Bulldog News

Note from Mr. Dubinsky

First day for students: August 20

The first day of the 2025-26 school year for students will be a full day on Wednesday, August 20. Staff will start the school year with two planning days on August 18 and 19.

The 2025-26 school year calendar is available at: www.ccsd89.org/2526calendar

The school day for Briar Glen School students is 8:50 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.
The school day for morning preschool is 8:30 to 11 a.m.
The school day for afternoon preschool is 12:45 to 3:15 p.m.

The 2025-26 Briar Glen school supply lists

Reminder: Always bring an ID when visiting our school

As a reminder, anyone who is visiting Briar Glen or picking up students early must check in using the iPad in our school's lobby. You will need to bring an ID (license, state ID, passport) whenever you are picking up a student or visiting during the school day. The check-in process takes less than two minutes, and it is an important part of our safety system.

Read more about the check-in process: https://bit.ly/3URo8ql
Watch a short video about the student check-out process: https://youtu.be/gxFvHH5UZL4
Watch a short video about the visitor process: https://youtu.be/Q814enw_x7A

Thank you for helping keep our students and staff safe at all times.

Briar Glen is hiring a full-time instructional aide

Are you interested in working full-time at Briar Glen School? We have an instructional aide position available.

If interested, click here and apply today!

Meet-the-teacher and supply drop off

Meet-the-teacher and supply drop-off for students in kindergarten through fifth grade will be from 8 to 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 19. Preschool will be from 8 to 8:25 a.m. (morning session) and 8:30 to 8:55 a.m. (afternoon session) on Tuesday, August 19. Stop by Briar Glen with your school supplies to lighten your load on the first day of school and meet your teacher.

We will be ending Meet-the-Teacher promptly at 8:30 a.m. so staff can get back to their professional development.

Our nurse will have a table to drop off the following items:

Kindergarten: medical (physical), eye, dental forms
Second grade: Dental forms
Any emergency care plans (allergies/asthma)
Emergency medications/daily medications with authorization forms

🎉 Back to School Ice Cream Social🍦

Kick off the new school year with sweet treats and fun!

Join the PTC for our Back to School Ice Cream Social

📅 Tuesday, August 19

🕓 4–5:30 p.m.

📍 Briar Glen School

Reconnect with friends, meet new families, and celebrate the start of a new school year.

🚨TODAY! Schedules, teacher assignments will be available

Today, 4:30 p.m., families will be able to log in to their student’s PowerSchool account to see their teacher assignments and school schedules. You can find out more information about logging onto PowerSchool here. Families new to the school district were sent a letter in the U.S. mail with their PowerSchool log-on information.

How to view school lunch menus

Families can check school menus by going to www.ccsd89.org/lunch and then choosing our school. The lunch service company has a new website this year, so parents who bookmarked the page will need to update to the new site for our school:

Briar Glen: https://www.myschoolquest.com/briarglenelementary/menus

By going to our school's site, you can scroll through the weekly menus. You can also see the full month's calendar by selecting the "Download" button on the right side of the page.

Door #1

Grades 4 and 5 will enter through door #1 at 8:40 a.m.

Kindergarten, 2nd, 4th, and 5th walkers will exit door #1.

Door #2

Grades 2 & 3 will enter through door #2 at 8:40 a.m.

Only grades 1st and 3rd walkers will exit door #2.

Door #3

Preschool will enter through door #3 at 8:20 a.m. (AM session) and enter at 12:30 p.m. (PM session).

Kindergarten & 1st will enter through door #3 at 8:40 a.m.

All grades being picked up by cars will exit door #3.

Know which health forms your student needs

Students entering preschool, kindergarten or sixth grade, as well as students who are new to CCSD 89, must have a current certificate of child health exam and updated immunization record on file. All Illinois children entering kindergarten, second, and sixth grades are required to have a dental exam. An eye exam is required for children enrolling in kindergarten and students new to Illinois. Additionally, any Glen Crest students who want to try out for athletics have a pre-participation form filled out by a doctor.

Go to the CCSD 89 health page for forms, resources, and more information: www.ccsd89.org/health

Learn about low-cost dental and immunization resources: https://bit.ly/4miq4Ux

Learn about lunch

The cost for an elementary lunch will be $4, including a milk. The cost for a Glen Crest lunch will be $4, including a milk. If purchased separately, milk will cost 50 cents at both elementary and middle school. More information about the school lunch program is available at: https://www.ccsd89.org/page/food

You can pay directly through MySchoolBucks. Some families prefer to link their MySchoolBucks and PowerSchool accounts but it is not required.

Instructions for linking your PowerSchool and MySchoolBucks accounts

When the school year starts, lunch menus will be available at www.ccsd89.org/lunch

Butterfield Park District, YMCA before- and after-school programs

CCSD 89 partners with organizations to provide before- and after-school programs for elementary school students. The Butterfield Park District (RecKids) and the B.R. Ryall YMCA (Safe 'n Sound) will both run programs for CCSD 89 students in the 2025-26 school year. You can find more information on both programs here: www.ccsd89.org/beforeafter

Families should contact the Butterfield Park District and B.R. Ryall YMCA directly with questions about those programs.

Upcoming Events

August 18: Staff returns for 2025-26 school year

August 18: Board of Education meeting, 7 p.m.

August 19: Meet-the-Teacher preschool to fifth-grade, 8-8:30 a.m.

August 19: Ice cream social at Briar Glen, 4-5:30 p.m.

August 20: Students return for the 2025-26 school year!

August 21: Parent Series: Organizational skills for school success, noon and 7 p.m.

August 26: Parent Series: Supporting students to aim high, noon and 7 p.m.

August 27: Blood drive at Glen Crest, 2 to 6:30 p.m.

August 25-September 5: NWEA MAP testing grades 1-5

September 1: No school (Labor Day)

September 4: Curriculum Night - preschool through fifth-grade, 6-7:30 p.m.

September 6: Board of Education workshop, 9 a.m. (tentative)

September 6: Kindergarten Social at the Briar Glen School playground, 9-11 a.m.

September 15: Board of Education meeting, 7 p.m.

Parent Series: Authors will share tips for student time management on August 21

The GPS Parent Series hosts free presentations with insights on students and parenting. You can see the full schedule of 2025-26 speakers at: https://gpsparentseries.org/

The first speakers will be speech-language pathologists Sarah Ward and Kristen Jacobsen, co-creators of The Time Tracker Program, who will present at noon and 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 21. They will offer tools to help students develop time-management, planning, task-initiation, and sustained-attention skills. More info: http://bit.ly/4fcHUGa

Follow Briar Glen on Instagram!

Check out what's going on at Briar Glen and get announcements too! Click here to follow @briarglenschool on Instagram.

Follow Briar Glen on X!

Check out what's going on at Briar Glen and get announcements too! Click here to follow @BriarGlenSchool.

Students, families can report crises and threats through Safe2Help

Students and families can confidentially call, email, or text the Safe2Help tip line to report bullying, threats, or classmates in crisis. Students or families can call (844) 4-SAFE-IL, which is (844) 472-3345; text SAFE2, which is 72332; email Help@Safe2HelpIL.com; or submit tips through the online form. Safe2Help submissions are monitored every hour of every day. More info: https://bit.ly/3BPxObO