October 2017
Hickory Bend NEWSLETTER
Mrs. Shawn Jackson | Principal Hickory Bend Elementary School
A Note From The Principal... Dear Parents/Guardians, It is hard to believe it is October already! Students have settled into their new classrooms and new friendships have been formed. It is exciting to visit the classrooms and see the growth our students have made in such a short time period. Thank you parents, grandparents, volunteers, staff and friends for attending Open House, the Book Fair, Grandparents Day and learning about your child’s educational program. It is the staff’s desire at Hickory Bend to have a partnership with parents working together where each child is successful. Parents you play a tremendous role as our partners in developing your child’s learning ability.
parents to do the best possible job educating every child and can help parents play an active role in education at home. Conferences are a time for listening and sharing. They can reinforce the idea of working as a team. Conferences are successful when teachers and parents create a collaborative climate. This type of climate requires both planning and efforts. Quote: “Children are like wet cement, whatever falls on them makes an impression.” - Haim Ginot, Psychologist
Regular parent-teacher conferences for all families are an essential building block of home and school communications. Parents provide important perspectives and information that can be extremely valuable. Teachers need the help of (708) 758-4520
Hickory Bend Elementary School Mrs. Shawn Jackson | Principal
600 E. 191st Place Glenwood,IL 60425
NURSES CORNER
Our goal in sharing these guidelines is to reduce the spread of communicable disease at the school and to promote a healthy environment for students attending school. They were created to help you in your decision making process as to whether to send your child to school or keep your child at home. The following is a list of common ailments a child may have. If your child is ill, you may want to discuss these problems with your child’s pediatrician to determine if an office visit is needed.
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FEVER — If your child has a temperature at 100.4 degrees or over without medication, they should remain at home. When accompanied by sore throat, nausea, or rash a contagious illness is suspected. He/she should remain at home until fever free for twenty-four hours without medication.
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VOMITING & DIARRHEA — A single episode of vomiting or diarrhea without accompanied fever may not be enough reason to miss school. However, children with watery diarrhea (loose runny stool or cannot get to the bathroom in time) should remain at home for 24 hours. If diarrhea or vomiting is frequent or accompanied by fever, keep the child home and consult your doctor.
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RUNNY NOSE & COUGHING — A minor cold or allergy symptoms (stuffy nose with clear drainage, sneezing, and mild cough) should not be a reason to miss school. If your child’s cough is persistent or productive and accompanied by thick or constant nasal drainage, he/she should be kept home.
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SORE THROAT WITH FEVER — Sudden onset of a sore throat accompanied by a fever may indicate a doctor visit. If the doctor diagnoses strep throat, the student must remain home for 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has begun.
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PINK EYE (CONJUNCTIVITIS) — If your child’s eyes are mildly red and watery and no other symptoms are present this may indicate irritation or allergy. However, if your child’s eyes are markedly red (including under the eyelids) and accompanied by thick, yellow or green drainage, he/ she may have pink eye.
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RASHES — Rashes can be caused by many things, a few of which may be contagious. A sudden appearance of a rash over any part of the body with an unknown case and accompanied by fever or other symptoms should be evaluated by the doctor.
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RINGWORM — Any circular scaly patch seen along the hairline or in the scalp must be evaluated by a physician as it may be ringworm of the scalp, which is high contagious. Oral medications are usually the treatment of choice, but your doctor may recommend a special shampoo or ointment. Your child may return after treatment has begun,
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LICE — If your child persistently scratches his head or complains of an itchy scalp, check for pin-point sized grayish white eggs (nits) within 1/4 inch of the scalp that will not flick off the hair shaft. The louse bug is very small and wingless and the eggs are more easily detected. They are often found behind the ears, along the nape of the neck or on the crown of the head. Treatment is a special shampoo available at drug stores or grocery stores before retuning to school. Treatment must be repeated in 7-10 days. Please follow the instructions on the container carefully. Please notify the school nurse if your child is treated for head lice so she can do appropriate case finding.
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES... Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Monday, October 30, 2017 from noon to 8:00pm. This is an excellent opportunity for you to get better acquainted with your child’s teacher, pick up your child/ ren report card, discuss strengths and areas of improvement and set expectations for second quarter. If your child is a Kindergarten through third grade and have not had an opportunity to sign up for a conference time, please contact our main office at (708) 758-4520 to set up a time. If your child is in fourth grade; conferences will be held in the gym; from noon to 8:00pm with a dinner break from 4:00pm - 5:00pm. These conferences will be first come first serve and you will be able to speak with all teachers that your child interacts with. Our staff is looking forward to sharing in the effort of creating a positive learning atmosphere for your children.
