Last Movie Night - This Thursday!
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Join us for our last Movie Night of the 2022- 2023 school year this Thursday, May 4th from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm. We will be watching The Peanuts Movie and working on decorations for Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week.
We are still looking for volunteers. We need your help if we're going to have popcorn. Sign up here.
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Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week Is Next Week!
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Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week is May 8th - 12th. Mr. Davis, D65 and the PTA have lots of special things planned for our wonderful staff next week. Your students should be bringing home a flyer with more information, but here's where we can use your help:
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- Have your student fill out this Fan Mail for one or more of their teachers.
- Donate School Supplies for our Teacher Swag Bags. Order directly from our wishlist or drop-off in the donation bin in the Kingsley Lobby.
- Bring in treats! The PTA will be stocking the Teachers Lounge with snacks next week but more is always appreciated. No need to sign up, just drop it off when convenient.
- Chalk our Walk on Sunday, May 7th! Help fill our sidewalks with messages of appreciation so our Teachers & Staff feel like Stars when they come to school on Monday. Chalk will be provided.
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Key Dates
Wednesday, 5/3: School Improvement – Early Dismissal
Thursday, 5/4: Movie & Craft for Teacher Appreciation Week 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Week of 5/8 - 5/12: Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week
Friday, 5/12: Kingsley Fun Run - during PE classes
Tuesday, 5/16: KinderSing - Kindergarten music program @ 2:00 pm
Wednesday, 5/24: BINGO - **postponed** until SY 2023-2024
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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month
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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, which honors the contributions and achievements of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the culture, history, and achievements of the United States. AAPI month was first established in 1978 as a week-long celebration and was later expanded to a month-long observance in 1992.
From civil rights activists to innovators in science and technology, Asian Americans have contributed to all aspects of American life. Here are just a few examples of notable Asian Americans:
- Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian American elected to the U.S. Congress in 1957. He served three terms in Congress and was a leading voice for civil rights and immigration reform.
- Yuri Kochiyama was a civil rights activist who worked alongside Malcolm X and other prominent figures in the Black Power movement. Influenced by her family’s experience in an American internment camp, she was a vocal advocate for Asian American rights and worked to build bridges between different marginalized communities.
- Bruce Lee was a martial artist, actor, and filmmaker who popularized martial arts in the United States. He also advocated for racial equality and challenged stereotypes of Asian men in Hollywood.
- Tammy Duckworth is the first Thai American women elected to Congress and currently serves as the junior senator from Illinois. Tammy is the first woman with a disability elected to Congress and the first senator to give birth while in office. She is a leading voice for veterans and women’s rights.
- Patsy Matsu Mink (nee Takemoto) was the first woman of color and the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress. She is known for her work on legislation advancing women’s rights and education and co-authored the Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or toher educational program that received federal funding.
Here is a link to books that you can read with your Kingsley Comets to celebrate AAPI Month: https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/asian-americans/
Please also check out the Umbrella Arts Festival on May 13: https://www.evanstonaspa.org/umbrella-arts-festival-2023
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The 2nd Annual Kingsley Fun Run
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The Fun Run on Friday, May 12th is gaining momentum! Keep it coming!
We have seen great progress in the fundraiser portion so far and we know the kids are getting excited. Please keep working on getting the kids excited about physical fitness while also raising money for our school & district, and earning GREAT PRIZES!
- Students will participate during their PE class.
- Students will run (or walk or skip or roll) laps on the Haven track while volunteers count their laps. **Sign-up to help here.**
- Donations benefit the Kingsley PTA/D65 PTA One Fund and there are great prizes (extra recess, popsicle party, etc.) for the students based on how much we earn!
- Donate on the Fun Run website. We've already reached a couple of our incentives and are working on more fun prizes.
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Honor a Teacher Through Foundation 65
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Foundation 65, an independent grant-making organization that invests in educator-led initiatives to support educational equity in D65, has an Honor A Teacher program that allows us to say thank you to educators who have been working so hard for all of our children this year. Educators who are recognized with a donation in their honor will receive a digital card from Foundation 65, including your name and a personal note.* Go to www.foundation65.org/honor-a-teacher to make your gift and craft your personal note today.
*Gifts must be received by May 5 in order to send a personal note. The gift amount will not be shared publicly with the teacher.
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YWCA’s 21-Day Racial Equity & Social Justice Challenge
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The Kingsley Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Committee invites you to join us in the YWCA’s 21-Day Racial Equity & Social Justice Challenge. The Challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to learn about racial equity and build more effective social justice habits. Each day, you choose from activities such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, watching a short video, reflecting on personal experience and getting to know people and organizations who do anti-racism work.
The challenge started yesterday Monday, May 1 but you can still sign up! We will complete an activity each weekday (you will get weekends off). At the end of each week, I will ask for your reflections / learnings (anonymously) and share back out with the group. We will then meet in person at the end of the challenge to share our reflections and learnings as a group.
If you are interested in participating, please email me (jillkidd@me.com) so I can communicate with the group and sign up for the Challenge here.
