Dear Panther Families,
Wow! Were your children troopers this week! We made it through five full days of school, two of which were scorchers and kept them indoors for recess. We have also completed most of our required safety drills, and our Panthers have been better and better at finding their way to their new classes on time. They should BE PROUD of themselves!
We have also had great attendance so far, but I want to emphasize the importance of your child attending school every day. Students who attend school regularly typically demonstrate higher learning outcomes than those with poor attendance. Being present each day affords your child all the important experiences that come with attending school such as friendships, clubs, activities, and athletics. Students also learn responsibility and work ethic through consistent attendance. Please send your child to school every day unless he or she has a contagious illness or is running a fever. Throughout this year we will monitor each student’s attendance so that we can work with families when the number of absences puts a student at risk. Thank you, as always, for your involvement in your child’s education.
With #EdisonPantherPride,
Rachel Bednar, Principal
This Week:
Mon., Aug. 28
Panther Lab is available every week M-Th for students who want to stay from 3-4:10 PM and work on homework.
Monday - Mrs. Fank, Room 229
Tuesday - Mrs. Reeves, Room 127
Wednesday - Ms. Parzgnat, Room 225
Thursday - Mrs. Henning, Room 231
Wed., Aug. 30
Cross Country Begins - 3:00 PM
Activity Bus Begins - Buses leave promptly at 4:15. If your child is new to the activity bus, please review the route sheet here: Activity Bus Routes.
Thurs., Aug. 31
Taste of Edison (Club Information Night) and PTA Ice Cream Social - 6:00-7:00 PM on the basketball courts behind the school. If you’re not able to make it, we’ll send out links to the club calendar and information next week.
PANTHER PRESS WEEKLY EMAIL
Hopefully all of you are now receiving the Panther Press in your email inbox. We were informed this week that when the district migrated over to the new website and newsletter communication tool, only the primary parent email was pulled. The district has worked to rectify this, so we are hopeful that everyone is now receiving the Panther Press and other school communications via email. If you did not receive this in an email, please contact Maria.McAuslan@cusd200.org.
PTA VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR TASTE OF EDISON
Edison PTA volunteers are needed to help hand out ice cream at the Taste of Edison. Arrival time is 5:45 PM. Minimal help with set up and clean up before and after the event. Please click the sign up genius link below to sign up to help. Thank you! https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0E4BA4A623A1FFC16-volunteers
MUSIC ENSEMBLE AUDITIONS THIS WEEK
Jazz Band auditions will take place after school this week. Interested students who are not in band but play piano, guitar or bass should see Mrs. Carr in room 129.
Chamber Orchestra auditions are August 30 and 31 after school. Chamber Orchestra is for advanced string players and meets after school on WednesdayS. Interested students should see Mrs. Volle in room 131 for audition music and more information.
CROSS COUNTRY STARTS WEDNESDAY
Cross Country starts Wednesday, August 30 after school. Cross Country is open to students in grades 6-8. Interested students must have a current physical uploaded to the Family ID Sports Registration page. There is additional information available on the Cross Country page of the Edison website. Students should see Mr. Micheau in room 113 with questions.
STUDENT COUNCIL RETURNING MEMBER MEETING WEDNESDAY
Student Council will have a returning member meeting on Wednesday, August 30 at 3:05 in Ms. Papan’s room, room 127. All students who were a part of Student Council last year are welcome back to get the year started. New members will be welcome to join following the Taste of Edison.
PTA-SPONSORED FUN RUN
KEEP A LOOKOUT! You will soon be receiving an email from 99Pledges. This is a new platform the PTA will be using to facilitate fundraising for the Fun Run. Each student will receive their own individualized fundraising link to raise money and track their progress.
SAVE THE DATE: The Fun Run will be held during your child's PE/Health class on Friday, September 29. (rain date: October 13)
FASTBRIDGE READING AND MATH ASSESSMENTS BEGIN THIS WEEK
FastBridge is a suite of assessments used to monitor student growth throughout the school year. FastBridge test items are aligned to the Common Core English language arts (ELA) and math standards, which are also referred to as the Illinois Learning Standards. Students in kindergarten through 8th grade complete assessments in reading and math three times a year (fall, winter, and spring).The fall testing window is August 28-September 8. Students will take these assessments online during their math and ELA classes.
DESTINY LIBRARY CATALOG SYSTEM
All District 200 schools have a library learning center (LLC) with books that students can check out. Students may visit the LLC with a class or on their own time to check out books. You can learn more about Edison’s LLC by visiting the Edison website.
