Curriculum Night

Thank you to all of our families for coming out and spending the evening with us at Curriculum Night!  This was a wonderful opportunity to come together, connect, and learn more about all of the exciting educational opportunities that lie ahead!

We appreciate the confidence and trust you place in us, and love the opportunity to work with and learn alongside your children!

And I think the kids had some fun as well!!!

Artistic additions

Yesterday saw the addition of many new details throughout the building.  The East Prairie art vault has been opened, with our exquisite collection beginning to make it onto the walls of our school.  

These artistic touches help to further foster a warm and welcoming school environment, while empowering all students to see themselves as artists and innovators.  We will be adding student writing and other creations with time.  

Graphics packages were also added to student living areas, hallways, and the gyms.  Interesting fact, all of the quotes were selected by our teachers, adding a truly personal touch to the inspirational messaging. 

BPAC ice cream social

Thank you to our families for the tremendous turnout at today's Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee meeting.  This was an amazing event to bring our families together and kick off the year in a really upbeat, informative, and delicious way.  Thank you to Ms. Wydmanski, Mrs. Smith, and Mr. Nissan for their leadership and coordination.  We are excited for the year ahead and for all of the opportunities for us to come together and support kids!

     

             

Teambuilding time!

 

It has been an absolute blast to take team building activities to the intermediate grades and middle school!  These activities have upped the ante, and focus on communication and collaboration.  

In marble run, teams must move the marble from start to finish using only the PVC pipe provided while maintaining forward momentum the entire time.

The blindfolded obstacle course challenges teams to navigate an obstacle course together, relying on the direction and communication of an effective partnership.

This time continues to be an outstanding way for me to get to meet and learn about our students, while building connections in a positive and energetic way!  The debriefs, follow-up conversations, and takeaways have been as fulfilling and enjoyable as the activities themselves!

Congratulations Mrs. Dovijarov!

Congratulations to our Spanish teacher, Lilian Dovijarov, on being awarded an Excellence in Education Grants for Teachers Programs Award through the Illinois Retired Teachers Association. 

Mrs. Dovijarov’s grant was to expand the Spanish language literature of her classroom with high interest and age appropriate picture books, graphic novels, and texts. As you can see below, she has already built quite the collection to ensure students not only learn how to speak another language, but read, write, think, and appreciate it as well! Way to go Mrs. Dovijarov!!!

Thank you Mrs. Mansour's class!

I really enjoyed the opportunity for us to come together and have some fun!  Fabulous start to another fantastic day at East Prairie!  

A culture of community

The opportunity to be in classrooms and to see the excitement of children immersed in new learning, while observing the craft of excellent teaching, is one of my favorite parts of being principal.

Relationships are at the heart of what we do!  Positive, trusting, and caring relationships empower a school community to reach its highest heights and recognize its fullest potential.  Accordingly, our teachers make team and community building a central focus of their practice throughout the entirety of the year.

Throughout September, I will join every classroom for read aloud and team building activities.  These moments provide me the opportunity to learn more about each of our students, while building relationships in an active, fun, and engaging way!