Last Week of School

This is an extemly busy week so I hope every one's shopping is about done. We were privileged today to have both the band and the choir give performances for the whole school. Everyone enjoyed the music and singing done by their own classmates. This week the whole school will be going bowling, grades levels will be visiting the bowling alleys throughout the week in completion for their bowling unit in Gym. Also remember Friday we all will be going to the Polar Express Movie at the Tivoli Theater in Downers Grove , what a great way to end the year. Have a lovely week and keep warm.

Friday Wrap-up

This certainly has been a full week with one more to go before the holiday. Fifth grade was privileged to attend a performance of The Nutcracker at North Central College. Everyone was very excited and it was a wonderful outing for all. Tonight remember we have our Movie Night with the showing of Santa Claus 3 which is always a favorite of children. Also, tomorrow is Market Day at Lakeview, remember we can always use more volunteers.
Have a lovely weekend and stay warm.

Holiday Concert

If you needed to feel a part of the holiday experience, last night's performance certainly put everyone in the mood. A wonderful show was put on by both choirs from Prairieview and Lakeview. Ms Wyse and Ms Berman did a fantastic job of getting everyone in the mood and showing off all our talented students at District 66. They did a great job and all their hard work certainly paid off -- it was a wonderful night! Thank you for taking time to be part of this evening!

Kids Caring for Kids

I am more than happy to report on a wonderful event which took place last weekend called "Kids Caring for Kids". It was truly wonderful to see parents and children gather together to support this wonderful cause – making fleece blankets for children who find themselves at Ronald McDonald Children’s Hospital at Loyola Medical Center during this holiday season. While benefiting those less fortunate, we were all benefited by getting the opportunity to participate in this worthy cause. I believe that night many learned during the holiday season or whenever it is truly better to give than receive. The children at Ronald McDonald Children’s Hospital received 102 fleece blankets.
Thanks to our "Kids Caring for Kids"

Pearl Harbor

During these hectic holiday times let us remember an important day in history. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a speech to Congress, immortalized the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and other military installations on Oahu, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, as a "date which will live in infamy." Today, those words are remembered mostly by the generation that lived through World War II. Let us remember those and honor them in our actions today.
Have a lovely weekend. Mrs. Schultz

Holiday Gift Shop

I hope everyone enjoyed our Holiday Gift Shop/Vendor Night. Everyone seemed to be so happy with their little treasures they bought this for their special someone. Enjoy your day off tomorrow, because the month of December is filled with many very exciting nights from concerts to service projects you can be busy this holiday season.
May you all have a wonderful and restful weekend. Stay Warm Mrs. Schultz

Conferences

We hope you have enjoyed your conferences with your teacher and here are a few suggestions now that you have meet:
1. Talk it over with your spouse. Review recommendations and notes of the conference.
Discuss the conference with your child. Stress the positive points and discuss the suggestions and recommendations for making improvements.
3. Realize that you, as a parent, are a vital part of the education team; therefore, communicate with the school when the need arises.
Encourage your child to strive for good work habits and demonstrate good citizenship.
You are an important part of your child's education. Thank you for being part of the team.

POLAR EXPRESS

I hope everyone had a restful and thankful holiday; it seems like everyone is ready to get back to work and give it their all. We have a special treat for our children this holiday season; on Friday December 21st , we will be taking the whole school to see Polar Express. This will be in lieu of the annual holiday classroom parties. It is always fun to do a whole school activity and it should be a wonderful outing going to a safe and clean place like the Tivoli in Downers Grove. We will be eating lunch here at school before we leave and enjoying the rest of the afternoon at the show. I hope you are as excited as we are to give your child this opportunity.

Happy Thanksgiving

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Holiday Service Project

Well, we haven't even had our turkey dinner but we are already in the holiday mode. I am sure by now you have heard about our service project to benefit those less fortunate . Each year Prairieview runs a service project to benefit two organizations: a cancer family and a children's shelter. Every classroom at Prairieview will receive the name of a family in need during the holidays. It is a wonderful project and your child will be coming home with details on how we can help. May I thank you in advance for your generosity during this time and may you holidays be joyous.

Market Day

As in yesterday's blog -- another way to reinforce math skills can be done in the kitchen. So after buying from our terrific Market Day, which is this Saturday, you can incorporate math in your cooking. Using a recipe while cooking and baking not only is a terrific way to help children better understand fractions, it is also a great bonding time. Have a terrific weekend!