Destiny is the library management system used by all District 200 schools. This system is online and accessible to all parents and students through each school’s website. Destiny allows all parents and students to access the titles of books available in each school’s LLC. You can access Destiny by going directly to destiny.cusd200.org, clicking on the link from the Edison LLC website, or from a student’s classlink page. You do not need to be logged in to search the catalog, but students will need to log in for some of the more advanced features. Following are a few features of Destiny available to all students and families.
Students can log in to their Destiny accounts from any device with online access. From there, they can see all books that are checked out to them. They can also put holds on titles that are checked out. Each student can create their own Favorites List to keep track of books they would like to check out. Steps for creating a favorite list:
Log in to your school’s Destiny catalog using your child’s District 200 login information.
Find and open the record for the book you wish to add to your favorites list.
Click on the three dots toward the right of the screen.
Select “Add to Favorites”
A student’s favorites list is accessible by choosing “My Stuff” at the top of the screen.
You can learn about Destiny and how to create a favorite list by viewing this video.
If there are particular titles in our school’s collection you don’t wish your child to read or are not sure they will make the distinction on their own, reach out to the Edison LLC Director, Mrs. Kori Wentzloff, at kori.wentzloff@cusd200.org.
CAN YOU HELP OUR STEM TEACHER FUND-A-CLASSROOM?
As the Robotics teacher, Mrs. Dempsey is constantly searching for innovative ways for students to collaborate. Collaborative Tech Stations will have a small TV screen at one end of a table, and be surrounded by five chairs. There will be a wireless mouse and keyboard that students can pass around the table as they work - either from the stationary desktop, or from their Chromebooks, which can be projected in a second HDMI input. Mrs. Dempsey is looking to have eight of these stations in her STEM lab. Click here to contribute. Thank you for considering!
STUDENT SUCCESS TIPS FROM OUR COUNSELING TEAM
There is a lot to keep track of during the school year. If a student doesn't have a plan, it is easy to make mistakes, forget things, and miss due dates. Students will need a system to keep track of everything to keep stress low, achieve academic success, and enjoy the balance of school and life!
What is the best way to succeed? While that may be different for every person, having commitments, plans, and assignments in one central location, will allow a student to easily see what your week will hold. Planners were provided to students at the beginning of the school year.
Here are some suggestions for your student to use their planner efficiently and effectively:
Write out goals, habits, and desired accomplishments for this year
Write down the schedule for classes, sports, activities, and any other planned commitments
Use the monthly and weekly sections to add important dates
Fill out the planner at the end of each class period
Plan out every week including tests, projects, assignments, reminders, and daily to-do items
Check the planner every evening to make sure nothing has been forgotten
Compare your planner to assignments listed on Google Classroom and StudentVUE
Use a check mark to show that an assignment has been completed
Use a color-coding system to label different classes
Keep consistent with your planner to be prepared every day!
PLEASE REMIND YOUR CHILD TO SHUT DOWN THEIR CHROMEBOOK EVERY NIGHT
We reminded students of this last week, but reminders from you can’t hurt! Please have your child shut down their Chromebook all the way every night. Simply closing the lid is NOT shutting it down. A full shutdown is necessary for all of the updates to run as needed and for the Chromebooks to function at their best.
6TH GRADE PHYSICALS DUE
Students entering the 6th grade must show proof of having received a physical examination dated on or after August 17, 2022. They also are required to have updated immunization records including vaccines Tdap and Menningoccoccal (given after age 11). If your child had a spring or summer birthday they may not have received these vaccines, please check your child’s health record. Physical Exams and Immunization records may be dropped off in the Main Office at Edison Middle School or emailed to the Health Office at the following email address: edisonhealthoffice@cusd200.org. Please call the Health Office with any questions at 630-682-2050, ext. 3
STUDENT ARTWORK NEEDED FOR 2023 FESTIVAL OF CULTURES - DUE SEPT. 1
The Wheaton Community Relations Commission would like to invite local students to submit their original artwork to be showcased at the 2023 Festival of Cultures, which will be held on September 17, 2023. The Commission will select one art entry to be the cover art of the Festival of Cultures’ program. The student whose artwork is selected as the cover art will win a $50 Visa gift card.
Since 2018 The Festival of Cultures has welcomed Wheaton and local area residents for a rich afternoon of music and entertainment, storytelling, ethnic arts and crafts, children’s passport activity, and food available for purchase and more. It is a meaningful day where we learn from one another as we celebrate the diverse backgrounds and cultures that make Wheaton welcoming and strong as a community.
Submission requirements:
The deadline for submissions is September 1st.
