A Message From Our Principal
September 4, 2023
Hello IJP Families!
It is hard to believe that it is September already. August really flew by, but it has truly been an exciting start to the new school year. From the morning drop-offs and welcoming our students into school each day, to having the opportunity to meet and chat with parents during Back-To-School Night. As I walk through the halls and pop into classrooms, these spaces are filled with the sounds of robust learning taking place and the happy faces of our students as they are engaged with their learning. It is a beautiful sight to see. Your children are super amazing and they love our school!
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT IJP?
iReady Diagnostic Testing Window 1 for our school begins September 5, 2023 - through September 29, 2023. Look for information through Class Dojo for the testing schedule specific to your child(s) grade division. Academic preparation is not required as we will be assessing where a student is at in their understanding of Reading and Math concepts. As a family, please make sure students are well rested and have a healthy breakfast as preparation for the diagnostic exams. If your child has a Catholic Education Plan and you have questions about their accommodations, please contact Ms. Carol Johnson via email at cjohnson@ijpschool.org.
Primary/Intermediate Divisions (Grades 1-5)
Math i-Ready Diagnostics begins the week of September 5th
Reading i-Ready Diagnostics begins the week of September 11th
Middle School Division:
Math i-Ready Diagnostics begin on Tuesday, September 12th
Reading i-Ready Diagnostics begins on Monday, September 18th
House Is In Session!
The IJP House System is established to help students build relationships with other students and teachers who are not in their homeroom class. Students and teachers work together in their House to build community spirit and complete through academic and service projects. House members create, collaborate, communicate, think critically, and use technology to enhance their education. Through House, members encourage teamwork and help instill our Kingsmen Code tenets which make our school run smoothly. Members are awarded House points for their positive behavior, excellent academic output on projects, and/or their house spirit. At the end of each school year, the “House Cup” is awarded to the House with the most points!
Ending Soon…PTO Mum Sale
The PTO Annual Chrysanthemum sale is underway! The order form was sent home with your child and can also be found by clicking on this link. All orders are payable via check or cash and must be paid in full by September 6th.
IJP EXTRA-CURRICULAR | ATHLETIC PROGRAMS
New Club/Activity Proposal Season Opens Soon!
Hey students! Is there a club or extracurricular activity that you would like to see happen here at IJP that we do not currently offer? Then complete the New Club/Activity Proposal Form. Proposal Forms will be available through your classroom teacher, the Front Office and Ms. Clotworthy’s Office. More details to follow.
iCook | Chess Wizards | Young Rembrandts
Our fun and exciting after school programs will begin in September. A Class Dojo message as well as an email has been sent out with registration information. Here’s what’s happening:
iCook begins September 11
Chess Wizards begins September 14
Young Rembrandts begins September 25
Registration is done strictly through each organization and not with the school. If you are interested please sign your child up as sessions may fill up quickly. Check Class Dojo or open the links below for more information:
iCook begins September 11
Chess Wizards begins September 14
Young Rembrandts begins September 25
Athletic Program
I am excited to say that things are falling into place. We will soon introduce to IJP our new Athletic Director and make preparations to begin our athletic program this month. I would like to introduce Track & Field and would be in need of a coach. If you can support us, please email. Be aware that all volunteers will need to complete biometric checks and Virtus training requirements. For information on this or anything else, please reach out to Diane Klupchak at dklupchak@ijpschool.org or Ms. Clotworthy at fclotworthy@ijpschool.org.
IJP Band
For new and continuing band students, our band program will begin in September. Students in grades 4-8 who are interested in learning a band instrument should join Band. The lessons will be held at school during afternoon classes on Mondays. Instruments offered include: Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone and Snare Drum. For more information and questions, please contact Mr. Gula, our Band Director at (708) 977-0227 or via email at mr.gula@aol.com.
Alter Servers
We are looking for Alter Servers. This is an opportunity for students in grades 4th - 8th to serve at St. Veronica Parish during Mass . If your child(ren) are interested, they are encouraged to attend the upcoming training sessions. Parent permission is required. Please use the link to register and for participation parent consent. For more information, please contact John McNichols via email at jmcnichols@archchicago.org or call (708) 799-5400 ext. 209.
PRIMARY DIVISION NEWS | PRE-K3 - 2ND GRADE
PreK3- 2nd Grade has been working hard these past two weeks with getting our youngest learners back in the swing of things!
PreK 3 Year Olds are busy working on getting acclimated to school and the classroom procedures. They are also beginning to assess current skills and building on those skills with each student individually.
Pre-K 4 Year Olds have been going over rules and daily classroom routines. They started alphabet recognition beginning with letter Aa and are looking forward to learning more about apples in September! See photos below:
Kindergarten is learning to make predictions about stories and learning to compare similar stories. They are also reviewing their shapes, colors, patterns and numbers.
