Principal's Message 5.25.11

Highlight of the Week

Today we enjoyed our annual end-of-year recognition assembly.  Students who participated in Patrol, Student Council, and the Positively Prairie Student Leadership Team were recognized for their service this year.  This assembly also encompassed one of our favorite annual events, the staff volleyball game.  Several teachers and staff participated in the game as the students cheered their chosen team on to victory.  It was a really fun morning!  

Staffing Changes for the 2012 - 2013 School Year

Congratulations to Mr. Tim Vanderwerff, ICT Literacy Coach, and Mrs. Beverly Addona, 3rd grade teacher, who will be retiring at the end of this school year.  Mr. Vanderwerff and Mrs. Addona have both taught Prairie students for over thirty years.  We thank them for their dedicated service to children, assisting them in maturing and becoming responsible, well-educated citizens.  Best of luck to both of them as they move forward to the next journey of their lives.     

Leaving the second grade classroom for her new role as ICT Literacy Coach is Miss Katie Hewitt.  Miss Hewitt is passionate about literacy and technology and will be sharing this love of learning with all students and staff at Prairie.  In her new coaching role, Miss Hewitt will be working with staff on the differentiation and expansion of their instructional tool kits.  Becoming the ICT Literacy Coach will also expand Miss Hewitt's touch on our students in that she will be teaching every child in the school every week in the Literacy Lab setting.

Mrs. Linda Litvan will be joining the Ivy Hall staff as a member of the third grade team.  Mrs. Litvan brings to Ivy Hall her wealth of technology knowledge and practice.  Joining us from Kildeer School is Mrs. Vail Kieser who will be stepping into the Technology Coach role.  Mrs. Kieser was an original member of the Classrooms of Tomorrows group, teachers who initially implemented promethean boards in their classrooms, along with being a leader of iPods in the classroom.  She is a certified Promethean trainer and also teaches classes on Active Inspire.  

Thank you for your continued support of the entire staff.  We are so happy to be able to impact all learners with our talented teachers.   

Summer Vacation Postcards

Where ever your summer travels take you, whether it's a stay-cation, summer camp, or a trip around the globe, please encourage your child to send a postcard to Prairie sharing their summer experiences.  We plan to read vacation postcards, chosen from the Prairie School mailbox, during morning announcements throughout September.  After postcards are read, they will be displayed in the Multipurpose Room.  Postcards can be sent to Prairie School, 1530 Brandywyn Lane, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089.      

Flagpole Assembly

Our annual Flagpole Assembly will close the school year on Thursday, June 7th.  Please plan to join your child(ren) around the flagpole at 9:05am to sing our school song, hug good friends, wish our 5th graders the best of luck at Twin Groves, and head into summer vacation.  We hope to see you there! 

Crossing Guard Appreciation

Mr. Ron and Miss Julie, Prairie's Crossing Guards, do an amazing job of keeping our treasures safe on their way to and from school.  They forge through all types of weather and, recently construction challenges, to cross our students.  If you would like to donate to an end of the year appreciation gift for our hard working crossing guards, please send your donation to the attention of Mrs. Johnson, our school secretary.  

PTO News

Check out this week's PTO Newsletter for current happenings in the PTO.

Upcoming Dates

• 5/28 No School - Memorial Day
• 5/31 - Kindergarteners to visit Prairie at 1pm
• 5/31 Talent Show at 6:30pm - Note the change in time
• 6/1 Field Day
• 6/4 Field Day Rain Date
• 6/5 5th Grade Party starting at 12:15pm
• 6/7 Last Day of School - 9:25am dismissal - Meet us at the flagpole at 9:10am for our traditional end of the year send of to summer!

Principal's Message 5.18.12

Highlight of the Week
Ethan H. had an amazing ride to school today in a Buffalo Grove fire truck.  Ethan was all smiles when he got out of the truck as his class met him at the circle drive.  Ethan shared, "The ride was really neat.  There were two calls on the radio about people who needed help.  I didn't know that firemen do more than put out fires.  They also help people who are sick.  They just can't take them in the fire truck so they have to wait for an ambulance."  Thank you BGFD for making today such an exciting day for Ethan and his classmates!

Thursday we had our last Principal's Coffee of the year, which was a technology talk.  We had a terrific turn out.  Fourteen parents joined Mrs. Litvan and me in the library.  We learned about the Wixie program and some of the many ins and outs of Google Docs.  Thank you to all parents who attended.  We really appreciate your time and interest in what your children are learning and the tools teachers are utilizing in the classroom.

Crossing Guard Appreciation
Mr. Ron and Miss Julie, Prairie's Crossing Guards, do an amazing job of keeping our treasures safe on their way to and from school.  They forge through all types of weather and, recently construction challenges, to cross our students.  If you would like to donate to an end of the year appreciation gift for our hard working crossing guards, please send your donation to the attention of Mrs. Johnson, our school secretary.  