Submissions may be as large as 8x11, but will be sized to fit a 4x6 booklet
Submissions should be vertically oriented (as opposed to landscape or horizontal designs)
Artwork should be designed to be reproduced using standard color printing
Please include the student’s name, year in school, and school name with submissions
Submissions can be scanned and emailed to FOCWheatonArtContest@gmail.com
The winner will be announced by social media and their school will be contacted by September 6th!
LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE IN ILLINOIS – STATEWIDE READING & WRITING CONTEST
Letters About Literature in Illinois is a statewide reading and writing promotion. Students in grades 4 – 12 are invited to read a book of their choice, reflect on it, and write a personal letter to its author explaining the impact this work had on them. The program also dovetails with state and national learning standards. Students can enter individually, or through school, library and youth organizations. There are three writing levels based on the student’s grade in school:
Level I - Grades 4 - 6
Level II - Grade 7 & 8
Level III - Grades 9 - 12
There is one winning letter selected per Level. Winners receive a cash prize and a plaque from the Illinois Secretary of State. Teachers of the winners receive a certificate and a cash prize for the school to purchase books for the school library.
Runners Up from each Level receive certificates. Written submissions will be accepted for all ages until the entry deadline of December 15, 2023. Attach a completed entry form to each entry and send via US Mail or Email. State winners will be formally announced in May 2024. For more information, visit the Letters About Literature page.
RESOURCES
People’s Resource Center (PRC) - The PRC is a local organization that responds to basic human needs, promotes dignity and justice and creates a future of hope and opportunity for the residents of Dupage County. They provide social services and emergency aid, a clothes closet, job assistance, computer training and access, and adult learning and literacy programs. They are located at 201 S. Naperville Road, Wheaton, IL 60187. You can find more information at their website www.peoplesrc.org.
Mobile Food Pantries - Each month, the District hosts at least one mobile food pantry at various places in the community that are open to all District 200 families. Mobile food pantries are provided by the Northern Illinois Food Bank and are sponsored by various, generous PTAs and private donors. A complete list of mobile markets can be found on our website.
Glenbard Parent Series - The Glenbard Parent Series, or GPS, Navigating Healthy Families presents distinguished speakers to inspire, connect and inform with research-based strategies that promote engaged learning and positive youth development (for children of all ages). They welcome everyone to their FREE, weekly, virtual events--many are presented at both noon and 7 PM. In 2023-24 several programs will be offered in Spanish, Gujarati, Urdu and Hindi. No registration is required. Links/details GlenbardGPS.org. Next up:
Tue, Aug 29 @ 12:00 -1:00 pm and 7:00-8:00 PM. Jennifer Breheny Wallace in conversation with Lori Gottlieb. Virtual. https://glenbard.zoom.us/j/89860430492
“Never Enough: Inspiring Balanced Achievement, Self-Confidence and The Power of Mattering”
QUESTIONS? WE’RE HERE TO HELP! JUST REACH OUT!
Attendance and Counseling Office: 630-682-2050 x2
Mrs. Lisa Papievis, Registrar, Attendance & Counseling
Mrs. Chloe Soto, 6th Grade Counselor, chloe.soto@cusd200.org
Mr. Tim Hower, 7th Grade Counselor, timothy.hower@cusd200.org
Mrs. Yazmine Reeves, 8th Grade Counselor, yazmine.reeves@cusd200.org
Health Office: 630-682-2050 x3
Ms. Christine Chestnut, School Nurse, christine.chestnut@cusd200.org
Athletic Office: 630-682-2050 x5
Mr. Jim McAuslan, Athletic Director, james.mcauslan@cusd200.org
Library Learning Center: 630-682-2050 x6
Mrs. Kori Wentzloff, LLC Director, kori.wentzloff@cusd200.org
Main Office: 630-682-2050 x1
Ms. Nancy Howard, Receptionist
Mrs. Christine Boyd, Asst. Principal’s Secretary, christine.boyd@cusd200.org
Mrs. Maria McAuslan, Principal’s Secretary, maria.mcauslan@cusd200.org
Mr. Jim Zimmerman, Assistant Principal, james.zimmerman@cusd200.org
Ms. Rachel Bednar, Principal, rachel.bednar@cusd200.org
Please don’t hesitate to call us if you have any questions or if there is anything we should know in order to best support your child during his/her time at Edison. *Please copy our secretaries on any communication to us as we sometimes don’t have time to read email until later in the evening each day. Thank you! We are looking forward to an amazing year!
Shine on!
With #EdisonPantherPride,
Mrs. Rachel Bednar, Principal
Mr. Jim Zimmerman, Assistant Principal