Principal's Newsletter

Opening Days

The children and staff were full of excitement on Thursday as we launched the new school year. There was tremendous energy and positive messages of hope and encouragement for a happy and successful school year ahead. Thank you to all of our parents for your ongoing support at home with our transition back to school. We look forward to partnering with you throughout the school year.

Thank you to our families for your cooperation and support during arrival and dismissal. Student safety remains our priority. With your cooperation and patience, the drop-off and pick-up lines will continue to move more efficiently over the next few weeks. Once we are into a routine, the lines typically take about 10 minutes from start to finish. If you have children at multiple grade levels, please use the line that works best for your family when picking up children by vehicle. Also, if you need to exit your vehicle, park in the east parking lot located off Pfingsten Road, exit the car, and meet your child at the crosswalk in front of Shabonee, where a crossing guard is present. We do not allow children to walk unsupervised through the parking lot because vehicles might not see small children during this busy time of day. Please remember to drive cautiously and safely on school grounds at all times while adhering to all traffic signs. 

We are hosting our annual SWIM day on Monday, August 28, no water involved, where we will continue to acclimate the children to the school year using our PBIS Cool Tools. All District 27 schools use the PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) framework. Shabonee students will engage in a variety of activities on Monday to SWIM (Show Respect, We’re Responsible, and I’M Kind) in every environment at school. Using a series of interactive activities to teach our expectations, we proactively set a tone that helps children succeed in many situations. This is a fun way to engage the children in helping to keep Shabonee a safe and happy place to learn and grow. I’ve included additional information about SWIM at Shabonee. Monday will also be a beach-themed spirit day to make the day even more fun. Children may bring beach towels, goggles, or wear beach-themed clothing. (Note: Clothing must abide by the school rules.)

Curriculum Night Schedule 

Shabonee will be hosting our Curriculum Night on Wednesday, August 30. Curriculum night is a wonderful opportunity to learn about your child’s experience at school. Remember to only park in designated parking stalls. Overflow parking is available on the blacktop behind the gym after parking spaces in the east and west lots have been filled. Parking in the fire lane or no parking zones may result in a violation from the Northbrook Police Department. 

6:00 PM - Grade 4 Classroom Presentations

6:40 PM - Grade 5 Classroom Presentations

7:20 PM - Grade 3 Classroom Presentations

AIMs Screening  

All students will participate in Literacy Benchmark Screenings on August 29 and 30. This screening is completed three times a year during August, January, and May and takes 2-3 minutes.                        

STAR Testing

The STAR reading and math assessments will be administered on August 31 & September 1. These assessments measure a student’s general knowledge of reading and mathematics. The tests are computer-adaptive. Computer-adaptive tests (CATs) continually adjust the difficulty of each child’s test by choosing each test question based on the child’s previous response. If the child answers a question correctly, the difficulty level of the next item is increased. If the child misses a question, the difficulty level is decreased. CATs save testing time and spare students the frustration of answering items that are too difficult or easy. Students typically complete the assessments in 20 to 30 minutes. The assessments are given three times yearly (fall, winter, and spring). 

Reporting Absences

If your child is going to be absent, you can report the absence directly through the Parent Portal. Log into the Parent Portal, then click on more and you will see Absence Requests.  You can even put in future absences. For more information regarding how to report an absence please see the Shabonee website.

Math Extensions

The Math Extensions program is a one-day-per-week pullout program that takes place during the math block for students who qualify for math enrichment. The program serves a very small population of students who meet the program criteria. All students are screened at every grade level for potential placement in the program. Families of children in grade five have been notified. Students who meet the third and fourth grade criteria will be identified for participation in September after fall assessments have been given and when our data team reviews student progress with the classroom teachers. Additional information about math content, the placement process, and program criteria can be found on the District 27 website. 

Required Safety Drills

Each year, we are required by the state of Illinois to conduct safety drills. We will practice at least one of each of the following drills: Bus Evacuation, Shelter in Place (Tornado), Evacuation (Fire), and Active Intruder (Lockdown). Over the next month or so, we will be practicing all of the drills. Shabonee children will practice a lockdown drill on September 6. Additional information about the lockdown drill can be found in this letter.