Welcome Back Pep Rally!

  

Pep rallies are one of our favorite ways to come together, connect, celebrate, and have some fun as a whole school!  This year's kick off pep rally was filled with all those things. 

 

In one action-packed hour we: officially welcomed everyone back, took an all school picture, welcomed our new students+staff with our EPS tradition of "Cookie Face," heard from our Student Council Exec Board, reviewed our schoolwide expectations, played a balloon bump relay (teachers won), learned about our new pawsomes from 5th grade, talked school wide positive behavioral incentives, danced K Pop Demon Hunter style, and of course had pie (twice)!  We couldn't be more pumped for the year ahead!

We’re back!!!

The eager, enthusiastic, and energized East Prairie team!

Our team is back together and the energy is amazing!  We're learning, laughing, and getting ready for a sensational school year.  We can't wait to see our students!

This year, our institute days are dedicated to creating the best possible learning environment for all 536 of our students.  We are actively reflecting on our practices, building new skills, and implementing new strategies to meet the unique needs of every child we serve. 

We also spend significant time examining the "why" behind our work and its impact on the entire East Prairie community.  We believe our school's culture of care is unmatched, and we are committed to partnering with you to pursue educational excellence for your children and all students, each and every day!

The best teams work hard AND have fun :)

Panthers @ Emily Oaks

 Thank you to all of those who came out for last week’s back to school campfire!  It was wonderful to connect and see so many of our students and families again.

We had a blast playing camp games and dining on s'mores. We can't wait for what is sure to be a most memorable and successful school year!

Thank you the Emily Oaks team and Skokie Park District staff for partnering with us to build community!

Welcome New Panthers!!!

We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Cohn (MS ELA), Ms. Danielsen (MS math), Ms. Faith (5th grade), Mrs. Isaac (NLU intern), Ms. Klingsporn (MS math), Ms. Matzke (speech language pathologist), Ms. Nambo (EL teacher), and Ms. Wood (school psychologist) to our East Prairie team!

We had the opportunity during this week's new teacher induction to connect, learn, and have some fun together!  

We very much look forward to the care, ideas, and excellence each of these educators will add to our school community.  Thank you for helping to make each feel a valued and welcomed part of our community!

Welcome Back!!!

We couldn't be more excited to kick off the new year! Here is a welcome back letter for students, thank you for sharing it with your child(ren).

The start of a new school year is always a special time, full of potential and possibility.  We are thrilled to begin this journey with you, united in our goal to do something extraordinary for our students and community.  We know this year will bring its share of challenges and successes, and we look forward to learning and partnering with you every step of the way!

Student Letter

 Our heartfelt thanks go out for your steadfast belief, supportive actions, and consistent goodwill this school year. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of such a remarkable community.  Here is our end-of-year letter to students.

Wishing you and your family a restful, enjoyable, and most special summer!  Thank you for all that you do to make East Prairie the very special place it is!

Celebrating Success & Gratitude!

As you know, East Prairie's mission - our fundamental purpose - is to "value the uniqueness of all and ensure the highest levels of learning."  This success, measured in many ways, is truly about the journey. Here's an overview of the successes we wanted to highlight as we begin to wrap up the year:

• A Model for Best Practice: East Prairie was recognized as an international Model PLC School—one of only four districts in Illinois to achieve this honor!  This incredible recognition reflects our entire school community's deep commitment to learning, collaboration, and doing whatever it takes to support our students.

• Student Growth & Achievement: Our students' growth and achievement are reaching new peaks! Amidst growing needs within our community, we've united to propel our students to achieve levels of learning never before seen in our school's history.

• A Culture of Care: With 94% of our staff engaged and satisfied, and 92% believing we pursue excellence daily, East Prairie fosters a truly dedicated environment.

• Expanded Community Partnerships: We've increased collaborations with organizations like Niles Township Government, Niles North High School, the PTA, and others, providing vital opportunities and holistic support for our students' and families' academic, emotional, and physical well-being.

• Enhanced STEAM Curriculum: Our state-of-the-art STEAM curriculum evolved further, offering transformative student led learning experiences in our STEAM lab, Community Connections Center (makerspace), and classrooms (through FUSE).

• Robust Tiered Support: We've refined intensive (Tier 3) math and reading remediation for K-8, ensuring all students progress toward grade-level standards.  Additionally, we developed Check-in/Check-out as a Tier 2 intervention to support students' emotional and behavioral well-being.

• Strengthened Multilingual and IEP Support: Through ongoing professional learning, we improved systems for multilingual students and those entitled to an IEP, including collaborative co-planning, co-teaching, co-assessing, and co-analyzing practices.

• Middle School Writing Focus: We intensified our focus on strengthening the writing process at the middle school level, with an emphasis on effective instructional practices and feedback for students.

• Preschool For All Program: We implemented a research and play-based curriculum for our preschool students, becoming a Preschool For All program that provides high-quality early childhood education at minimal or no cost.

• Continuous SEL Improvement: Our commitment to social-emotional growth continues through refined practices and resources, utilizing five anchor tools, increased professional development, and explicit support during SEL time, integrated throughout the school day.

The end of a school year is a time for reflection, and as we reflect on this one, we want to send a significant thank you to you, our families.  We couldn't do what we do without you.  Thank you for entrusting us with your children every day, allowing us to help them become thoughtful, compassionate young people.  Thank you for building a caring community that extends beyond our walls.  Thank you for always pushing us to reach new heights and for consistently keeping the needs of our kids first.  We look forward to our continued partnership and to all the exciting possibilities next year will bring.