Eagle E-News

From Principal Griffin Sonntag and Assistant Principal Joni Sherman 

Gym Floor Capital Campaign Update
I am very pleased to report that CHMS is on track to install the new gym floor this summer!  We are currently at $87,500 in donations, plus commitments for additional donations once we know the exact cost of the project.  If you had wanted to make a donation but haven’t yet done so, please drop it off in the office at CHMS right away.  I can’t thank everyone enough for your support of this project.  This is going to be an amazing upgrade to our athletic and physical education facilities and will benefit students for a generation to come.
 
Here are the next steps and tentative timelines for our process:
1.  Bid out the project at the end of March.  Mike Loughlin and I have met with multiple representatives and have seen many different hardwood floor options.  Who would have known how many different floor types and installation systems there are out there?  Both Mike and I are very confident that we will get the highest quality floor at the very best price.  
 
2.  Open the bids in mid-April and select the future gymnasium floor at CHMS.  It would be at this point that we would let you know how much the floor will cost and solicit additional donations should that be necessary.
 
3.  Install floor during the summer (3-5 week process)
 We have come a long way in just three short months.  This is a great, real-life lesson about setting a goal and working diligently towards that goal.  I believe it is also a testament to the CHMS School Community’s generosity and continued commitment to providing the very best for our school and ultimately, our kids! 
 
For any questions or for more information, please contact Mr. Griffin Sonntag at gsonntag@d181.org.
 
SELAS Week
This week is SELAS Week!  SELAS Week was originally scheduled for January, but was postponed due to the split schedule.  We are excited to celebrate social emotional learning with our students this week.  During long advisory this Tuesday and Wednesday, students will have discussions about stress, empathy, and making good decisions.  All students will also be participating in a Service Project on Friday.  Thank you to all of the parents who have volunteered to help with the service projects!
 
Once on This Island
Tickets are still available for this year’s musical, “Once on This Island”.  Performances will take place on Wednesday, March 19^th through Saturday, March 22^nd at 7:00 p.m.   Tickets cost $8.00 and can be purchased in advance during all lunch periods.  You can also buy them at the door if they are still available on the night of the show.  We hope you’ll come out and see our talented students in action!
 
 ISAT Make-Ups
We already completed many of our make-up tests last week, but we have more to go.  If your child missed a test and has not yet made it up, he/she will get a notice from his/her advisor with the exact day/time/location of their make-up test.  We are trying to limit the amount of time that students are pulled from core classes and also vary the times students are pulled if they missed multiple tests.  If you have any questions about make-up testing, please contact Mrs. Joni Sherman at jsherman@d181.org.
 
PARCC Field Tests
During the week of March 24, a few of our 6^th and 8^th grade Language Arts classes will be field testing the new PARCC assessment that will be in place next year.  PARCC stands for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, and the PARCC assessment will replace the ISAT assessment next spring.  While we will not find out how our students performed on this field test, we hope that piloting the test will give us some insight into the level of rigor of the test as well as the technical requirements of this computer-based test to help us prepare for next year.  If your child will be participating in the PARCC field test in March, a letter was sent home with your child with additional information.  Two of our 7^th grade math classes will pilot another component of the PARCC test in May, and parents of students in these two classes will receive notification prior to testing.  If you have any questions about these PARCC field tests, please contact Mrs. Joni Sherman at jsherman@d181.org.
 

 

Just a Heads Up... 

Let’s go CHMS! Register for the 7th Annual Walk The Walk for Autism on Sunday, April 27th at The Community House

Pizza Wars coming May 2^nd 6-9 pm
We are looking for a creative person to help us design posters/publicity for this fun spring event.  Please contact Tanya Andoniadis at Tanya_andoniadis@sbcglobal.net or Iria Irlanda Jennings at irlanda94@gmail.com if you are able to help with the creative process.  Timeline is completion by April 7^th.
 
Final Call for Parenting Discussion Group

At the February PTO meeting licensed Counselor Linda Renzi spoke on the topic “Staying Connected to your Teen”.  We are in the final stages of putting together a CHMS discussion group for the months of April and May.  You will read portions of parenting books and Linda will facilitate a 90 minute, monthly discussion.   Cost is dependent on the number of people interested, but will be roughly $25 per session.  Please contact Kim Anderson at Tom.kim-anderson@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday, March 19^th if you are interested in trying it out for the months of April and May.
 
Internet Safety/Bullying Presentation Follow-up
Officer Jeff Bean, Woodridge Police Officer and Founder of Act on Bullying gave an excellent presentation earlier this week at the March PTO meeting.  If you were unable to attend we are attaching a reference sheet that he provided for parents.  He is also preparing a brief recap of the presentation that we will share with you soon.   He can be reached at actonbullying@gmail.com.
 
Heroin Education for All Grades
Robert Crown Center for Health will be coming to CHMS to talk to the students on the topic of Heroin.  The presentation will be given during the morning on the following days: 6^th grade - April 8^th, 7^th grade – April 9^th and 8^th grade – April 16^th and is sponsored by the PTO.  RCC spoke to 50+ parents at the October PTO meeting and it was unanimous that this topic needed to be presented to the students.  A follow-up parent night will be offered by RCC the evening of Wednesday, April 16^th, so if you missed the October PTO meeting please mark your calendars to attend.  Please contact Social Worker Jenny Steinhebel (jsteinhebel@d181.org) with questions. 

6^th Grade Happenings
Encourage your child to participate in “Why Try”.  The small group workshop will meet over 10 weeks Tuesdays at lunch starting March 25^th   The goal is to provide students with skills to help them become more successful in school.  Check out the 6^th grade tab of the PTO website www.chmspto.org for more information, as well as to print the permission form.  Questions can be directed to Ele Santini, 6^th Grade Social Worker at esantinid181.org.

 HCHS Welcome Coffee for 8^th Grade Parents
Hinsdale Central High School will offer a welcome coffee for 8^th grade parents on Thursday, May 1^st at 9 am in the HC Cafeteria Annex.  Administrators will speak, school tours will be given and HCHS spirit wear (which makes a perfect 8^th grade graduation gift) will be on sale.  Check the 8^th grade tab on the CHMS PTO website for other items of interest for your soon to be freshman!