It was a fantastic finish to the week for our 8th graders and soon to be graduates. There was a fierce, yet friendly, volleyball game versus our staff (shout out to our staffletes with the win) 
AND the graduation dance! It has been an immense joy to recognize, honor, and celebrate our soon to be graduates.
Thank you to Mrs. Rice, the first grade team, and our families for pulling together to provide the very memorable fishing field trip for our students. Warmth, sunshine, community, and lots of fish made for a perfect day!
Congratulations to the East Prairie track and field team on a very successful season! Thank you to Ms. Ingrassia and Mr. Boule for their encouragement and leadership coaching.
Thank you to the University of Chicago and East Prairie Team for partnering together on a cutting edge Family STEAM & Math Night. The evening was a fabulous opportunity to bring our community together and first hand explore, create, and learn about the transformative happenings of our STEAM lab and Community Connection Center (makerspace).
Areas of focus included circuitry (Makey Makey), robotics and controlled technology (Code & Go Colby), manufacturing technology (Tinkercad/3D printing & Ozobots), mechanics and structures (City Engineering & Design), environmental technology (Snap Circuits Green Energy), communication and media arts (stop motion), as well as, freeze the fun with liquid nitrogen ice cream, diving into discovery with local fish and getting mesmerized by magnetic marvels.
Thank you to Ms. Sarantakis, Mrs. Mortell, Ms. Dantino, & Mr. Abraham for their creative collaboration. Thank you to Dr. Forghani and the University of Chicago for their stalwart partnering. And a HUGE thank you to our student tech experts for helping, wowing, and inpspring all! Our STEAM and fine arts programming is one more example of the educational excellence afforded our students.
Our seventh grade students and math team ventured to Northwestern University today for a visit and special tour. Seeing and experience is a first step to achieving and realizing - what a powerful, inspirational, and aspirational experience for kids!
Throughout the school year, the entirety of our staff explicitly teach, reteach, review, and model our common behavioral expectations for students. We double down on this practice come spring and the final weeks of the school year.
As a staff we seek a 3:1 ratio (at least) of positive reinforcement to redirection, knowing that there is no meaningful correction without connection. Pawsomes are one of the ways that we specifically recognize, praise, and reinforce positive behavior throughout our school. Our entire team seeks to regularly give Pawsomes, along with specific feedback to students to recognize and celebrate prosocial behavior. Students are then provided with a sticker and hearty congratulations from our office staff, as well as, the opportunity to win prizes from our weekly Pawsome raffle on Fridays.
Throughout the year we have worked towards the goal of collectively earning 12,000+ Pawsomes, and in reaching that goal got to duct tape me wall!
Our sixth grade trip to White Pines Ranch was a fabulous connection and community building opportunity.
