April Newsletter

Important April Dates

4/6     Visit California Pizza Kitchen for Knights Out Fundraiser

4/6     3rd Trimester Progress Reports (as needed)

4/7     No School - School Improvement Day for Teachers

4/11   5th Grade Tours at Harter Middle School

4/12   Spring Pictures

4/12   Reams Fun Lunch

4/14   Ties and Tiara's Formal Dance

4/20   3rd Grade Music Concert 5:30-6pm

4/20   Open House 6-8pm

4/20   Visit Buona Beef for Knights Out Fundraiser 

4/25   PTN Meeting 6-7pm

4/26   McCalisters Fun Lunch

4/26   Step Up Night for 5th Graders at KHMS 6:30-7:30pm

Important May Dates

1-5   Teacher Appreciation Week

5/2    5th Grade District Choral Concert

5/5    2nd Grade Tea for Two Concert

5/10  Culver's Fun Lunch

5/16  Final PTN Mtg for the School Year

5/19 5th Grade Outdoor Ed / 5th Grade V. Teachers Basketball Game

5/19 Seniors Visit KST

5/25 1 Hr Early Dismissal (2:30 pm)

5/26 Field Day - Please wear comfortable clothing, and shoes, and bring water

5/26 Last Day of School - 1 Hr Early Dismissal (2:30 pm)

Message from the District Office: 

Kaneland is looking to host inquiry circles this Spring to allow the community to attend and reflect on the progress of our crucial Kaneland Connects strategic plan. We will be holding inquiry circles to assess our progress on our plan through the lens of all stakeholders.  All community members (teachers, parents, and students) are invited to attend on Monday, April 17th at Kaneland Meredith Academic Center from 6:00-7:00 pm in the evening.  Please save the date and come out and share your insight and feedback through our inquiry circles process.  If you are unable to attend the April 17th Inquiry Circle session but would love to share insight and feedback, please contact Dr. Sarah Mumm for a virtual feedback option.  We are looking to revise the commitment team meetings moving into next school year.  Additionally, on Thursday, April 20th, the Citizens Advisory Committee will work with the Administration to update and align the Kaneland Candidate Profile to the Kaneland Connects plan and Personalized Learning tenets.  If you are interested in serving on the Strategic Plan monitoring committee please contact Dr. Sarah Mumm at 10358@kaneland.org.  It has been so exciting to see the progress of the Strategic Plan over the course of this school year.   

Bookfair

We are excited to announce that the Scholastic Book Fair is returning just in time for Stewart’s Spring Open House!

Thursday, April 20th, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

■ The fair will begin on Monday, April 10th and it will run through Friday, April 21st.
■ You can visit Stewarts’s Book Fair website at
https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/kanelandjohnstewartelemsch1
■ Students will be able to make purchases during designated school hours if they have an eWallet or bring funds to make purchases.
■ Every dollar you spend will benefit our school directly!

Author Visit At KST

John Stewart’s Library is excited to announce a visit from an award-winning local author Anitra Rowe Schulte “Dancing with Daddy” on Wednesday, April 5
A heartwarming, inclusive picture book that tells the story of Elsie, who can’t wait to attend her first daddy-daughter dance.
This book is a loving tribute to the author’s own daughter and a celebration of the lives of very special children and their families who face unique challenges in life.
Learn more about her at www.anitraroweschulte.com and follow her at @anitraschulte on Twitter.
If you would like to pre-order a personalized signed copy of the book Dancing with Daddy please fill out the form on the back of this flyer and return it to school with payment no later than March 1.
Books will be distributed to students on the day of the author's visit.
We are thrilled that Anitra Rowe Schulte will visit 2 weeks prior to our school Ties and Tiara's dance on April 14th!!!

Open House

Open House will be held on Thursday, April 20, 2023, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. We are extremely excited about this opportunity to welcome families into the building to celebrate all of the learning that has taken place over the year. We highly encourage ALL families to attend, even if it is only for a few minutes!

During Open House, the PTN will have its annual fundraising event with Silent Auction Baskets for you to bid on. Each classroom has a theme assigned to them and we need your help filling the basket. The PTN will make up the baskets with those donations. All donations are due Monday, April 10th. If you have a business and would like to donate items for the baskets, please email stewartptn@gmail.com or drop donations off at the front office. Thank you for supporting the PTN!

K – Doll – Reading
K – Druwe – Spa day
K – Baseley – Disney
1 – Wirtz – Crafts
1 – Carrington – Summer Fun
1 – Nachreiner – Dogs
1 – Zurko – Pool fun
2 – Gilkey – Sports
2 – Hay – Camping Fun
2 – Corwin – Slime fun
3 – Hartkopp – Fidgets
3 – Trunkhill – Nerf
3 – Zollers – Chicago Cubs
4 – Prisco – Baking
4 – Bovee – Movie Night
4 – Rutter – BBQ Grilling
5 – Ahearn – Candy
5 – Cantrell – Game night
5 – Williams – White Sox

Knight Ticket Update

After implementing the Knight's Tickets program, we have to CELEBRATE our successes in seeing a decrease in our SWIS-documented behaviors of disrespect, defiance, and minor physical contact.  Students are so excited when they earn tickets and have been working hard in showing their best behaviors, kindness, empathy, problem-solving skills, and commitment to excellence, and we couldn't be more proud of them! Keep up the great work KST!! 

