School Procedures

WELCOME BACK TO IRVING ELEMENTARY!!

Hello Irving Community-

I hope that everyone had a chance to enjoy the summer with their families.  We are busily preparing for the first day of school at Irving and  looking forward to seeing all of you.

The attachments below include my Welcome Back to School letter, Parent Tips, and the 2015-2016 School Supply List.

Soon you will receive a mailing from Irving, but I wanted to be sure to get this information to you in a timely manner.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

See you soon!

John Hodge

Principal

back to school ltr 2015-2

parent tips 2015 with map (1) (1)-2

IrvingSupplyList-15-16-2

First Grade Supply Drop Off
In an effort to lighten your load on the first day of school, there will be a first grade supply drop-off on Thursday, August 27th from 4:30-5:30.  We would love for our first grade families to set aside 10 minutes during that time to stop by your child’s classroom and drop off school supplies. A school supply list is posted on the school’s website. We hope to see you there!
Thank you!
– First Grade Team

Cuyler Bus Loading Zone

Dear Irving Families,

I understand and appreciate that unpredictable weather and busy schedules create a variety of challenges for all us, especially when traveling to and from school. However, I am writing to remind everyone that parking on the west side of the Cuyler in front of the building is prohibited. This space is specifically reserved for loading and unloading our buses.

When other vehicles occupy this space, it poses a serious safety risk for our students, staff, parents/guardians and neighbors. In addition, dropping off or picking up students from a vehicle on Cuyler further impacts student safety and traffic congestion.  The Oak Park Police Department has informed us that vehicles that are illegally parked in this area moving forward will be ticketed. 

We ask that you please adhere to the parking guidelines that have been established by the Village of Oak Park in cooperation with our school and the district. These guidelines are as follows:

1. There are NO PARKING restrictions on Cuyler, (from Garfield to Roosevelt) except for the loading zone for the buses that is located in front of the school. There are also no parking restrictions on Ridgeland (from Harvard to Roosevelt).  If you drive your child to school, please park your car away from our bus- loading zone and walk them to the school grounds.

2. To ease congestion on Cuyler, we recommend carpooling and public transportation. We also ask that you avoid taking up every spot on the block as a courtesy to the neighbors who live directly across the street from the school. If you see that there are only one or two spaces left on the block, please consider driving to the next block on Cuyler or to Ridgeland.

3. Please make sure you check all of the posted signage on streets surrounding the school before parking your vehicle. For example, Ridgeland is a no parking zone in the winter when the snow is more than two inches deep.

4. When snow is in the forecast, we recommend calling the Village’s parking hotline at 708-358-7275 and pressing “1” for a message regarding snow parking bans. These messages are updated on a daily basis at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. when it is snowing.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about this issue. Thank you for your attention and cooperation regarding this important safety matter.

Regards,

John Hodge

Principal

**Holiday Food Allergies Reminder**

Dear Staff, Room Parents, Parents, Guardians, and Students

As the Winter Holiday Season approaches, we are preparing for Winter Concerts and anticipating the joys of the season. This is a fun and enjoyable time for all, however, it can be a time of worry for children with food allergies and their families. In order to provide a safe celebration environment for the students at Irving, ALL classroom celebrations will be NUT FREE with a focus on healthy snacks and treats for the children.

As always, fresh fruits and veggies are welcome and should be promoted. It is recommended that room parents and teachers communicate before their scheduled Winter Holiday Party to identify the foods/treats that will be provided for each classroom celebration. Please inform Nurse Jamie of the food items that will be served. A good ratio of treats to healthy foods should be 1:3: One treat option for every three healthy food options.

Foods are required to have an ingredients list. Foods that are made in factories that may process nuts should not be served due to the potential for cross contamination. Please consider labeling the food items for easy identification by students. Teachers can confidentially alert room parents of any other dietary restrictions and or food allergies in the classroom so that an alternative treat can be provided for inclusion. Additionally, non-food treats such as stickers, pencils, and activities are always welcomed and enjoyed by all of the children.

Here is a link to a web site for Peanut/Nut/Egg safe food items

http://snacksafely.com/snacklist.pdf

Thanks to the entire Irving Community for helping to make this a safe and enjoyable holiday season for all. Please feel free to contact Nurse Jamie for any questions or concerns at jpeterson@op97.org or 708-524-3089.