Anne Sullivan Panther Post 9/22/2023

Panther Post

September 22, 2023

Dear Sullivan Families,

It has been a busy few weeks at Sullivan, as we are definitely into our routines and have been diving deeper into the curriculum. There is so much going on in our classrooms, and it is wonderful to see our students getting excited about their content area learning as well as working collaboratively with their classmates. The links in this newsletter to the learning objectives for each grade level are updated regularly, so please click on them to see what your kids are up to in our classrooms!

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. In addition to our ongoing work in the classrooms and on the playground to help students work out social conflicts and prevent bullying, our Second Step lessons this month will be focused on awareness and prevention. We strive to make Sullivan a safe place for all to learn, and we appreciate your support as we emphasize an atmosphere of kindness and tolerance in our school.

Please read on for information about:

Spirit Wear Sales
Halloween Guidelines
Student Recognition
Classroom Snapshots
Upcoming Parent Events

Sincerely,

Traci Meziere

Principal

Anne Sullivan School

Quick Links

4th Grade Learning Objectives

Second Step Parent Information

5th Grade Learning Objectives

Technology Guides

Halloween Guidelines

Halloween is just a couple of weeks away! We know that many kids are already talking about costumes, and this is a good time to remind our families about the Halloween costume guidelines that all D23 Elementary schools share:

Costumes should be brought to school. Students will have time to change after lunch, before the Halloween Parade at 12:45 P.M. on October 31st.
Costumes should be school-appropriate, not offensive or hurtful to others, and should not include weapons, look-alike weapons, or excessive gore.
Appropriate masks must be worn on heads in school and during the parade for safety reasons.

Classroom Halloween parties will be held from 1:15-2:15 on October 31st. Room parents will be collaborating with teachers to plan the parties. Please do not send food, candy, or any other items for your child to pass out in the classroom. In addition, no outside food items will be permitted at parties.

Sullivan Snapshots

Ms. Wessel's 4th-grade class works on their problem-solving skills, teamwork, and building community with a puzzle challenge this week. Students were given 15 minutes to assemble as much of a 300-piece puzzle as they could with their group. It was awesome to hear the students' strategies and see their collaboration.

Ms. Meziere reads The World Needs Who You Were Made To Be to Mrs. Pennell's class. The book by Joanna Gaines celebrates individual strengths and differences while highlighting the importance of teamwork and collaboration.

Our 5th-grade students enjoyed beautiful weather last week for their walking trips to the Prospect Heights Public Library, where they learned about all the library has to offer and got excited about reading!

If you were unable to attend our parent coffee this week, click on the image to view a PDF of our slides.

Pawsitive Panthers and Panther Paw Winners

Panther Expectations

Our core expectations of being safe, respectful, and responsible are in place whether we are learning in person or virtually. Our expectations matrix is included below for your reference. Please review these expectations with your children.

Technology Information

District News

District 23 is Focused on Creating Communities of Belonging

We all know that stress, traumatic events, and lack of connection can complicate an already challenging situation. Whether at home or in schools, building safe, caring, compassionate, and empathetic relationships help to support students through life's ups and downs. Our focus on Creating Communities of Belonging calls us to reflect on and review our practices that welcome all students and families and engage each to grow to their fullest potential.

We are working with renowned speaker, Dr. Doug Bolton, to examine strategies that we can implement to maximize students' sense of safety and belonging in our classrooms, schools, and as a District. We also support our parent community with information and as partners to provide the love, care, and support our students need. At a recent parent workshop, Dr. Bolton encouraged parents to implement the following strategies to help build resilience in their children:

Slow Down - Taking time together as a family, at a meal, or some other time, provides the opportunity for connection and a buffering effect to external stressors.
Model Empathy - When children hear their parents process stress in a healthy way, they learn the vocabulary and empathy to do so themselves.
Look Upstream - Negative behaviors are the end results of issues that are often masked. When we only address the resulting behavior, especially through punishment, we often miss the opportunity to find out what's going on "upstream" that is actually causing the behavior.
Create Communities of Belonging - Get connected to other families and friends through church, school, or community activities that build a safety net of resources and people to whom the children may turn when they are in need of support.

For us in District 23, our professional learning this year is centered around how we can best create these supporting communities by enhancing the respectful celebration of our diversity. As educators, we welcome our students into engaging learning practices that provide differentiation to meet the range of student abilities and needs and inspire all student to grow.

CLICK HERE to view the recorded presentation by Dr. Doug Bolton.