BULLDOG BULLETIN

Dear Bulldog Families,

We loved seeing SO many of our families and students at our Multicultural Open House last night! Thank you for attending and sharing your evening with us. Our students were proud to show off their classrooms and had fun with the various scavenger hunts. We also were so excited to see the many cultures represented under our roof! I hope that you were able to walk away learning something new about your child or our Sarah Adams community!

In the coming weeks is our IAR testing for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. As a way to support your child who may be testing, please consider the following:

• Get sleep! Please encourage your child to go to bed at a time where they will wake up feeling rested and recharged for the day ahead.
• Please make sure your child has a good breakfast! Food is fuel, not only for tummies but for brains as well! You can also send your child with an extra snack if you'd like!
• Sometimes testing can cause anxiety for students, and we want them to know how much we believe in them. We will be cheering them on and reminding them that they have learned so much this year, there is no need to study for IAR!
• Remind them that they are AMAZING! We are so proud of each and every one of our students. We know that they are capable, strong, clever, and incredible students; we know that they are going to show their best, and that is all we ask of them!

We appreciate your collaboration and partnership to support our students. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Warm regards,

Dr. Colleen Conway

📌 March 12: PTO Meeting - on Zoom, date change!

📌 March 17: 3rd-5th Grade IAR Testing Window begins

📌 March 24-28: No School | Spring Break

We Need Your Help - Please Fill Out The 5Essentials Survey for Our School!

From Tuesday, February 18, 2025 - Monday, March 31, 2025 parents/guardians, students, and teachers across Illinois are invited to share their thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness.

This survey is a key tool in ongoing efforts to improve student learning and school conditions. District 95 highly values the insights and perspectives of parents/guardians; please complete the survey to assist in shaping the educational environment and experience for students.

Survey Participation Details:

• Survey Period: Feb. 18, 2025 - March 31, 2025

• Who Will Participate: All teachers and fourth through 12th-grade students (4th & 5th grade students at our school will take during the survey window March 14th)

• Parent/Guardian Participation: All parents/guardians are encouraged to complete the survey. A 20% or higher response rate will generate a specific parent/guardian report. Please help our school hit our goal of 20%! CLICK HERE to take the Parent Survey!

• More Information about 5Essentials: Visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois

The 5Essentials Survey, administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago, is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of a student’s school. It focuses on five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and test score gains:

• Effective Leaders

• Collaborative Teachers

• Involved Families

• Supportive Environments

• Ambitious Instruction

Research in more than 400 schools has shown that schools strong on at least three of these “5Essential” indicators were ten times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading. This highlights the significant impact of feedback from parents/guardians.

For specific details regarding student participation in the survey, including how and when students will be involved, please seek information from your student's building principal.

Identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential. The data collected will be instrumental in guiding improvements in schools. Please note, that parent/guardian data will not be included on the State Report Card.

Participating in the parent/guardian portion of the survey provides valuable insights to understand the conditions at a student’s school and guide improvement efforts. For any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Survey Support at 1-866-440-1874 or impact-surveys@uchicago.edu.

Your participation is greatly appreciated and is key to contributing to the collective effort in school improvement.

The 2024-25 Sarah Adams yearbook is now available for ordering. We have soft and hard cover options, which will be delivered to school in May.

Link to order - https://yearbookordercenter.com/job/25039

Job Number - 25039

The 2024-25 Sarah Adams yearbook ordering deadline is April 1st.

To order (or see if you've placed an order) click on the link below -

https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/?event=general.displayLanding&jobnumber=25039

Please email SAYearbookLZ95@gmail.com with any questions and don't forget to join the Sarah Adams Yearbook (that exact name) facebook group to submit your photos for inclusion in the yearbook.

As summer approaches, District 95 will once again be offering a variety of Summer Semester programs for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, including Extended School Year (ESY).

Summer Semester Course Offerings

Please click the links below to access further information about the summer semester and the programs that will be offered. If you are having trouble viewing any of these resources or need translations, please contact Aubrey Allen at aubrey.allen@lz95.org or (847) 540-5489.

• K - 8 Summer Semester Course Guide

• LZHS Summer Semester Course Guide

Summer Semester Registration

Summer Semester 2025 registration will open on Monday, April 7, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. and run through Friday, May 16, 2025 for in-district families. Families who are not residents of District 95 will be able to register for a limited number of courses at the high school level from May 1, 2025 - May 16, 2025.

