Leigh Weekly Tracks

Dear District 80 Leigh Families, 

As I shared in my Back to School Welcome Letter, I am beginning a Superintendent Advisory Committee this year.  I am looking for a parent from every grade level, at minimum, to join me in a monthly meeting to review the goals, procedures, and processes in the district.  If you are interested in serving on this committee, please click here to complete the interest form.  I will contact you regarding membership.  Please consider joining me to improve our schools.  

The traffic around Leigh School is very challenging.  There are over 600 young children attending Leigh daily, plus additional children attending the programs run by the Norridge Park District.  I know it can be stressful to drop off and pick up your child but we need to do a better job of being respectful to each other and our neighbors.  The Norridge Police Department provides crossing guards and officers to assist daily but we all need to do our part to keep our students safe.  You need to obey all traffic signs, not block driveways, reduce your speed, and be kind to our neighbors.  I have heard stories of adults fighting in the streets and yelling/swearing at each other.   This is unacceptable behavior.  Children learn how to handle conflicts and emotions by observing adults.  We need to be positive role models for the students.  We must work together to keep our children safe.

Respectfully, 

Mrs. Michele Guzik

 

Dear Leigh Families, 

On Monday and Tuesday of next week, our students will have a special presentation from NAMI, who we have partnered with over the past two years through our PBIS grant. Students will be learning about our school-wide regulation routine: Stop, Name Your Feeling, and Calm Down (by picking a calming strategy).

This routine is a valuable practice for all of us. There are times during the day when we all experience strong emotions, and it's important to manage them in a healthy way. For example, if someone is feeling very angry, they might choose a strategy like taking deep breaths or having a quiet moment to regroup.

Our goal is to share various strategies with our students so they can find what works best for them. As part of this lesson, students will also be creating a take-home self-care kit to keep at home. We believe this kit could be useful for you as parents as well. Items in the kit include; 

• Coloring and activity book

• Key chain pop it with a strategy card

• Sand timer

• Crayons

• Stretch fidget

• Tangle fidget

We've all had moments when our children need a little time to themselves at home. By using the same language and tools both in the classroom and at home, we hope to help our children understand the routine and implement it independently when needed. Of course, they are still kids and will often need reminders, but together we can build a common language to strengthen the connection between school and home.

Thank you for your support in this initiative. If you have any questions or would like additional resources, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Sean Rabiola, Principal

 

Hello Leigh Families, 

As we wrap up week 3, I want to remind all families to please call our school office (708-456-8848) or email sernst@norridge80.net/cahrens@norridge80.net every time your child will not be in school. However, it is important that all students are in school every day. Chronic absence — missing 10 percent or more of school days due to absence for any reason—excused and unexcused absences—can translate into students having difficulty learning to read by the third-grade, achieving in middle school, and graduating from high school. Students can still fall behind if they miss just one or two days every few weeks. Being late to school may lead to poor attendance. Absences and tardiness can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up. Please plan your family vacations and days your children will not be in school around our district calendar which can be found here. 

Mrs. Christine Ahrens