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December, 2012 New sletter

Family Newsletter - December 2012 Mission Statement Crete Elementary will provide a safe, supportive and engaging learning environment for all children. By using quality instruction, teamwork and communication, students will develop a love for learning and achieve personal success.

Achieving Our School Vision One Step at a Time Crete Elementary will be a community where everyone feels valued, welcomed, and accepted. We will see this through a collaboration of staff, students, and parents working together to maximize learning potential for all.

Happy December! The holiday season is one of my favorite times of year. It always offers all of us the opportunity to give to others. I admit that I am still just a kid at heart and that as much as I enjoy receiving gifts, I enjoy the opportunity of giving and surprising others. I would like to thank all of you for the many gifts you have given me since I have started at Crete Elementary. Gifts do not need to be material. Some of the best gifts we ever receive in life are those that cannot be touched or held, but those that can be felt and experienced. I wish all of our Crete Elementary students and families a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year! Erin Lane Principal

SAVE THE DATES December 21st EARLY DISMISSAL @ 1:15 p.m. 2nd Trimester Progress Reports Go Home

December 22nd - January 6th NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

January 7th SCHOOL RESUMES

January 21st NO SCHOOL Dr. Martin Luther King Observance

January 22nd NO SCHOOL - Institute Day

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December, 2012 New sletter

4th GRADE 3rd GRADE

Nya Brunson

Ava Cesar

4th GRADE

5th GRADE

Connor Myhre

Kemiya Davis

Lilian Chittenden

JaLeecia Robertson

Mark Graziani

Jaylen Crittenden

Cheyenne Collins

Jesus Rodriguez

David Crittle

Vanessa Countryman

Skye Dollahite

Maranda Cravens

Austin Hauser

Muskan Dhatt

Sophia Houchins

Cheyenne-Rose Dye

Charles Smith

Ammon Phillips

Tyler Gralewski

Ju-Juan Smith

Hannah Star

Kierah Holloway

Marcos Trevino

Chance Young

Sahmya Lake

Olivia Zimmerman

RayShaun McBride

Bella Rogers

Ashley Ellerson Brianna Griffin Aaliyah Guidry Gregory Hardimon Isabella Heske Kayla Isom Marcayla Jones Brianna Lexow Aidan Mack Gabriella Maurizi

Samar Sharma

Suleyma Serrano

Avianna Skroko

Aaron Ward

Sarah Moen Aidan Murphy Makayla Neely Christopher Pillman Jonathan Santoro Michael Segneri Kassie Shelby Jasmine Spruiel Victor-Emmanuel Torres Madison Wilcox Kameron Zizic

5th GRADE Pablo Acevedo Samuel Alcumbrac Breeshaun Anderson Armani Clay Je'onni Cunningham Colin Daniels Jamesa Harding Madelynn Hathaway Kaitlin Hauser Emerson Humbert-Hallin Diamond Jackson Khari Jackson

Vanessa Jaworowski Jayla Johnson Kamia Lawson Jackson Malak Jamaury Mulholland Caden Ordanas Paul Palcek Antonio Phillips Thomas Trovato Miah Wallace Christina Williams Brian Wiltz

Kayla Palcek

Matthew Roop

3rd GRADE Jocelyn Aguirre Briahri Anderson Kathryn Anderson Dakari Bailey Jaden Bynum Eric Chambers Jeremy Cole Marcus Collins Kayla Countryman Louise Cravens

Ian Hansen

4th GRADE Prince Anderson Victoria Banuelos Jaylon Bogan Joseph Brewster-Goines Malik Caraway Bailey Chambers Tyreana Champ Jamari Cobbins Jaren Crittenden Benjamin Croak Joanna Galvan Carey Gidron Samiyah Hamilton Teegan Hardin Alyssa Haton Austin Haton Eric Hunt English Rose Jackson Rhaynez Jackson Laryah Johnson Tyjaye Lindsey

Ryan Mastin Elijah Mayes Phoenix McClenney Abigail McNally Parker Merry Gabriel Misters Cayla Moffett Brian Neely Joshua O'Neal Carson Patchett Michael Powell III Gabriel Richardson Jasmine Ross Asiyah Sanders Brady Schmoyer Olivia Shaffer Emily Stawicki Cameron Terry Dylan Tyson Dominick Wilder Alexis Windom

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December, 2012 New sletter

During the month of November, our focus words were “Citizenship / Safety”. Throughout the month students were reminded of the importance of citizenship / safety via our morning announcements and daily “Words of Wisdom”. The following students were recognized for modeling citizenship and safety in all areas of our building consistently. These students celebrated “Pizza with the Principal” on November 18th and also received a certificate: KINDERGARTEN

