Genuine care and concern for students, excellent communication and strong partnerships with parents are among the outstanding qualities that led to Julie Tarasiuk’s selection as 2019 Outstanding Principal of the Year by the Illinois PTA.Tarasiuk has been principal at Einstein Elementary School in Hanover Park since 2016. The Einstein PTA nominated her for the statewide recognition.

“Julie explores the needs of different student’s learning abilities and embraces those challenges with open arms. She is patient and willing to give the staff, students and parents the tools they need to succeed,” Einstein PTA President Katie Kopecky wrote in her nomination. “She shows genuine care and love for students and I think that is so important to any child. Some simply need it more than others, and at the end of the day we all need to feel that way.”

Kopecky noted that Tarasiuk recently changed the school’s student of the month recognition to student of the week so that staff could recognize more students throughout the year. She also shared that Tarasiuk makes everyone feel seen and heard, keeps parents well-informed and encourages open communication at any time.

“I believe each child deserves the absolute best when they enter our doors at Einstein,” Tarasiuk said. “They deserve to come to school every day knowing that they will be loved and cared for. It is through a strong partnership with our community and families that we are able to provide an environment where the whole child is supported and successful. It takes a village.”

Kopecky said that this philosophy is obvious in Tarasiuk’s interactions with children.

“They all feel loved and respected within those walls every day at school,” she said.

Tarasiuk works closely with the PTA and will do whatever is needed to ensure the best possible opportunities for students. When the PTA was struggling to find enough volunteers for the holiday breakfast, Tarasiuk made and served pancakes that morning and recruited other Einstein staff to help.

“I walked in to find the breakfast set up that morning. The entire gym was filled with staff, all themed out and serving a full breakfast with jokes to all the students,” Kopecky wrote. “It was above and beyond, and she is appreciated more than she will ever know.”

Tarasiuk will be recognized during a ceremony at the Illinois PTA Convention May 4.

Although we have only five days before spring break, we have an exciting week planned and continue to celebrate happiness month.  You may have noticed the gratitudes written on our windows by our students and the posters all around our building. On our Friday announcements we share our gratitudes as well.  We look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday evening for our family event.  

Band Concert
Tuesday March 19th: 5th & 6th Grade band concert at Addams at 7pm.

The students have been working really hard on their music and are excited for their performance. 

Hope Coalition
Attached is the flyer for Hanover Park’s Health & Resource Fair sponsored by Mayor Craig’s Kids at Hope Coalition.  The Health & Resource Fair is taking place on Saturday, April 6th from 10:00am to 1:00pm at the Park District.

This is an important event designed to help our residents learn about the services available to them in our community. K@H Flyer 2019.pdf

Family Event
We are looking forward to our time together on March 20^th when we Ride the Tidal Wave to our Family Event! 

**Simultaneously, Mr. Whitney will also be showcasing his annual event where you can purchase your child’s framed art.  Many of you have been asking about it and it is back by popular demand! The art show is going to be in the 1^st/2^nd/3^rd grade wing of the building. The show will run from 6:00-7:30 to allow for parents attending the Family Event time to shop after. Frames are $20, cash or check only.

News from the PTA
There will be a general meeting held on April 24^th @ 6pm.

Please join us for our next Fundraiser, March 15, 2019 4-8 pm at Panera 2415 West Schaumburg Road. Panera Fundraiser.pdf

STC Auction was another successful event for the Schaumburg Township Council of PTAs.  Thank you to all that donated items for the baskets and to the teachers who put together two awesome baskets on behalf of Einstein! We are so lucky to have such great staff at Einstein!!! 

A few months ago, the Einstein PTA submitted a nomination for Julie Tarasiuk to be selected for 2019 Illinois PTA Principal of the Year Award.  

It is my great honor to announce that Julie was selected as the 2019 Illinois PTA Principal of the Year!!!! 

We are so very proud of her and we are thankful to have such a great leader at Einstein! 

Julie will be recognized at the Illinois PTA Convention May 4th in Champaign, IL 

CONGRATULATIONS to you Mrs. Tarasiuk.
Thank you for all you do.

Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration continues daily in the main office between 9:00AM and 2:00PM.  Kindergarten registration is intended for any incoming Einstein-based kindergarteners for the 2019-2020 school year.  You can get a head start by completing most of the registration online by clicking here.  Please know that you will still need to come to the office and prove residency.

March is Happiness Month! We challenge you and your child to participate in a 21-Day Challenge! Here at Einstein, everyone will be choosing one of three habits to practice each day–Acts of Kindness, Acts of Gratitude, or Meditation. Your child received a calendar to take home that has some activities to practice for each habit. We encourage you to participate along with us. Ask your child each day how they practiced their habit. You can participate by doing some of the activities we will provide to you with the calendar. Your child will also be receiving weekend challenges. These are for the whole family. Have your child fill out the weekend challenge reflection sheet and bring it back to school for a Spark Award!

Research has shown that it takes 21 days to build a new habit. We are excited to form these positive habits together!

We are looking forward to our time together on March 20^th when we Ride the Tidal Wave to our Family Event!  Our goal is always to connect home and school together and we know that bridging the two is the key to supporting our students to the fullest.  Therefore, we have planned a night of fantastic activities for our families to participate in as we share what we value here at school and what you can do at home to continue conversations.  Come to get a glimpse into some of the best parts of your students’ school day.  Together, we will explore flexible seating, social-emotional learning and have a fun and useful make-and-take session for parents to work alongside their children to implement parts of the Happiness Advantage at home.  Of course the night wouldn’t be complete without dinner, so please plan on staying for that as well. 

**Simultaneously, Mr. Whitney will also be showcasing his annual event where you can purchase your child’s framed art.  Many of you have been asking about it and it is back by popular demand! The art show is going to be in the 1^st/2^nd/3^rd grade wing of the building. The show will run from 6:00-7:30 to allow for parents attending the Family Event time to shop after. Frames are $20, cash or check only. Save the Date-Art Show.pdf

In order for us to get the proper person count, we have sent permission slips home requesting whether or not you will be able to attend.  We are looking forward to spending the evening with you all.

Smencils were a big hit at conferences! They will be for sale every Wednesday morning at arrival for $1.00.

News from the PTA
There will be a general meeting held on April 24^th @ 6pm.

It was great to see our students be able to showcase their learning at our student-led conferences last week.  We were fortunate to watch students reflecting and goal-setting in classrooms throughout the week, and were even luckier to be able to sit in on some conferences to witness our students sharing what they are most proud of and what they want to continue to work on.  Thank you for partnering with us in order to provide the best education and support for our students.  

Smencils were a big hit at conferences! They will be for sale every Wednesday morning at arrival for $1.00.

News from the PTA
There will be a general meeting held on April 24^th @ 6pm.

Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration continues daily in the main office between 9:00AM and 2:00PM.  Kindergarten registration is intended for any incoming Einstein-based kindergarteners for the 2019-2020 school year.  You can get a head start by completing most of the registration online by clicking here.  Please know that you will still need to come to the office and prove residency.

English Learner (EL) Kindergarten Information Night
If your child is entering kindergarten and you speak another language at home, we would like to invite you to attend the EL Kindergarten Information Night, Tuesday, February 26^th.  The program will take place from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the Professional Learning Center, 524 E. Schaumburg Road.  Childcare is available for ages 3 and up.

During the evening, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the programs for English Learner Kindergarten students, Dual Language Programs in District 54 and the language assessment process.   If you, or someone you know, will have a student attending Kindergarten in September, we hope that you will join us for this informative night.  

Noche Informativa de Kínder para aprendices de inglés
Si usted está pensando en cómo preparar a su hijo(a) para este próximo paso educacional, nos gustaría invitarlo este próximo martes 26 de febrero a asistir a la Noche Informativa de Kínder para aprendices de inglés. El evento será de 6:00 a 7:00 p.m. y se llevará a cabo en el Centro Profesional de Aprendizaje ubicado en el 524 E. Schaumburg Road. Habrá cuidado de niños disponible para niños de 3 años en adelante.

