ISSUE: 006 / FEBRUARY YEAR: 2022
HICKORY BEND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Some see February as the special month of Love (Yes, we LOVE our AllStars, on Valentine’s Day and everyday). However, in addition to the love, let us use February as a month to sharpen our Focus! Let’s focus on our goals. Let’s focus on the words we speak to our lives and to our children’s lives. Let’s focus on the many positives in our school environment. As your Principal, not only do I have the privilege to surround myself with the joy of children as a career, I have the responsibility to focus on their future. What I do and say will have a direct effect on their success. As a community we are charged with working together. This can at times present challenges and obstacles. However, when we work to put aside our differences, silence our egos, and focus on what is best for the children, I believe we can drive our All-Stars to unimaginable heights. Words Have Power…and the word for this month is ‘FOCUS.’ I am excited to work with you all in a focused manner that will support our students’ growth and achievement. At your service and with a spirit of focused collaboration.
Ronisha Dubose | Principal
TECHNOLOGY HELPLINE If your child is having any technology problems connecting to their teacher’s Google Classroom, please contact our help desk at (708) 300-3553 or email our help desk: helpdesk@brookwood167.org What is ClassDojo? Reporting of Absence(s): Parents must call the school to report their child absent before 8:30 a.m. The number for reporting absences is (708) 758-5190. Official attendance will be reported every morning at 9:00 a.m. If your child joins a teacher’s classroom late, they will be marked tardy in PowerSchool, and you will be notified through the Principal’s ClassDojo.
PLEASE JOIN OUR CLASSDOJO’S AND STAY INFORMED! It is important that you sign up for the Principal’s Class Dojo. I post important information such as if a bus is running late, important reminders regarding picture day, graduation information and other important topics. Please sign up today! ClassDojo is actively used in 90% of U.S. K-8 schools. ClassDojo is a free app that helps build amazing classroom and school communities. Teachers give feedback to students for any skill, like “Working Hard” and “Being Curious.” From the mobile app, parents view their
ALL-STAR ART Words Have Power… but when you don’t have the words to say, express yourself through Art. From Kindergarten to 4th Grade, Art Education is crucial to the development of children. Creativity, organization, communication, collaboration, problem solving, and critical thinking are just a few of the skills built through Art Education. These skills are crucial in all areas of academia and in their future careers. Our All-Stars love, love, love Art classes! Their futures are all the more bright because they have art.
child’s feedback, and can message directly with teachers and school leaders. Please join my ClassDojo so you can stay informed on what is happening at Hickory Bend School. If you would like to join, please accept the invitation that we emailed to you or texted you, or contact the school at (708) 7584520, email, rdubose@brookwood167. org. All you will need to provide is your cell phone number or email address. Get Involved and STAY INFORMED!
VISION Our
overall
Vision
becoming lifelong learners and decision makers.
is
to
improve the achievement of all students, regardless of
•
or
ability
levels
(disabilities). We share the accountability of
student
achievement
throughout the school. We
•
believe in using researchbased practices to achieve our goals. We promote school and community involvement because we believe that these
•
partnerships help us meet the needs of all of our students.
We are Committed to: •
to state-of-the-art technology. •
The school system
confidence, and
should teach students to
academic success by
think critically enabling
being interested and
them to become
involved in their overall
contributing citizens in
development.
our global society.
All students are unique
POWERSCHOOL
environment with access
Families shape their children’s motivation,
In educating our children in a safe and nurturing
We Believe:
race, socio-economic status, gender,
•
•
In continuous
All Brookwood teachers use an online grading system
and should be challenged
improvement in all
to the highest level of
aspects of the school
called “PowerSchool” that
academic and artistic
system to foster a
they update every Thursday.
excellence.
culture of excellence,
In the importance of
accountability and
staff development
integrity.
check your child’s progress
In responsible
regularly. This program is
opportunities based
•
on best practices and
stewardship of financial
educational research.
and physical resources.
Providing students with
We
encourage
completely
you
to
confidential;
therefore, you will need an access username and
highly qualified teachers
password to see your child’s •
Providing our staff
progress. If you need your
with professional
username and/or password,
development
please contact the school
MISSION
office at (708) 758-4520. There is a PowerSchool app
Brookwood School District 167,
in
partnership
available for your cellular
with
parents and community, will
phone that makes it easy for
create a learning environment
parents to stay updated on
in which all students excel at
their child’s progress.
We make a COMMITMENT to stand against bullying.
ANTI-BULLY PLEDGE...
We will treat others with RESPECT and KINDNESS. We will have the COMPASSION to not be a bully. We will have the COURAGE to not be a bystander. It is our RESPONSIBILITY to help others and to report bullying.
