Birthday Party Procedures
There are new birthday party procedures for the 2011-2012 school year. Please download the letter below to read more.

Birthday Party Letter (PDF)

Check out this web site for student supply lists and more calendar updates. Here are a few upcoming highlights.

January News
We hope that your Holidays were great and the 2012-year has kicked off in a good direction. Please make sure you are monitoring your student’s PowerSchool academic page. It is a great way to stay informed. While you are here, take a look at the teacher web pages for information and homework. Also, our media center site is loaded with great activities for kids.

Our Illinois State Exams will take place on March 6-9, 2012 with make-ups to follow. As you already know, District 92 was the only Will County District to make AYP-adequate yearly progress, based on ISAT assessments. Please make sure your children are well fed, rested, prompt and have needed supplies for testing week. It is our time to again show Illinois how great our students are!

Please refer to our newsletters, web pages, assignment books and weekly classroom newsletters for updates and Ludwig news.

Dates to Remember
January 2012
9                      Classes resume
13                    End 2nd Quarter
16                    No Classes MLking Birthday
20-22              Sports Tournaments
25                    Variety show try-out 2:30-4:00
27-29              Sports Tournaments
30-F3              100th day Food Drive

February
1-3                  100th day Food Drive
1                      Variety Show Tryouts 2:30-4:00
3                      Food delivery
20                    No Classes- President’s day
25                    PFA Fun Fair
29                    Variety Show dress rehearsal 2:45-4:00

March
1                      Variety Show 6:30
2                      Institute Day
5                      No Classes – Pulaski Day
6-9                  State Exams 4th and 5th
11                    Daylight Savings return forward 1 hr
12-16              State Exam make-ups
21                    Locker Clean Out
23                    10:55 dismissal / SIP day / End 3rd quarter
26-April 1        Spring Break – No Classes
31                    Earth Hour 8:30 p.m.

April
2                      Classes Resume
6-9                   No Classes
10                    Game Day Criteria begins
17                    Spring pictures
16-20              Career Week
20                    Career Day Banquet
25                    LAST S.O.S. SESSION

May
17                    5th Spring Concert assembly 1:15
18                    5th Spring Concert Parents 9:00
25                    10:55 dismissal / SIP day
28                    No classes – Memorial day
30                    Locker clean out
31                    Game Day Celebration

June
1                       Last Day – early dismissal tba
4-7                   Snow Days

Perseverance: A Must-Have for Children
Many children have set out to accomplish something--sports, music, good grades--only to realize that the path is uphill and the prize is not free. Certainly, you've experienced seeing excited eyes and faces as your children share dreams of accomplishing some new endeavor; then, you later see the frustration and hear those distressed words, "I can't." This is the time when being a parent counts.
Children need to feel successful. The actual accomplishment of a task is not as important as the work they do to accomplish it. You may need to help your child adjust a goal, or you may need to give an explanation about why he or she can't fly to the moon tomorrow on a rocket, but it's important for you to find a way to help your child experience the satisfaction of persevering to the end.
As the close of the school year approaches, consider working on the following three "Be's" that will help your children develop perseverance.
    * Be interested. There's a reason kids say, "Daddy, watch this!" Children never really outgrow the need to know that you care about what they do. Show that you want them to be successful.
    * Be a teacher. Parents are teachers. Kids have classrooms at school, but the laboratory for learning is the home. You don't need chalkboards, fancy technology, or advanced degrees in math or reading to teach your children. Simply watch for, and take advantage of, teaching moments--a chance to encourage, lift, explain, or share one of your life's experiences.
    * Believe. Your children can do anything. Do you believe it? Children can tell. Give them the gift of truly believing in them, and then brace yourself for them to do things that may astound you.
MASTER TEACHER

How to Help Your Children With Homework
- Many parents encounter frustration when they attempt to help their children with homework.  Here are some tried and true ways to help:
- Set up a workable homework schedule.  Study time should depend on your family’s schedule.  Decide, with your children, on a time for them to do homework.  Maintain the schedule as much as possible.  
- Encourage your children to complete class work at school.  Some children put off doing their work at school if they know they can bring it home.  
- Monitor your children while you are doing another task.  Keep an eye on the situation, but don’t encourage helplessness and dependency by sitting with your children as they study.  Homework is their obligation, and they should take responsibility.  
- Organize and prioritize.  Children sometimes get overwhelmed with the enormity of a task.  Help your youngsters get organized and decide which assignments to complete first.  
- Check completed homework assignments.  If there are errors, go over the work with your children until they understand, then allow them to correct it.  This will give them a sense of accomplishment, and they will be secure in the knowledge that their work is correct.

The Master Teacher
Put ICE on Your Cell Phone
- Having a cell phone is a must for many parents today. It enables them to stay in touch with their children, regardless of how busy and hectic the family schedule may be. Yet, in addition to being practical for day-to-day uses, the cell phone can even be a lifesaving measure. One difficulty emergency personnel often face is how to locate family members or friends of someone who is unconscious or otherwise unable to respond to questions. To notify next of kin or obtain other necessary information about a patient, emergency personnel may turn to the person's cell phone.
Therefore, many emergency services personnel encourage cell phone users to program an emergency contact name and telephone number into their cell phones, under the acronym "ICE" (in case of emergency). Having an emergency cell phone contact under ICE can help patients receive treatment in a timely fashion. Parents can program an emergency contact such as "ICE Mom" or "ICE Dad" or "ICE Parents" into the cell phones their youngsters carry so medical personnel can be aware of their relationship to the person they are treating.

The Master Teacher

SmileSafe Kids Safety Program
In our continuing commitment to support the safety of our community, Ludwig School is pleased to continue our participation in the SmileSafe Kids™ program, a child safety program developed in partnership by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Lifetouch National School Studios. Click here to read more: Ludwig Smile Safe Letter.