child that will be in kindergarten this fall and were not able to join us for orientation please look at the video posted on Todd Hall’s front page. Kindergarten screening will take place on June 8​th​ and 9​th​. Please call the office at 847-675-8235 to schedule an appointment, if you have not done so. ● The Girl Scouts hosted an informational meeting for parents and children that are interested in being part of a Lincolnwood Girls Scouts Troop. The meeting was very well attended and it seems like there are parents that are going to volunteer to be troop leaders. Watch for information to be shared with future plans. ● The Village of Lincolnwood is collecting food for the food pantry. There is a collection box at Todd Hall and will remain there until April 15​th.​ If you would like to donate a non-perishable food item, please send it in with your child and they can place it in the box. ========================