Notes from the Principal.....

As we draw to the end of the first grading period, it's time to celebrate our children's academic and social accomplishments. This month, we look forward to bringing parents and teachers together to discuss student progress and identify ways to support each child's learning needs. We can never underestimate the essential role that parents play in their child's education. By this point in time, you should have received notification regarding your scheduled parent/teacher conference(s). Please contact your child's teacher via email or phone if you did not receive a scheduled time.

November is also the time when we celebrate American Education Week. We would like to invite parents to attend our Visitation Day on Thursday, November 17th. Parents are invited to come in and visit their child's classroom and attend an assembly with the students. This year, the PFA has arranged for the "Wheel of Wisdom" game show which is always well received by our students. Later that evening, the Palos West Book Fair will be open for families who desire to do some after school shopping. Finally, we will wrap up the week with our Annual Spelling Bee as two students from each classroom in grades 3-5 will compete on the "big" stage in front of their peers. We invite all families to attend as we celebrate American Education!

As we work together towards committing to continuous improvement, District 118 was again awarded the 2011 Bright A+ Award by School Search, a publisher of school system rankings.  Our district is one of only 59 school districts to receive this honor in the state of Illinois which consists of 868 school districts.As always, this year's school report card, areas of success, and our current school improvement plan will be posted online for your review. For further details, just visit www.palos118.org.

Last month, our students participated in annual safety assemblies and activities to learn and reinforce the importance of personal safety, bus safety, fire safety, etc. As adults, we oftentimes forget the basics of safe practices due to our increased responsibilities and hectic schedules. I caution all parents to slow down while driving in front of the school and in our parking lots. I frequently observe cars pulling in at high speeds or drivers texting or talking on the phone when entering school grounds. Not only is it now against the law to operate a cell phone in school zones, but it's simply irresponsible. By making ourselves fully aware of our surroundings, we will ensure the safety of all children.