Dear Scott Community –

There are a lot of things about Scott School that make me both thankful and proud. One of these is the work of our parent-led organizations. Home and School is one of these organizations that does so much for the students at Scott. As their mission states, Home and School “ promotes cooperation and communication between school and home for the maximum benefit of students.” Some of this is done at our open monthly meetings or other meetings with members of the Home and School Executive Board. Much of it is done through the ongoing work of committees under the leadership of committee chairpersons. Examples of this include major event planning and organization, room party coordination and planning, assemblies, and fundraising. This year, Home and School provided over $10,000 that went directly to teachers and classrooms. This was in addition to the other unique learning opportunities funded by Home and School such as field trips and assemblies.

Last week, I asked staff to share with me some thoughts about the value of our robust Home and School organization. Here are some of the statements:

They help create the village that supports our students and strengthens our community.

During our in-school health screenings (vision/hearing and dental) we are quick to get volunteers to help. I wouldn’t be able to do it without them!

Every year our students are able to experience a field trip or two without financial worry thanks to the generosity of Home and School.

Scott Home and School more than doubles the amount of books the LC can purchase each year. We are beyond extremely grateful for the leadership and support of the Scott Home and School Book Fair committee.

The Family Connections Committee through Home and School has assisted our Scott School families throughout the years with clothing, toy, food, and tangible donations that have made a life changing impacts on our students and their families.

It’s amazing to see our kids having a blast and learning at the assemblies funded by Home and School.

Our students get so excited about the room parties. They always have a great time.

We are lucky to have several parent led organizations that support our mission and our commitment to Every Child, Every Day, A Success. SUCCESS (School Using Coordinated Community Efforts to Strengthen Students) and Scout troops are a couple others that significantly contribute to our mission. We also have you, the adult in your child’s life, that contributes every day to the success of your child and others.

I am thankful for all the work you do – whether it’s through Home and School, SUCCESS, Scouts, park district community coaches, any other organization, or through the work you do independently with your child each and every day. We all benefit from your work and commitment!

Together We Can.

I hope you all have a wonderful winter break. I’ll be around if you need anything!

Sincerely, Hugh

Welcome to the New Year! Dates

January 15Great Books Program

BeginsJanuary 16

Fine Arts Night – 2nd

gradeJanuary 30

Open House Fundraiser Night

FebruaryBox Top Collection

February 14Valentine’s Day Room PartiesFebruary 18

Adam Russo parent presentation

March 4-6Book Fair & PTC

March 13Kindergarten

Preview March 16-26Climbing Wall

(3rd - 5th Grade)

Next Home and School Meeting:

January 14th

@ 7pm – All are welcome!

As we head into the holiday break, it is my turn to share who I am and how I’ve come to hold the position of Scott Home and School Co-President – a moment I’m sure you’ve all been anxiously awaiting. I’m Stefny Heeley, mom of 3 Scott School students – Daphne (5th Grade), Gwen (3rd Grade), and Josie (Kindergarten). I am a wife, an entrepreneur, a daughter, a friend, an educator, a volunteer - to name just a few of my many roles. I, like most of us, spend too much time trying to juggle everything life throws at me, while attempting to look like I’ve got it all together. My little secret is that I don’t have it all together. I don’t have a super clean house; I don’t get enough sleep or exercise; I don’t spend hours doing fun Pinterest crafts with my kids. The struggle is real when making choices to fulfill my happiness and provide the best childhood for my children. Folding laundry for a family of five often goes by the wayside when making these choices.

By letting go of perfection, I have been able to choose the activities and the things that I feel have true value in my life. One such choice is my involvement with Home and School. I honestly never imagined I’d be Home and School Co-President when Daphne started Kindergarten. My journey started when my husband, Steve, convinced me to join him in chairing the Scott S’Cool Scoot a few years back. Not only did I feel I didn’t have the time, I also knew nothing about running or races or exercise. However, for once, I was a good wife and agreed. Shockingly, as I sat at Home and School meetings, I discovered that I had found a group of like-minded individuals who were making a wonderful impact on the Scott community. At my fourth Home and School meeting, I learned we would need a new treasurer. Before I knew what I was doing, I heard myself say that I could probably take that position. Two years later, I found myself offering to take over as President – luckily for me my amazing Co-President, Michelle Shields, had also been pulled into the Home and School vortex and agreed to join me on this adventure. So, perhaps, Steve was right…this time…but please don’t tell him this.

