From the Principal’s Desk…

Ms. Julie Albers, Principal

Can you believe that we are more than mid-way through the first quarter of this school year? Our Pre-K students have visited Tanner’s Orchard already, and last week, our first graders spent a morning devoted to “apple activities” as they celebrate the fall season. We know that these activities could not be planned without the support of parents and family members who come in to assist our teachers. We appreciate your support of these projects!

Many of you scheduled your conference with your child’s teacher at Open House…thanks for doing that. Parent-Teacher conferences are such an important time. If you did not have the opportunity to set up a conference time, you will be hearing from your child’s teacher soon (or you may already have!) regarding a day/time. Please make the effort to set up a time to meet with your child’s teacher and discuss his/her progress so far this school year. We need your support in order to be successful in our work with your child.

This week concludes a three-week Artist in Residency with Danell Dvorak, an Illinois artist from Bloomington. During her three weeks with us, students have been introduced to a variety of art media and have created some beautiful projects. You can see these projects on display at our Evening Art Exhibition, scheduled from 6:30-7:30 pm on Wed., 10/8 in the gym. We would not have been able to have this opportunity for our students without the support of the Sun Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council and the Midland PTO. Thank you to all involved!  We hope to see you at the exhibition!

Please refer to the enclosed October calendar for an up-to-date schedule for this month’s events and activities. As always, we appreciate your participation and support.

I want to draw your attention to a special article in this month’s newsletter about Cecelia Kimble, our Starting Blocks Pre-K teacher for nearly 17 years. Earlier this month, Mrs. Kimble made the difficult decision to retire from her position, effective immediately, due to her husband’s health concerns. I want to take this opportunity to thank Cecelia for all of her time and energy put into our Starting Blocks program. For many of our students, Mrs. Kimble was their very first teacher, and while we understand the reasons for her leaving sooner than planned, we know we will still miss her here at school! Please join me in congratulating Cecelia on a wonderful career in our school district.

We look forward to seeing you and your family throughout the upcoming month…whether it is at the Art Exhibition, during our Grandparents Day celebration, at Parent Teacher Conferences or during our Halloween celebrations. There are many opportunities to visit our school and share in your child’s education.

Enjoy this month’s newsletter…and bring on the cooler weather!