What About Math

Everyone knows the importance of reading but what about math. This week I visited many classrooms as they were teaching math. Now that we are approaching the Christmas zone perhaps using money as a math tool would be useful. If your children are trying to save up to buy something special for themselves or others, keep a chart of how much money they will need and what they have saved.
Don’t forget tomorrow is School Spirit Day wear your Prairieview items or colors proudly -- Green and Gold.

Skating Party

Our first successful roller skating party was held yesterday and we had a wonderful turnout. Four busses transported all the children to the Lombard Roller Rink where a great time was had by all. I would like to thank all of those who were involved in the event’s success especially, Mrs. Liles.
We all have quite a lot to be thankful for during this month and I would like to say that I am thankful for all my wonderful staff, students and, of course, you -- the parents.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween !

What a wonderful day at Prairieview! Everyone was in full costume as we paraded around the whole school. A special thank you goes out to all the parents for making this such a success. Thank you again from the Wellness Committee for all the great health treats we gave our students. Enjoy the evening.

Institute Day

Did you ever wonder what teachers do during an in-service day ? Monday we will be attending an intensive writing seminar in preparation for the ISAT Writing Exam. We will review key elements of expository writing. Teachers will have the opportunity to learn and discuss from each other how they incorporate writing into their own curriculum. I certainly hope everyone has a lovely day and we will see you on Tuesday.

Parking

We now have three groups dropping off in the morning: band. choir and intramurals. You have all done a wonderful job in getting everyone here on time but we still have to watch the traffic pattern. The lane closest to the school is the bus lane which at all times should only be used for buses. Please use the designated drop-off site on the east side of the building; it is the Prairiview drop off area. Do not drop your child off in the front traffic circle where they must cross the bus lane --a safety issue.

Thank you for all your cooperation

Thanks, Mrs. Gabbard

I would like to thank Mrs.Gabbard for giving the school three new paper shredders that will used in our grade-level team rooms. This equipment will help insure student confidentiality which is always a concern in today’s world. Thank you for your generosity, Mrs. Gabbard.

Tomorrow is the kick-off for District 66 Athletic and PE fund raiser. The only grade level participating from Prairieview will be 5th grade. These students will be selling discount cards and cookie dough for the school. All our families benefit so please try to participate and enjoy this fund raiser.

Illinois Principal Association

This week I attended the Illinois Principals’ Association Conference held in Peoria. It covered a wide variety of legal and legislative updates affecting schools and administrators. Many of the topics covered this year were: Writing, Reading, Vocabulary and Nutrition. It was an excellent venue where the latest techniques and approaches for many subjects were reviewed.

I would like to thank everyone who visited our Book Fair last night, it was wonderful seeing all of you enjoying the time with your families. Special thanks go out to those who worked very hard to make this event a success.

Response to Intervention

This week many of the teachers at Prairieview attended a seminar to learn about a new state mandate called Response to Intervention. This is a process which will provide services and interventions to struggling learners at increased levels of intensity. This will be a school wide approach in which will be changing instruction for struggling students to help them improve academic skills and behaviors. Throughout the year many teachers and myself will be attending classes for implementation of this programs. I will keep you all informed, by my blog, as we attend the different levels of implementation. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy our day off on Monday.

Access to Websites

Communication is important at District 66 and to help expedite this there is now a link for each teacher and administrator's website or blog on the Staff Directory page.

This directory is available by clicking on the Staff Directory link on our district homepage -- http://www.ccsd66.org or the direct address www.ccsd66.org/Directory.htm
I hope this makes it easier to access teacher blogs and websites.

Please remember that this Friday is our movie night and there is still availability for a few lucky students to watch a fun movie with their friends.

I hope everyone had a terrific weekend and rested up for the exciting week at school. Tomorrow is magazine turn in and I hope everyone is selling. Also Movie night turn-in slips are due. I certainly hope a lot of you can come it is great to watch a movie with your friends.

I can not believe we have completed a whole month of school. It just flew by many times I would wish it to go slower so I can enjoy all the our children and what they have to offer. Good luck to Downers South and I hope to see all of you at the game GO MUSTANGS

Another little reading tip: Children are apt to enjoy reading more when they're invited to join in. Let them take turns choosing a book and turning the pages. If there's repetition in a story, challenge them to recite the key phrases with you. If they see you read they will ....take the time and grab a book.

