Chaney-monge school district #88

CHANEY-MONGE SCHOOL District #88

400 Elsie Ave, Crest Hill, IL 60403

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Website: www.chaneymonge.us
Andy Siegfried, Superintendent Jacelynn Hall, Principal

[e-mail] [e-mail]

October 2014 Newsletter

From the Superintendent:

Happy Fall

After a hot start to the school year the cooler fall weather is a welcomed relief. The start of the new school year has started off on the right track. The kids, teachers and staff are excited to be back at school. We had a nice turnout for registration and our welcome back night. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet and returning families. Have a safe and wonderful fall.

Halloween - Chaney-Monge Style

Chaney Monge School will once again be the neighborhood center for Halloween activities this year. A Halloween Parade led by the Chaney Monge Band will tour the neighborhood beginning at 1:00 PM on Halloween (October 31, 2014). Classroom parties and activities will follow. Then, join the Crest Hill Lions Club for a free hot dog and drink in front of Chaney Monge School during regular trick-or treat hours. Make sure you remind your children of traffic safety rules and be extra careful while driving on Halloween night.

SAFETY

Parking regulations, traffic laws, bright orange cones, tickets and school rules will not prevent an accident from happening. However, as adult drivers, we all must remind ourselves that there is no excuse for compromising the safety of any child because we are in a hurry, late for an appointment, angry at a family member or angry at another driver.

So, for the sake of all children, drive safely and extremely carefully during your trips to, from and around school at all times. Discuss basic pedestrian safety with your kids. Our staff members, administrators and Crest Hill Police Department are committed to making sure your kids remain safe – and I am sure you are too.
BOARD MEETINGS

The Chaney Monge Board of Education meets the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesday of each month starting at 7 p.m. We generally meet in the library during the school year.

New Board Member

The Chaney Board of Education appointed Nicole Semplinski to serve on the board at their October 7^th board meeting. We welcome Nicole and look forward to working with her as we move forward. The board would like to thank Vickie Morales for her service. Ms. Morales served on the Chaney Monge board from 2008-2014.

Chaney Monge Website

Please check for updates at our website: www.chaneymonge.us each month.

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Parent-Teacher Online Sign-up

This year we will be using an electronic sign up for conferences with the PTC Wizard software. There will be a link on our website www.chaneymonge.us. This user friendly platform will allow parents to see all the available times for your child’s teacher and choose a convenient time as well as print out your schedule. We are in the process of set-up and directions will be sent home very shortly.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, October 23^rd and Thursday, October 24^th from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. There is no kindergarten on the above dates. Grades 1-8 are dismissed at 1:30 PM. Please make every effort to attend and join us in planning for your child’s success. All conferences are scheduled by and held with your child’s classroom teacher and held in the classroom. We look forward to sharing your child’s work and progress with you.

Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students

We are looking for some Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students)! We’re looking for male role models to assist in our school at arrival, dismissal and to work with our students. More information will be available at Parent-Teacher conferences. Ms. Jill Carter will be coordinating our Watch D.O.G.S. program this year.

THANK YOU FOR SCHOOL SUPPLY DONATIONS!
A huge thank you goes out to Charter Fitness of Crest Hill for a large box of supplies for students in need. We are also grateful to Christine Vershay of the City of Lockport and Ron Alberico of Lockport Township for their work with community outreach partners, making a large contribution of school supplies for our students.
ATTENTION 8^TH GRADE PARENTS

Mark your calendars for the Explore Placement Test at Lockport High School on Saturday, November 1, 2014. Student with last names A-J will test from 8-11:30 a.m., and K-Z will test from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. This test plays an important role in determining classes for the upcoming freshman year. The high school will soon be mailing out the Explore Test information to parents/guardians of our current 8^th grade students.

REMINDER - Use Parent Connect to View Your Student’s Grades

For Grades 3-8, you are able to view your child’s grades through a secure connection via our school website. Accounts, passwords and user directions were mailed to third grade and new students. Returning students were reissued directions at registration day. Please call the office if you need another copy of the account and password.

Connect Ed Messages

Have you had an automatic call from our school? The Blackboard Connect system gives us the ability to communicate with parents and staff regarding emergency situations, school events and other important issues impacting you and your children. When a call comes from the school, your caller ID will display our school phone number. Please help us by ensuring we have your current phone numbers.