Tips For A Successful Parent/Teacher Conferences General Hints Parent-teacher conferences are an excellent opportunity to find out how your child is adjusting to the new school year and to get to know his/her teachers. Here are some general hints on how to have a successful conference:
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Ask your child if there is anything that he/she would like to discuss with the teacher. Write a list of everything that you want to talk about at the conference. Arrive promptly or a few minutes early. Begin with positive comments about the teacher or classroom. Avoid lengthy discussions of topics that are not related to the purpose of the conference.
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Be open to suggestions from the teacher. Keep your emotions under control. Take notes about what has been discussed and share them with your child. Express appreciation for the conference. Do not stay beyond your allotted time.
Helpful Questions? In order to help your child have a successful school year, you need to know what will be expected of them academically from now until June. You can find out by asking some questions. Take this list with you to your next parentteacher conference. And don’t forget to take notes. 1. What skills and knowledge will my child be expected to master this year? - What will my child learn this year in key subjects; like math, science, history and English? - How do you inform students about academic standards that they are expected to meet? What kind of projects and assignments have you planned that will help my child meet higher academic standards? 2. How will my child be evaluated? - How are grades determined in your classroom? 3. What can I do to stay more involved in my child’s academic progress? - What can I do at home to complement what is happening in the classroom? - How can I know on a daily basis what homework has been assigned? 4. How do you accommodate differences in learning? - What if my child is a slow learner and falls behind, or is a fast learner and is bored?
School Hours
NOTES...
8:30am - 3:10pm Students are tardy after 8:35am Tardiness causes a loss in learning time. Please make every effort to get your child to school on time. Absentee Line is: (708) 757-2120
"NEW" Procedures For Pick Up & Drop Off! In an effort to improve safety; we have changed our [Dismissal Procedures]. • • • • •
Parents will stay in cars; Parents will no longer be able to park between 3:00pm and 3:25pm; The parking lot will be coned off in a U-shape; Parents will have a placard that will display teacher & students names; Students will be instructed by a teacher to walk to the cone number where you are parked;
The benefit to this process: • It should go very quickly once everyone gets use to the change.
REMINDER!
TAFFY APPLE SALES!
Please call your child’s teacher to sign up for Parent Teacher Conferences if you did not sign up at Open House. Conferences will be held on October 30, 2017, Noon — 8:00pm. We look forward to meeting with each of you!
FALL PICTURE DAY! We will have our fall pictures taken on Friday, October 13th. Parents will have the opportunity to purchase photographs. You should have received an order form to place your check or cash in already, if not please call the office. All orders and payments must be sent to school on picture day.
**Back by Popular Demand** Hickory Bend will begin our annual taffy apple sales in September 25th through October 13th. The proceeds support the learning activities and events at Hickory Bend. This is a volunteer fundraiser for students, parents and staff who would like to participate.
WARM CLOTHING NEEDED! With the return of fall and the falling temps are on the horizon, please be reminded that warm clothing is necessary for all students when they come to school. We do go out each day for recess weather permitting.
"Breakfast After The Bell"! Research shows that the simple act of eating school breakfast can dramatically change a child’s life. Making school breakfast a seamless part of the school day by serving it after the bell can also have a huge impact on classrooms.
Five ways they are impacted: • Higher Test scores
• Stronger Attendance & Graduation Rates
• Fewer trips to the Nurse
• Maximizes Our Country’s Future
• Calmer Classrooms
"REAL MEN READ" We are so pleased to have the men in our community dedicating their time to come to Hickory Bend to assist our Hickory Bend boys with reading. Some of the gentlemen are dads while others are grandparents, uncles, friends and even fathers of students who have gone on to the middle school.
Boys from kindergarten through fourth visit with the mentors once a week for a thirty-minute period to read exciting and adventurous material. As the boys read they take great pleasure in discussing the topic and sharing their ideas. They also feel good about asking relevant questions. One of the most meaningful questions asked by several boys is if the volunteer can come everyday. If you are interested in volunteering and assisting our students, please feel free to contact the office at (708) 758-4520.
BUS EVACUATION DRILL We participated in our bus evacuation drill of the 2017-2018 school year which was conducted by First Student Bus Company. Our students learned what to do in the event of an emergency while riding the bus. The importance of talking in a quiet voice, keeping the aisle clear and sitting back to back was explained, modeled then practiced by the students. The students also practiced an emergency exit through the back door of the bus. The students will participate in another bus evacuation drill this school year to ensure they are familiar with the bus evacuation drill procedures in the event of an emergency.
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