First Grade for is working hard in the following subjects: ELA-Word Segmentation Introduction of Short vowel /a/a and inflection; Math-Sequencing/Differentiation and math facts (addition/subtraction); Religion-Faith formation-John 10
Second Grade is busy learning how to make a 10 to add numbers with sums larger than 10. They are also perfecting their sentence writing in order to begin writing paragraphs. They will be switching with first grade for social studies and science beginning next week!
INTERMEDIATE DIVISION NEWS
Students in the Intermediate Division began switching for classes and are doing well with the transitions between classes.
For all students we have been working on organization skills, using their “Red Folder” and assignment notebook effectively; how to discover learning through inquiry-based instruction and perspective taking.
Math: Students are making sense of problems, understanding and analyzing the meaning of math problems and looking for entry points to its solution. They will continue to develop and analyze the relationship between equations, verbal descriptions, tables, graphs, diagrams of important features and relationships; search for trends using concrete objects or pictures to help conceptualize and solve a problem.
ELA/Social Science/Science: Students are reviewing for understanding how to refer to details and examples in a text; Determining the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical or scientific text, understanding chronology, comparison, cause/effect problem/solution of events, ideas, concepts, or information.
MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION NEWS
Middle School is off to a great start. We are in "full swing" switching classes, learning, and
reviewing policies & procedures so that everyone has a successful year. It has been a pleasure to welcome fifteen new students to our Middle School family.
Eighth Grade has chosen the slogan for their graduation t-shirts, which is "There is so much in store for the Class of 2024!" Mrs. O'Donnell is working on a design for us.
Seventh Grader Maggie Lamb, asked Ms. Yovich, “...if we could possibly try to fry an egg on the sidewalk on 8/24/23 due to the temperature being 99+ degrees.” Ms. Yovich’s response…“Sure!”
Two eggs were placed in an aluminum pan, and one egg was placed right on the asphalt. During this short time, the yolk showed signs of cooking, but not the egg white. By 3:00 PM, the egg white had started to cook on the edges.
Special thanks to Ms. O’Donnell for keeping an eye on our “eggciting “eggs”periment (Ms. Yovich)!
Additional Notes from Ms. Yovich: “If we added a variable, such as using butter or oil, do YOU think the eggs would have cooked more while in the sun? Comment on your hypothesis!
Sixth Grade is getting reacquainted with Middle School. They are learning organizational skills and daily SEL routines. They are also learning Calming Classroom techniques.
Math/Reading i-Ready Diagnostics (for Middle School) will begin on Tuesday, September 12th. Reading will begin on Monday, September 18th. Please make sure students are well rested and have a healthy breakfast.
GENERAL REMINDERS
AM Drop-Off: Students are to arrive between 7:45am-8:00am in full uniform. Students are tardy after 8:05am
As you are dropping off your child, please remember to follow instructions of the parking lot attendants, Mr. Brush and Principal Clotworthy. Review the drop-off/pick-up policy in the Student & Parent/Guardian Handbook.
Dismissal times are as follows:
Pre-K- 2:40
Kindergarten- 2:45pm
1st-2nd- 2:50pm
3rd-5th- 2:55pm
6th-8th- 3:00pm
Extended Day
Before and after care is available beginning tomorrow, 8/17/2023. You may drop off as early as 6:45am. After care ends at 6:00pm. You will receive information before the end of the day today on how to set up your Procare account for signing in and out, setting up your billing details and your PIN.
School Uniform | Footwear
All students must wear athletic shoes every day. Students are to ONLY wear all white, all black, all red or a combination of black, red, and white shoe colors. NO OTHER COLORS ARE PRESENT, EVEN IN THE LACES OR ACCENTS (i.e no gray or multiple colors are permitted). Please refer to the Student & Parent/Guardian Handbook for the uniform policy.
Water Bottle Use
We will allow the use of water bottles until further notice. As a school team, we will continue to review the use of water bottles in school and monitor processes designed to minimize distractions of their use by students during class. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
DATES TO REMEMBER
September 4 No School - Labor Day
September 6 PTO Fundraiser Due-Fall Mums
September 9/5 - 9/29 iReady Diagnostic Window 1 (Reading/Math) - REVISED DATES
September 12 PTO Meeting (6pm Library)
September 13 Advisory Board Meeting (7pm-Library)
September 15 PTO Fundraiser Pickup After School-Fall Mums
September 19 Sacramental-All Connect Sessions (5:15pm-6:30pm/ School)
September 22 No School - Staff Development Day
October 4 Grade 7 & 8 Confirmation Meeting-Catholic* Students (6:30pm/ Church)
October 6-9 Fall Break
Dates provided by the Office of Religious Education (RE).
* Includes Catholic students who are participating in the Sacrament-ALL Connect program