Now, I am in my fifth year volunteering for Scott Home and School – I’m not sure how this happened, as I know I cannot possibly be old enough to have a 5th grader! I have found true joy in knowing that the time I spend volunteering is creating a direct and positive impact in the lives of those in our Scott community – faculty, staff, parents, and, most importantly, our children! That unfolded laundry…not as big of an impact on anyone’s life. I have had the pleasure to get to work with amazing volunteers and teachers, but what I am most grateful for is the opportunity to get to know so many of the Scott School students during classroom projects through Curriculum Connections, fun games during classroom parties, enrichment events like assemblies, and after school events like the Scoot and Game Night – all activities Home and School helps bring to Scott.

My journey to this role in Home and School was not intentional, but my choice to continue being a part of Home and School is very intentional. I am truly grateful for everyone who has volunteered to help Home and School, no matter how big or small the role. I am also grateful to all of you who made it all the way through my article! If you have not yet had a chance to join us in some capacity, please do not hesitate to reach out, everyone is always welcome – even a little help is appreciated.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday break, and I wish everyone a very Happy New Year!

Stefny Heeley, Scott Home & School Co-President

We would love your help!

To be added to the email list for Staff Appreciation and

Family Connections Committees, sign up here;

when donations are needed, you will be

notified.https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E044DA9A62AA0FA7-

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To learn moreabout H & S, please

visit us at https://www.naperville203.org/domain/

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Fall Book Fair: Thank You! THANK YOU to all who supported our Fall Book Fair in October! It was a huge success! We sold 836 books for approximately $8,400 in sales.

Our most popular books sold were:

1st: Dog Man #7: For Whom the Ball Rolls & Guts2nd: Diary of a Wimpy Kid #13: The Meltdown 3rd: I Am Human: A Book of Empathy& Go! Field Guide: Rocks & Minerals

Mr. Larson picked 123 new wonderful books for our LC, and our school received approximately $1,200.

Thank you to those who donated gently used books for Andrea’s Angels.

One last big THANK YOU to all the wonderful volunteers who helped make this book fair a success: Jessica Heavilon & Family, Crystal Klimczak, Ludtke Family, Jill Schmidt, Kendra Schroder, Michelle Shields, TJ Shields, Persiana Simeonova, Jenny Swerdlik, Meg Torres, and Vasich Family.

Melissa Vasich & Melissa LudtkeScott Home & School Book Fair Committee

Naperville Public Library Winter Program Guide: Curl up with (many) a

good book this winter! Join the Winter Reading

Program, December 2nd-January 19th

We, Ann Stec and Susan Park, are the Scott School Reading Specialists.

It is Susan’s 14th year teaching. She has taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades in South Elgin, IL, Glendale Heights, IL, Cambridge, MA and Somerville, MA. When she is not teaching literacy, she enjoys exploring new restaurants and coffee shops. She especially loves spending quality time with her family and friends, but mostly her sassy little 2 year old. She loves “getting to know students and being able to plan and instruct the students to meet their specific literacy needs. Watching them gain confidence in their reading abilities and take risks with their learning is truly priceless.”

Ann has taught literacy for 27 years, the last 13 at Scott School. When she is not teaching, she can be found reading, hanging out with her family and friends, or at a restaurant, eating food that someone else prepares, serves, and cleans up. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for 25 years, has two children, two dogs, two cats and two birds. Ann loves “getting to establish relationships with kids and their families and being able to help students for whom reading is difficult. Seeing their expressions when they master something they didn’t think they could do is awesome!!”

Open House is Headed Our Way! Our Open House Fundraiser is on January 30, 2020.