RECOGNITION AWARDS ASSEMBLIES

All are welcome to attend our Awards Assemblies which are held after each quarter ends to recognize those students who have displayed excellence. Students are honored with a Certificate of Achievement and a display in the hallway for the areas of reading, effort, character, and improvement. Invitations are sent and phone calls are made to families of students who have earned an award for the quarter in hopes that you may be able to attend. Mrs. Hall also recognizes students for Perfect Attendance and Honor Roll (fourth grade and up) at the assemblies as well as awards given from the library. Please check the school website at www.chaneymonge.us for Recognition Award Assembly dates and times or look for future newsletter articles. We hope to see you there!

Fire Safety

On October 14^th the Lockport Fire Department will conduct fire drills and fire safety chats. Each year, the firefighters share their time with our students to remind them of fire safety procedures. Thanks to the Lockport Fire Department for their instruction to our students.

From the Nurse’s Office

October 15^th is the deadline for all kindergarten and 6^th grade students needing school physicals exams. The physical form or an official appointment card or physician letter needs to be in our office by October 15, 2014.

All 6^th grade students are required to have a T-Dap booster and 2 doses of Varicella per state requirements. It is a one-time booster shot. It is also required that Kindergarten students have their vision form turned in by October 15, 2014. Per state law, children who are not in compliance will be excluded from school until the exam requirements are met. Thanks for your cooperation.
Ms. Garza also shares that if your child is injured over the weekend, please seek immediate medical care if required. Please do not wait until the school week begins to seek assistance as many of the weekend injuries require immediate attention.
Over the Counter Medications

Any over the counter medication (i.e. Ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc.) must be turned in to Nurse Garza and a Medical Authorization Form must be filled out. Students are not allowed to carry any over the counter medications with them.

8^th Grade Dinner Dance News

The 8^th grade dinner dance is funded and sponsored by all 8^th grade parents. There will be a meeting on Monday, October 6^th at 5:00 p.m. in the library to start the planning and fundraising process needed to provide a great and memorable evening for our 8^th grade students.

Bring an Adult to School Day
For grades 1-8, this year’s “Bring an Adult to School Day” will be Wednesday, November 26th, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., with this day also being an 11:30 dismissal day.
However, since there are no Kindergarten classes on the 11:30 dismissal days, the Kindergarten “Bring an Adult to School Day” will be on Tuesday, November 25th. The AM Kindergarten times will be from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. The PM Kindergarten times will be from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
We schedule this day so you have an opportunity to join your children at school and experience their classrooms with them. We hope to see you and welcome your support of education.
Pictures

Picture Day is October 28, 2014. All students will be photographed. You do not send money on picture day. The proofs of two photos will be printed directly on the order form, which will be sent home to you. If you choose to order the photos, you can return the order form to your child’s teacher, which will in turn be sent to the photographer. Photo orders will be processed and sent home with children at a later date.

Yearbooks

Speaking of picture day, this year we will be pre-ordering yearbooks. Dates and payment information will follow as they become available.

D.A.R.E.

The 5^th grade students began D.A.R.E. on Wednesday, August 27^th. D.A.R.E. is a police-officer led series of classroom lessons that teaches children how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives. Officer Heidi Outlaw, from the Crest Hill Police Department, will be with us for approximately 10 weeks teaching D.A.R.E.

BOXTOPS

Don’t forget to save your box tops and labels for Education. They can be turned in to Ms. Pavnica.

DID YOU GET A CALL FROM THE SCHOOL?

If you receive a call from our school, please listen to the message before you call back. Then our assistants can connect you to the right person without delay.

PICK-UP AND DROP-OFFS

“Quick Pick-Ups or Drop-Offs” are allowed to occur in or near the major intersections surrounding the school. PARKING IS NOT ALLOWED along the west side of Hoffman Drive between Elsie and Chaney Avenues. Road closures and parking restrictions are part of the City of Crest Hill’s Vehicle Code and are controlled by the Crest Hill Police Department. Violators may be ticketed.