Former Prairie Students Conduct Professional Clothing Drive

Current Twin Groves 8th graders Nicole Strezewski, Reema Amin, and Lindsey Wetle of Girl Scout troop 40025 (8th grade) are earning their Silver Award by having a clothing drive to support Poised For Success! PFS is a non-profit local organization that gives clothing to women in need so they can have appropriate attire for professional job interviews, and their first week on the job. The drive will last from Monday, May 14th, to Friday, May 25th. A drop-off box will be located near the front entrance of Prairie School.  You can go to http://40025pfs.weebly.com/ or http://www.poisedforsuccess.org/ for more information!

PTO News

Check out this week's PTO Newsletter for current happenings in the PTO.

Is Registration Still on your To Do List?

Student registration for the 2012-2013 school year is happening online now. Note that returning students–as well as those new to District 96–must be registered for the upcoming school year. In April, the District sent emails including registration links and instructions. If you missed the email(s), please call the public information coordinator at 847.459.4260, ext. 7722, as soon as possible. Don't delay–families who register by midnight on Friday, May 18, will save $20 per student.

Upcoming Dates

• 5/23 PTO General Meeting and Board Elections, 9:30am
• 5/24 5th grade transition day, 9am
• 5/24 5th grade beginning band concert at TG at 7pm
• 5/25 Half Day of School, 11:45am dismissal
• 5/28 No School - Memorial Day
• 5/31 - Kindergarteners to visit Prairie at 1pm
• 5/31 Talent Show at 7pm
• 6/1 Field Day
• 6/4 Field Day Rain Date
• 6/5 5th Grade Party starting at 12:15pm

Principal's Message 5.11.12

Highlight of the Week

Today was Principal for a Day at Prairie School.  We, Zainab Andrabi and Jonathon Kull, were co-principals.  Zainab received her Principal for a Day prize from the Art Auction and Jonathon received his from Pizza~Bingo Night.  To start the morning off, we did the announcements, which was exciting. We went to mystery places that students don’t know about such as the boiler room, the old P.E. locker rooms and saw the showers, and Mr. Castro’s office.  The places were really interesting. We went to classrooms, we saw how students were working and left a comment for the teacher. We realized, how much everybody works around school. We learned what Mrs.Johnson does, and how she keeps track of all the notes and phone calls.  We also met with Mrs. Evans, our school nurse, and she told us about how she keeps track of all the health records and showed us everything that is in a first aid kit.  And to top it all off, we had a delicious lunch in the conference room, followed by dessert.  Being a principal can be fun but it is hard work.  We really enjoyed the experience.  ~Zainab Andrabi & Jonathon Kull

Dr. Pfaff, Miss Andrabi, & Mr. Kull enjoy Principal for a Day together

Sara & Nathan Z. were thrilled to be driven to school today in a Buffalo Grove Fire Department fire engine. The brother and sister pair really enjoyed their trip and said it was "super fun." The prize was an award from Pizza~Bingo night. The trip was made even more special with little sister Rachel getting a ride with the Fire Chief in his car. A big thank you goes out to the BGFD for making this ride a reality.

Rachel, Sara, & Nathan loved their ride to school in a BGFD fire truck

Teacher Appreciation Week
A huge thank you goes out to our wonderful and amazing PTO for taking such great care of us this week. The staff truly appreciates all you have done for us this week such as Monday's breakfast and Thursday's luncheon. The fun give-aways were neat and everyone really enjoyed the special Friday treat in their mailboxes. Thanks to all the parents who helped make this week special for the Prairie staff. We really appreciate all of you too and all that you do for us.


Prairie Talent Show

Auditions for the 6th annual Prairie Elementary School talent show on May 31 will be next week. Musical acts can be done during music class for 2nd through 5th grades. Non musical acts, acts that use students from different classes, and 1st graders will need to come before school for tryouts. Please click here for more detailed information and the sign up form.

Principal Coffee: Parent Technology Training

During the next Principal's Coffee on May 17th from 2:00 - 3:00pm, you will experience first-hand, the technology and applications your child uses at Prairie School. Please mark your calendar for this event. We look forward to seeing you there.

Former Prairie Students Conduct Professional Clothing Drive

Current Twin Groves 8th graders Nicole Strezewski, Reema Amin, and Lindsey Wetle of Girl Scout troop 40025 (8th grade) are earning their Silver Award by having a clothing drive to support Poised For Success! PFS is a non-profit local organization that gives clothing to women in need so they can have appropriate attire for professional job interviews, and their first week on the job. The drive will last from Monday, May 14th, to Friday, May 25th. A drop-off box will be located near the front entrance of Prairie School. 