CEILING TILE PROJECT
EXTRA-CURRICCULAR ACTIVITIES 3RD/4TH GRADE CHOIR
STUDY ISLAND CLUB
BAND SPIRIT SQUAD ART CLUB VIOLIN CLUB
To keep our students engaged in activities that challenge their minds and bodies, we offer a variety of activities before and after-school.
UPCOMING EVENTS 2nd, February School Spelling Bee | 2nd - 4th Grade Only 17th, February District Spelling Bee 23rd, February South Chicago Dance Company Performance | Students Only
QUOTE OF THE MONTH...
the key to success is to focus on goals, not obstacles.
SPELLING BEE Words Have Power… and our All-Stars can spell them all! Congratulations to the winners of the Classroom Spelling Bees (top three (3) in the class)! Aiden Addison
Luis Alvarez
Analea Arriojas
Skyy Bullocks
David Chiquito
Maame Djondo
Jaiden Duenas
Maya Gavin
Donovan Hopkins
Timothy Imarenezor
Arzell Jackson
Jabari Jackson
Xavier Manuel
Tristan McCarns
Darryl Pugh
Haylee Raggs
Aubrey Reynolds
Ermoni Ricks
Kamiya Stanford
Erik Thomas
Kiersten Thomas
Giyanni Thompson
Khari Shipps
Kailey Uhter
Ella Wheeler
Kelli Williamson
Kiran Youngblood
The School Spelling Bee is set to occur on Wednesday, February 2th, 2022 (grades 2-4 only). The top two (2) spellers (plus one (1) alternate) will represent Hickory Bend in the DistrictWide Spelling Bee on Thursday, February 17th. Stay tuned for more information!
RACE THROUGH SPACE The race was slightly delayed due to several factors, especially low attendance. Without all of our All-Stars in attendance, grade-level point accumulation was at an all time low! But no worries! February 1st will kick-off the new race and we will push through March to ensure we have enough time and participation to make it a fun race. Words Have Power! We tell our AllStars to Reach for the Moon, so that even if they don’t quite make it, they will still land among the stars. We encourage all of our students to be safe, be responsible, and be respectful at all times.
MAP TESTING Words Have Power! We call ourselves the AllStars and we are living up to this name! The proof is in the amount of growth experienced by our students in the Winter MAP benchmark testing
season.
The
complex reporting system designed by NWEA allows us to see the average amount of growth students in similar grade levels experience. At some grade levels, the average amount is about four (4) points while at other grade levels the average is ten (10) points. We are so proud to report that many of our students experienced growth well above the average in their grade levels. Their growth blasted beyond the 50th percentile (average) and well into the 60th…70th…80th…and many in the 90th percentile for growth! NWEA projects that many of our students will score at Level 3 and Level 4 (out of four (4)levels with Level 4 being the highest) on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness in the Spring. Parents should have received and discussed MAP data during Parent-Teacher Conferences. If you did not or if you have more questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher for more information.
ANTI BULLY ACTIVITIES Congratulations to the fifty-six (56) students who memorized the Anti-Bully Pledge! Words Have Power! Another great, big congratulations to all who not only spoke the words, but lived by them! Another avenue to eliminating Bully activities is to focus on the bright and positive in others. Our COMPLIMENT CONCERT was a huge success as classmates showered each other with words of praise and adoration for all the good qualities they each hold. Words Have Power! Sometimes, we just need to hear nice things about ourselves from our peers. Make it your business to compliment someone today!
+1 708-758-4520 +1 708-758-0364 www.brookwood167.org
600 E. 191st Place Glenwod, IL 60425
VISITORS If you need to come into the school for any reason, for safety reasons, you will be required to wear a mask, and you will need to have a current Driver’s License that will be checked in our Raptor Security System. Raptor® provides a line of sight as to who is always in our school. The system provides school and districtwide reporting for all visitors, volunteers, and contractors that have signed in/out of our buildings.
This is
important for safety reasons.
HICKORY BEND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT SAFETY VEHICLE TRAFFIC FLOW IN THE OVERFLOW PARKING LOT Thank you for the attention you have all given to ensuring safety in the parking lots. However, despite our best efforts, we have still suffered a number of “close calls” due to both speed and traffic flow. In order to increase safety, the following is being asked of all vehicular traffic. If you plan to park your vehicle… • Please use the overflow parking lot that is shared with the school and the church. • Please ENTER the shared parking lot from the NORTH (nearest the stoplight), and EXIT the shared parking lot from the SOUTH (near 192nd street). This will encourage one-way traffic in and out of the shared parking lot. If you plan to remain in your vehicle to dropoff/pick up your student… • Please enter and exit the parking area
•
•
through the north entrance (nearest the stoplight). Please adhere to the cone patterns and do not drive around a vehicle that is slightly delayed. Please do not drive between cones.
At All Times… • Please travel at slow speeds. • Please obey the direction of the staff.
Thank You for Your Cooperation!