Meyer Weekly

Feb 8-12, 2016

Message From Dr. Gordon

Dear Parents:

Our Preschool Open House Is This Sunday!

The Preschool Open House is the best opportunity for new families to see our school, meet the teachers, and get to know what Meyer School is all about. You, our Meyer families, are our best advertisements for our school! Please help spread the word about our school to friends, neighbors, and relatives who might be interested in our programs. Clifford, the Big Red Dog will be on hand for photo ops and there is a delicious hot dog lunch for one and all.

If you haven’t already signed up for your Parent-Teacher Conference, please refer to the letter you received in the mail earlier in January for instructions. Questions? Contact your child’s teacher or Mrs. Eisenstein in the office.

The PTA has organized a new program: “Caring Hearts.” By this time in the school year, certain teacher supplies have run out. Teachers are asked to create a “wish list” of items they need for their classrooms. Each wish will be on a small sheet, identified by teacher, for parents to pick up at Parent-Teacher conferences. This is completely voluntary. More complete details are available in this week's PTA flyer.

Sincerely,

~Dr. Alison Gordon

Message from Meyer School Nurse,

Katie Orleans, R.N.

Important reminders for your children from the American Dental Association:

For children 3 to 6 years of age, use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.
Supervise children’s brushing and remind them not to swallow the toothpaste.
Inspire kids to brush their teeth for 2 minutes, 2 times a day.
Visit the dentist every 6 months.

Proof of a dental exam is required by May 15, 2016 for all kindergarten students. If you are unsure as to whether you have met this requirement, please contact Nurse Katie Orleans by email.

Explore MouthHealthyKids.org with your child. This website has activities and games to help kids learn the importance of good oral health care – all while having fun. Kids can play games, watch videos, and take fun educational quizzes.

Community Health Survey

The Skokie Health Department is seeking input from anyone who lives, works or attends school in Skokie through a short “Community Health Survey.” The survey is anonymous and should not take more than 5 to 10 minutes to complete. This is part of a Community Health Needs Assessment conducted every five years to decide which health issues to prioritize in Skokie. Input from the community is vital to this process. Please click on the following link to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SkokieHealth2016. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Urdu, Russian, and Korean. If you would prefer a paper copy or have any questions about the survey please call the Health Department at 847.933.8252. Thank you for helping us to make Skokie a healthier place to live, work, and play.

Skokie District 73.5 Participates In The 5Essentials Parent Survey 2016

Beginning on January 11 teachers, parents, and students across Illinois have an opportunity to participate in the fourth annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of our schools.

The Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey will be conducted January 11 through March 11, 2016. To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois and click the “Parent Survey” to begin. There are 17 questions and the survey should take approximately 15 minutes. If you have children in multiple buildings please complete one for each school.

Your participation in the parent survey will help us better understand our schools anxd guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child. If at least 20 percent of parents complete this survey, a parent supplement will also be generated. This will allow us to access to your valuable feedback.

Please help us reach at least 20 percent and participate! We will post updated participation rates in our Weekly and on the website during the survey window. Additionally we will have devices available for parents to complete the survey at events such as parent visit day and PTA meetings. Thank you in advance for participating!

Participation Update: At the end of this week, our reports show that 15% of parents have taken the survey!

Coming Soon

Sunday, February 7
Preschool NEW Student Open House
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Monday, February 8
Preschool Registration Begins (Residents only)
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 11
Parent-Teacher Conferences
5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Preschool Registration for Non-Residents Begins
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Friday, February 12
No School
Parent-Teacher Conferences
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

Monday, February 15
No School (Presidents Day)

Tuesday, February 16
School resumes. Welcome back!

Thursday, February 25
Pajama Day (all day)
Story Night (6:30-7:30 p.m.)

PTA News & Information

The PTA is live on SD735.org! Look up in the bookmark bar for the PTA link and then click it to get to know your PTA, find out how you can get involved, learn about events, download/print PTA flyers, and more. In the meantime, check out this week's PTA flyer...

Visitor Reminders: All visitors must check in at the main office during regular school hours for the continued safety and security of all district students and staff. Valid identification (driver’s license or state I.D.) should be available to present to office staff prior to entry approval. Once you receive your visitor’s pass, please restrict your movement in the building to your pre-arranged purpose. Visitors entering the building after hours must be escorted by a district staff member to and from their meeting location. Also important to remember, is that students have been directed never to open exterior doors for any visitors, known or unknown, during regular or after school hours. This policy is to limit the risk of any individual entering our building without checking in to receive proper approval. We continue to welcome visitors at each of our district buildings, but ask that you respect our safety procedures and policies.

Community Pages

Visit the Community section of our website for links to Community Pages, an archive of "frequent flyer" handouts shared by our community partners for students to take home in their backpacks and folders.

Emergency School Closing Information

In the event of severe weather conditions or a building emergency which necessitate school closings, closings will be announced on the following radio and television stations:

AM Radio Stations: WGN 720, WBBM 780
Television Stations: CBS Channel 2, NBC Channel 5, ABC Channel 7, WGN Channel 9, FOX Channel 32, CLTV Channel 41

Listen for "Skokie School District 73½"

In addition, school closings will be posted on the District’s website www.sd735.org. You can also check online at www.emergencyclosing.com.

In the event our schools are closed, the District will activate the District's automated phone messaging system, which will call each family with a recorded message.

Please make sure the school offices have your most current contact information.