BULLDOG BULLETIN

Dear Bulldog Families,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for McTeacher Night last week! It was so fun to see so many familiar Bulldogs at McDonalds, in support of our school. Our staff had a great time working behind the counter, serving up smiles (and apple pies!), and sharing lots of laughs with our wonderful school community. We are so grateful for your continued support—it truly makes our school feel like home.

This week, we also took time to honor and celebrate Earth Day in meaningful ways. Our Student Leadership Club led the charge by sharing daily tips over morning announcements about how we can all be kinder to our planet. On Wednesday, we held a school-wide Book Swap, giving students the chance to pick out "new-to-them" books to take home and enjoy. Any remaining books were donated to Bernie’s Book Bank, extending the joy of reading even further. In addition, students signed a school-wide Earth Day pledge to take care of the environment. This display is hanging proudly in our front hallway—it's a great reminder of our commitment to the earth and each other.

Looking ahead, our final round of MAP testing begins next week. We are so excited for our students to show what they’ve learned this year. They have worked incredibly hard, and we know they’ll do their very best. Please help your child come to school well-rested and ready to shine!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Warm regards,

Dr. Colleen Conway

📌 April 30: Evacuation Drill (Rescheduled)

📌 April 28: MAP Testing Begins

📌 May 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week

📌 May 12: PTO Meeting

PreK-12 online registration for the 2025-2026 school year is now open! All families must complete the registration process through ParentVUE. These instructions can also be found on the district website under Parents->Registration.

• Returning Families: Log into ParentVUE, select Online Registration, and review/update student information.

• New Families: Create a ParentVUE account to begin the registration process.

• New Students: Proof of residency* and birth certificate verification must be completed in person at your child’s school.

• Fees & Health Forms: Once registration is accepted, fees can be paid in PushCoin (starting in May), and required health forms can be uploaded in ParentVUE.

*Some exceptions apply in cases of homelessness; for families who have questions regarding homeless status, please contact the building secretarial staff for further information.

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 is the time of year where our staff will begin the process of student/teacher assignments for the 2025– 2026 school year. The entire staff plays a role in this process, as we work to place each of the children into the very best setting. We consider learning styles, student personalities, girl/boy ratio, class size, and student academic strengths and needs, all while striving for a heterogeneous class make-up (full range of abilities).

If you would like to share something about your child’s learning style or personality that would help us with this placement process, please submit your letter to Dr. Conway no later than Wednesday, April 30, 2025 (extended from April 25th, 2025). We trust that you will rely on our professional judgment, as we group each of the children with the idea of creating the best learning environment possible for everyone. With that being said, requesting particular teachers will not be accepted.

As we approach the end of the school year and are spending more time outdoors as a learning community, I wanted to share some important health information - as there has been a noted increase in our area.

Tick Information

Ticks are small arachnids (similar to a spider or a mite), that have multiple pairs of legs and no antennae. Ticks feed on host animals, and can carry diseases. There are several species of ticks that have been identified in Illinois, each with slightly different features. Further information related to tick identification, removal, and steps to prevent tick bites is provided below.

Tick Identification (Illinois Department of Public Health)

Tick Removal (Lake County Health Department)

Fight the Bite (Lake County Health Department)

Health Office Support

If your student is identified as having a tick bite during the school day, Health Office staff are equipped to remove the tick. Parents/guardians will be notified that a tick was removed in these situations. Health Office staff are also prepared to save the tick, should families wish to obtain it/take it to their healthcare provider.

We will continue to be vigilant of ticks during the school day, and ask that our families do the same at home. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any further questions you may have.

As we did in the fall and winter, teachers at the elementary level will complete a spring screening using the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) during the week of April 28th where they will report on the frequency they observe specific behaviors associated with key social-emotional skills.

Additionally, students who had an expanded profile completed following the Fall and/or Winter screening process will have a full profile completed during the spring New students who are indicated as potentially needing additional instruction based on screening results will also have an expanded profile completed by staff.

All families will be notified of spring social-emotional screening and/or expanded profile results. This data will be utilized to assess our progress with social-emotional instruction across the course of the school year as a building, as well as to plan for instructional needs in the fall.

The screening will not disrupt your student’s schedule in any way, and your student will not be asked to complete anything as part of this process. Please feel free to contact me directly with any additional questions you may have.

As part of the district’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and to creating learning opportunities for students that highlight environmental responsibility (part of the District 95 Portrait of a Graduate), the district is partnering with TreePlenish to host a tree-planting event on May 14, 2025 (with the weather back-up date being May 15, 2025).

We would like to extend an invitation to families and community members who may have interest in supporting the event, space permitting. If you are interested in supporting the event and receiving further details, please complete the form linked HERE.