We will have our themed baskets and silent auction items again this year. These are all filled by donations from our Scott families and

the Naperville community. If you have a family business or a connection to a local business

that you’d like to promote by donating services or products, we’d love your help.

If you see any great deals over the holiday break and want to get something to donate, we’d really appreciate your help!

We will take anything you choose to donate, but here are a few themes that have been popular in the past:

Legos, Game Night, Movie Night, Nerf, gift cards, Chocolate/Candy, Yoga & Fitness, Mani/Pedi/Spa, Sports, Chicago Sports Teams, Cooking/Wine, Pet, Arts & Crafts, Beach/Pool, Madison Junior

High, Naperville Central HS. Please contact Katie Mack katiemack82@yahoo.com or Katie Smith katiescott1994@yahoo.com with any questions or to arrange drop

off for donations!Thanks for your help in supporting Scott!

Home and School’s fundraising efforts provide money toward field trips, fund assemblies for the school, books for the

LC, and fulfill teacher wish lists for materials that directly benefit students

in their classrooms! We appreciate your generosity of spirit, time, talent &

resources as we work to make the Scott community the best it can be!

This is the first year that Scott Elementary has offered “Fun with Friends,” an after school game club. This first semester, Fun with Friends was geared towards students who are in Kindergarten. 1st

and 2nd graders will participate in second semester. The hope is that with this opportunity, students will meet new friends from other classes, practice social and communication skills, learn to play a variety of age appropriate games, and have fun!

We have played games like Pictionary, Kids on Stage, Bingo, Memory, Candy Land, Zingo, and Go Fish. Practicing good sportsmanship and collaboration are essential elements to successfully playing games with others. Respect, kindness, fairness, and patience are also qualities that are enhanced through regular guided social play through games.

Most children’s board games designed for this age range typically take 15-20 minutes to play. A benefit is that it does not take a lot of time to practice these social and life skills, as well as, build connections with others. We invite you to join in the fun at home with your loved ones!

Let’s Meet Our Instructional Support Team!The Scott Instructional Support Team (IST) consists of a variety of professionals, including the School Psychologist, Learning Behavior Specialists, Speech and Language Pathologist, Reading Specialists, Math Specialists, English Learner Teachers, Student Services Coordinators, School Nurse, Occupational Therapist, and Administration.

The purpose of the team is to analyze student challenges and to create and provide interventions/supports which will ultimately have a positive effect on the desired change or growth of students. The functions and services the team provides vary with the needs of individual students.

This team is also responsible for Special Education, as well as 504 plans. Special Education provides individualized plans and related services to meet the unique needs of the child. To qualify for special education, a child must have one or more of the 13 specific disabilities listed in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Additionally, the disability must affect the child’s educational performance and/or ability to learn and benefit from the general education curriculum.

A 504 Plan provides services and changes to the learning environment to meet the needs of the child as adequately as other students. This plan is covered under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. To be protected under Section 504, a student must be determined to have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

The Scott Instructional Support Team is just one of the many reasons why every child, every day can be successful at Scott School. For questions related to the Scott Instructional Support Team, please reach out to Zach Ernst, Scott Assistant Principal (zernst@naperville203.org). Together We Can!

THANK YOU TO…Christi Rand, Hagar Yeboah, and Jill Schmidt for their help in the Staff Gift Cards project. Their willingness to pitch in is so appreciated! They’re what

makes the Scott community amazing!Michelle Swanson and Amy Klug for finding a great talent for our first assembly and organizing the time with the school – the kids loved it!

Katie Smith and Katie Mack; your hard work is so appreciated for Scott’s most profitable fundraiser and we are looking forward to seeing it all come

together at Open House!

Yearbook Contest Winner!CONGRATULATIONS to our 2020 Scott

Elementary School Yearbook Cover Winner: Alexandra Didzbalis.

We received so many amazing entries; Scott School has great artists!

All cover entries will be featured either on the back cover or inside the

2019-2020 yearbook.We are looking forward to also

featuring original leaves and flowers artwork throughout our book.