Esta noche, usted tendrá la oportunidad de aprender más sobre los procesos de evaluación de lenguaje y los programas disponibles para estudiantes aprendices de inglés entrantes al Kínder en el Distrito 54.  Si usted, o alguien que usted conoce, tiene un(a) niño(a) que asistirá al grado Kínder en el otoño, esperamos que se una a nosotros para esta noche informativa.

We are looking forward to connecting with families at our second round of student-led conferences this week on Thursday, February 14 and Friday, February 15.  Since our conferences are student-led, we ask that students attend so they can share with parents their progress in academic and social emotional areas, as well as goals they have set for the remainder of the 2019 school year.  Teachers will also be sharing their insights and establishing areas of focus to bridge home and school support. 

Please remember that our school day schedule is adjusted to accommodate these conferences.  Thursday, February 14 will be a half-day of school with a dismissal time of 11:40AM. Students will not be eating lunch at school.  Also, there is no school on Friday, February 15..

Mrs. Kern and Ms. Manola will be hosting the Scholastic Book Fair in the gym on Thursday, February 14^th from 12:30-4:00 and 5:00-7:30. The Book Fair will be closed from 4:00-5:00. Cash and credit cards are accepted.

We will also have Smencils available for sale for $1.00 in the entryway.

If you did not have an opportunity to take your family picture at our last conferences, please do so at the front table. We would love to have you join our wall of Einstein families.

Arrival
Please know that we have staff supervision for arrival from 8:25-8:40. After 8:40, students are not able to get in the building from the back. Recently, students have been dropped off after 8:40 in the back of the building and having to walk around to the front door. If you do need to check your children in tardy in the morning, please come in to the front office and sign them in.  Student safety is always our priority. Thank you for helping to ensure the safety of your children.

Lost & Found
While you are here attending your child’s conference, stop by the lost & found table in the main hallway.  Items will be displayed so you can quickly find your child’s lost belongings. We have it all! Shoes, sweats, and even glasses.  What a sweet reunion it will be!

Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration continues daily in the main office between 9:00AM and 2:00PM.  Kindergarten registration is intended for any incoming Link-based kindergarteners for the 2019-2020 school year.  You can get a head start by completing most of the registration online by clicking here.  Please know that you will still need to come to the office and prove residency.

Valentine’s Day
As a reminder, we do not have classroom parties to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  If your child would like to pass out valentines, please remember that it cannot contain any food or candy items and there must be a valentine for every student in the classroom. 

5Essentials Parent Survey
Thanks to everyone who has already taken the 5Essential Parent Survey. This week is your final chance to complete it, as the website closes on February 15, 2019.  You will find the survey at https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois.

PTA would like to remind our families about the Tap House Grill Fundraiser for this Monday.

Please see the attached flyer. Tap House-Give Back Certificate.docx

We are looking forward to meeting with our families during Student-Led Conferences. Our students are excited to share with you their progress and their goals.

We take conference time as an opportunity to connect and share with you some of the great work we have been doing with positive psychology. As we have shared each month, we have been focusing on a principle or tactic from Shawn Achor’s work. This month we are diving into the Ripple Effect. Everything we do and say has an impact on others. Our attitudes and behaviors have a ripple effect. Positivity can spread quickly having both direct and indirect effects on those around us. Click Here to learn more.
When you come for conferences, please stop by the front table and write with your family a word or two about what makes you happy. We will have a school of fish representing our positive ripple effect here at Einstein.

Mrs. Kern and Ms. Manola will be hosting the Scholastic Book Fair in the gym on Thursday, February 14^th from 12:30-4:00 and 5:00-7:30. The Book Fair will be closed from 4:00-5:00. Cash and credit cards are accepted. Profits from our Book Fair will be used to purchase books for classroom libraries, provide a Birthday Book to every child at Einstein Elementary, and purchase books for our school library.  We are looking for some parent volunteers to assist us with the set-up and take-apart of the book fair.  No book fair experience is necessary, just simply helping us set up tables and books for display.  We could use  4-6 parents to assist us during each of  the following times.
Set up: Wednesday, February 13 from 2:30-4:30 (4-6 volunteers needed)
Take Apart: Thursday, February 14 from 7:30-8:15 pm (4-6 volunteers needed)

Please contact Lisa Kern, Einstein School Librarian LisaKern@nullsd54.org, if you would be willing to donate your time to assist us.

