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.

A huge thank you to our PTA for sponsoring Donuts with Dads. We had an incredible turn out. We hope you enjoyed starting your day at Einstein!

We will be hosting our Annual Food Drive during the week of February 4^th. We also tie in our Spirit Week. It is a great way to give to our very own School District 54 food pantries and take pride in our school. Please join in on the fun. Food Drive and Spirit Wear Flyer 2019.docx

Updated Phone Numbers in Case of an Emergency
Please make sure to notify the office of any updated phone numbers as soon as possible.  It is essential that we can reach you or someone on your emergency contact list if something happens at school.  Thank you in advance for your help with this other important safety reminder!

Letter from the Nurse
A common dilemma that parents face is “when should I keep my child home from school?”  It is not an easy decision as more and more parents are juggling the responsibilities of family and work.   Please read the attached letter for our guidelines. Is My Child Too Sick To Go To School Revision.pdf

New Kindergarten Registration
Registration for all new kindergarteners, for the 2019-2020 school year, will be on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 from 9:00-11:00am and 5:00-7:00 pm, at your neighborhood school. If your child turns 5 years old on or before September 1, 2019 and your family is new to District 54 please read what you need to do to register for kindergarten.

•          Families new to District 54 should go to http://sd54.org/registration  to begin your registration before February 6th.  Print the confirmation you receive and bring it to your neighborhood school on February 6th.

Current District 54 families, with new kindergarteners, need to register through their Parent Portal account.

•          Along with the printed confirmation, you will need to bring your student’s original birth certificate (no copies) showing the student was born on or before September 1, 2014 (State of Illinois regulation).

Families new to District 54 must provide proof of residency on February 6, 2019.  All documents provided must be current, valid for 2019-2020, and reflect name and addresses within the boundaries of District 54.  Below are items that are needed to prove residency:

At least one of the following documents:

•          The most recent real estate tax bill for residency showing owner as the taxpayer, or a signed lease for the residence including a beginning and end date, or a closing statement for the purchase of the residence.

And at least two of the following documents:

•          Illinois driver’s license, gas, water, electric, internet, television, telephone bill or letter confirming service connection, public assistance documentation, voter registration card, home or vehicle insurance certificate, Illinois automobile registration, or receipt for local city vehicle sticker where applicable.

If you have registration questions, please contact us at 630-736-2500.

News from the PTA
The rescheduled PTA meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 20^th @ 6pm.

PTA REMINDERS:
Culvers Hot Lunch:  2/5/19
Pho Chopsticks Hot Lunch: 2/19/19

5 Essentials Survey
Once again we are reaching out to our families and asking you to participate in the annual Illinois 5 Essentials Survey to provide us with your perspective and help guide our school improvement efforts. The parent survey will be available online through February 15, 2019, at https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois.

Due to deteriorating conditions outside, we are cancelling all after school sports and activities this afternoon.
This includes our PTA meeting. The PTA meeting will be rescheduled for Wednesday, February 20th at 6pm.

News from the Einstein PTA
Come enjoy a donut with your dad (or other significant male) on Wednesday, January 23, 2019.  After enjoying time with your child, dads or special person can walk their child to their classroom. The event begins at 8AM.

In order to have enough donuts, kindly RSVP to this evite ASAP by clicking the link below.  This is a PTA sponsored event and donuts are no charge to the parent, however we ask that you limit your attendance to one adult per child.  We really hope you can join us.  

http://evite.me/tU811XXEgH If you are having difficulty submitting your RSVP, please email einsteinowlspta@nullgmail.com.

You can also send your volunteer information to einsteinowlspta@nullgmail.com Hope to see you all there!