News from the Nurse's Office

We are in need of extra clothes, mainly boy's pants sizes 6-10, in the nurses' office for kids to use in case of accidents.  Please send in your gently used pants or return any items that your child has had to borrow.  Thank you so much!!  

March

 

Important March Dates
3 No Student Attendance - Kane County Institute Day for Teacher Development
8 Fun Lunch - Corner Grind

9 Visit Portillos (Batavia) for Knights Out

13-17 IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness) Testing Window for 3rd - 5th 

14 PTN Butterbraid Fundraiser Begins

20-24 IAR Make-Up Testing Window

21 PTN Meeting (6-7pm)

22 Fun Lunch - Culvers

24 Popcorn Available During Lunch - $1

27-31  No School - Spring Break 

Important April Dates

6 Visit California Pizza Kitchen for Knights Out Fundraiser

6 3rd Trimester Progress Reports (as needed)

7 No School - School Improvement Day for Teachers

11 5th Grade Tours at Harter Middle School

12 Spring Pictures

12 Reams Fun Lunch

14 Ties and Tiara's Formal Dance

20 3rd Grade Music Concert 5:30-6pm

20 Open House 6-8pm

20 Visit Buona Beef for Knights Out Fundraiser 

25 PTN Meeting 6-7pm

26 McCalisters Fun Lunch

26 Step Up Night for 5th Graders at KHMS 6:30-7:30pm

IAR Testing 3rd - 5th Grade

Students in grades 3-5 will be participating in the Illinois Assessment for Readiness (IAR) testing the week of March 13th. The tests entail three ELA and three Math assessments. Fifth-grade students will additionally take three Science Assessments that week.
Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast that week! Students will have to make up assessments the following week if they miss one or two tests per subject area, so please try to ensure their presence during the week unless they are ill.

Here is some helpful parent information about the IAR from Niles School District 71, which also provides practice questions as well.

Knight Tickets

You may have heard your child talk Knight Tickets and we are so excited to bring them back to KST!! Our Student Support Team reviews behavior data (SWIS) twice a month and the top three documented behaviors are 1) Disrespect, 2) Defiance and 3) Physical Contact. We are looking for your support at home to reinforce school-appropriate behaviors and expectations. At school, we will be using Knight Tickets to provide positive reinforcement to those students who do follow expectations.

There are 3 buckets in the library where students can place their earned tickets in. One for K-1, 2-3, & 4-5. Two names will be drawn every Friday.

Prizes include, but are not limited to:

• Small Fidgets, games, etc. in a prize bin
• Reward Coupons: Lunch with the teacher or office staff, Choose Friday Songs, Read Announcements, Help Teacher, Help in a Younger Class, Get a Book From the Vending Machine, etc.

Monthly rewards:
One student per bucket will win a reward for their class and get to choose what the class receives. (For instance, extra recess, dance party, PJ Day, teacher of choice to read a book to the class, board games for indoor recess, etc.)

Parking Lot Reminders
Please remember to follow all directions given by the staff members who are directing traffic for your safety and the safety of others.  

Kindergarten Registration 

This past Saturday, February 25th, we had a wonderful turnout for Kindergarten registration! We welcomed 74 registered students, class of 2036!!  If you know someone who will be 5 years old by September 1st, please have them call the main office (630) 365-8170 to schedule an appointment to get registered.

5 Essentials Survey
There is still time to complete the survey and we would love to hear from you!
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey for students and teachers will be conducted from Jan. 24, 2023, and closes on March 31, 2023. The Parent Survey Supplement will be conducted during that same timeframe. To take the survey please visit http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. Our School needs 20% of our parents to respond and currently, we are at 8%. Please consider completing the survey. Thank you!

Word Wednesday - Proficiency

This month’s word is proficiency. According to fifth graders May Odom and Cece Breeden, proficiency is when a learner has mastered a skill – it is a way to show what you have learned!
Students will fill out gold coins when they show mastery, which will then be posted on the board by the gym so everyone can see their great work!
A video has been shared with your child's teacher, created by fifth-grade students.
Link to video 1

Here are some acts of Kindness that were documented with last month's focus word! 

- Natalie D. for holding the door open for Mrs. Sears

- Grayson H. for letting his peers go first in the hall

- Hallie, Emma, David, & Keira for helping clean up the hallway! 

- Emerson for saying "good job, I'm happy for you" when another student got a turn in music

- Jayden R. for noticing when others needed help and helping them without anyone asking him

- Everly for asking a friend that was sitting alone to sit at her table

- Dylan S. for giving his brother his turn down the slide

- Lucy B. and Emily S. for sharing her stickers with each other

- Baylee W. for helping a friend by giving them a clue and not the answer

- Owen W. for helping a friend spell a word

- Porter N. for helping a friend in need when he could see they were struggling

- Evy for sharing with Keira

- Kayleigh R. for finding another student's winter hat and helping to get it back to her

- Bentley S. for being an Upstander when a peer was calling another an unkind word. Bentley stood up for kindness. 

- Sophia R. for telling a friend good job when he passed his sight word list

- Jay D. for showing kindness to a peer having a rough day at recess

PTN News: 

Please see the flyer below for a formal dance open to ALL John Stewart Students and their special adult.  More details will be coming in the PTN newsletters. If you do not receive emails from the PTN, please reach out to stewartptn@gmail.com to get on that list.   We are looking forward to a wonderful event!!