1st GRADE

2nd GRADE

3rd GRADE

4th GRADE

Chloe Fortner Keon Jenkins Christopher Milner Calvin Mitchell Calah Rounsaville Orlando Sanchez Myles Sanders Kalissa Shelby Makayla Stephens

James Goines Tatyanna Gray Jerilyn Hale Darnell Nathaniel Elijah Simon

Jadyn Blumenthal Jahriel Bogan Adriana Brunson Jourden Crittenden Taniya Guidry Delaney Langan Angela Torres

Semaj Buxton Jaden Bynum Frankie Calzonzi Aaliyah Guidry Isabella Heske Ammon Phillips Xavier Pierre Zachary Platta Kassie Shelby Chance Young

Maranda Cravens Alyssa Haton Connor Myhre Charles Smith

5th GRADE David Parr

Congratulations to all of these students, and to everyone who did an exemplary job of being a model citizen and who promoted safety during the month of November. During December, our focus word will be LEARNING.

Parents with children in grades 3-5 can now do more than ever with Family Access! All parents (3-12) may view: Student Grades * Assignments * Attendance * Discipline Reports * Class Schedules ... and more!

Skyward Family Access is a web-based program that can be used from any computer connected to the internet, 24-hours a day! Through this system you can have instant e-mail access to your child’s teacher. Also sign up to receive e-mail notifications when your child has a missing assignment, class grade falls below a designated threshold, and when your child is marked absent or tardy for class! Skyward Family Access login information was mailed to all district families on September 21, 2011. If you did not receive this information or have misplaced it, you may contact your child’s school or the district’s Technology Help Desk at (708) 3672930. More information concerning Family Access and training opportunities for parents/guardians will be available by participating in a LIVE webinar from the comfort of your own home!

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December, 2012 New sletter

Thinking About Volunteering? On November 17, 2012, the Board of Education revised its Parent Volunteer policy. The policy specifies who needs to be background checked when volunteering in schools. The policy states, “adults who work with students who are not under the direct supervision of a staff member will be required to complete a volunteer application form and submit to a criminal background check.” Parents who volunteer as a Coach, Club Sponsor, Mentor, Tutor, or a Chaperone on a daytime or overnight field trip will have to submit to a criminal background check. This policy will go into effect on January 14, 2013. If you have any questions, please contact your building principal.

Battle of the Books Battle of the Books teams are practicing for the big competition at Crete Public Library which takes place in March! The Read Hot Readers are: Jaelen Gauna, Louise Cravens, Chance Young, Hannah Star, Dakari Bailey, Xavier Pierre, and Jaylen Crittenden . Crete Rock and Readers are Benecio Acevedo, Aidan Murphy, Kameron Zizic, Ava Cesar, Sophia Houchins, Kassie Shelby, Makayla Neely and David Crittle. Favorite books are Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Coerr, Tornado by Byars, Muggie Maggie by Cleary, A Lion to Guard Us by Bulla, James and the Giant Peach by Dahl, Boxcar Children by Warner, and Little House in the Big Woods by Wilder.

Go Crete Elementary!

December, 2012 New sletter

E

ROW

P

SEAT

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Crete Elementary Cougars - BLUE vs

Crete Elementary Cougars - GOLD Tuesday, December 18th @ 4:00 p.m. Crete Elementary Gym

ADMIT O

SEC

ADMIT ONE

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Crete Cougar – Fourth & Fifth Grade Boys’ Basketball Team Classroom assistant, Mrs. Mullins and 5th grade teacher, Larry Joynt volunteered to put together a basketball team of 4th & 5th grade boys. The boys are learning the fundamentals of basketball and practice every Tuesday after school. This is a great opportunity for our boys to learn teamwork and important sportsmanship skills. The team will be playing an exhibition game on December 18th at 4:00 p.m. in the Crete Elementary gym. We hope that our Crete Elementary staff and families will be in attendance for this highly anticipated event!

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December, 2012 New sletter

We Are Thankful For . . . On Monday, November 19th, Mrs. Yaverski / Mrs. Trobaugh, Ms. Kendrick, and Mrs. Batres’ classes made food for a big Thanksgiving feast. The classes enjoyed making mashed potatoes, stuffing, cornbread, fruit salad, and a pumpkin pie dessert. After making the delicious food, everyone talked about what they were thankful for and made pilgrim and American Indian costumes. The following day, Tuesday, November 20th, the classes got back to together to enjoy a great big Thanksgiving feast, which included a delicious turkey donated by Walt’s Food Center in Crete. Thanks to all who helped make both days a huge success, with a special “Thank You” to Walt’s for the delicious turkey!

