Aldrin Announcer 2/21/2012

I am hopeful that you enjoyed the long weekend with your students. I know they came back rested and ready to work especially since our ISAT tests are just a few weeks away. Testing at Aldrin will take place for all third through sixth graders the weeks of March 5^th and March 12^th. In order to prepare your child, all we ask is that you continue to encourage them to try their very best, send them to school well fed and well rested. It is amazing how doing these three things can make all the difference in the world.

 Just a few quick reminders. Tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 23 is our official kindergarten registration day for the 2012-13 school year. I also want to remind you that our annual Winter Carnival will take place this Friday, Feb. 24^th. This is a big event at Aldrin and I have no doubt you and your children will have a wonderful time. Finally, our PBIS Family Bingo night will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28^th. Please see the attached Announcer for the specifics on all of these events.

Have a great evening and we will see you at the Winter Carnival on Friday night.

 Fondly,

Mary Botterman

Announcer 2-21-12

Summer Scholarship Coversheet 2012 (1)

Summer Scholarship Application 2012 (1)

Aldrin Announcer 2/6/2012

Good morning!

Last night we had our parent multi-grade meeting. It was nice to be able to share the programming for next year and help clarify questions for our parent community. If you were unable to make it, please feel free to contact me if you have questions about it. We are excited about next year, and we have no doubt the change will be very beneficial for all children.

At you know, our PTA throughout the district continuously advocates for what is best for children. PTA is partnering with the Illinois State Board of Education to host several public meetings about the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) flexibility waiver. Illinois is applying for a waiver and wants to provide information and gather feedback from parents, general community members and school personnel. One of these meetings will be held in School District 54. The meeting is scheduled for 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15, at Addams Junior High School. Attached is the meeting announcement that contains more information. Individuals planning to attend are asked to RSVP by completing the registration form available on the PTA website at www.illinoispta.org.

Our PTA is encouraging parents to attend and to RSVP by Monday, Feb. 13. The direct link to the registration form is: http://www.illinoispta.org/Legislation/WaiverRegistration.pdf

If you determine at the last minute that you will be able to attend but have not registered, you are still welcome to attend the meeting.

Speaking of our PTA, we are still in need of volunteers for our annual Winter Carnival. This is a big event and it can only happen through volunteers like you. Sadly, if we are unable to get enough volunteers, we will be unable to host it for this school year. This is one of the favorite events here at Aldrin; therefore, it would be wonderful if you could help out on February 24 to make this event a reality. Please read the Announcer for details on how you can help.

Finally, please be sure to take a look at the attachment about the summer scholarships. This is a great opportunity to get your child involved in summer during the summer months. Please consider filling it out and sending it into the STC council.

Upcoming Events:

Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Day Parties – 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. (Spirit Wear – Red and Pink Day)

Feb. 15 – PTA Meeting @ 12:15 in the Aldrin Lounge

Feb. 15 – Fun Food Day

Feb. 16 – Market Day Pick-up

Feb. 16 – School Board Meeting @ 7:00 at the District Office (Aldrin to be recognized for earning the Academic Excellence Award through the state)

Feb. 17 – Aldrin Pizza Day – Cash and Carry

Feb. 17 – Foundation Mardi Gras Night at the Stonegate

Feb. 20 – No School in honor of Presidents’ Day

Feb. 22 – Fine Arts Extravaganza @ 6:30 p.m. (highlighting 3^rd and 4^th graders)

Feb. 23 – Kindergarten Registration (See the Announcer for specific times)

Feb. 24 – Winter Carnival – Volunteers needed

Feb. 24 – end of 2^nd Trimester

Feb. 28 – PBIS Family Bingo Night – 6:30 – 7:30

 As always, have a fabulous day and a great weekend with your children.

 Mary Botterman

Announcer 2-6-12

ChicagoExpressFlyer

NCLB-ESEA Meeting Invitation 2-15-12

Summer Scholarship Application 2012

Summer Scholarship Coversheet 2012

 Valentine’s Day Box Top Collection

Aldrin has Soared to a New Height!

 Aldrin has Soared to a New Height!

We have some thrilling news to share. We recently were honored with an award from the State of Illinois as one of the 2011 recipients of the Academic Excellence Award. This is a first for Aldrin and it is quite the honor. Out of 3, 907 schools in the state, Aldrin was one of 438 who reached the level to earn this award. If my math is correct, we are within the top 11% of the state for this academic achievement.

The Illinois Honor Roll celebrates the accomplishments of Illinois public schools that are providing high quality education for all their students. To achieve this award, schools must meet the following criteria:

• · All schools must have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2010 and 2011.
• · At preschool through eighth grade schools, 90% of students must have met or exceeded state standards in both reading and mathematics for the three most recent school year.

This morning, our State Superintendent, Christopher Koch, recognized us at a press conference here in District 54 at Collins School. Students, Hezekiah T. and Brooke M., along with Ms. Koncel, Mr. Crouse, Mrs. Haack and myself accepted this award on Aldrin’s behalf. We know that the other twelve schools who earned this distinction join us in celebrating this award with the hard-working students, staff and parent community. It is without a doubt a joint effort to achieve this accomplishment.

Please be sure to notice the new banner which now hangs above the main entrance of our building. We thank each of you for working with us to make Aldrin School a wonderful place to learn.

Fondly,

Mary Botterman