spring break!!!!
The temperatures are rising and we are starting to see more and more green -- spring is almost here! Whether you travel or enjoy time at home, we hope you all have a restful and fun spring break. See you all back at school on Monday, March 28th.
construction update
BeloAt a special meeting on Monday, March 14th, the District 70 Board of Education approved a contract for Copeland to undergo reconstruction and building improvements to be substantially completed by the end of the 2016 summer break. While a majority of the work (and ALL internal work) will begin shortly after the final day of student attendance in early June, some external work will begin following spring break next week, with construction fencing being set up outside of the gym and the fourth grade classrooms in the back of the school. It is important that parents understand that Copeland will be an active construction site with large equipment; therefore, some of our routine movement around the outside of the building will be compromised, with adjustments made to accommodate access.
Safety will continue to be our first priority. Please make sure to help us keep your children safe by talking to them about the importance of staying behind all fencing and away from all construction areas.
Completion of the classrooms, library and interior spaces is expected by the start of school in August, with the new gym ready by December 2016. Below is an image of the floor plan for the proposed site post-construction. Posters with images of the floor plan and renderings of how the building will look are on display in the office lobby.
This is a very exciting time for Copeland Manor. These building improvements will benefit our school --and the district as a whole -- and I will continue to keep you informed about construction issues in Paw Prints. If you have any questions, please contact me at your convenience.
Safety will continue to be our first priority. Please make sure to help us keep your children safe by talking to them about the importance of staying behind all fencing and away from all construction areas.
Completion of the classrooms, library and interior spaces is expected by the start of school in August, with the new gym ready by December 2016. Below is an image of the floor plan for the proposed site post-construction. Posters with images of the floor plan and renderings of how the building will look are on display in the office lobby.
This is a very exciting time for Copeland Manor. These building improvements will benefit our school --and the district as a whole -- and I will continue to keep you informed about construction issues in Paw Prints. If you have any questions, please contact me at your convenience.
please call school when your child is home
If your child is going to miss school for any reason, please call or email school. You can call the school office and/or email your child's teacher(s), Mrs. Bell and/or Mrs. Beckman. Thank you for your assistance in making sure students are safe and counted in school.
junior achievement
Thank you to the many parent volunteers (over 20) who spent a half of a day at Copeland on March 11th teaching Junior Achievement lessons throughout the building. This is a fabulous program that brings hands-on social science lessons to our students in Grades K-5. The lessons are awesome, and our volunteer teachers are awesome too!
welcome back to copeland, mrs. leffelman
While Mrs. Morden is at home with her new baby daughter, Mrs. Leffelman is back at Copeland working with students. Mrs. Leffelman retired a few years ago after a long and valued District 70 career. Her "peachy-keen" attitude and understanding of how to enrich student learning experiences are warmly welcomed. Thank you for spending time with us, Mrs. Leffelman! We are glad you are here.
student council has been busy collecting pennies
Pennies for Pasta (also know as Pennies for Patients) has come again to Copeland! Student Council sponsored this important fundraiser. Each classroom raised money to help fight cancer. What a great cause! Our goal this year was to raise $2,016.
For each $250 raised as a school, we will get to watch Mr. Feldman get a pie in the face! If we reach our goal of $2,016, volunteers from our Student Council Officers will also get a pie in the face! The winning class will also win a delicious pasta lunch courtesy of Trattoria -- thanks Mrs. Grote!
To raise even more money outside of school, each teacher has an online giving page. Online total as of today is at $200, but there's still time to give! Directions on how families can access this page and add themselves to your class…
*You have to be 18 or older to register, so parents can register for students.*
Online giving is meant for larger donation amounts, students who may lose money on the way to school, out of state family members, etc.
Thank you, Student Council (under the leadership of Ms. Snider and Mrs. Vipond), for your philanthropic efforts. Stay tuned for the results and to see who will have fun getting a pie in the face.:)
For each $250 raised as a school, we will get to watch Mr. Feldman get a pie in the face! If we reach our goal of $2,016, volunteers from our Student Council Officers will also get a pie in the face! The winning class will also win a delicious pasta lunch courtesy of Trattoria -- thanks Mrs. Grote!
To raise even more money outside of school, each teacher has an online giving page. Online total as of today is at $200, but there's still time to give! Directions on how families can access this page and add themselves to your class…
*You have to be 18 or older to register, so parents can register for students.*
- Visit www.studentseries.org
- Click on About
- Click on Find Your School. Search schools, and type Copeland in Libertyville, IL.
- Scroll to the bottom right side of the page. Click Join Your Classroom Team.
- Make a free account using your first name, last name, and email address.
- Search your teacher’s last name.
- When you find your correct teacher, click the big red button that says Select and Continue.
- Enter the information they ask for (name, address, phone, etc.)
Online giving is meant for larger donation amounts, students who may lose money on the way to school, out of state family members, etc.
