Martin Memo

We have another exciting week ahead at Martin Elementary! This week, we are celebrating Red Ribbon Week with fun activities that encourage our students to make healthy choices, show kindness, and be everyday heroes. We are looking forward to seeing our Huskies participate throughout the week!

❤️ Red Ribbon Week: October 26–30

Our theme this year is “Be a Hero, Stay Drug-Free! Good Things Happen at Martin!”

Each day, students are invited to participate in a special spirit day:

• Monday – Martin Heroes: Wear red or Martin gear to kick off Red Ribbon Week!

• Tuesday – Sports Heroes: Wear your favorite sports jersey or athletic team gear.

• Wednesday – Superheroes Dream Big: Wear comfy clothes or pajamas.

• Thursday – Hats Off to Healthy Heroes: Wear your favorite hat.

• Friday – Halloween Heroes: Wear your Halloween costume or orange and black.

Throughout the week, students will participate in classroom activities focused on making good choices, teamwork, and being positive role models.View our Red Ribbon Week activities and schedule

🎶 Fifth Grade Band and Orchestra Concert

A reminder that our fifth-grade students have their Band and Orchestra Concert this Thursday, October 29! We are excited for our young musicians to showcase all their hard work. We look forward to a wonderful performance!

🍎 Cafeteria Expectations – A Reminder for Families

Recently, the volume in the cafeteria has been higher than expected, and students have struggled to quiet down when asked, especially toward the end of lunch. At times, we have needed to pause for a minute or two of quiet time, and an administrator has had to step in to help students reset.

We want lunch to be a fun and social time for students, but we also need everyone to use appropriate voice levels, listen to adult directions, and follow expectations. Fourth-grade families, please take a moment to talk with your child about the importance of following cafeteria expectations.

I truly enjoy visiting the cafeteria and spending time with our students, and I especially love when I can sit down, chat, and connect with them rather than having to review expectations.

Thank you for helping us make lunchtime a positive experience for everyone!

🎃 Halloween Classroom Parties – Friday, October 30

Our Halloween classroom parties will take place this Friday! We are looking forward to a fun afternoon of celebrating with our students.

Please remember to follow our Halloween costume expectations:

• Costumes must be school-appropriate.

• No masks that cover students' faces.

• No weapons or weapon-like accessories.

• No costumes that include blood, gore, or excessively frightening elements.

• Students should be able to participate safely and comfortably in school activities.

Thank you to our PTA and parent volunteers for helping make these celebrations special for our Huskies!

💙 Erin's Law Presentations – Beginning in November

As a reminder, our Erin's Law lessons will begin during the first week of November. These age-appropriate lessons focus on personal safety, recognizing unsafe situations, and identifying trusted adults. Families who do not wish for their child to participate must submit an opt-out request by Saturday, October 31. Please be sure to submit your request by this deadline.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We have a fun and busy week ahead, and I look forward to seeing our students show their Martin pride, make positive choices, and celebrate together.

Good Things Happen at Martin! 🐾

Congratulations to our outstanding Huskies! 💙💛

We are excited to celebrate this week's Exemplary Husky winners! These students were recognized for going above and beyond our schoolwide expectations through kindness, responsibility, leadership, and respect. They are wonderful examples of how Good Things Happen at Martin and They Begin With Us!

Oct 26-30-Red Ribbon Week

Oct 29-Martin Band/Orchestra Concerts-6:00 – 8:00pm

Oct 29-Spooky Buddies

Oct 30-Fall Parties

Oct 31-Erin's Law Opt Out Deadline

Nov 4-CMPTA Monthly Meeting 6:30 – 7:30pm at Chesak

Nov 5-Curriculum Workshop-6:00 – 10:00pm at District Office

November 9 thru November 13- Scholastic Book Fair

Nov 12- Family Math and Literacy Night-5:30-7:00

Get ready for a SUPER week at Martin! 🎉 During Red Ribbon Week, Oct 26-30 our Huskies will celebrate the importance of making healthy, drug-free choices and being everyday heroes! Throughout the week, students will participate in fun spirit days and classroom activities that encourage kindness, teamwork, and positive decision-making.

Together, we can use our superpowers to make healthy choices and build a bright future! 💙💛🐾

Because Good Things Happen at Martin! 🌟

We love seeing our Huskies excited about reading and bringing library books home! However, we have already had six library books returned with water damage this school year. This is more than we typically see in an entire year!

Most of the damage has been caused by leaking water bottles in backpacks. We kindly ask families to remind their children to keep water bottles separate from library books and make sure bottles are tightly closed. Please remember that families are responsible for the replacement cost of library books that are damaged beyond repair. Taking a few extra precautions can help us keep our books in great condition for all Huskies to enjoy!

