The Jayhawk Weekly

Dear Julian Parents and Guardians,

It was great to have so many families come in for family conferences last week. Keeping communication between families and teachers is an important part of the middle school experience. We encourage families to regularly check PowerSchool and email teachers so that you are aware of your child's academic progress. Reach out at any time with questions!

School Picture Day is this week for all grade levels. As well as student Mock Elections, bus evacuations, Halloween, and more! Check out the messages below for more details! And 8th grade families, please remember to get those OPRFHS tour permission slips in by tomorrow morning and the cap & gown orders in by Friday.

If you have questions about the school year, please don’t hesitate to contact our Admin team at:

nfilipowski@op97.org, acourt@op97.org, dfountain@op97.org

Jayhawks together,

Nick Filipowski, Principal

Adrienne Court, Associate Principal

DaWanda Fountain-Dotson, Associate Principal

To get the best results, please remember to have students avoid wearing clothing or accessories that are the color green. And students will be asked to remove their caps or hats so that we can have full view of their faces. The school pictures are used to create new school IDs, so we need the view of the students' faces to be unobstructed. Orders and payments are made directly to the vendor, Van Gogh School Photographers (not the school office). When the proofs have been received, order forms will be distributed to students in WIN classes.

**8th grade families: this is not the "Cap & Gown Photo Day" for 8th graders. That will occur after Winter Break. We will share details in the winter, as we get closer to that 2027 date. In the meantime, your 8th grader should take a school picture on 10/28.

It's election season and that means a mock election at Julian! Our students have had the opportunity to learn about midterm elections and to think through candidates in their WIN class. Families can help students with their decisions using this Julian mock election voter guide. Voting will take place via Social Science classes and in the library on October 29, 30, and November 2. Mock election results will be shared in WIN classes Wednesday, November 4.

There is only one game on Thursday (the varsity game has been cancelled by the opposing team). The JV team will play at 4:30pm. Students should be picked up or exit the building by 5:30pm on 10/29.

Please plan accordingly and have your student bring their school ID for entry. Unaccompanied non-Julian students will not be admitted (Brooks, Fenwick and OPRFHS students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for all sporting events).

Varsity Tryouts

• Monday & Tuesday 10-26/27

• 7:30- 8:30 am

Junior Varsity

• Monday & Tuesday 10-26/27
• 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm

~PJMS MAIN GYM~

The registration window for the Access to Algebra Bridge Course is open until Friday, Nov. 6, 2026.

If you are interested in signing up, please visit the District 97 website to register your student. Classes run from Nov. 23, 2026, through June 9, 2027, and students must pass the end of course exam with an 80% or higher to move on to the next level of math. Students who are already accelerated in math or who have successfully completed the Access to Algebra program in the past are not eligible to participate.

Need assistance?

Please contact Director of Teaching and Learning, Emilie Creehan at ecreehan@op97.org or Access to Algebra Coordinator, Arnetta Thomspon at athomspons@op97.org regarding questions about the Access to Algebra Bridge Courses.

On Thursday and Friday, students will practice bus evacuation drills during their PE/Health classes. The PE teachers will supervise students and advise on how to safely exit a bus during an emergency. We practice so that students can remain calm, follow instructions and safely evacuate a school bus should an emergency situation occur.

We are gearing up for our Native American Assembly, and we need you! Do you know a dancer, artist or someone we should know? Do you have a family tradition or recipe that you want to share? Come be a part of our assembly and share Nov 20th Please click here

We know that unexpected things happen. A sprained ankle, a broken bone, or a sudden illness can disrupt a child’s day, and the Julian Middle School Health Office is here to help your family through it.

If your child is injured or recovering from an illness or surgery:

• Please contact the Julian health office as soon as you can.

• We will work with you and your child’s school team to make school as safe, comfortable, and manageable as possible.

Written medical documentation is required for:

• Physical education (PE) excusals

• Elevator passes

• Medications given at school

• Use of crutches or other assistive mobility devices

This helps us follow your provider’s recommendations and keep your child safe.

Assistive devices (crutches, wheelchairs, walkers):

• Please complete the Orthopedic Assistive Mobility Device Authorization Form, which has a section for you and a section for your child’s physician.

• This form reflects the district’s approach to the safe use of orthopedic assistive devices in our buildings.

• All health forms are available at https://www.op97.org/health-services/forms.

As your child heals:

• Their needs will likely change, so please send us any updates to activity restrictions in writing from their healthcare provider, whether restrictions are added, changed, or lifted.

• This lets us adjust supports and make sure your child returns to activities when it is safe.

We would much rather hear from you early so that we can put supports in place right away.

