High quality literacy for all!

Safety and service are the cornerstones of our Panther Curbside Library!  

The musical stylings of the incredible Mr. Berlinghof an added bonus!

It continues to be amazing to see and connect with our families (practicing appropriate social distancing of course).

Enjoy the time reading together as a family, and we'll work hard to keep the material coming!

Stay and be well!

Our instructional focus

As has been shared from the very beginning of this remote learning experience, our goal is to ensure an impactful and equitable educational experience for ALL children.  Each day we strive to create opportunities that are: open-ended, involve student choice, and engaging.  We believe in multiple pathways to student success.  Accordingly, our instructional focus during this time continues to be on reviewing essential learning from throughout the year, while strategically targeting 2-3 core standards per content area for the fourth quarter. 

Here is a link to a family friendly version of the 2-3 core standards that are the focus of each grade level’s instruction for reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.  (Documents also attached below.)  This document reflects the strategically prioritized learning goals for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level by the end of the year.  We hope it helps you to further guide and support your child’s learning at home.  Please reach out to your child’s teacher or any member of our school team with questions or other wonderings.

We are keenly aware of the many challenges and longer-term impact this time away from school is going to have for many children and families.  We will continue to work together to devise creative solutions to support the growth and development of each child.  Our goal remains to maintain proactive and consistent communication with families to ensure emotional and academic support to the fullest extent possible.  We are confident in the strength and possibility of our partnership.

Order reminder

The pigeon was getting a bit jealous!  Don't forget to send your book order into library@eps73.net  by 6:00PM tonight for pick-up on Thursday. 

Service with a smile...though you can't see it because of the mask :)

 

Round one of the Panther Curbside Library was an immense success!  We filled 34 orders and distributed more than 100 books this first go round.

A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Patterson and Mr. Kramer for dreaming up and providing this wonderful opportunity to our kids, families, and teachers!

Don't forget to get your orders in for next week.  Here again are the details.  Email us at library@eps73.net and enjoy your literary adventures!

Panther Curbside Library open for business!

Rain or shine, book delivery must go on!  If it is not raining book pick-up will occur on the curb alongside Dobson Street.  In the event of rain, book pick-up will occur out of Door 14 (Dobson Street).  Please make sure to practice appropriate social distancing when gathering your materials. 

Also, rumor has it that on nice days there will be a musical accompaniment to our Thursday book pick-up routine.  The musical talents and instrumental stylings of our very own Mr. Berlinghof are set to be showcased on these days!  It simply doesn’t get any better than this!

Morning announcements (inspiration included)

Here are the morning announcements for this week.  In addition to being incredibly informative and very funny, Griffin's message is thoughtful and inspiring.  I think it is a message that is important for all of us to hear and take to heart.

Thank you!

We want to recognize and thank all of the first responders and essential workers within our East Prairie community.  Thank you to our doctors, nurses, healthcare providers, caregivers, and emergency response personnel. Thank you to our law enforcement officers, fire fighters, EMTs, and public safety workers.  Thank you to those supporting the availability of food from farm to table, including every responsibility in between. Thank you to our custodial and maintenance crews on the very front lines. Thank you to our energy and electricity providers, as well as, waste and utility workers.  Thank you to our bus drivers, truck drivers, conductors, pilots, and movers of transportation. Thank you to those in public works, infrastructure, communications, and information support. Thank you to our government, community, and postal workers. Thank you to those who make and manufacture and those who deal with hazardous material.  Thank you to our commercial and financial workers. Thank you to teachers, educators, and childcare workers who have shown us all that schools truly teach. Thank you to those who venture out to volunteer and serve. Thank you to those who shelter in place to save lives. Thank you to each of you for your support, partnership, and unwavering commitment to our community!

High-quality literature for all!

The Panther Curbside Library is open for business beginning next week.  This service will be provided each week to our school community. Click this link to get started.

Panther Curbside Library coming soon...