Thank you for your understanding and for helping our Huskies be responsible readers! 📖💙💛🐾

Dates: November 9 thru November 13, 2026

Hours: 9am to 2:30pm (11-9 to 11-12), 9am to 12pm (11-13)

Location: Hannah Martin Library

Family Event: “Good Things Happen to Smart Cookies”, Family Literacy and Math Night, Thursday, 11-12 from 5:30pm to 7pm

School homepage: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/hannahmartinelemschool

This is a great opportunity to build your child’s home library with new books that will get them excited about reading, while also earning funds for our school.

The easiest way to let your child shop the Fair independently is by creating a Book Fair eWallet through our school homepage. It’s easy to set up and easy for family and friends to add funds.

With eWallet, you’ll also have the chance to contribute to Share the Fair™—the giving program that supports students at our school who need help buying books. Consider participating so that no child leaves the Fair empty-handed!

Preview the books coming to the Fair by taking a 360° virtual tour via our school’s Book Fair homepage and explore the titles, watch video book trailers, and more.

We can’t wait to see you at the Fair and help every student discover a book they’ll love!

Happy reading,

Michele Happold

Principal

Ready to roll? Here's the easy set-up instructions for creating an eWallet:

1. Go to our Book Fair homepage: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/hannahmartinelemschool]

2. Click on eWallet "GET STARTED" and then "CREATE eWALLET"

3. Sign in or create an account (if you do not already have one with Scholastic).

4. Be sure to share your ewallet link with friends and family - Anyone can contribute!!

Thank you for your support. We can't wait to get new books in the hands of our students!

AND NEW FEATURES FOR EWALLET!

• PERSISTENT BALANCE: eWallet balances are now persistent, meaning they maintain a continuous balance for the student across multiple fairs rather than automatically transferring to an eGift balance.

• FUND TRANSFERS: Users now have the flexibility to transfer funds between their students’ eWallets, transfer eWallet funds to an eGift balance, or contribute funds to our “Share the Fair” (we are accepting donations to purchase books and other items for Toys-For-Tots!)

Many states, including Illinois, have passed in the past several years laws with the intent of increasing the awareness of child sexual abuse. You may have heard of this legislation under its more common name, Erin's Law, in honor of Erin Merryn, a brave young woman who has crossed the country advocating for laws to increase awareness of this crime against children. One of the requirements of this law is that schools provide an age-appropriate curriculum to all students relating to sexual abuse prevention through age-appropriate curriculum which may include a variety of discussions, activities, videos, and role-play scenarios. The purpose of the lessons is to provide students with the tools needed for personal safety and a nurturing and caring environment open for disclosure of any incidents.

Starting the month of November, your child’s teacher, along with the school Social Worker, will present a Child Sexual Abuse-Assault Program discussing the following concepts:

● What is Child Sexual Abuse and Assault

● Myths/Facts about abuse, assault and abuser/perpetrator

● Instincts and Secrets

● How to protect self from sexual situations

● Identifying and learning to tell safe, trusted adults

Nationwide, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be the victim of child sexual abuse by the age of 18. Through this program aimed at educating and empowering students, we want to provide your student with the knowledge and skills to use if ever affected by sexual violence.

District 158 believes that all of our students will benefit from participating in this program. Additional parent/guardian resources can also be found at www.erinslaw.org.

If you have any questions about the program's content, please contact the school office at (847) 659-5300 or email your classroom teacher.

If you would like to remove your child from this presentation, please complete this form by Oct. 31, 2026.

Kind regards,

Mrs. Happold & Mrs. Dahlke

***IF YOU ARE VOLUNTEERING IN YOUR CHILD’S CLASSROOM, PLEASE BE SURE TO BRING YOUR DRIVER’S LICENSE SO THAT WE CAN RAPTOR YOU IN***

We will again have our Fall parties this year, students and staff will dress up for Halloween. Teachers will be communicating the time of their Fall Party on October 30th. Parties will happen at different times throughout the day depending on student schedules. We are asking that all volunteers who are assigned to help with the party check in at the office to receive their visitor lanyards.

Costume Guidelines:

• Students will bring their costumes to school unless the party is scheduled for 8:30 in the morning. Teachers will communicate the time of their party to you.

• Costumes should be worn over clothes so that students can pull them on/off independently. There will be no use of the bathroom to put on costumes.

• Costumes should be appropriate and not be violent in nature and should not include weapons, fake or plastic, or masks that cover the entire face.

• Hair dye, make-up, and minimal face paint should be applied at home (i.e. whiskers and a nose). Teachers will not apply any type of make-up to the students

• Please do not send your child to school in an inflatable costume, as they can be difficult to wear throughout the day.

