See Here.

The World Language Program at Irving School introduces students to the basics of the target language and culture and develops the necessary skills for elementary comprehension. The relaxed class environment helps students learn to overcome any reticence in voicing target languages. Language skills will grow over years of instruction. The goal is to develop a comfort and familiarity with the language.

For 2011-2012, the World Language Program has expanded its offerings to include Japanese, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Mandarin and Spanish. Classes will initially be offered for Kindergarten to 4th grades (exceptions will be make for 5^th grader that are really willing to take a class). Classes will run for 1 hour every week.

The World Language Program is completely independent, funded solely by tuition paid by families of participating children. World Languages are sponsored by the PTO, endorsed by the School Board, and encouraged by the staff and principal of Irving School.

Registration form

Are you interested in a volunteer opportunity with your child’s classroom? Please consider becoming a room parent.  We try to have three room parents per class, so this is a collaborative and fun commitment.  Room parents generally organize class parents to provide assistance to the teacher as requested. For example, room parents often help out with class events/parties. We welcome ALL returning and new parents to this network of volunteers.

If you have any questions about room parents, or would like to volunteer as a room parent, please send your name, child’s name, grade, and classroom teacher to Jennifer Purrenhage at jpurrenhage@comcast.net.  (Note to previous volunteers: we are still organizing responses and will send you a confirmation note soon.)

Thanks for your consideration,
Laona Fleischer lafleischer@sbcglobal.net
and Jen Purrenhage jpurrenhage@comcast.net
Room parent coordinators

Dear Irving Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back to school! We hope your families had a relaxing and fun summer!  It is time again for families in Oak Park/River Forest to begin signing up for the annual Holiday Food and Gift Basket Program!  This program provides families who qualify with food gift certificates for Thanksgiving and gifts during the December month.

The criteria used to determine who qualifies for this program is similar to the qualifications to receive free/reduced lunch.  All applicants must be residents of Oak Park or River Forest.   While all residents of Oak Park/River Forest are eligible for the program, Irving school can only help families of Irving children to apply.  If you know of a non-Irving resident who may be interested, we can direct you to community applicant locations.

If you are the head of your household and are interested in learning more information or want to apply to this program, please contact Kila Bell-Bey or Jaclyn Kwiatt at the Irving Social Work office.   Phone calls can be made to (708) 524-5830 ext. 6150.  You may also email either one of us using the emails provided below.

All applications must be completed by Friday, October 7^th 2011 and must be done in person.

You may call, email, or stop by the Irving Social Work Office to schedule an application appointment.  Scheduling an appointment is the most helpful so we can ensure that one of us is in the office at the time that is most convenient to you!

We look forward to meeting you and wish you the best during the school year!

Kila Bell-Bey                                                                         Jaclyn Kwiatt

Irving School Social Worker                                              Irving School Social Work Intern

Email: kbell-bey@op97.org                                               Email: jkwiatt@op97.org

Greetings to all new and returning Irving families! We knew summer would fly by, and sure enough here we are starting school already. The PTO is very excited about this new year and we’ve been busy over the summer getting things ready for you. Here are some highlights:

We have a new after-school activity program, Eagle Extras!
Eagle Extras is the extra-curricular activity program brought to you by the Irving PTO. There are three sessions throughout the school year, with different offerings each session. These fee-based activities are taught by a variety of outside organizations, teachers or parents. Fees are based on the activity, and scholarships may be available to families who qualify for free or reduced lunch. More details on course offerings and registration can be found on the Eagle Extras page of the PTO website.

The PTO has a new website!
We’ve redesigned the PTO website with you in mind. Note that there is a new website address:  http://irvingpto.com

You can find posts organized by category, a calendar that combines the D97 listings with key school activities, the latest Eagle Extras offerings, a list of volunteer opportunities, PTO contact info and links to the places you can shop to support our school. We will continue to update the website frequently with additional resources and we welcome your feedback to this work-in-progress. Send it to Laura Crawford, lauracrawford47@gmail.com

Find us on Facebook!
If you’re on Facebook, please join our group: Washington Irving School Parents. This is a place for informal discussions, questions and notices about school life. Any Irving parent can answer a question. The info on Facebook is not meant to replace our regular PTO emails or any formal communications from the school or District 97, but to act as a friendly discussion since we all can’t hang out on the playground after school!

Come to Back to School/SEOPCO Movie Night!
This Friday is our annual back-to-school party, which is co-hosted with SEOPCO. We’ll be selling pizza and drinks, there will be entertainment and the movie How To Train Your Dragon. Bring something to sit on and let the kids run around while you catch up with other parents. Pizza sales start at 5:30pm, movie starts at 8:00pm on August 26 in Barrie Park.

Join us at the first PTO meeting of the year!
Want to find out more about school life, get involved or give input in person? The PTO meetings are generally the first Thursday of every month and include info on active committees and a report by Principal Hodge. The agenda is emailed in advance. The first meeting is September 1, 6:30pm in the Media Center/Library. As always, free childcare is available in the Community Room.

Thank you in advance for the time and energy you give to support the students and staff of Irving School. A strong community makes a strong school and Irving just keeps getting better and better.

Yours,

The Irving PTO