Muir Community: This week our 3^rd-6^th grade students began the PARCC tests. They have done a great job trying their best and persevering. We will be finishing up at the beginning of next week. Please read the information below for upcoming events in the Muir Community.

Twitter

We use Twitter to share and celebrate the wonderful things happening at Muir. Please follow me @carolyn_allar and our Muir page @WeAreMuir54.

Parking Lot

Please make sure if you choose to park in the parking lot during arrival and dismissal that you are parking in a designated parking spot and not along the sidewalk in the fire lane. Thank you!

Autism Awareness Month

As a part of celebrating Autism Awareness Month, students will participate in a classroom lesson where they will learn more about Autism. In addition, we will have a Spirit Week to acknowledge our differences while showing school unity. We will end the month with an assembly on April 26^th. Below is the schedule for Spirit Week:

Monday 4/23-“Hats off to Autism”-Hat Day

Tuesday 4/24-“We All Blend Together”-Tie-Dye Day

Wednesday 4/25-“Shine a Light on Autism”-Neon Day

Thursday 4/26-“In a World Where You Can Be Anything, Be Kind”-Wear Blue Day

Friday 4/27-“We Are All a Team”-Wear a baseball shirt or jersey

Ease Into IKE

The administration and staff of Dwight Eisenhower Junior High School are pleased to provide your incoming 7^th grader with an opportunity to visit our school before the start of the next school year.  Ease Into IKE is an annual event sponsored by Eisenhower Junior High.  This year’s event will take place on Wednesday, May 2^nd from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  Your student will have the opportunity to meet some of the faculty and administrators, practice locker combinations, play games in the gym, and tour the building. An invitation letter will be sent home this week providing further details. This event is for incoming 7^th grade students only.  Parents will need to pick their child up from Eisenhower by 7:30 pm.

Summer Camp Offerings

School District 54 is offering several summer camp opportunities for students to enhance creativity and innovation. To learn more about these opportunities and to register, please view the SD54 Summer Camp Brochure.

hyperlink to Brochure: SD54 Summer Camp Brochure

Attention 4th Grade Students and Parents

During April, information about enrolling for school band and orchestra is being distributed to 4th grade students.

Students interested in playing the trombone, trumpet, clarinet, flute, cello, viola, or violin should return the Enrollment Form to school, or turn it in at one of the enrollment meetings (listed below). No previous music experience is necessary to play an instrument.

More information will be available at the enrollment meetings (Parents and students should attend the meeting at the junior high the student will eventually attend):

Mead Junior High – Monday, April 30 (7:00 pm)

Addams Junior High – Tuesday, May 1 (7:00 pm)

Eisenhower Junior High – Tuesday, May 1 (7:00 pm)

Frost Junior High – Wednesday, May 2 (7:00 pm)

Keller Junior High – Wednesday, May 2 (7:00 pm)

Band and orchestra lessons will start in September. If you have any questions, please contact the band or orchestra teacher at your school.

District 54 School Safety Presentation – April 23

District 54 invites all parents to attend a presentation on crisis prevention and response at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 23, at the District 54 Professional Learning Center, 522 E. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg. The safety of our students and employees is the top priority in District 54. District administrators will discuss safety measures in our schools, including how the district works in close partnership with our local police and fire departments on crisis prevention and response. The district will also discuss supports that are in place for students who are struggling socially or emotionally.

Presentación de seguridad escolar del Distrito 54 – 23 de abril

El Distrito 54 invita a todos los padres a asistir a una presentación sobre prevención y manejo de crisis; este próximo, lunes 23 de abril a las 7 p.m. en el Centro de Aprendizaje Profesional del Distrito 54 ubicado en el 522 E. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg. La seguridad de nuestros estudiantes y empleados es la principal prioridad en el Distrito 54. Los administradores del distrito discutirán las medidas de seguridad en nuestras escuelas, incluyendo cómo el distrito trabaja en estrecha colaboración con la policía local y los departamentos de bomberos del área en la prevención y manejo de crisis. El distrito también discutirá el tipo de apoyo que existe para los estudiantes que tienen problemas sociales o emocionales.

Important Dates

4/26-Family Fun Night-6:00 p.m.

5/1-PTA Meeting-6:00 p.m.

5/2-Half Day-Dismissal @ 11:40 a.m.

PARCC testing began on April 9 for students in grades 3-6.  Thank you for making sure your children eat a good breakfast and arrive to school on time.

The next Community Celebration at Muir will take place on Thursday, March 22 at 8:00am.  We will start letting families in at 7:45am.  There will be many great prizes given away.  We hope to see you there.

District 54 schools are closed on Tuesday, March 20 for the Primary Election.

The John Muir PTA will meet on Tuesday, March 13 at 6:00 pm.  We hope to see you here.

Another great week at Muir! The staff is embracing Happiness Month here at Muir and we are finding ways to spread happiness to our students and to the entire Muir Community. From photo-booth selfies to notes of gratitude, our students are spreading the orange! Check out the sign outside the front of the school to see the changing inspirational quotes.

