Notes from the Principal.....

Last week I was extremely proud of our Student Council leaders as they led the kick-off to the 12th Annual "Souper" Bowl of Caring Food Drive. An assembly was held to recognize the academic and social accomplishments of our students and to promote the worthy cause of helping others in need. I am confident that by working together, our students will collect enough food to meet the ever-growing needs of the Palos Township Food Pantry. Palos West will be collecting canned goods and other non-perishable items until February 3rd. It's a wonderful learning experience for the entire school community!

I want to remind families that Kindergarten registration will be held during the week of February 6th thru the 10th. If you have an incoming kindergartener, please be sure to register during this time so we can plan accordingly for the upcoming school year. Additionally, we will be having a visitation day on Friday, February 10th for all incoming kindergarten students and their parents. You can schedule a time for the visitation when you come in to register or by calling 761-3802. Collecting this information in February allows us to make important staffing decisions and will hopefully prevent the splitting of classes in the fall.

I was pleased to see that January's winter parties were a big success! I want to send out a giant THANK YOU to our volunteers who worked so hard to make each party a memorable experience for the students. As for the upcoming Valentine's Day on the 14th, student valentines may be sent to school, but they cannot have food/candy items attached. Classroom teachers will find an appropriate time during the day for the children to distribute their valentines. I thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Looking ahead, students in grades 3-5 will be taking the Illinois Standardized Achievement Tests (ISAT) during the week of March 5th through the 9th. We ask in advance that parents try to make sure that this week is not interrupted with doctor's appointments or other plans that may take children out of school or make them arrive late. Following the ISBE guidelines, testing times are concrete and children arriving late to school will not be sent down to class while a session is in progress. Your cooperation will be beneficial to your child's success. Additionally, please note that the week of March 12th will be used for ISAT make-up tests if needed.