Thank you for your partnership. We are always happy to help your child feel cared for and welcome at school.

Warmly,

Nurse Allison

Julian Health Office

Email: JulianNurse@op97.org

Phone and fax: 708-524-7648

D97's Maker's Market is back! Save the date for December 4 from 4-7pm in the Julian Commons. Student sign-up for makers will be posted in Canvas on November 1st!

1 - Please make sure that your child brings the following items with them to school every day:

1. School ID
2. Fully charged Chromebook
3. School supplies for their core and elective classes

2 - Remove Decorations and Coverings from the school ID - REMINDER:

Please make sure that your Jayhawk keeps their photo uncovered and the barcode unobscured on their school ID. Decorations such as stickers, beads, etc. should be limited to the lanyard or holder, and not placed directly on the student ID card. Please leave both the photo and barcode clearly visible on the ID. The barcode on the ID is how students are able to purchase breakfast and lunch meals in the commons. It is also how library books are checked out in the media center. With over 300 students to serve per grade level, we do not want to slow down the lunchroom line during students' lunch periods. When the school ID can not be scanned properly, the lunchroom staff must manually enter student data in the MealTime system, which is a delay that can be easily prevented.

The Book Fair has been a great success! 30+ student volunteers and so many parents have dedicated time & positive energy into book selling & reading. “Come for the squishies, stay for the books!”

Middle School parents, join us on October 28th from 6-8pm in the Brooks Commons for parent/guardian education on suicide prevention. QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) is a 60-90 minute, evidence-based suicide prevention training that teaches participants how to recognize the warning signs of suicide and respond effectively. Become a Gatekeeper by learning how to identify a crisis, offer support, and connect someone to help.

Participants are expected to:

• Be present for the entirety of the presentation.

• Participate in interactive portions of the presentation, including icebreakers and review activities.

• Complete both the pre- and post-surveys.

We can host a maximum of 30 participants and will close registration after the first 30 have signed up. Please complete this form if you would like to participate. Childcare and dinner will be provided.

Students can sign up via their Canvas Lunch page if they are interested in attending!

We are excited to invite your student to our upcoming D97 Student Services "Student Night In" on Friday, Nov. 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Whittier Elementary School! This special evening is designed for all District 97 students with IEPs to connect with their peers and enjoy a fun-filled night together.

CLICK HERE to view the flyer >>

While the students are having a great time, parents and guardians can take the night off to relax and enjoy some time for themselves. Dinner will be provided for the students during the event.

To register your student for this event, please complete the registration form by Oct. 30. You can access the form using the following link: Register HERE.

We hope your student can join us for this fun and engaging evening!

Sincerely,

D97 Student Services Team

• 🟦🟧OPRFHS 8TH GRADE TOURS - Julian students will visit Oak Park and River Forest High School on the afternoon of October 26th for Future Huskie Tours. The 8th graders will be welcomed by students and OPRFHS personnel. Following this presentation, they will break up into groups and OPRFHS students will guide them through the school, popping into classrooms and other important stops along the way. Parents/Guardians should fill out this permission slip by Friday, October 23rd. The entire tour will end at approximately 2:20 p.m. and 8th graders will return to Julian in time for their 8th grade WIN classes.
• All 8th graders should wear their Julian school IDs during the 8th grade tour! The OPRFHS staff want to be able to distinguish Julian students from the OPRF students.
• SCHOOL PICTURE DAY - As previously shared with families, the Julian School Picture Day is on Wednesday, October 28th for all students, all grade levels. This is NOT the Cap & Gown Photo Day (that will take place after Winter Break, TBD in January, for 8th graders).

• CAP AND GOWN ORDERS - If you have not already done so, please be sure to submit your order form and payment (only check or cash can be accepted in the school office) by the end of this month. Online payments can be made on the Julian webstore. We ask that you make your order/payment for the cap, gown and 2027 tassel no later than Friday, October 30th.

***If you plan to have your child wear a sibling's old cap and gown, please be sure to check the size and length of the gown (caps are "one size fits all"), as well as the condition of the gown (no stains, no holes, no snags, etc.). And remember to purchase the 2027 tassel keepsake for your student.**

• *We have extra order forms in the school office (you can purchase graduation materials with cash or a check made payable to District 97):

$12 - 2027 Tassel only

$21 - Cap & 2027 Tassel only

$23 - Gown & Tassel only

**Only the full set, cap, gown & tassel, can be purchased online for $28.

• 2027 GRADUATION CEREMONY - The Julian 8th Grade Graduation ceremony will be on Tuesday, June 8, 2027 at 6:30pm in the Oak Park and River Forest High School auditorium. This ceremony will be live streamed (all in-person attendees over the age of 2yrs old must have a ticket to enter). We will release the live streamed link in the Spring, so that you can share it with family and friends that are unable to attend the ceremony in-person.

