Beginning on April 26, 2017, Union Pacific will conduct railroad repair work at two crossings in the Terrace Elementary School and Algonquin Middle School attendance areas. Repair work on the railway will begin at the Algonquin crossing from April 26-29. On the 29th, the work will shift over to the Dempster/Thacker crossing.
We have contacted the City of Des Plaines regarding our concerns, and they have informed us that the roadways will be closed to both traffic and pedestrians. The City has shared our concerns with Union Pacific Railroad.
We have been in contact with our transportation providers about the road closures so they can do their best to adjust their routes in order to transport students to school and from school using alternate routes. This may impact arrival and dismissal times as well as the kindergarten shuttles to and from the ELC.
Please be aware of these closures. We recommend that families who drive students to and from school use alternative routes during the course of the closures, which could take up to one week.
CEC Visit: I am sending home paper copies of two letters regarding the CEC visit that you should have received information about from the district last week. One letter is inviting you, our parents, to a session where you will be interviewed about your feelings regarding how things are going in the district. The second is a permission form for you to fill out and send back giving permission for the CEC team to interview your students. Please remember that the CEC team who is coming to interview is comprised of teachers, principals, and other educators, so they know how to speak with students of all ages. I will also be in the building to ensure all goes well. This is an opportunity for you and your children to have a voice in the future direction of our wonderful school district. Thank you for your consideration.
FitnessGram: Beginning this school year, all Illinois public schools are required to administer a physical fitness assessment to students in grades 3-12. District 62 has used FitnessGram as part of its fitness curriculum since 2009. During the months of April and May, District 62 will once again use FitnessGram in our grade 3-8 Physical Education classes. FitnessGram assessments focus on the areas of aerobic capacity, flexibility, muscular endurance, and muscular strength. Districts are required to report fitness data to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for 5th and 7th grades. The fitness data reported to ISBE will not contain any individual student name or individual assessment results. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Lair.
Girl Scouts: Terrace’s Daisy Girl Scout Troop #45223 will be participating in a Shoe Drive through Friday, May 26, in conjunction with Roll Over Animal Rescue (ROAR), a Des Plaines-based non-profit animal rescue/foster organization. All shoes that are in new or good used condition will be accepted in a collection bin located in the front lobby of the school. Shoes should be clean and dry, have laces (if necessary), intact soles, and no holes. ROAR will receive funds based on the total weight of shoes collected, and proceeds will go towards necessary surgery for one of its rescued animals, Hayley. We appreciate your donations!
Do you have a 6th grade student attending Chippewa next year? If so, please join them for 6th grade parent orientation on Thursday, May 4th, at 6:00 pm in the Chippewa gym. After the 6th grade orientation, a presentation will be offered for all middle school parents regarding the District 62 middle school redesign. Mr. John Swanson, the incoming Chippewa principal, will be attending both presentations. All attendees will receive one raffle ticket to win a brand new MacBook Pro!!!! They are looking forward to meeting you!
School dismissal pick up reminder: Parents, if you pick up your students in the circle in front of the building at dismissal time, I am requesting that you please be mindful of the driveways of the houses on the west side of Westgate, as well as the entrance to the fire station on the east side of Westgate. We have had a request by a community member to please not park or stand on the west side of Westgate upon dismissal. Those homeowners need to be able to enter and exit their properties. In addition, the fire department also needs to enter and exit the station in case of emergency. Please be advised that should a police officer come and see a car parked or standing in front of a property, they may be ticketed. Thank you for your understanding.
Online Registration: Thank you to everyone who has already registered for next year! For any families who have students who will be in grades 1-8 this fall and have not registered, please remember to do so by the May 5th deadline!
How to access Online Registration:
On a computer or phone, go to the Parent Portal website bit.ly/parentportal62
- NOTE: You will need a Tyler Parent Portal account. If you have not created this account yet, please use these instructions:
- Spanish Instructions: bit.ly/parentportalspanish
- Polish Instructions: bit.ly/parentportalpolish
- English Instructions: bit.ly/parentportalenglish
- For additional support: Email [email protected]
How to get support with Online Registration:
- If you need help with online registration, we have videos, step-by-step instructions and more information at our website: bit.ly/62registrationinfo
- If you do not have access to a computer, or need a translator, you can attend one of our Registration Support Open Houses. These will be held the weeks of April 24th and May 1st. You can attend any location, regardless of the school your child attends. The exact dates, times and locations are here: bit.ly/62regoh
Please read the following reminders:
Parking Lot Safety: Please remember that the safety and well-being of our students and staff are our #1 priority. After school you are welcome park your car in a designated spot in our lot and walk to the front to pick up your child. Or, you may drive through the front circle and pick up your child in the pickup line. DO NOT double park your car in the lot and ask your child to run over to your car. I have personally seen students do this and nearly get hit by a car in the lot. Please listen to and work with our traffic supervisors. We need you working together with us to ensure students and staff are safe. Thank you so much.
WeatherBug:
Please download the WeatherBug app and set Terrace as your home page. Here are the directions to download:
- Open the app, and tap the WeatherBug icon in the upper left corner to expose the main app menu.
- Select “Sign in”
- At the bottom of the login screen, tap “Sign up” and either login using your Facebook account or by creating a WeatherBug account.
- Then go back into the main app menu and select “Communities”
- Tap “Terrace Elementary School” – the plus sign should turn into a check mark – hit “Close”
- You should see the Terrace Elementary School Community card.
Internet Safety:
Families, as your children are getting older and are having more exposure online, a host of questions can arise about Internet safety. If you would like to learn more about what your children may be doing or what you can do as a parent/caregiver to protect them, please click here to read more.
Additional Notes:
- If you are on Facebook and would like to see what is going on at Terrace, be sure to check out the Terrace Facebook page. Pictures are regularly posted to better give you an insight into all the great things that go on at school each and every day. Remember to click the "like" button so our updates appear regularly on your feed. Or, under the school address near the top left of this page, you can click Facebook, and it will direct you straight to the page.
- It is important for us to have a current email address and phone number for you at all times. If you want to ensure that you receive emails and notifications from Terrace and D62, please make sure our office has your most current email and phone numbers on file. If you send us your contact information, I ask that you please write very neatly so we can make sure we are entering the correct information in our student information system.
Have a wonderful weekend!