Yearbook order forms will go home after the new year!

Yearbooks are distributed at the end of the school year.

WE LOVE ASSEMBLIES!The Scott Home & School funds 3

assemblies every year, thanks to your fundraising efforts. This year’s

assemblies include focuses in art, science, and theatre. In November, Dan Laib came to teach a beginners drawing

lesson.Ask your students if they remember how

to turn basic shapes, letters, and numbers into cool drawings.

Kindergarten thru second graders drew a super hero, while third thru fifth graders

drew a dog.All students also experimented with

different ways to draw other characters, in hopes that they can utilize this

creativity in their classroom work.

Our students honored veterans at our annual Veteran’s Day

ceremony. Kindergartners sang “Sing a Song About the Flag” and

K-5th students performed the song “Thank You Soldiers” by

Michael and Angela Souders.

We are looking forward to our annual 2nd grade Fine Arts Night on January 16th from 7:00 – 8:00 PM, featuring hands on learning with

Mr. Bajek in the gym, Mr. Larson in the Learning Commons, Mrs. Nichols in the art room, and Miss Tarson in the music room!

2nd Graders prepare for Fine Arts Night singing, playing pitched percussion, and moving as we retell the story All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

Dinner Night Out News: We won! Thank you to all the

Scott School families, teachers, staff, and friends who dined out at

Front Street Cantina in October. Scott School had the highest sales

out of 11 other District 203 schools and received a $500

bonus. Home and School has decided to use some of the bonus money to provide a catered lunch for Scott

School staff as a thank you. Thank you to Front Street Cantina for conducting this fun fundraiser!

DNO is going strong this school year. We have already raised over

$1800 from the following restaurants:

Little Italian, $327.00Little Pops, $265.00The Patio, $238.00

Front Street Cantina, $855.12Panera, $124.70

Thank you to these local restaurants for supporting Scott

School!

KINDNESS WEEK!Our school celebrated Kindness

week beginning November 13th. All students had a chance to

decorate a kindness rock during their art class. A special thank

you to the Cub Scouts for donating all of the rocks to Scott

School. We truly appreciated your generosity! Thank you to

the staff for allowing the students to do acts of kindness

throughout the week with bingo and kindness leaves for our tree,

which turned out beautiful! Every day we work toward becoming

the kindest school on the planet!

Popsicles on the Playground: Incoming kindergartens hit the ground running with Scott's annual Popsicles on the Playground - this year, we had a few surprises in store. There were student DJs from Bach to Rock playing the latest tunes to help create a fun, festive atmosphere, as well as an instrument petting zoo to get the kids involved. Bubbles, the mascot from Goldfish Swim School, was there to pass out giveaways and take photos. We were grateful to have representation from the Naperville Public Library and the Naperville Park District. Plans are underway for the next Popsicles on the Playground, tentatively scheduled for May 2020. Can't wait to see everyone again!

Walk to School: We had a great turnout for this year's National Walk to School Day. We had our Scott School Eagle mascot and Naperville police officer, Officer Kendrick, greeting families and students and passing out pencils as students entered the building. In the gym, we had refreshments and coffee for parents, as well as student DJs from North Central College's radio playing fun music. Shout out to the many teachers and support staff who helped lead the walk, as well as these parents: Tricia Fallon, Melissa Intoccia, Melissa Ludtke, Barb Thomas, Stefny Heeley, and Hagar Yeboah.

Veteran's Day: We had a fantastic turnout for veterans and their families. Shout out to the wonderful parents who donated food for the reception - thank you so much! We could not do this without your support and generosity. Huge thanks to the parent volunteers who served during the reception, including: Barb Thomas, Laura Chamberlain, Katie Smith, and Michelle Shields. Special thanks to Scott Larson, Dean Baki, Heidi Ruppenthal, and Laura Riddle for helping with the reception setup.

