News From the Principal's Office

Happy Winter!  The cold season can be very difficult for students as they battle colds, flus, and other seasonal illnesses. Please remember that if your child has a fever, they should stay home and rest and return to school when they feel better without the use of medication. Be sure to call the office to let us know.  Also, please make sure that your child is dressed for the weather! Students in need of hats, gloves, scarves, and coats can let us know in the office and we can gather some items from donations. Remember that the uniform policy allows students to wear only EECS sweaters and sweatshirts!  Students will continue to go outside while the weather is at or above 20 degrees. It is much healthier for students to go outside when the weather is cold than to stay in a room with germs-as long as students are dressed appropriately!

As the cold comes upon us, as does our winter session of testing. February marks our second testing window and our expectation is to see students make growth from the first round of testing in October. ALL students will take a literacy assessment to measure their reading levels. Students in grades 2nd - 7th will also be taking the online reading, language, and math assessment called the NWEA MAP. Teachers shared results from the fall testing with parents at the fall parent teacher conferences. In addition to these school-based assessments, students in grades 3rd - 7th will also be taking the Illinois Standardized Achievement Test the first week of March. Check out the last page of our newsletter for tips on how to ensure your
students are prepared to do their best on tests!