April Greetings Families! In just two months the school year will be ended, but in that short piece of time, a lot of valuable learning will take place. As the days lengthen and the weather warms, it is important that students continue to get enough sleep and adequate nutrition. This is especially important as 3rd-8th grades begin MCA testing next week. Your support in this area can make a difference for your child. Thank you!
IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS
WRITING CELEBRATION! - We are excited to present our annual Writing Celebration event this Thursday! As with other events this year, we have had to modify the format to provide access using technology to comply with the health and safety guidelines we continue to observe. We will be offering a brief welcome and overview via Zoom beginning at 6:00, and the event itself will be "self-service" via a Prezi presentation. The link to the Zoom meeting is included below, and the link to the presentation will be sent out via email on Thursday afternoon. We hope you will be able to join us -- either in real time or at your convenience -- to see and celebrate children's writing at GES!
ID: 86502638529
Passcode: 200828
COVID TESTING KITS AVAILABLE - We have received COVID-19 saliva testing kits that can be used by families who would like this additional assurance around traveling or other activities. You may pick them up at school or contact the office to make arrangements to have them sent home with your child (they are single-use kits, so you will need one per person testing). Test samples will be collected at home and then sent via UPS to the testing center for analysis. Results are confidential and will come to your email address. Please see the attached letter from Cook County Public Health and Human Services for more information about this and other important updates. See letter HERE.
GREAT LUNCH HELP WANTED - Are you looking for employment that gives summers, weekend and evenings off to be with your family? Do you have experience working in a kitchen? Consider working at GES in the Great Lunch program through the end of the school year. Click HERE for details.
NO SCHOOL - Monday April 19 - Staff workshop.
SAWTOOTH MOUNTAIN CLINIC TOPIC OF THE MONTH - Click HERE.
Welcome back, Suzy!
We are thrilled to have Suzy Schweig return in person to GES! Suzy had been teaching the Wolves West class remotely, but last Monday she returned to teaching in person. We had all missed seeing Suzy at GES, and the Wolves West students are excited to finish out the year with her back in the classroom!
Thank you, paraprofessionals!
Last Friday at our staff workshop we celebrated Paraprofessional Appreciation Day. Paraprofessionals are an integral part of our school community, and the paras at GES do an amazing job at building positive relationships with students, helping students progress toward their goals, and providing the support needed so each child at GES can succeed. This year, paras have taken on additional responsibilities, including working with distance learners over Zoom and helping to manage the classrooms when some of our classroom teachers were teaching remotely. We are incredibly grateful for all of our wonderful paras!We are seeing an increase in colds among students. If your child is ill, please keep them home. If they have multiple symptoms, please call the clinic (387-2330) for guidance.
As always, feel free to call the office if you have any questions on school related items. I am glad to assist you!
Lesa