Conferences is also a great time to take a look through our Lost and Found. There are many hats, gloves, and coats.

If you did not have an opportunity to take your family picture at our last conferences, please do so at the front table. We would love to have you join our wall of Einstein families.

Our Einstein Owls look fantastic in their pajamas today as they brought in pasta for our District 54 Food Pantry. Please sneak a peak at the schedule for the rest of the week.

Wednesday 2/6- SOUPerhero Day (Wear superhero gear, no weapons or look a likes)

• Soup
• Canned Tuna
  
• Hamburger Helper
  
• Tuna Helper
  

Thursday 2/7– Wear Green (For fruit & veggies!)

• Canned fruits
• Canned Vegetables
  
• Fruit Cups
  

Friday 2/8– Spirited Snack Day (Wear your favorite sports team gear)

• Fruit snacks
• Peanut butter and Jelly
  
•  Individual bags of chips, pretzels, etc.
  
• Granola bars

We regret to inform you that we will be closing schools again on Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. Our bus company First Student, notified us today that despite working on them all day, they were unable to start a large number of buses due to the extremely cold conditions.

District 54 buses about 11,500 students every day. With the temperatures below 0 degrees tonight, they do not feel certain that the buses will start tomorrow morning. Therefore, we are erring on the side of caution and safety and cancelling school tomorrow. While not all students take the bus, we felt it unfair to have school when many students would not be able to attend.

The Rafferty Administration Center will be open. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Due to the dangerously cold wind chill, District 54 is cancelling all after-school and evening activities today, Jan. 29. This does not include the after-school childcare programs at our schools run by the park districts and YMCA.

In addition, District 54 schools and the Rafferty Center will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 30 and Thursday, Jan. 31. After-school and evening activities are also cancelled on Jan. 30 and 31, including the Open Enrollment Fair. When schools are closed for a full day, the child care programs are also cancelled at our schools. People interested in open enrollment schools for their children, click here to view the list of school visitation dates and times.  

District 54 makes every effort to keep our schools open, but circumstances beyond our control, such as extreme weather, sometimes dictate that we close. Our top concern is whether we believe the more than 15,000 students we serve and our employees can get to school safely whether they walk, take a bus or ride in a car. The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill warning until noon Thursday, which calls for wind chill values as low as -55.

Thank you for your understanding and support. For more information about our notification procedures and a link to our Severe Cold Weather Response Plan, you can visit https://sd54.org/schoolcancellations

Childcare Options

• The Campanelli YMCA, 300 W. Wise Road, Schaumburg, will offer a drop-in childcare program for students in kindergarten through sixth grade on THURSDAY ONLY. The YMCA will be closed on Wednesday. For Thursday – the cost is $40 per child for YMCA members and $45 for nonmembers. Send your child with a lunch and a drink. Registration occurs at the Y front desk, limited on a first-come/first-served basis. R
• The Hoffman Estates Park District will offer childcare for children in kindergarten through sixth grade from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. The cost is $50 per child. Registration is on a first-come/first-served basis. Register online at [heparks.org]heparks.org and use code 156415-AA for Wednesday or code 156415-AB for Thursday. You can also register at drop-off at the Triphahn Center front desk, 1685 W. Higgins Road.

All District 54 schools will be closed on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, due to the weather. All after-school and evening activities are cancelled as well.

The decision to close school is not one we make lightly. Our top concern is whether we believe the more than 15,000 students we serve can get to school safely (whether they walk, take a bus or ride in a car).

District 54 makes every effort to keep our schools open, but circumstances beyond our control (such as extreme weather) sometimes dictate that we close.

Thank you for your understanding and support. The decision to close schools is made one day at a time.

For more information about our notification procedures and a link to our Severe Cold Weather Response Plan, you can visit https://sd54.org/schoolcancellations.