Registration will be conducted exclusively through ParentVue, accessible via the district website (www.lz95.org) including for non-District 95 families.

This spring, students and staff will have access to a therapy dog (Piper) as part of our efforts to provide members of our learning community with a variety of options for meeting social-emotional needs during the school day. Piper will be visiting elementary buildings on a rotating basis on Fridays between the hours of 11 and 1PM (approximately) and will be stationed in common areas for students and staff to access/visit - should they wish. This support is completely optional for students.

We will ensure that the District’s Guidelines for Using Animals in School Facilities are followed, school grounds are appropriately cleaned following the therapy dog visits, and that the dog’s handler understands all procedures for meeting the dog’s needs during visits. No student or staff member will be made responsible for meeting any of the dog’s needs (i.e., access to water, bathrooming needs) at any point during the visits.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions, as we prepare to welcome Piper!

Dear Sarah Adams Families,

In 2011 and 2013, State law provisions known as “Erin’s Law” were passed that require school districts to participate in State and local efforts to raise awareness about and prevent child sexual abuse. These efforts include school districts providing age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness education for all students in pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade.

Each District 95 classroom will be participating in multiple lessons that will be specifically designed for your child’s individual grade level. Additionally, staff members receive training on the dynamics of child sexual abuse, how to respond to a disclosure of child sexual abuse, and related topics.

To help make our school even more safe and supportive, we are going to use the Second Step Child Protection Unit. In this unit, your child will learn the following specific skills to help him or her stay safe from dangerous or abusive situations:

• How to use the Ways to Stay Safe to recognize when something is unsafe, report anything unsafe to an adult, and refuse to participate
• How to always ask a parent or the person in charge first before going somewhere, doing something, or accepting something from someone
• How to recognize safe, unsafe, and unwanted touches, and how to use the Private Body Parts Rule to identify possible sexual abuse
• How to refuse and report unsafe or unwanted touches and how to report possible sexual abuse to an adult

If you have any questions about the Child Protection Unit or the Second Step program, please contact us below. If you object to your child participating in this child sexual abuse prevention education lesson, please send a written statement of objection to Stacy Krebill, School Social Worker (847) 540-2865, by no later than March 1, 2025.

To get more information about what your child is learning in the Child Protection Unit, go to SecondStep.org and you can sample the curriculum for your child’s grade.

Thank you for helping us make our school a safe and supportive place where everyone can learn.

Sincerely,

Colleen Conway, Principal
Ellen Wilfinger, Assistant Principal
Natalie Dobbins, Social Worker/Stacy Krebill, Social Worker
Elisabeth Smith, School Psychologist

As we continue through cold and flu season, please be reminded of the following:

• If you are calling your student out as ill for the day (or entering the absence in ParentVUE), please include information related to the type of illness so that our Health Office staff can document and provide next step information to families appropriately

• There are certain symptoms that require students to remain out of school for a designated period of time; please be reminded that if students have a fever over 100.4, are vomiting, or have diarrhea, they are required to stay out of school for at least 24 hours (until target symptoms subside without the use of any medication)

Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Health Office with any additional questions you may have.

Want to give your child an unforgettable experience with their favorite teacher and support our PTO? Now you can! Bid on unique teacher experiences, from breakfast or lunch with their teacher to principal for a day. All proceeds directly benefit our school's programs and initiatives. Visit

https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.zeffy.com%2fticketing%2fbulldog-best-ptos-silent-auction&c=E,1,4NgBU9ad0pzZmP7Gub1T2nS55zDl-HEaHelfuIdGj0jQrLjKwgsxWVUrT5CqPYy6DDru31sYQgBd1T5J55O2XSqvitGPQN5nvZpbezjEXg-pL1e0&typo=1 to browse the amazing experiences up for grabs and start bidding today!

Bidding closes on March 2 at 10 p.m.

The 2025 Illinois Radon Poster Contest will run from January 1, 2025 – March 15, 2025 with a goal to raise awareness about the dangers of radon throughout the state of Illinois. Please review more information about this educational opportunity:

2025 Illinois Poster Contest:

• The poster contest is open to students ages 9-14.

• The top three winners will receive a cash prize of $100 (3rd place), $150 (2ndplace) and $200 (1st place)

• Posters and entry forms must be received by March 15th, 2025.

• Posters must be sized 8.5x11

• More information can be found here: https://www.lung.org/il/radon-poster

Please find the official rules, details, guidelines and contest entry forms at https://www.lung.org/il/radon-poster.