One Book, One School: We're so excited to share that Scott will be doing One Book, One School in 2020! More information coming soon

Math Mania with S.U.C.C.E.S.SIn November, S.U.C.C.E.S.S held an incredible math engagement night. We heard from our Math Intervention Specialists about how to engage with our kids as they do their math homework; then we rotated to different math game stations. At the stations, we worked together as families to solve math challenges and got some creative ideas for incorporating thinking about math through play and every day activities.

Thank you for everyone who came out and participated in this event. It was so fun to have such a packed gym! A huge thank you to our dedicated, hard-working math specialists Alisha Smith and Christine Germany. They love our kids, love math, and know how to make math fun and accessible. We are so appreciative of the extra work they put in to make this event happen!

Another big thank you to the following parent volunteers: La Tasha and Eric Stovall, Anthony Howard, and Amy Klug for creating and running game stations, and to Jeff Klug for taking pictures.

This past November the Eagle Events committee hosted Scott School’s first ever Family Game Night, and it was a HUGE success! So many families came together to play life-size versions of all our favorite games. As part of this event, we also had a game donation drive to help provide all of our classrooms with games for indoor recess. Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we had over 70 games donated!! We also raised almost $500 though our raffles, bake sale and silent auction! It was such a memorable night, and we look forward to this becoming an annual event at Scott School!

We would like to send a special thank you to all of our amazing teachers and staff who helped create so much excitement for this event! Your support is appreciated more than you know!

Also a big THANK YOU to all the amazing volunteers who made this night possible: Sadeem Alqassab, Dahlia Arditi, Marisa Biegelson, Ryan Carris, Laura Chamberlain, Annette Dahl, Megan Dickerson, Liz Dyer, LynnaeGodsell, Stefny Heeley, Crystal Klimczak, Nataliea Morris, Maura Oeth, Christi Rand, Jane Ro, Amy Sachs, Jill Schmidt, Michelle Shields, Stephanie Trader and Jodi VanWetering.

One last GIANT thank you to the 25 high school students who helped us with all of the games that night. These incredible students entertained the kids waiting in line, explained the rules to everyone who played and truly made this event as fun as it could be! We are so thankful for our community!

Winter Time brings the cold and flu season. To decide whether or not to send your child to school, please consider the following guidelines:

While we want your students in school and value attendance, consider keeping your child at home if they have any of the following symptoms:Very stuffy or runny nose and/or coughMild sore throat (no fever, no known exposure to strep)Headache

Definitely keep your child at home for treatment and observation if he or she has any of these symptoms:Fever greater than 100 degrees: your child may return to school after temperature has been consistently below 100 degrees, by mouth, for 24 hours without medicationVomiting (even once)DiarrheaChills, fatigue, general discomfort, weakness or muscle achesFrequent congested (wet) or croupy coughRash for unknown reasonPink Eye: crusty, itchy eyes

To help prevent the flu and other colds, reinforce good hygiene habits:Wash hands frequently (handwashing presentations completed in Kindergarten and Grade 1) Do not touch eyes, nose or mouthCough or sneeze into crook of elbow or tissue and always WASH HANDS!

Reminders:Call you student into the health office when absent by 8:15 am 630-420-6478The health office cannot administer over the counter medication without an order from your physician. Please do not send with your child.A physician note is needed after the 3rd day of absence; call the health office with questionsIf in doubt about sending your child to school, please check with the Health Office Staff

Injured StudentsIf you student requires crutches, please send a physician noteParents can excuse students from physical education for up to 3 days… after that, please provide noteWe have physical education forms that allow your physician to state what your student CAN do and what they are restricted from. Considered modified PE if your student is participating in recess

Thank You to Our Volunteers!

Melissa Ludke for your dedication to help make sure hearing and vision screenings ran smoothly, as well as

your support with the Book Fair and stepping up when we are in need of

volunteers!Kristen Torres for running a

successful Fall Fundraiser, as well as your hard work making Kindness

Week special!Crystal Klimczak, for an an amazing job with Walk to School Day and the Veteran’s Day reception! Thank you

so much for all of your amazing work!Save the Date!

