Paraprofessional Appreciation!!!

 

East Prairie is fortunate to have the most extraordinary team of paraprofessionals!  Each and every day this team goes above and beyond to support every child and grown-up within our community.  From the smiling faces that first greet your child(ren) each morning to every aspect of school that happens next, our paraprofessionals are instrumental in working alongside our teachers to ensure positive, impactful, and meaningful educational experiences for you child(ren).  Thank you to Mr. Ali, Mrs. Byron, Ms. Dickhut, Ms. Ford, Ms. Greco, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Hopson, Ms. Mahmood, Mrs. Marin, Mrs. Murkis, Mrs. Nasreen, Mrs. Pak, Mrs. Poznanovic, Ms. Simkins, and Ms. Singer for EVERYTHING they do to make East Prairie the very special place it is!

Mentoring - We're Growing! (Cohort 3)

We are thrilled to have further expanded our mentoring program to our intermediate students. Many of our middle school mentees, who have successfully navigated the program for the past 2 years, now have the opportunity to serve as mentors to our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. These students are enrolled in quarter 4 mentoring elective class led by Mrs. Mortell that will help to further train and guide them in this work. 

This extension now includes 92 students in 3rd-12th grade helping to lead this work and actualize our mission “to enhance the academic, social, and emotional growth of the students in our community through meaningful connections with one another.”

Bravo!!!

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Shrek Jr. on a pair of phenomenal performances this week! 99 of our middle school students were involved in the acting, singing, dancing, set design, prop creation, lighting, sound, and technical work required to bring this story to life.

It is amazing to see the attention, care, and detail that went into making this production the smashing success it was! 

Thank you to Mr. Oliveira and Ms. Wade for their guidance, creativity, and leadership supporting every aspect of this endeavor.  Thank you to the East Prairie Education Foundation for the grant money to make the production possible. 

Thank you to our families for their involvement and support.  Above all, thank you to our students for sharing their talents with all of us.  Bravo!  If “all the world’s a stage” our students are more than ready to make it a great show!

Parents & Partnership

East Prairie is proud to have partnered with the ELL Parent Center for the sixth year to provide the Parent in Schools Program.  This program is a nationally recognized parent engagement model that builds deep and lasting relationships between students, teachers, and parents.   Thank you to Ms. Shoaib, Ms. Syeda, Ms. Hasan, Ms. Naz, and Ms. Oaida for their incredible commitment to our community.  Thank you to Ms. Hernandez, Ms. Kath, Mrs. Mehr, Mrs. Berkowitz, Ms. Wydmanski, and Mrs. Foti for opening their classroom doors to our families and this opportunity.

 

At East Prairie, this program has been a phenomenal way to involve parents within our classroom and further connect with our community.

Q3 is in the books!

 We officially wrapped up quarter 3 with pajama day and an all school pep rally. 

The pep rally brought us together to celebrate our students, teachers, teams, and accomplishments, while also having some fun! 

We were treated to amazing performances by our cheerleading team and the cast of Shrek Jr., as well as some fun games, competitions,

and of course pie - it is after all “pie day” (3.14) for our math loving friends :)

Carnival for a Cause!

Thank you to the PTA, our students, families and teachers, for coming together at the carnival to celebrate and have fun in support of a great cause! Featuring a dunk booth, duck races, face painting, "tattoo" parlor, fortune telling, and lots of games a terrific time was had by all!

Thank you for participating in this year’s PTA fundraising week!  Thanks to the online auction and carnival, we were able to raise $4,000, making a real difference for our kids, teachers, and families.  Your amazing generosity and engagement help us create wonderful family events and experiences all year long!  Thank you!

Beyond amazing events, the PTA also helps ensure every child gets lunch by assisting families in need.  This immense care and generosity also supports our staff, making them feel valued and appreciated.  The PTA does so much for so many!  Our community thrives thanks to the PTA's dedication to our kids, families, and teachers.

Learning & Wellbeing

 

While we take tremendous pride in all of the professional learning we do together, we were truly fortunate to have welcomed Dr. Tina Boogren to East Prairie for last Friday’s institute day.  Dr. Boogren is a world renowned practitioner helping to lead our field in educator wellness. 

Educator wellness is “a continuous, active process toward achieving a positive state of good health and enhanced physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being” (Kanold & Boogren, 2022). 

It is an ongoing journey of self-reflection and personal growth - ensuring we are our best selves, to support our students and community to the fullest extent possible.  We will continue to build on this learning, and put it into practice throughout the year.  We are beyond grateful for the opportunity to truly engage, interact with, and learn from the leading thinkers in our field!

We also had some fun putting our Community Connections Center to good use!