This year, District 97 is utilizing the Standard Response Protocol language and visuals developed by the I Love U Guys Foundation, a national organization dedicated to school safety. The SRP is action-based, flexible and easy to learn.The premise is simple - there are five specific actions that can be performed during an emergency incident (e.g., inclement weather, fires, accidents, introducers or other threats). The five actions are: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter.

One of the most important things we do to keep our schools safe is practice a variety of drills each year to ensure that everyone is prepared should an emergency occur. As part of our ongoing preparedness training, all students K-8th grade will receive instruction on the five SRP protocols during the month of October/November.

All content will be delivered in developmentally-appropriate ways for the student's age. This will occur during physical education classes at the middle schools and during Second Step or assembly at the elementary schools.

***PLEASE NOTE: students or parents/guardians may NOT have food delivered to the school through any food delivery service (i.e. DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, etc). DELIVERIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. Please plan to have your child pack a lunch or purchase a school lunch with their student ID (it will be charged to their MealTime account) each day.***

***With over 950 students at Julian, it can quickly get overwhelming if parents/guardians wish to purchase a special lunch for their students' birthdays, sporting event championships, A+ on a test, etc. We hope you will consider celebrating with food after school and not during the school day. We thank you in advance for your consideration and your understanding.***

Hot lunch will be available to students who wish to participate and have a funded or approved lunch account, starting the first day of school. If you have questions regarding your student's lunch balance, you may contact the Lunch Manager, Cornelia Mack at cmack@op97.org. To make payments on student lunch accounts please visit, https://www.mymealtime.com/signin.aspx

Breakfast and Lunch Menus

Menus for our elementary and middle schools are available on our Food Services webpage. During the 2026-27 school year, students may:

• Bring a nut-free lunch from home

• Order school lunch
  

My MealTime

Breakfast and lunch payments are processed electronically through your student's My MealTime account. To set up an account and add funds, visit My MealTime. You may elect to sign up for scheduled deposits and/or low-balance alerts. You may also view transaction reports. Please note you will need your student's ID number for registration.

Free and Reduced Lunch Application

All students are required to pay for their breakfast and lunch meals unless they are directly approved by the State of Illinois or approved after completing the 2026-27 Free and Reduced Lunch Application (English/Spanish). We encourage all families who currently qualify to complete the application as soon as possible. Please visit our Food Services webpage for more information.

Food Allergies/Nut-Safe Schools

Nuts and nut products are not allowed in any District 97 schools. This includes products labeled “processed in a facility that shares equipment with nut products.” Our schools have been nut-safe for the past two years — helping to create safer, more inclusive environments for all of our students.

Please visit https://bit.ly/4xFtS83 to access information about the district’s food allergy management program, as well as tips and options for identifying food that is safe for snacks and field trips. We appreciate your support of this important initiative!

Approximately 10% - 15% of students have a food allergy. The most common allergen item is nuts of any kind. Every food-allergic reaction has the possibility of developing into a life-threatening reaction within minutes. Some individuals may react to merely touching the substance, while for others, consumption of a tiny amount of that food can cause a reaction which could be fatal.

• Nuts and nut products are not allowed in any of our schools. This includes products that are labeled “processed in a facility that shares equipment with nut products.”

• There is NO food sharing between students at any time during school.
  

• There is NO eating or drinking on school buses.

How to identify safer foods for your children to eat:

1. Please read all packaging to ensure the item is not produced on equipment shared with nuts

2. Additional safe options may be viewed at: www.snacksafely.com

We appreciate your partnership in promoting the health and safety of our children.

As we continue to have a successful and productive start to the school year, please be sure your child is aware of the Middle School Cell Phone Policy:

This is a friendly reminder about the Middle School Cell Phone policy. We are "Away for the Day" which means students should not use their cell phones from 9:00am - 3:30pm. If there is an emergency, students can call home from a teacher's classroom phone or the school office. If a student is feeling unwell, they can get a digital pass from their classroom teacher, and call home from the school nurse's office.

If a student is caught using their cell phone/electronic device during instruction time or caught using their device while school is in session for unrelated curriculum activities, then the following occurs:

• 1ST OFFENSE: The device is sent down to the school office by a staff member and the student must retrieve the device at the end of the school day.
• 2ND OFFENSE: The device is sent down to the school office by a staff member and parents/guardians are notified. The student will be able to retrieve the device at the end of the school day.