Team Cougar Attendance Initiative 2012-2013

For the month of November, we had three classes achieve the largest number of days of perfect attendance.

1st Place - Ms. Batres’ kindergarten class 2nd Place - Ms. Chapman & Ms. Delgado’s 2nd grade classes 3rd Place - Ms. Jennings ’s 3rd-5th grade class Students in these classrooms will be receiving incentive prizes for having the best attendance at Crete Elementary for the month of November.

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Soup from a stone? "Fancy that". The book that left a note of curiosity to our children who helped make our soup. As they watched the pot bubble and bubble, the smells of soup and warm crescent rolls filled the air. Apple and pumpkin pie were served at Mrs. Ostarello's Thanksgiving feast. Thank you to all who participated.

December, 2012 New sletter

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December, 2012 New sletter The week of November 19th was anti-bullying week. Students at Crete Elementary participated in a door decorating contest that incorporated the antibullying theme. Congratulations to Ms. Chavez’s Kindergarten class who won 1st place. < Ms. Chavez’s winning door.

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December, 2012 New sletter

FIELD TRIPS *In order to be a parent volunteer on a field trip, parents must submit to a criminal background check. This requirement is found in Board Policy 8:31AP. Please contact our main office at 367-8430 or go on line to http://cm201u.org (select the “Schools” tab, then select “Crete Elementary”) to obtain the procedures for being background checked.

Friday - January 11, 2013 Knuffle Bunny ALL Kindergarten Classes Governors State University, University Park, IL Center for Performing Arts from 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Crete Elementary Kindergarten Students Celebrate our Veterans During the month of November our Crete Elementary kindergarten students remembered our veterans by completing a number of different lessons in their classrooms. Pictured you will see some Venn diagrams and informational charts completed by our kindergarten students honoring our veterans.

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December, 2012 New sletter

Commit * Lead * Teach * Learn

Dates to REMEMBER . . . Crazy Sock Day - Friday, December 14th Hero Day - Friday, January 11th Sports Day - Friday, February 8th Twin Day - Friday, March 15th Book Character Day - Friday, April 19th Crazy Hair / Hat Day - Friday, May 10th

Student Council Food Drive Student Council collected a total of 667 non-perishable food items during the month of November. The nonperishable food items will be donated to the Crete Food Pantry. Thanks to all of the staff and families who donated. These items will definitely be helpful to many families during the holidays.

Reminder to Parents: Please call the office (708) 367-8430 prior to 3:00 p.m., if your transportation or after-school plans change for your child. This will help us locate and notify our students so dismissal runs smoothly.

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December, 2012 New sletter

Raffle Winners

The following students were winners of the Scholastic raffle: BASKET WINNERS: Evan Klinger - (Kindergarten)

Taliyah Hunt - (1st Grade)

Jahriel Bogan - (2nd Grade)

Skye Dollahite - (3rd Grade)

Cameron Terry - (4th Grade)

Jessica Stinnett - (5th Grade)

POSTER WINNER: Abbi McNally - (4th Grade)

Name the Cafeteria Raffle PTO sponsored a “Name the Cafeteria” raffle during the month of November. Third grade student, Sophia Houchins entered her name in the raffle, and her name was selected as the winner. The name she has chosen for the cafeteria is “The Cougar’s Den”. Her name will be displayed until March when PTO will run another raffle. Congratulations, Sophia!

Citizenship/Safety/Responsibility Chains As a follow-up activity from our November responsibility meetings, first through fifth grade students completed a citizenship/safety/responsibility chain. Students who demonstrated and modeled characteristics pertaining to these focus words filled out a link that was placed in the hallway to form a chain for the classroom. Ms. Boss and Mrs. Delgado’s classes were able to form the longest chains and are the winners of a movie/ treat from Mrs. Lane and Mrs. Summerrise. Congratulations!

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December, 2012 New sletter

Crete-Monee Warrior Football Team Victory Tour On December 7th, the Crete-Monee Warrior football team, coaches, band, and cheerleaders visited our school in celebration of their Class 6A State Championship win. The celebration was held in our gym that was decorated with banners, signs and various pictures that illustrated our support for their championship win. Several team members spoke, and we participated in the Warrior chant, along with several cheers. A fun time was had by all! Go Warriors! The students and staff of Crete Elementary are very proud of your accomplishment!