Today we were gifted to a presentation of "Kids on the Block", this was an excellent assembly which taught all the students of Prairieview to respect those who have disabilities. All three classes were privileged to witness to the interaction of puppets on a stage with different disabilities.

Just a reminder for everyone, next week is the first Magazine Turn-in day so try not to forget to ask Aunt Helen she always like to read magazines. Remember it is for a good cause ...that cause your child. Things are running very smoothly at Prairieview we have wonderful teachers, students and parents . Thanks for a great week and have a wonderful weekend.

Read

I hope you all enjoyed your afternoon with your child yesterday, it was simply a wonderful day. Perhaps on such a lovely day you could read with your child? Here is a suggestion you may want to implement for your reading time. Make your reading spot quiet as possible so your child can focus on the story. Turn off the television and consider ignoring the phone to avoid interruptions. Reading is wonderful and if your child enjoys reading they will become what we call a life long learner. Remember tomorrow is picture day.

Early dismissal

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Today we had our Magazine Assembly with was very successful. Our school system receives a big benefit from this fundraiser so if you can support it, it would be wonderful. Remember tomorrow is our early dismissal day, expect your child to be released at 11:0o. Enjoy the day.

A very informative meeting was held this week to inform our forth grade parents about becoming part of the District #66 band. Mr. Ohlsen & Mr. Tedsechi did a wonderful job explaining how your child will be able to participate in the band program. We hope to see many of you signing up to become part of this extra curricular program our district has to offer. Studies have shown that playing an instrument can not only build a child's self esteem but help in organizational and academic progress. Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget our early dismissal next Tuesday.

September 11th

Today is the sixth anniversary of the horrible tragedy which fell on our country. Here at Prairieview we stopped this morning to honor those who gave their lives unselfishly in that horrible event. As a country we must remember everyone suffered monumental losses during that time when courage was of the utmost for everyone. If your child feels they must address this event remember to do it with honesty and caring for you then become their main connection to events of the world.

First Full Week

The first full week of classes is upon us and the beginning of fifth grade band. What an exciting week. Back to school jackets displaying the school logo are being sent home this week. Check your child's take home folder for more information. Remember our school colors are green and gold. Perhaps, even you would like one, monies must be in by September 18th so wear them with pride.

Curriculum Nights

I would like to thank everyone for the wonderful job which was done by my staff at the Prairieview curriculum nights . Their explanation of what our school represents and the academics which are covered in the various grade levels was done with professionalism. Everyone was excited to show off their classrooms and discuss the learning which happens in their classrooms. Thank you also to the parents who came out to enjoy an evening with their child's teacher and became more informed on their education. As I had said in my speech learning is a partnership which is shared through the school, the student, and the community. Thank you all for making this a reality and now on to a great school year.

Thank you

I would like to extend a thank you to Midwest Welding Supply for supporting our school this year. Through a collaborative effort we will be using this donation to help our reading program throughout the school. It is wonderful to have a close community where education is considered number one.

I would like to convey a message from the staff about how excited we all are for the begining of the new school year. Everyone did a wonderful job during our first few days and it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces back at school. We have many exciting things to accomplish this year and with all your help we can accomplish them all. While setting up for the new year we had many old books which we donated through the efforts of Mrs. Carlstrom and Mrs. Csorba to schools in the city of Chicago. Thank you ladies for your efforts and your responsibility. I will be writing every week on things which will be happening in our school. Thanks for a great start and have a wonderful year.

Registration

Hi everyone, with registration officially over we certainly have a full house this year. We have registered almost all of our known students and managed to pick up fifteen additional new students throughout the grades. It is certainly starting out to be a great year with everyone and we are all counting the days. WOW, only six more !

School has started, at least for all our new teachers this year and it has been an exciting time. Our new teachers will be going through three days of intense training, learning all the particulars of Center Cass District 66 and planning for the new year. They are really doing a great job and are excited about the start of teh new school year.
Enjoy your last few weeks of summer.

August Arrives

The rooms are spotless thanks to our wonderful custodial staff. Many of the teachers have been in and are really excited to start the new year. I still can not believe August is already upon us and soon summer will be over. But we are all looking forward to a wonderful and exciting year. Try and enjoy these last few days and take the time to read a good book for pleasure. Finally my own classes are over and there are no more text books to read so it is on to Harry Potter.

Summer News

I would like to wish everyone a wonderful and restful summer. We have been feverishly cleaning the building preparing it for another great school year.