This week was such a fabulous week of learning at Fierke! I had the opportunity to get into some classrooms and model a Dictation lesson based on Dictado - a dual language strategy, incorporating both a phonics skill and intentional grammar instruction. It was exciting to see students actively apply their learning and think about why words are spelled the way they are. Our 4th grade students did an amazing job using syllables to help them spell unknown words, demonstrating the kind of strategic thinking and transfer of skills we want to see across our classrooms.
And, our 5th graders had an opportunity to review place value through a kinesthetic activity outside of the classroom! See pictures below.
Safety and preparedness were also a focus this week as our students and staff participated in a tornado drill. These drills provide an important opportunity for us to practice our procedures so that everyone knows what to do and where to go should an emergency situation arise.
One of the highlights of my week was simply being in classrooms and seeing our students in action. I have been incredibly impressed by how quickly our students have settled into their classrooms, embraced routines and expectations, and already begun digging deep into their learning. Walking through the building, I am seeing students who are engaged, curious, and eager to learn, along with teachers who are creating purposeful and supportive learning environments.
It is hard to believe how much progress our students and staff have made in such a short time. We are off to a wonderful start, and I am excited to continue building on this momentum.
On another note, thank you so much to all of the families that attended Curriculum Night on Thursday evening. If you were unable to attend but would like to review information that was shared from your child's classroom teacher, please click on this link for all presentations that were shared.
Car Line Safety Reminder
Please remember that if you are dropping off or picking up your child in the car line, you must remain in your vehicle at all times. I know that sometimes students have a hard time in the morning but please know that we have ample staff to be able to bring your child to their classroom in a safe manner. Staying in your vehicle helps ensure that arrival and dismissal run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. We also ask that families do not drive around or pass other vehicles in the car line. We thank you for your patience when students are having a hard time. Also, please remember to have your child's name card visible in your window and please refrain from getting out of your vehicle. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us keep our Fierke community safe!
BEE the Extra Degree shirts were delivered to classrooms and sent home today.
Please see below for our calendar of upcoming events.
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs. Lamorte
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Our 5th graders took their learning outside! ☀️🐝 Students enjoyed the beautiful weather while participating in a kinesthetic math activity on the blacktop. What a great way to get moving, collaborate with classmates, and make math learning engaging and memorable! Learning truly can happen anywhere at Fierke! 💛 |
We know that outdoor recess is an important part of the school day, and we want our students to have the opportunity to enjoy it whenever conditions allow. We use the chart below to help us determine when students should stay indoors.
Our team closely monitors temperature, heat, rain, storms, and overall weather conditions throughout the day. When conditions improve or the weather changes, we will absolutely take advantage of opportunities for students to safely go outside.
Please know that we take the health, safety, and well-being of your child very seriously. Decisions regarding outdoor recess are made with student safety as our first priority.
Thank you for your understanding and partnership as we navigate these changing weather conditions!
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Kindergarten through 5th grade students will attend school from 8:55 AM - 3:35 PM each day. Our expectation is that students are in their seats and ready to learn at 8:55 AM.
1/2 Day School Attendance is from 8:55 AM - 11:45 AM.
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At Fierke, we believe that every student has something to teach, something to learn, and something to contribute. This year, we are excited to introduce Honeycomb Connections—our cross-grade level buddy system designed to build meaningful relationships, mentorship, leadership, and a strong sense of belonging across our school.
For years, our Hive system at Fierke has been a wonderful way to bring students together through fun activities, celebrations, and schoolwide experiences—and we absolutely loved seeing our students enjoy those connections!
As we thought about how we could take this idea one step deeper, we wanted to create more intentional opportunities for students to build relationships, learn from one another, and develop meaningful mentorship across grade levels. That is where our Honeycomb Connections were born!
Our Honeycomb Connections build upon the spirit of our Hive while creating more consistent opportunities for mentorship, leadership, encouragement, and belonging. We can't wait to see these connections grow throughout the year! 🐝
Our Honeycomb Connections will bring together:
- Kindergarten & 5th Grade
- 1st Grade & 3rd Grade
- 2nd Grade & 4th Grade
Throughout the school year, students will have opportunities to connect with their Honeycomb partners through fun activities, special projects, school-wide initiatives, celebrations, and opportunities to learn from one another.
Why Honeycomb Connections?
Just like each cell in a honeycomb plays an important role in creating a strong hive, every student at Fierke is an important part of our school community.
Our goal is to create meaningful connections between students of different ages while giving older students opportunities to lead, mentor, encourage, and model positive behaviors for younger students.
At the same time, our younger students will have the opportunity to build relationships with older role models who can encourage them, support them, and help them feel even more connected to their Fierke family.
Our Honeycomb Connections are about more than simply pairing students together. They are about creating a culture where every student feels known, valued, supported, and connected.
This initiative is one more way we bring our Fierke mission to life:
Every Student. Every Staff. Every Day.
Growing. Learning. Leading. Together.