Go Warriors! The students and staff of Crete Elementary are very proud of your accomplishment!

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December, 2012 New sletter

The following are the Box Tops for Education Winners: Ladder Ball Set - Louise Cravens & Andrew Vicari Funflatables Five (5) Punch Card - Kemmeon Ruff

Croquet Set - Ja’leecia Robertson Dairy Queen Dilly Bar - Chris Pillman, Kylen Hardin, Dominic Buchmier, Tyreana Champ, & Connor Myhre

UPCOMING DATES TUESDAY - January 8th - PTO Meeting at Crete Elementary at 7:00 p.m. FRIDAY - January 11th - PTO Cookie Day - $.0.35 per cookie or three (3) for $1.00 Please send the money in an envelope with your child’s name and exact change. THURSDAY - January 17th - PTO Mini Game Night at Crete Elementary from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Congratulations to Robert Ratliff, winner of our Facebook Raffle! He is a custodian at Crete Elementary! Welcome to our page Robert!

2012 - 2013 PTO Officers: Co-Presidents - Carrie Sharma & Janel Geary Vice-President – Mike Stawicki

GET INVOLVED - Why should I?

1.

Being involved shows your child that school is important When they see you make it a priority, they will also make school a priority!

2.

Your child benefits. When parents get connected to the school, children do better; they get better grades, do better on tests, and have fewer discipline problems at school.

3.

In these times of tight budgets, parent groups everywhere are filling the gaps. More than 300 independent research studies show that building parent involvement in education is the number one thing we can do to create a great school and improve student performance.

Vice President of Finance – Brenda Langan Treasurer – Laura Stawicki Secretary – Therese Hale E-mail: [email protected]

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December, 2012 New sletter

SOCIAL WORK CORNER Teaching Children that Giving is Better than Receiving It’s easy to feel disconnected, as many parents juggle work, kids, school, and various activities. Activities like playing games and cooking meals together can help bring a family closer together. One of the most satisfying, fun, and rewarding ways to strengthen relationships is to volunteer for community service projects. Volunteering also sets a good example for your kids and it helps the community. Parents have the opportunity to teach children that giving is better than receiving. Children learn about important values like generosity and giving by actually doing it. What Kids Can Learn From Volunteering A sense of responsibility and citizenship. By volunteering, kids and teens learn what it means to make and keep a commitment. But they also learn that, ultimately, we're all responsible for the wellbeing of our communities.

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That one person can make a difference. A wonderful, empowering message for kids is that they're important enough to have an impact on someone or something else.

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Tolerance. Working in community service can bring kids and teens in touch with people of different backgrounds, abilities, ethnicities, ages, and education and income levels. They'll learn that even the most diverse individuals can be united by common values.

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Job skills. Community service can help young people decide on their future careers. Learning to work as a team member, taking on leadership roles, setting project goals — these are all skills that can be gained by volunteering and will serve kids well in any future career. Here is a list of numerous ways you can make a difference this holiday season:  Invite an elderly neighbor or someone who lives alone to join your celebration (ask your parents first!)  Deliver a meal to a family in need  Write a thoughtful note to someone special  Bring your host a small gift to show your appreciation and offer to help clean up  Donate clothes you've outgrown  Donate food to a local charity or food bank  Volunteer at a soup kitchen  Send a care package to a soldier  Foster a dog or cat  Adopt an endangered animal through a zoo  Shovel snow for a neighbor  Help pick up trash at a local park  Join a church or school group that does community service projects Information was obtained from the following www.kidshealth.org & http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

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Winter Break

10

9

NO SCHOOL

Winter Break

Board Meeting - 7 PM

4

3

2

25

18

11

NO SCHOOL

Winter Break

PTO Movie Night Kindergarten - 2nd 3:30 - 5 PM

PTO Meeting - 7 PM

Tuesday

Monday

Sunday

NO SCHOOL

Winter Break

27

20

19

26

13

6

NO SCHOOL

Winter Break

PTO Movie Night 3rd - 5th 3:30 - 5 PM

Thursday

12

5

Wednesday

PTO Cookie Day

NO SCHOOL

Winter Break

Winter Break

29

NO SCHOOL

Pizza with the Principal 2nd Trimester Progress Reports sent home

28

22

Winter Break

15

8

1

Saturday

Blue/Gold Gold Day EARLY DISMISSAL @ 1:15 pm 21

Crazy Socks Day

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7

Friday