Hello Graham Families!

We hope everyone had a restful and fun-filled Thanksgiving break!

Thanks to all those families who helped donate food, drinks, and money for the Parent Teacher Conferences! The staff was very appreciative of the catered Currito dinner on Thursday and all the snacks and drinks provided for Monday. A special thank you to Catherine Smith who coordinated ordering the meals and managing all the donations. Thank you, Catherine! Also, thank you to Mike Milligan and Whole Foods for donating many snacks and drinks for our staff. 

Our next general PTA meeting is coming up on Thursday, December 7 at 9:30am via Google Meet. Our guest speaker will be IPSD 204 School Board President, Laurie Donahue. She will be giving an update on things happening within the district. This is a great time to engage on a personal level with our School Board members. Please submit any questions you may have for Mrs. Donahue to Becky Thorn at RebeccaClarkSLP@gmail.com by Monday, December 4.

 

Here is what’s going on at Graham these next few weeks:

 

MUTUAL GROUND TOY DRIVE

Monday, November 13 – Friday, December 1

Mutual Ground is a community organization serving families and individuals impacted by Domestic and Sexual Violence and Substance Use Disorders. Every year, Mutual Ground hosts ‘The Winter Wonderland Shoppe’. This event provides families in need, with gifts for the holiday season. This year, we invite our wonderful Graham Community to participate in a toy drive to support Mutual Ground’s Winter Wonderland program.

 

We will keep the toy drive open (new unused only please) until 12/1. Please drop off your donation to the designated box near the front office. Some ideas are listed below. Please contact Manu Khurana at monagaks@gmail.com with questions. 

 

For this yearly event we collect NEW gifts in the following categories:

Infant/Baby (including diapers, wipes, lotions, clothing..)

Toys for all ages

Science sets

Craft sets

Family board games

New books (baby, kid, teen)

Stuffed animals

Makeup sets for kids

Bracelet and necklace making kits 

Coloring books and crayons

Sports equipment like soccer or basketball balls

Teen clothes like joggers, sweatshirts, hoodies in teen sizes 

Gift Cards ($10, $20, $25 and $50)

 

Winter Wishes Program

Now through December 1

Help make a difference this holiday season for our families experiencing hardships or homelessness. The Indian Prairie Parents’ Council (IPPC) is, once again, partnering with District 204 to host the Winter Wishes Program. This program directly supports under-resourced families through collecting donations of gift cards to help families enjoy the holiday season.

Community members who would like to participate can visit the IPPC online store to purchase gift cards or make a donation for the purchase of the most needed gift cards that will be used to serve the greatest needs of our District 204 families this holiday season. The program runs through December 1. If you have questions about the program, please contact IPPC 1st VP and Unity Chair, Robin Schmidt at rschmidt99@gmail.com.

 

WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students)

December 15, 11-1:30pm

This program helps provide positive male role models for the students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important. Meanwhile, it provides extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security, reduce bullying and provide a greater sense of campus safety allowing students and teachers to focus on learning. If you are a male figure in a Graham students’ life and are interested in learning more and getting involved, please sign up via Watch DOGS Sign Up Link or email Jason Thorn at JMThorn51@gmail.com.

 

WINTER CLASS PARTIES

December 22, 1:45-3:15, volunteers arrive @1:30pm

We are looking for helpers for our Winter Party on Friday, December 22 from 1:45 - 3:15 PM!  Each class is looking for 3-4 parent volunteers to come into school to help run their child's Winter Party.  Volunteers will need to check in at the school from 1:30 - 1:45 PM and will be staying till 3:15 PM when the party is over.  All volunteers MUST have registered with the volunteer form PRIOR to the party and have their license/ID card scanned into the school Raptor system before December 18th.  Sign up is below - please reach out to Tracie Skindzier at tracielange@hotmail.com with questions.

Winter Class Party Parent Sign Up

 

HOLIDAY TEACHER/STAFF GIFTS 

As an option for winter holiday gifts for Teachers and Staff we will be utilizing a site called GiftCrowd.com. If you choose to participate a gift of $5-10 is appreciated.  You may also add a personal message to the staff member with your gift.  At the end of the final day of school in December before break our gifts will be totaled and emailed to each of our teachers from the whole class.  No individual amounts will be listed, the teacher will receive our lump sum amount they can use for any gift card of their choice. We hope this makes for an easy way to recognize all of our Graham staff for the holidays; including all support staff, specials, administrators, facilities, etc! Keep an eye out for a follow up email, where you can find the details and links to send your gifts.

Please note: All gifts end on 12/22/2023 at 3:30 PM when they will be sent to their respective recipients.

We also collected some information from all teachers and staff members on their favorite things if you would like to purchase something for them individually. The file of the teachers’ favorite things are in the front office. 

 

CULTURAL NIGHT

January 25, 2023, 6-8pm, Graham Gym & MPR

Save the date!  Graham's second-annual Cultural Night will be held in the MPR and gym at Graham.  This is an evening to celebrate the many diverse cultures and traditions in our community. We have volunteers either showcasing various foods, dances, traditional attire and more - thank you!  There is still time to sign up . You can participate with a family booth and demo something special to you and your family , share traditional foods in the MPR, or even volunteer to perform in the gym!  Please reach out to Eileen Siddiqi at eileengs@yahoo.com or Manu Khurana at monagaks@gmail.com to learn more or to indicate your level of interest in participating and helping!  Additional information will be shared soon via backpack mail.

 

RESTAURANT NIGHTS FUNDRAISERS

Chop’d Restaurant: December 11, 11am-10pm, 12337 S Illinois Route 59, Plainfield

Dine at Chop’d and mention “Graham PTA” when ordering and 20% of sales will go back to Graham. 

 

UPCOMING PTA MEETING

GENERAL MEETING 12/7, 9:30am, Google Meet

• Guest Speaker- Laurie Donahue, President, IPSD 204 School Board

• PTA Meeting Link via Google Meet

 

GRAHAM PTA FACEBOOK PAGE:

Please take a moment to join the Graham PTA Facebook Page to stay in the loop on the latest PTA news, updates, and more!

 

Go Falcons!

The Graham PTA