Looking forward to learning with you! Please reach out to jillkidd@me.com with any questions.
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Reid Garden - Volunteers Needed
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Planting is in progress at Kingsley! Your child may have participated in our indoor seed starting project or built bug hotels to help prepare for the season. These activities allow students to learn the life cycle of plants, develop a sense of ownership and responsibility of the school garden, improve motor skills, and many more benefits. This is just the beginning and there is plenty of time for you and your child to get involved.
Here are some “no experience needed” ways to volunteer:
- Farmer Fridays during recess from 11:00 am – 1:30 pm - Sign up here
- Wednesday Workdays from 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm - No RSVP needed
- Family Days on the 4th Sunday or 2nd Saturday - Sign up here
If you have any questions, please email tried.true.treed@gmail.com.
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PEP Updates and Ways to Get Involved!
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There are lots of ways to get involved and help out with upcoming PEP (PTA Equity Project) events and initiatives. Read on!
- PEP Fest is coming up on Saturday, June 3rd, from 11:00 am - 6:00 pm, and your help is needed! Sign up to help at the PTA booth or to help make the event a success by setting up, tearing down, etc. PEP organizers are also seeking in-kind donations of a photographer, DJ, and tent loans. Sign up HERE.
- In honor of Teacher Appreciation week, PEP is organizing a chalk the walk at every D65 school on 5/7/2023! Sign up HERE.
- The PEP Hygiene Drive is ongoing - sign up HERE to benefit every school in D65.
- SAVE THE DATE for the PEP EXPO! May 24th, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm. Location TBD. This meeting will be held in-person, feature presentations from each working group, and is open to the larger D65 community to learn about PEP.
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Volunteers Needed - Book Closet on May 12th
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The Kingsley Book Closet is open one more Friday before the end of the school year! We are looking for volunteers to help students select books as their classes come throughout the day. We need a few volunteers for Friday, May 12th. Please sign up here if you're able to help out!
We are also accepting donations for the book closet again, which can be left in the cabinet labeled Book Closet outside the Kingsley library OR dropped off at Jill Kidd's front porch (2740 Eastwood Avenue). We especially need books for older readers (3rd - 5th grade). Questions? Contact Katy Shapiro (katywshapiro@gmail.com) or Jill Kidd (jillkidd@me.com).
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District-Wide Native Plant Sale
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Save the date for the 2nd Annual District - Wide Native Plant Sale on Sat, May 13, 2023 from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm! Online pre-orders will be available for pickup and there will be lots of native plants for sale in-person.
We’re also looking for volunteers to help make this sale a success. Please sign up here to help support all our D65 students!
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Lunch Help
Thank you to everyone who continues to help out at lunch! Responsibilities are to circulate throughout both sides of the room, help open lunch items, help maintain a sense of order, and encourage students to remain seated.
Interested in helping? Sign-up in advance here or just show up the day off. Please remember to check-in with Ms. Dietsch in the office upon arrival. Thank you!
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Fortnightly Dance Lessons
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Haven Middle School Transition Newsletter
Principal Latting has created a special newsletter for rising 6th graders which outlines next steps leading up to the end of this year and what's ahead for August 2023. Please read and sign up here.
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Reading Confidence Sessions For Girls Ages 8-15
Armor Down Girls, an organization founded by Oakton Elementary's Dr. Parsons and devoted to inspiring girls’ confidence by increasing their self-esteem, is offering sessions to build confidence through literacy for girls ages 8-15. Sessions take place twice a month on Tuesdays at Robert Crown Community Center from 4:30-5:30 pm. See here for more information.
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District 65's Digital Backpack
The backpack is a free site screened and maintained by District 65 to share our community's youth and family events and programs. The more the community uses the site, the more organizations will regularly take advantage of this resource for the benefit of us all.
To visit the Digital Backpack, click here.
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Everyday Shopping Supports Kingsley
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Kingsley Spiritwear Store
Kingsley has partnered with 1st Place Spiritwear to have an on-demand, online spiritwear store available all year round. We’ll earn back 10% of sales for the PTA, so you can feel good knowing that your purchase will support the Kingsley community. Order today!
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Note: All students will receive a free Kingsley t-shirt this Spring (students receive free t-shirts every other year).
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Box Tops
Box Tops are going virtual! Download the Box Tops app, shop as you normally would, then use the app to scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase. Learn more here.
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Calendar
Please click here to view the latest version of Kingsley's annual at-a-glance calendar.
We encourage all families to click here to sign up for D65's weekly Fast 5 email blast. It includes important events relevant to all district parents. You can find the D65 calendar for 2022-23 and 2023-24 here.
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Questions?
If you have questions, ideas or would like to get involved at Kingsley, contact Co-Presidents Erin Wade (she/her) at erinwade.pta@gmail.com and Sarah Weidaw (she/her) at sarah.weidaw.pta@gmail.com.
If someone you know would like to sign up to receive the Kingsley Elementary PTA weekly newsletter, please have them fill out the form here.
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