October Music News

The Chaney Monge Music Parents Association would like to welcome all new 4^th grade band members! We are so thrilled that you have chosen to be a part of the music program at Chaney Monge School and are looking forward to a wonderful year!

Several things are already underway. The ILMEA Junior Auditions will be held on Saturday, October 4^th at James Hart Middle School in Homewood. We wish all of our participating students the best of luck!

Jazz band will begin after school on Wednesday, October 15^th. Jazz Band meets every Monday and
Wednesday from 2:45 to 4:00 p.m. If you have any questions on joining Jazz Band, please contact Ms. Hayes for more information.

Our Celebrating Home candle and cookie dough fundraiser is going on now through October 7^th. Thank you all in advance for support our great music department!

Uniform check-out is set for October 22^nd, and 23^rd from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. for all 5-8th grade band and choir students.

Everyone is welcome to come out for the Halloween Parade where the Chaney Monge Marching Band will be kicking off the Halloween festivities beginning at 1:00 p.m. on October 31^st.

Don’t forget you can visit the Chaney Monge Music Website for current announcements by going to www.chaneymonge.us and by clicking on the Chaney Monge Music Program link on the left side of the page.
Music parents, we hope that you will join the CMMPA in our efforts of supporting the Music Program. We are always in need of help, and welcome your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. If you have any questions or would like to get involved, please consider attending our next meeting on Wednesday October 8th at 7:00 p.m. You can also reach us via email at [e-mail].

DANCE CLUB PRACTICES

Grades 4-8

Tuesdays from 2:45 - 3:45 PM

Grades 2-3

Thursdays from 2:45 – 3:30 PM

Please join us on Wednesday, October 15^th from 6-7 p.m. for Chaney Monge Dance Club Family Night. All moms, dads, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and friends are invited to attend. Chaney Monge students who are not in Dance Club must be accompanied by an adult.
Character Trait for October… Responsibility

If you are responsible you … Do what you are supposed to do - Plan ahead – Persevere: keep on trying! – Always do your best – Use self-control – Be self-disciplined – Think before you act – consider the consequences – Be accountable for your words, actions, and attitudes – Set a good example for others. Check it out at www.charactercounts.org.

CMPAA NEWS

Although the boys baseball season is now over, the boys improved greatly and finished with a 4-4 record. The baseball all-star game will be on October 8th at 5:30 at Lockport Township High School. Our 3 All-stars who will represent our school are 7th graders Aaron Darling and Jacob Rosin and 8th grader David Studer. Congratulations boys!!!

Basketball season is now upon us. The first game for the girls will be on October 9th at 4:15 p.m. We will be having instructional sign up night for 3rd through 6th graders interested in joining basketball. It will also be held on October 9th from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Look for a flyer to come home with more information.
We are also in need of coaches for the instructional teams. Please let us know on sign up night if you can help.
We will be having a Halloween Sports dance on October 24th. School appropriate Halloween costumes are optional.

Please keep a lookout for the flyer for more information.

IMPORTANT DATES!

October 6^th

• 
  8th Grade Parent Dance Meeting 5 p.m.
  

October 10^th

• 
  11:30 Dismissal – School Improvement Meeting
  
• 
  NO Kindergarten Classes
  

October 13^th

• 
  NO SCHOOL
  

October 15^th

• 
  Market Day Pick Up 5:30 p.m.
  
• 
  Dance Club Family Night 6-7 p.m.
  

October 16^th

• 
  3rd Grade Field Trip – White Oak Library
  

October 17^th

• 
  6th Grade Field Trip – Konow’s Corn Maze
  

October 22^rd

• 
  8th Grade Fundraiser Order Pick-up 1:30 p.m.
  
• 
  1:30 Dismissal – Parent Teacher Conferences
  
• 
  NO Kindergarten Classes
  

October 23^rd

• 
  1:30 Dismissal – Parent Teacher Conferences
  
• 
  NO Kindergarten Classes
  
• 
  NO Dance Club
  

October 24^th

• 
  NO SCHOOL
  

October 28^th

• 
  Fall Picture Day
  

October 29^th

• 
  Jr. High PE Event PM
  

October 31^st

• 
  Halloween Parade at 1 PM
  
• 
  PTO Halloween Room Parties to follow
  

November 1^st

• 
  Explore Testing at LTHS