That’s right...you heard it from Elephant and Piggie first!  In order to make sure that every child and family has access to high-quality literature we are rolling out a brand new library system.  The Panther Curbside Library is open for business beginning next week. Click this link or see the attached letter for all of the details on how to place your order.  A huge thank you to Mrs. Patterson and Mr. Kramer for making this amazing support a reality for our school community! 

STEM gratitude & the return of the morning announcements

A very special and East Prairie style THANK YOU to our first responders and those working to serve others during this challenging time.

By popular demand, we are pleased to welcome back Griffin Larson-Erf with our weekly morning announcements.  Griffin writes, directs, and produces this program all on his own.  His wit, humor, and positivity are second to none.  Enjoy!

Primary supplies & STEM magic

Thank you to our primary team for dropping off materials and supplies for ALL of our preK, kindergarten, first, and second grade students this week.  This will help to make the remote learning experience even more meaningful and developmentally appropriate for our youngest panthers.  The logistics of this operation alone are impressive, only exceeded by the care.  Thank you to our staff for their unwavering commitment to kids!

Shout out to Ainsley Flintz on her STEM project this week.  

Well played, Ainsley!

Guidebook for Families

Here is a link to our Remote Learning Guidebook for Families.  This comprehensive guidebook provides families with information and updates on our remote learning program, as well as, shares a multitude of resources for supporting learning at home.

This guidebook will help support families with the following topics:

• establishing routines and schedules
• setting up a home work space
• food & nutrition information
• social-emotional learning
• mindfulness (for kids and adults)
• active movement and breaks
• strategies for supporting reading at home
• math games for the whole family
• self-care and mental health

Remote Learning revision - week 2

Based upon the feedback of families, students, and teachers, we have made a few adjustments headed into our second week of remote learning:

• The Attendance Check-In Form will continue to be the primary tool for checking students in; however, we want to be as flexible and accommodating to the needs of families as possible.  Should completing this form daily be a challenge, please connect with your child’s homeroom/life skills teacher regarding alternatives.
• Families are no longer required to submit the Daily Work Completion Form.  We will continue to keep this form active as a tool for gathering feedback from families and students.
• Daily lessons will be posted on the EPS Remote Learning Home Page the night before for families that would like to preview and plan ahead. 
• We will be utilizing a pass/incomplete system for grading in remote learning.  You will receive a comprehensive Parent Guidebook to Remote Learning later this week detailing this and other information, as well as, provide a compilation of useful resources for supporting families with remote learning.
• The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) granted schools five remote learning planning days.  Our staff will be using the following days for planning our instruction: 4/13, 4/27, 5/11, 5/26, and one day to be determined at the end of the year.  On these days, students will continue to be provided with their lesson plans; however, teachers will not be accessible for communication, as they will be engaged in collaboration and professional learning.
• It was wonderful to receive feedback on how much our community values and appreciates face-to-face interactions.  We are working hard to further expand these opportunities in ways that are viable for both teacher and student, while ensuring the online safety and privacy of all.
• Our primary team is coordinating a materials pick up for later this week to help reduce the amount of screen time required for our youngest students.  

In order to help answer questions, address concerns, and talk through other wonderings, our administrative team (Dr. Thompson, Mr. Stephen, Ms. Yasutake, and Mr. Schmeisser) is hosting three Q&A sessions this week through Google Hangouts.  Dates, times, and links to access below:

Tuesday, 4/7, at 6:30PM (prior to the PTA meeting)

Wednesday, 4/8, at 9:00AM

Thursday, 4/9, at 3:00PM

Thank you for your feedback as we work together to grow and improve this educational experience to best meet the needs of our children. 

Panther pride

In an attempt to further build community and connect with one another during this time we have shared panther paws.

Here is a link to print out your own panther paws. We also have them ready for pick-up by the main entrance (with meal pick-up).

We encourage you to put a paw in your window or creatively somewhere in your yard. Kids can look for and count paws throughout the neighborhood during walks outside. Small gestures can have a big impact!