Twitter
We use Twitter to share and celebrate the wonderful things happening at Muir. The following staff members have joined Twitter. Please follow me @carolyn_allar and our Muir page @WeAreMuir54.
Karen Starke-Intervention Teacher-@StarkeKaren
Amy Syed-Speech and Language Pathologist-@AmySyed2

Student Walk-Outs
The school shooting in Parkland, Florida, last month has led to a number of planned student-led civic engagement efforts and protests, including school walkouts. We are currently aware of three nationwide dates for planned student walkouts.
March 14: The Women’s March Youth Empower Walkout – Organizers are encouraging students to walk out of their schools at 10 a.m. and remain outside for 17 minutes to represent the 17 killed in Florida.
March 24: March 4 Our Lives – This is taking place on a Saturday.
April 20: National School Walkout – Organizers are encouraging students to walk out at 10 a.m. and not return to school that day.
We know that many of our students are aware of these protests, but we have no indication at this time that any of our students plan to participate. As was stated in the letter sent to parents in February, our priorities continue to be keeping students safe and remaining focused on teaching and learning.
With the large, peaceful protests at Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates High Schools in February, we anticipate that some younger students may be interested in following suit. We still do not encourage students leaving the school during the school day. However, we do support First Amendment rights for students and respect the students across the country who are speaking up for themselves. Should any of our students walk out, we will not be issuing consequences as long as they behave appropriately. We will also be prepared to respond with supervision to keep them safe. We will have staff members stationed in the hallways and other common areas during this time period to ensure that the students who wish to engage in this activity have the time, space and opportunity to do so, while also making sure that it does not create safety issues or disrupt the learning and instruction for those who choose not to participate.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you for working with us to support our children.

El tiroteo escolar en Parkland, Florida, el mes pasado ha llevado a una serie de esfuerzos y protestas de participación cívica dirigidas por estudiantes, incluyendo caminatas escolares. Actualmente estamos al tanto de tres fechas planificadas a nivel nacional para las para las caminatas estudiantiles.
14 de marzo: La marcha de Mujeres: Juventud Empoderada: los organizadores están alentando a los estudiantes a que salgan de sus escuelas a las 10 a.m. y permanezcan afuera durante 17 minutos para representar a los 17 asesinados en Florida.
24 de marzo: Marcha por Nuestras Vidas: esto se lleva a cabo un sábado.
20 de abril: Huelga Nacional para las Caminatas Estudiantiles: los organizadores están alentando a los estudiantes a que salgan a las 10 a.m. y no regresen a la escuela ese día.
Sabemos que muchos de nuestros estudiantes están al tanto de estas protestas, pero no tenemos ninguna indicación en este momento de que alguno de nuestros estudiantes planifica participar. Como se indicó en la carta enviada a los padres en febrero, nuestras prioridades siguen siendo mantener a los estudiantes seguros y enfocados en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje.
Basándonos en las grandes protestas pacíficas que se suscitaron el pasado mes de febrero en las Escuelas Superiores de Schaumburg y Hoffman Estates, anticipamos que algunos estudiantes más jóvenes puedan estar interesados en hacer lo mismo. Mantenemos nuestra posición y no alentamos a los estudiantes a abandonar la escuela durante el día escolar. Sin embargo, sí respaldamos los derechos de la Primera Enmienda para los estudiantes y respetamos a los estudiantes de todo el país que defienden sus derechos. En caso de que alguno de nuestros estudiantes se retire, no emitiremos consecuencias siempre y cuando se comporten de manera adecuada. También estaremos preparados para responder con supervisión para mantenerlos a salvo. Tendremos miembros del personal estacionados en los pasillos y en otras áreas comunes durante este período de tiempo para garantizar que los estudiantes que deseen participar en esta actividad tengan el tiempo, el espacio y la oportunidad de hacerlo, mientras aseguramos de que no se crean problemas de seguridad o se interrumpe el aprendizaje y la enseñanza para los estudiantes que elijan no participar.
Como siempre, no dude en ponerse en contacto conmigo. Gracias por trabajar con nosotros para apoyar a nuestros estudiantes.

Important Dates
3/13-PTA Meeting @6:00 p.m.
3/20-No School
3/21-All-School Assembly
3/22-Community Celebration-8:00-8:30 a.m.
3/23-Spirit Day-Mismatch and Orange Day
3/23-Spring Break begins at the end of the day
4/2-School Resumes
4/9-PARCC Testing in grades 3-6 begins

Wednesday, March 7 is a half-day inservice for all students at Muir.  Dismissal will be at 11:40am.

I hope all of you stayed safe and warm on Friday for our snow day! We are glad to see the students back today and ready to learn. As a reminder, this week we have our student-led conferences. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday and Friday. We will also have student work on display for Celebrate Reading and Writing. Please read below for important information in the Muir community!

Twitter

Since our last communication we have had several staff start Twitter pages. We use Twitter to share and celebrate the wonderful things happening at Muir. Please follow the following staff members and as always follow me @carolyn_allar and our Muir page @WeAreMuir54.

Sue Aschacher-1^st Grade Teacher-@AschacherSue
Kelly Ward-4^th Grade Teacher-@kellyward54
Jennifer Siemieniec-6^th Grade Teacher-@JenniferSiemie1

Parking Lot

If you choose to come into the parking lot for arrival and dismissal please make sure you park in a legal designated parking space. Please refrain from parking along the sidewalk in the fire lane. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the safety of our students.

PTA News

Our next PTA meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 13^th @6:00 p.m.

Important Dates

2/13-PTA Meeting @6:00 p.m.
2/15-Half Day-Dismissal @11:40 a.m.– Student Led Conferences
2/16-No School – Student Led Conferences
2/19-No School – Presidents’ Day
2/26-Parent Cooking Night @5:30 p.m.

Kindergarten registration for the 2018-19 school year will be on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. Registration will take place from 9 to 11 a.m., 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Parents should go to their neighborhood school to register their child, even if they are applying to attend a school other than their neighborhood school.

To expedite the registration process, families are encouraged to begin the registration process online prior to Feb. 8. If you have a student currently enrolled in District 54, you can register through your Parent Portal account. Families new to District 54 can register through our online registration link. In either case, parents or guardians will still need to visit their school to present the required documentation and sign documents to complete their student’s registration.

All District 54 schools and offices will be closed on Monday, January 15 to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day.