Items that can be donated include:

-Suits -Pants -Blazers -Skirts -Purses & Totes

-Scarves -Jewelry -Shoes -Blouses

Please make sure the items are:

-Business appropriate

-Current style or timeless design

-New, like new or gently used

-In season: Summer clothing

- Preferably clean and pressed

-Ready to wear   

Also, you can go to http://40025pfs.weebly.com/ or http://www.poisedforsuccess.org/ for more information!

PTO News

Check out this week's PTO Newsletter for current happenings in the PTO.

Is Registration Still on your To Do List?

Student registration for the 2012-2013 school year is happening online now. Note that returning students–as well as those new to District 96–must be registered for the upcoming school year. In April, the District sent emails including registration links and instructions. If you missed the email(s), please call the public information coordinator at 847.459.4260, ext. 7722, as soon as possible. Don't delay–families who register by midnight on Friday, May 18, will save $20 per student.

Upcoming Dates

• 5/17 Principal's Coffee at 2pm - Experience the technology your child uses at school
• 5/23 PTO General Meeting and Board Elections, 9:30am
• 5/24 5th grade transition day, 9am
• 5/24 5th grade beginning band concert at TG at 7pm
• 5/25 Half Day of School, 11:45am dismissal
• 5/28 No School - Memorial Day
• 5/31 - Kindergarteners to visit Prairie at 1pm
• 5/31 Talent Show at 7pm
• 6/1 Field Day
• 6/4 Field Day Rain Date
• 6/5 5th Grade Party starting at 12:15pm

Principal's Message 5.4.12

Highlight of the Week
Hadi from Mrs. Spivack's class got the ride of his life on Tuesday when he was dropped off at school by Officer Staci Kupsak, the district liaison officer.  Hadi was greeted by his cheering class.  Officer Kupsak drove Hadi around the neighborhood before dropping him off at school.  Hadi was all smiles and shared with everyone that it was a great day.

The Rhythm Band and Chorus performed their concert on Thursday evening.  The students performed various drum circles and old time popular music for the audience.  They did a wonderful job.  A big thank you to Mr. Nagle who always directs a wonderful show.  


Supporting Young Readers
The Building Readers newsletter has practical suggestions for families supporting elementary readers. See theMAY 2012 BUILDING READERS newsletter.

Is Registration Still on your To Do List?

Student registration for the 2012-2013 school year is happening online now. Note that returning students–as well as those new to District 96–must be registered for the upcoming school year. In April, the District sent emails including registration links and instructions. If you missed the email(s), please call the public information coordinator at 847.459.4260, ext. 7722, as soon as possible. Don't delay–families who register by midnight on Friday, May 18, will save $20 per student.

Thank you Girl Scout Troop 41040

Girl Scout Troop 41040 helped to clean up the school grounds last week in honor of Earth Day.  They collected several bags of trash, which really helped to spruce things up on the property.  Prairie appreciates your time and efforts in keeping our school grounds clean.

Box Tops for Education

We recently received a check from Box Tops in the amount of $160.10.  Please know that all proceeds from Box Tops go directly back to students.  Please keep clipping those Box Tops.  

Drop off and Pick Up Reminder
Please remember that the staff parking lot should not be used for drop off or pick up at any time.  Before and after school traffic in this lot is heavy and student safety is of the utmost concern.  In the morning, please use the front circle for drop off and after school the circle on Kingsbridge.  Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students safe.

A Message from H.O.T

A big thank you to Prairie students, parents, and staff for bringing in all of your outgrown books for Bernie's Book Bank. Our students set a goal of collecting 4,000 books in two weeks and we exceeded our goal with some classrooms bringing in over 700 books!! Many great books were collected for a variety of age groups. Our donations will benefit kids from around the Chicagoland area and help them to enjoy reading as much as we do! Thank you so much for all of your support in making this drive a great success!

Principal Coffee and Parent Technology Training

During the next Principal's Coffee on May 17th from 2:00 - 3:00pm, you will experience first-hand, the technology and applications your child uses at Prairie School. Please mark your calendar for this event. We look forward to seeing you there.

PTO News

Check out this week's PTO Newsletter for current happenings in the PTO.

Upcoming Dates

• 5/9 Prairie Celebrates Learning (formerly Portfolio Night), 6:30 - 7:30pm
• 5/17 Principal's Coffee at 2pm - Technology Topic...more to come...please contribute to our survey
• 5/23 PTO General Meeting and Board Elections, 9:30am
• 5/24 5th grade transition day, 9am
• 5/24 5th grade beginning band concert at TG at 7pm
• 5/25 Half Day of School, 11:45am dismissal
• 5/28 No School - Memorial Day
• 5/31 - Kindergarteners to visit Prairie at 1pm
• 5/31 Talent Show at 7pm
• 6/1 Field Day
• 6/4 Field Day Rain Date
• 6/5 5th Grade Party starting at 12:15pm