• 3RD OFFENSE: The device is sent down to the school office by a staff member and parents/guardians are notified. A parent/guardian/caregiver must then come to the school to pick up the device, it will not be released to the student. The parent/guardian/caregiver must also meet with an administrator or student success coach to decide one of two options:

OR

2) The student will leave the device at home and no longer bring the cell phone to school for the remainder of the trimester.

Thank you for your efforts to help us all make school a place of academics and social emotional learning.

We strive to improve the attendance of all of our students. Each minute of each school day provides opportunities for learning and it’s noticeable when students miss time. Absences, even if they are excused, can add up to academic trouble. Please be sure students are arriving daily by 8:50 am. Students arriving after 8:57 am will receive a tardy for the day.

Missing only 2 days a month (excused or unexcused), means your child misses 10% of the school year. If your child is going to be absent, please notify the office prior to 9:00 a.m. by calling (708) 665-3064 or emailing julianinfo@op97.org. When we do not receive a call or email from a parent/guardian, school regulations require that parents/guardians are contacted to verify the child's absence.

Should you need resources to support your child’s attendance please visit this link or reach out to your child’s Student Success Coach.

• 6th grade - Sergio Torres (storres@op97.org)

• 7th Grade - Becca Murray (rmurray@op97.org)

• 8th grade - Kasey Fleming (kfleming@op97.org)

STUDENTS PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS CLUBS AND ATHLETIC TEAMS (Basketball, Intramural, Volleyball, Ultimate Frisbee and Wrestling):

The interscholastic box must be checked “Yes” on the physical form in order for your child to be eligible to try out for or participate in any interscholastic activity.

2. Please submit all health documents by one of the following methods:

• Email PDFs directly to: JulianNurse@op97.org
  OR
• Deliver documents directly to the Julian Health Office

🚨Please do NOT send health forms with your student.🚨

🚨If dropping forms off in person, please hand them directly to the Julian Health Office team so receipt can be confirmed.

• Nurse Allison
• Ms. Bec, Certified Nursing Assistant

This direct submission helps ensure that the Health Office receives the documentation and can confirm receipt.🚨

Documents may be submitted by email to JulianNurse@op97.org or delivered directly to the Julian Health Office.

Warmly,

Nurse Allison

Distribution of information by a community group in accordance with District 97 policy does not imply, directly or indirectly, that the group's program(s), event(s) and/or service(s) is sanctioned, sponsored or endorsed by the district, the Board of Education or the superintendent.

Registration is open now for the 8th Grade Washington DC Trip. We're continuing to raise funds to make this trip possible for as many students as want to attend. Register here

Parents will be selling snacks in front of the school from 3:30-4:00 on Fridays starting 10/30. All snacks are $1! Please encourage your children to stop by.

We also have a trivia night coming up on 11/7. Get the details and register here.

Distribution of information by a community group in accordance with District 97 policy does not imply, directly or indirectly, that the group's program(s), event(s) and/or service(s) is sanctioned, sponsored or endorsed by the district, the Board of Education or the superintendent.

YEMBA’s Mentoring Empowerment Program (MEP) is in full swing at Julian MS!!

MEP is FREE and is designed to help middle school students build confidence, develop life and leadership skills, explore their interests, and connect with mentors, their peers, and community.

Julian Middle School: Mondays & Tuesdays

Important note: Students do not have to attend every session. We understand that students have sports, other clubs, family commitments, and other activities. However, consistent attendance is important and encouraged!

Haven’t registered yet? There’s still time! Register your student today!

Distribution of information by a community group in accordance with District 97 policy does not imply, directly or indirectly, that the group's program(s), event(s) and/or service(s) is sanctioned, sponsored or endorsed by the district, the Board of Education or the superintendent.

THE ONLINE OPTION IS NOW AVAILABLE!

Fees may be paid online at https://oakpark.revtrak.net/Middle-Schools/JMS/julian-school-fees/

You may pay fees in person at the Julian school office during the week between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Debit/credit card payments can only be processed online or at the district office (at 260 Madison Street), not in the Julian school office. The school office can only accept cash (exact change please) or check (made payable to District 97) payments.

• Student Picture Day: Wednesday, October 28th
• No School: Tuesday, November 3rd (District 97 closed)
• School Store: Friday, November 6th (during lunch periods)
• • End of Trimester 1: Friday, November 20th
• Graduation Ceremony: Tuesday, June 8th (6:30pm @ OPRFHS, must have a ticket to enter)
• Last Day of the 2026_27 School Year: Wednesday, June 9, 2027 (full day of classes)

Oak Park, IL 60302

708-524-3040

www.op97.org/julian