Bourbonnais 53 District

Hi, just a reminder that the first of nine sessions of the Basic Sign Language Class taught by Jackie Hernandez will begin Wednesday, January 8th at 6:15 at Liberty School.

Dear Parents and Guardians, In the Spring of 2019 the BESD 53 Board of Education approved a plan for learning at home on weather emergency days. However, the Illinois State Board of Education has placed new requirements on these plans and we have not yet met these new requirements. We are working with the Regional Superintendent to ensure that our plan meets the new requirements but at this time we do not have an approved plan.  Until further notice, if we have a weather emergency day it will be made up at the end of the school year.  I will alert you if this changes. Thank you and Happy New Year!

Hi, here is a short video that demonstrates how you can use the straw bale garden to plant garlic or flower bulbs. If you enjoyed the garden this season, now is a good time to do some cleanup and remove the dead plants. Thanks! https://youtu.be/2d_6SuYawBw

Dear Parents and Guardians, we want to alert you that the students from bus #17 will be arriving about 20 minutes late due to shortage of drivers. Students normally riding bus#17 will be transported in bus #19 for this afternoon. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Families - We have received a shipment of backordered items from the Yankee Candle fundraiser. All the items we have received have been delivered to each child's building. Please stop by your child's school on Monday or Tuesday to pick up the backordered items. You can stop by the elementary offices (Shepard, Shabbona and LeVasseur) from 8:00 - 4:00 or the other schools (Liberty and BUGC) from 7:30 - 3:30. We appreciate your patience as we have waited for these delayed items! Bourbonnais PTA

Hi, I wanted to share an opportunity to support an organization that is working to improve Kankakee County. The Theraplay Institute is fundraising to send 3 mental health practitioners from Kankakee County through full clinical level Theraplay Certification. Our district has provided Theraplay professional development to many of our staff members and we believe it is an important component of our social and emotional learning process. Here is a link to the site where you can donate whatever you are able to this cause. Thanks! https://www.ilgive.com/organizations/the-theraplay-institute

Dear Parents and Guardians, we want to alert you that students that ride bus number seventeen will be arriving home approximately twenty minutes late. This is due to a shortage of bus drivers. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

This is a reminder that tomorrow, Wednesday, December 4th, will be an early dismissal day for the Bourbonnais School District. We will be following the Schedule A dismissal with no PreKindergarten classes operating. Liberty and Upper Grade will dismiss at 10:45. LeVasseur, Alan Shepard and Shabbona will dismiss at 11:30. Thank you.

This is a reminder that tomorrow, December 4th, is a scheduled early dismissal day. We will be following the Schedule A dismissal times. Upper Grade and Liberty will dismiss at 10:45 a.m.. Shepard, Shabbona, and LeVasseur will dismiss at 11:30 a.m..

Hi, here a message from Mr. Chamernik regarding the 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. Thanks Dear Parents and Students: I was able to reopen registration for the 2020 Washington DC trip for those who are interested in attending. We have forty-one attending now and have twelve more spots available for what will be the best trip Mrs. Carlton and I have ever put together. Here are some highlights of the trip: -Fly out Friday, March 20th to Charlottesville -Tour the University of Virginia which was founded in 1819 Thomas Jefferson (new this year) -Tour Monticello - the home of Thomas Jefferson (new this year) -Enjoy lunch at the historic Michie Tavern (new this year) -Tour the Luray Caverns (new this year) -Drive to Washington DC via a luxury tour bus -Tour the Tidal Basin Monuments - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, FDR Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial and experience the Cherry Blossoms -Tour Arlington National Cemetery and experience the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -Tour the Holocaust Museum -Tour the U.S. Capitol -Tour the FBI Experience (top security necessary, background checks required. Not even the tour companies can experience this tour. This was put in place by us!) -Visit and tour Mt. Vernon - home and burial site of George Washington -Visit and experience the National Zoo and Embassy Row -Visit the White House -Tour the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (new this year) -Experience and explore the Smithsonian Complex and the National Mall -Visit the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial and so much more! -Fly back to Chicago on Tuesday, March 24 in the late evening. The trip is five days / four nights and includes signature hotels, all meals, all transportation including our own secure luxury tour bus. Mrs. Carlton and I also have a fun evening of dinner, bowling and Bocce Ball planned at Pinstripes in Georgetown. (new this year) How do I find out the cost of the trip or to sign up for this once-in-a-lifetime trip? Call Worldstrides at 1-800-486-5899 or go to www.worldstrides.com/signup to register. The trip ID# is 177335 (Please note this is for new registrants only.) If you have any questions, please email me at chamernikd@besd53.org or call (815) 929-5066. Thank you, Mr. Chamernik

Buffalo Wild Wings Flyer.

Hi, see the attached flyer for details regarding the D.C. Trip Fundraiser this Friday at Buffalo Wild Wings. Hopefully you can come out and support this event.

REMINDER! Today is the day for Yankee Candle fundraiser pick up. Please stop by Shabbona Elementary to pick up fundraiser items between 4:00 and 7:00 today. All items must be picked up on November 21st. Items that were ordered online will be shipped directly to the buyer; however, if your child earned prizes from those online orders, you must pick up the prizes at Shabbona. If you have questions or need to work out alternate arrangements, please email bourbonnaispta@gmail.com.

Hi, Jackie Hernandez, our teacher for students that are deaf or hearing impaired is offering a basic sign language class for adults in the community. These sessions will begin in January. See the attached flyer for all the details.

Hi, some of you have asked about getting notifications on the BESD 53 App. Here is the process for adding the app and turning on notifications. 1. Search for the app in the play store or apple store by typing "Bourbonnais" and install the app. 2. Open the app and click the three lines on the upper left of the screen. 3. Select the "settings" option. The general notifications button should be on automatically but you need to choose the district office and the schools that you want to get notifications from on the bottom of the screen. Once you do this you should be all set. Thanks and have a nice weekend.

Dear Parents and Guardians, due to a police situation in close proximity to Liberty Intermediate School the Bourbonnais Police Department advised us to place Liberty Intermediate on building restriction. This means that nobody comes or goes from the building but instruction continues as usual. This restriction was lifted after about ten minutes once the police were certain there was no threat to our students or staff. Everything is back to normal but I wanted to let you know about the situation and assure you that the safety of the children and staff is our number one priority. Thanks

Dear BESD Families, we want to alert you that Bus #9 leaving Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center and Bus #12 leaving Shepard/Shabbona Campus will be running 15 minutes late today due to a shortage of bus drivers. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Veteran's Day 2019! Honoring our Veterans in Bourbonnais 53!

Veteran's Day 2019, Honoring over 80 of our Bourbonnais Family Member Veterans at BUGC!

A Bourbonnais Family Member You Should Know!