Thank you, Student Council (under the leadership of Ms. Snider and Mrs. Vipond), for your philanthropic efforts. Stay tuned for the results and to see who will have fun getting a pie in the face.:)
HMS Choir performs at copeland
On March 3rd, the Highland Middle School Sixth Grade choir and Show Choir toured all D70 elementary schools. Copeland third, fourth and fifth grade students enjoyed their performances tremendously. Thank you, Mr. Spakowski and Mrs. Hutchins, for bringing the students to Copeland.
girls on the run!!!
Many thanks to our volunteer Girls on the Run, Mrs. Grote, Mrs. Schroetter, Mrs. Crandell, Miss Weaver, and Miss Meo. With their help, twenty girls are running and learning together. Way to go, girls!!
cougie cards drawn and lunch with the principal
meet caroline, our newest super cougie
tips for helping children with writing tasks from mrs. wolan
To be successful when writing, students need to manipulate multiple components simultaneously. Children have to constantly switch their attention between different subtasks. They have to generate ideas, elaborate on those ideas, focus on sentence structure, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. This can be overwhelming for some students. It is helpful to “chunk” these tasks into smaller manageable parts. One useful strategy called POWER can encourage students to proceed through the writing task in small steps. Each letter stands for a single step the child needs to perform. It is important to model each step and then encourage your child to do it on their own. Each letter in this mnemonic strategy serves as a memory hint for each step.
POWER: P is plan
This step involves preparation to provide the focus of the task.
POWER: O is organize
This step involves identifying and describing the parts of the task. Graphic or visual organizers help students organize their ideas. Younger students may focus on three parts: beginning, middle, and end. Older students may describe other components such as characters, setting, problem, solution, and theme.
POWER: W is write
This step involves the actual writing of the paragraph or paper, elaborating on ideas. Younger students may start with pictures.
POWER: E is edit
In this step have the student focus on one component at a time. Proofread for spelling first, then punctuation, etc. See if they can identify any errors they made when writing.
POWER: R is revise
This step involves revising a student’s writing on order to enhance the quality of what they have written. It is also the step that many students want to avoid.
Encouraging your child to use a process approach and focus on one small chunk at a time can improve their writing skills over time.
Susan Wolan
Special Education Resource Teacher at Copeland
POWER: P is plan
This step involves preparation to provide the focus of the task.
POWER: O is organize
This step involves identifying and describing the parts of the task. Graphic or visual organizers help students organize their ideas. Younger students may focus on three parts: beginning, middle, and end. Older students may describe other components such as characters, setting, problem, solution, and theme.
POWER: W is write
This step involves the actual writing of the paragraph or paper, elaborating on ideas. Younger students may start with pictures.
POWER: E is edit
In this step have the student focus on one component at a time. Proofread for spelling first, then punctuation, etc. See if they can identify any errors they made when writing.
POWER: R is revise
This step involves revising a student’s writing on order to enhance the quality of what they have written. It is also the step that many students want to avoid.
Encouraging your child to use a process approach and focus on one small chunk at a time can improve their writing skills over time.
Susan Wolan
Special Education Resource Teacher at Copeland
risk watch
We are so fortunate to work collaboratively with members from the Libertyville Police and Fire Departments to offer "Risk Watch" lessons to our students throughout the year. Thank you to Miss April for being our liaison with the police department and organizing these events. Today, a detective from the department came to speak with all students about firearm safety. Past presentations have included topics on fire safety, bus safety, bike safety, and others. Students enjoy interacting directly with our community leaders and learn about safe practices by listening to these developmentally appropriate assemblies
how are students with food allergies kept safe at school?
On March 10th, Mr. Feldman and Mrs. Beckman met with a group of parents to discuss current practices in place at Copeland to keep students with food allergies safe. While many practices are already currently in place, we are eager to continually improve and to increase vigilance in the name of safety. The following were discussed during the meeting:
Questions raised by the committee?
Proposed changes for 2016/2017 school year:
This group of parents will meet again as an "Allergy Committee" in April. All parents are welcome to attend the meeting to discuss these changes and any other questions that you might have.
Questions raised by the committee?
- Can food rewards be limited to peanut/tree nut safe foods or non-food items?
- Is it possible to cater the Kindergarten Feast around Thanksgiving to make sure the food is peanut/tree nut safe?
- Can we provide families with a peanut/tree nut safe snack list?
Proposed changes for 2016/2017 school year:
- Limit/elminate home projects that include food items (eg. 100th day of school projects or holiday posters)
- Mrs. Beckman will create a list of approved foods that will include only peanut/tree nut safe food items. Only foods from this list should be sent to school for class parties.
This group of parents will meet again as an "Allergy Committee" in April. All parents are welcome to attend the meeting to discuss these changes and any other questions that you might have.
parent input forms due to the office april 22nd
Parent input forms for class placement consideration (16-17 school year) of social/emotional or academic issues are available in the school office. These forms are due back to the office by Friday, April 22nd. Please remember: no teacher requests will be accepted.