Kindergarten PreviewFriday, March 13

If you know of any neighbors who may have a kindergarten-age child (5 years old by September 1,

2020) please pass this information on to them and

have them call our office at 630-420-6477 to get added to our list. If you

have a younger child who will be in kindergarten next year, we ask that you call us to make sure that they are on our mailing list as well.

Pre-K, K, 2nd and 5th grade caregivers:

Pre-K and 5th grade: Physicals are required for K and 6th grades. Any physical done now counts for next year’s requirement! Any exemptions on file need to be renewed for Grades K, 6 and 9Pre-K and 5th grade: Dental exams required for K and 6th

grade. Exams done now count for next year’s requirementK and 2nd grade: Dental exams required by May 15th, 2020K: Eye exams required by May 15th, 2020

Thank you so much to the families who contributed to the October soup lunch for the Scott School Staff! We had soup, bread, desserts and beverages. The staff tells me that it’s their favorite day of the year! The Staff Appreciation Crew is so generous and talented. I appreciate all of you! If you would like to be included in the next Staff Appreciation event, contact Laura Chamberlain to be added to the signup genius list. LCChamberlain@sbcglobal.net

Dress for Winter!Cold Weather Recess policy as stated in the handbook.

During the winter we will go outside for recess if the wind chill index is at zero or above. The wind chill report will come from the National Weather

Service. Please be sure to send your child to school with snow pants, boots, hats & gloves each day as appropriate.

In order to play on the playground equipment or in the field, snow pants and snow boots must be worn. Students not wearing snow pants and snow

boots will remain on the blacktop during recess.Be sure to pack sneakers or shoes also on the days that boots are worn to

school so your child can wear them in the classroom and to PE.

WINTER WEATHER RECESS PACKING: Helpful hints from a fellow parent (still learning):

“Now that I have two kiddos at the school, I have learned the importance of practicing getting winter gear on and off, and labeling everything!! Here are some tips that may

help you over the winter break as we get into even more snowy weather:

- Pack boots, snow pants, gloves, and hat in a reusable shopping bag- Have your kiddo practice packing these items so that there are not overflowing

items- Play a timed game for dressing and undressing into winter gear to help your

kiddos become more efficient and have more recess and lunch time!- Label every clothing item and check the lost and found bin in the front lobby

often (or, maybe that is just my kids, haha!)”

THANK YOU TO…Melissa Vasich for a successful

and fun book fair!!Shari Brouwer and Dan Bajek for a wonderful Rock Wall Climbing unit and to all the parents who

volunteered their time to help 3-5th graders reach new heights!!

Laura Chamberlain for your awesome organization and

efforts with both the directory and Staff Appreciation!

Holly Hall, Megan Dickerson, Katie and Don Smith, Barb

Thomas, Jodi Veome, Deanne Matusik, Liz Dyer, Gia Cruz, Ilona

Didzbalis, Dana Audiejaitis, Peggy Fink, Stefny Heeley, Doug Plumeri, for taking pictures and

supporting the yearbook committee!!

Andrea Durren, Leslie Dudgeon, and Sarah Nowak for organizing volunteers and fun games for the

Fall Festivals and Winter Parties! Your hard work results

in such a wonderful time for kids and parents!

Amy Sachs for organizing the Great Books program and

encouraging second and third grade students to be excited

about reading!Michelle Kristofik, Hugh Boger, Front Street Cantina, and the

whole Scott Community -CONGRATS and thank you for your efforts toward WINNING the Dinner Night Out Month

Long Challenge!!

Looking to delight in some holiday spirit? Visit the Dahm

family’s fantastic light show! Hidden Bay

Lights

Embrace the Season’s Giving Spirit

The Scholarship Fund helps cover school related needs that are not covered by

another resource and allows Scott School students in financial need to have an all-inclusive school experience. Scott School families are invited to donate to the fund at any time throughout the year. Please

make your check payable to Scott School, note Scholarship Fund in the memo line,

and send it in an envelope marked “Scholarship Fund.”

All donations are tax deductible