We understand that many students like to participate in costumes and Fall fun, however, for families that do not wish their children to participate in the fall party, please contact your teacher and other arrangements will be made.

We look forward to having a great day on October 30.

ADHD affects millions of children and youth, impacting executive function, emotional regulation, and daily learning. Behind every challenge, however, is a student with unique strengths, creativity, and potential.

Need Support? We’re Here to Help. Our district is partnered with Care Solace to provide complimentary, confidential mental health care coordination for our students, staff, and their families. Together, we can ensure every student receives the understanding, care, and guidance they need to thrive.

Care Solace offers 24/7/365 support to connect you with verified local providers who accept your insurance (including Medicaid) or offer sliding scale rates, specializing in ADHD and youth mental health.

Call: 888-515-0595 (Multilingual support available 24/7/365)
Visit: caresolace.com/huntley

Spooky Buddies is creeping up, Thursday, October 29th from 5-7:30pm! Come join Best Buddies for a FREE all-inclusive community indoor trick-or-treating event at Huntley High School! Besides candy, there will also be games & bouncy houses! For more SPOOKY fun, a food truck, baked goods and fidgets for purchase! Come dressed up in your favorite costume and vote for the best decorated room!

Join us on Monday, November 2 at Martin Elementary for an evening of learning, connection, and family fun! From 6:00–6:30 p.m., our MPAC (Multilingual Parent Advisory Committee) meeting will focus on an overview and discussion of District data. Pizza will be served, and childcare will be provided during the meeting.

Following MPAC, stay for our MPAC-sponsored Family Reading Night from 6:30–7:30 p.m. Families will have an opportunity to enjoy reading activities, explore resources, and learn strategies to support literacy at home.

📍 Martin Elementary, 10920 Reed Road

We hope to see you there!

District 158 has partnered with the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) to offer free training for families on De-Escalating Challenging Behaviors.

Parenting a child with special needs can bring moments of big emotions, stress, and challenging behaviors. This training provides practical tools to recognize warning signs, de-escalate difficult situations, and respond safely and confidently.

Consider joining if you are navigating:

• Challenging behaviors or behavioral escalations

• Big emotions, stress, or frustration

• Situations where you want to feel more calm and prepared

• A need for strategies that promote safety, consistency, and understanding

Training Options

Three 2-hour sessions — Virtual + In-Person
Sessions 1 and 2 are required to attend Session 3.

• Session 1: Friday, November 6 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM | Virtual

• Session 2: Friday, November 13 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM | Virtual

• Session 3: Friday, November 20 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM | In-Person
  District Office, Washington Room
  650 Dr. John Burkey Drive, Algonquin

OR

One-Day Training: Thursday, December 10 | 8:45 AM–2:30 PM

Register for CPI Family Training

We're excited to kick off another amazing school year and continue supporting our wonderful Reed Road school community! 🎉 The CMPTA helps make so many fun events and memorable experiences possible for our students and staff.

Can't make the meeting? No worries! We'd still love for you to become part of our CMPTA community and enjoy all of the great events and opportunities CMPTA supports throughout the year. Every family is welcome, and every level of involvement makes a difference! ❤️

Join us for the HHS Best Buddies Spooky Buddies Trick-or-Treat Night on October 29 from 5:00–7:30 PM at Huntley High School! 🎃🍬 Huntley 158

CMPTA will be hosting a table at the event and needs your help! Families can donate unopened bags of candy by dropping them off in the CMPTA Monster located near Martin’s front office. 👻🍭 Your donations will help CMPTA provide treats to all of our trick-or-treaters!

Thank you for helping make this a fun night for our community! 💙💛🐾

The Satchel Pulse Parent Guides are a great resource to help families understand and support their child's social-emotional growth!

These helpful guides focus on five important areas:

💙 Self-Awareness – Recognizing emotions, strengths, and feelings.

💛 Self-Management – Managing emotions, behaviors, and setting goals.

🤝 Social Awareness – Showing empathy, kindness, and respect for others.

🌟 Relationship Skills – Building friendships, communicating, and working with others.

🐾 Responsible Decision-Making – Making positive choices and solving problems.

We encourage families to explore these resources, talk with their children about these important skills, and practice them together at home!

Together, we can help every Husky grow and succeed! 💙💛🐾

Ever wonder what your child is learning in school and how you can support them at home? Our Grade-Level Family Guides are a great resource! These guides highlight the important academic and social skills students are developing at each grade level, along with helpful ways families can support their child's growth.

Together, we can build strong connections between home and school and help every child shine! 💙💛🐾

Good Things Happen at Martin!

New, interactive school breakfast and lunch menus are now posted online! Visit the My School Meals website or download the mobile app to view interactive menus and nutritional information in the language of your choice. Read this article below for more information about My School Meals, MySchoolBucks, and more!

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