We are so excited to watch our Honeycomb Connections grow throughout the year and see the friendships, leadership, kindness, and learning that develop along the way!
Because when we connect, we grow stronger—together we can BEE the Extra Degree! 🐝
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At Fierke, our schoolwide theme for the year is “BEE the Extra Degree,” inspired by the idea behind 212 Degrees: The Extra Degree. At 211 degrees, water is hot. But at 212 degrees, water boils — and with boiling water comes steam, and steam can power engines. That one extra degree makes all the difference.
This theme reminds us that small extra efforts can lead to extraordinary results.
For our students, “BEE the Extra Degree” means encouraging them to give their best effort each day — whether that means showing kindness to a classmate, persevering through a challenge, taking pride in their learning, or demonstrating leadership and responsibility throughout the school day. It is about building a culture where every student feels supported, valued, and challenged to grow academically, socially, and emotionally.
For our staff, the theme represents our collective commitment to going above and beyond for students and families. It reflects the care, dedication, collaboration, and passion our staff brings each day to create meaningful learning experiences and positive relationships within our school community.
Families play an essential role in helping us bring this theme to life. You can support “BEE the Extra Degree” at home by:
• Encouraging perseverance and a growth mindset when challenges arise
• Celebrating effort, responsibility, kindness, and improvement — not just outcomes
• Reinforcing the importance of positive attitudes, respect, and strong character
• Helping your child establish routines that support learning and organization
• Partnering with staff through communication, involvement, and encouragement
Together, we can help our students understand that even small acts of effort, kindness, leadership, and determination can have a powerful impact.
We are excited to continue growing, learning, and leading together as we focus on Every Student, Every Staff, Every Day.
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September:
9/14 5th Grade Candor Parent Letter & Permission Slip sent home
9/17 Fire Drill/Practice #2 with Fire Dept. Support
9/17 5th Grade Too Good for Drugs Session w/ OFPD
9/17 Portillo's Dine Around
9/18 Run, Hide, Fight Drill Letter sent home
9/18 PTO Fierke Friday School Spirit Day
9/21 Panorama Parent Letter Sent Home
9/22 Picture Day
9/24 5th Grade Too Good for Drugs Session w/ OFPD
9/25 MAP Reports sent home
9/25 Super Stingers Students of the Month Luncheon
October:
10/1 5th Grade Too Good for Drugs Session w/ OFPD
10/2 Bus Evacuation Drill (tentative date)
10/2 Candor Health: 5th Grade Presentation
10/2 PTO Fierke Friday School Spirit Day
10/5 PTO Candy Donation Starts
10/6 Run, Hide, Fight Drill
10/7 PTO Pretzel Day
10/8 5th Grade Too Good for Drugs Session w/ OFPD
10/9 Walking Field Trip to Reunification Site
10/12 No School - Columbus Day
10/15 5th Grade Too Good for Drugs Session w/ OFPD
10/16 PTO Fierke Friday School Spirit Day
10/16 Hold in Place Drill
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We Value Your Feedback! 🐝
At Fierke, we are always looking for ways to grow, improve, and make every family's experience the very best it can be. Your voice is an important part of that work!
🌟 Shout out a teacher or staff member who has made a positive difference
💬 Share a suggestion or concern or something you would like us to know about
💡 Provide general feedback or suggestions to help us continue improving
Whether you have something wonderful to celebrate, an idea to share, or a concern we can help address, we want to hear from you.
Your feedback helps us continue Growing. Learning. Leading—Together and making Fierke a place where every student and family feels welcomed, supported, and valued.
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Reminders for the Upcoming School Year |
At Fierke, we believe every day counts! Regular school attendance is one of the most important ways you can help your child succeed. Each day of learning builds upon the last—when students miss class, they miss valuable instruction, collaboration, and connection with their peers. Even a few absences can add up and make it harder for your child to stay on track.
Research consistently shows a strong connection between regular school attendance and student achievement. Even at the elementary level, missed days can have an impact. In fact, research has found that absenteeism as early as kindergarten can be associated with lower achievement in reading, mathematics, and general knowledge, as well as increased absenteeism in later grades.
We know that illnesses and emergencies happen, and we appreciate your partnership in scheduling appointments and trips outside of school hours whenever possible. However, did you know that missing more than 10% of school attendance days may have a negative effect on student learning?
When reporting an absence, please call the school office, use the 24 hour voicemail system, or enter the absence into PowerSchool anytime, day or night. If notice is not received , District procedure is for the school office to attempt to make contact via all phone numbers provided during registration. If unsuccessful, all emergency contacts will be called until confirmation of the absence is received. If all attempts to contact are unsuccessful, a District administrator and/or designee will notify local law enforcement to ensure the safety and well being of the student.
Please let us know if you are having any difficulties with your child wanting to come to school. Together, we can help ensure every child is present, prepared, and ready to shine bright each day!
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Families are asked to submit required health forms as soon as possible. Requirements for specific grade levels are listed below. Please turn in all medical forms to Nurse Cailin or call her directly if you have any questions about these requirements.
