Victoria Kieffer, Ph. D.

August 2013

Dear Townline Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to another great school year!! I am sure you’ve had a restful and fun summer break filled with friends and family. Hopefully you had a chance to travel and experience new sights and sounds.

In July, I traveled around Québec City for a week then cruised up the St. Lawrence River to Prince Edward Island; Sydney, Nova Scotia; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Bar Harbor, Maine and then into Boston. The scenery was incredibly beautiful with quaint fishing villages and lots of fresh sea air.

School is just around the corner and we’re excited about greeting our students again! We’ve missed you!

Here’s what’s new around Townline:

  • All parking lots and playground were resurfaced and painted
  • The playground area has a new walking trail around the edges giving students an additional fun activity during recess. Dust off your pedometers!!
  • Solar panels were installed helping energy costs at Townline.
  • Mrs. Dontsow (Special Education) was married over the summer and is now known as Mrs. Coleman
  • Teachers’ lounge received an extreme makeover!!

Staff changes around Townline:

  • Megan Rathe moved from 4th grade to the 1st grade team
  • Mrs. Blue retired at the end of last school year
  • Mrs. Brill is on a maternity Leave of Absence
  • Mrs. Scarborough (Art Teacher) moved to Aspen
  • Mr. Crandall (PE Teacher) moved to Middle School South
  • Ms. Clark (ESL Teacher) moved to Austin, Texas
  • Jamie Kahn is a 5th grade teacher with four years of classroom teaching experience
  • Katie Brennan is an experienced 2nd grade LOP (Learning Opportunities Program) teacher coming to us from Elementary South
  • Ms. Brennan has two instructional assistants: Kathy Bold and Violet Cimmarusti
  • Victor Garcia is a new Spanish-speaking PE teacher working with students in Dual Language and Townline
  • Michelle Del Rosario is our new Art teacher who will mainly teach DL students
  • We are currently interviewing for our new ESL Teacher- TBD
  • Scott Lindstrom is filling in for Mrs. Plohr (Band and General Music Teacher) while she is on maternity leave
  • Sheila Gold and Margo Tross are our new playground supervisors
  • Amy Lebovitz is another new Instructional Assistant coming to us from the south campus
  • Colleen Koebel is our new Library Instructional Assistant

Also…

Communication: Be sure to sign up for monthly Principal Newsletters and weekly information regarding upcoming important events and deadlines. Sign up at http://townline.hawthorn73.org and click on Subscribe to our Newsletter on the right side. Important dates such as Student Spirit Days (yes, we are having more spirit days this year), Field Trips, evening events etc., are also listed online as well.

Back to School Nights have changed this year!! Teachers will have the entire hour to present information on curriculum, assessments and grade level expectations. I will stop by the grade level presentations to introduce myself and talk about the new school improvement plan instead of having a PowerPoint session during the evening. So be sure to arrive by 7:00 PM to enjoy the teachers’ presentations.

Students in 4th & 5th grade will no longer switch classes for science and/or social studies. Homeroom teachers will be teaching all subject areas. However, teachers in all grade levels will still implement flexible grouping in reading and math to differentiate for students’ academic needs. If you have any questions about this, don’t hesitate to contact me (kiefferv@hawthorn73.org).

Parent Pick Up: Please try to confirm all afternoon pick up arrangements with the school by 2:15 so students know exactly where to go when the bell rings. This helps to reduce confusion and makes the dismissal process more efficient. I appreciate your cooperation!

Dates to Remember:

  • Kindergarten/New Parent Information Night- Aug. 13 at 7:00 PM
  • Bus Kindy Practice Rides- Aug. 16th at 8:30 AM (Registration Required)
  • New Incoming Kindy Playdate on our playground- Aug. 16th at 6:00 PM
  • Teacher Institute Days- Aug. 19th and 20th
  • “Get Acquainted Time”- August 20: Grades 1-5 from 1:00-2:30
  • “Get Acquainted Time”- August 20: AM Kindy from 1:00-1:30
  • “Get Acquainted Time”- August 20: PM Kindy from 2:00-2:30
  • First Day of School (K-5) – Aug. 21st
  • Back to School Nights- Aug. 27 Grades K-2 & Aug. 29 Grades 3-5
  • School Spirit Day (wear school colors blue & yellow)- August 30
  • No School Labor Day- Sept. 2
  • No School Rosh Hashanah- Sept. 5
  • TL and DL Family Night- Ice Cream Social on Friday, Sept. 6

It is with great pride that I continue serving as your child’s advocate and supporter along side Townline staff. We have such dedicated and hard working teachers who give 110%. If you ever need anything or have a question please contact the main office at 847-990-4900.

Be sure to stop in to say “Hello”!!