Kindergarten: Physical exam with up-to-date immunization record, dental exam and complete eye exam.
Grade 2: Dental exam
Transfer students: Physical exam with up-to-date immunization record. Complete eye exam (if attending an Illinois school for the first time). Parents are ultimately responsible for providing copies of the physical exam and immunizations if receipt of these records is delayed by the transfer school.
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To ensure the safety of all students and to remain in compliance with state law, parents are required to notify the school office if their child will not be in attendance. This notification must take place within the first hour of school. When reporting an absence, please call the school office, use the voicemail system, or enter the absence into PowerSchool.
If notice is not received, District procedure is for the school office to attempt to make contact via all phone numbers provided during registration. If unsuccessful, all emergency contacts will be called until confirmation of the absence is received. If all attempts to contact are unsuccessful, a District administrator and/or designee will notify local law enforcement to ensure the safety and well-being of the student.
Additionally, if your child will have a change in dismissal plans (leaving early, not taking the bus, riding with a neighbor etc.), please let the office know by 2:00 pm. Informing the office in a timely way makes dismissal run more smoothly for all.
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To ensure that all students have a safe and positive experience on the bus, we are reinforcing our bus riding expectations. Students are expected to:
- Enter and Exit the bus slowly and safely.
- Sit in their assigned seats at all times.
- Follow the bus driver’s directions promptly and respectfully.
- Remain seated while the bus is moving.
- Keep all parts of their body inside the bus.
- Refrain from littering or leaving belongings behind.
- Use quiet, respectful voices (no screaming or yelling).
- Keep hands and feet to themselves
We appreciate your support in reminding your child of these expectations so that everyone can travel to and from school safely.
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American School Bus is using Bus Bulletin to alert District 146 parents of bus delays and schedule changes.
Bus Bulletin sends parents instant notifications via text message, email, and/or phone call. There is no cost for parents to sign up and receive notifications.
To sign up for notifications, please visit the Bus Bulletin website. Click Register, Select Parent/Student, Select SD 146 from drop down and complete personal information. Once an account is created, you can choose which bus route you want to be notified for both AM/PM.
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Updated Arrival and Dismissal Procedures |
Walkers/Bussers: Please enter through the main entrance door #1. Car Riders: Enter the parking lot moving east on Victoria. There is no left turn into the parking lot while moving west on Victoria during arrival/dismissal. THERE IS NO PARKING ON VICTORIA DRIVE DURING ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL. Drivers may ONLY make a right turn when exiting the parking lot. See the included map for more details.
Car riders are dropped off at the car circle line and enter via Door #8. Door #8 will close promptly at 8:50am. Car riders arriving after 8:50am must be signed in by a parent in the front office. Parents must park in a designated parking spot in our parking lot. Please do not idle/park in the fire lane.
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade walkers will dismiss via the east doors. Kindergarten students will dismiss via their classroom doors on the south side of the building. Car riders will enter vehicles at the car circle line for dismissal.
Ivy League: Door #10 (South Cafeteria Door). Students using this before/after school program will enter and exit DOOR #10 of the cafeteria black top.
Every child, on a daily basis, should know if they are a “car rider,” “bus rider,” or “walker.”
Important Reminder: For the safety of all students, playground use before school requires direct parental supervision, especially for our younger learners. Staff supervision begins at 8:40 AM. Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe.
We would also like to remind parents to drive all the way up to the end of the car line. We ask parents to remain in their vehicles as staff are available to support as needed. With additional families opting to drop students off through the car line for arrival, we would like to ensure that all students are able to enter the building prior to 8:50am. Should your vehicle enter the car circle after 8:50am, there will be no staff supervision so we ask that you bring your child to Door 1.
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Fierke PTO strives to create a strong community and raises money to fund special programs and events throughout the school year. By joining, you will make a positive impact for students and our Fierke community.
For more information:
Crystal Budney (President)
Lindsey Zaldivar (Vice- President)
Kim Salmich (Secretary)
Becky Cook (Treasurer)
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We will continue to offer free/reduced/paid lunches for the upcoming school year. The costs for each paid category are: Breakfast $1.50, and Lunch $3.75. We use a debit card system through Pushcoin. Funds can be added to your child’s card via a Pushcoin link available on our district website: www.district146.org
Breakfast will be available each morning for students using the debit card system. Students needing breakfast will go to the cafeteria to pick up their breakfast and then return to their classroom. Students will eat breakfast in their classrooms.
The daily hot lunch program will begin on Thursday, August 21st The student’s debit card is
scanned and deducted $3.75 whenever a hot lunch is “purchased”. Debit card accounts can be opened or re-activated by paying online or writing a check to School District 146 marked with “debit card-student’s name” in the memo line.
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Anyone who would like to volunteer in classrooms or at school events must have a background check on file. Please be sure to submit an application here: https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/ODQzMzplbi1VUw== If you are unsure whether you have submitted a background check in the past, please contact the office. |
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If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach out via the following links:
Phone: (708) 614-4520
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