The Principal's Pawprint

Dear Isaac Fox Families,

As the summer days begin to wind down, the energy in our building is picking up! Our dedicated teachers and staff are hard at work preparing for another incredible school year—one filled with growth, discovery, and joy. Classrooms are being thoughtfully arranged, bulletin boards are coming to life with vibrant colors and student-centered themes, and learning materials are being prepared with care. Behind each of these details is the same passion and purpose that guide all we do here at Isaac Fox: to empower every learner to achieve personal excellence.

Just this morning, all CUSD 95 staff gathered together at Lake Zurich High School to set our intentions for the school year ahead. We were inspired by powerful speeches from students ranging from Kindergarten to 12th grade. These students shared how our Portrait of a Graduate and its five tenets—Effective Communicator, Global Citizen, Advocate for Self and Others, Future Ready, and Growth Oriented—have come to life throughout their D95 educational journeys. As a proud graduate of District 95, I’d like to think that even before this vision was officially articulated, my own time spent in the halls of LZHS helped shape me into the leader I am today who strives to put these tenants into action. This is our shared hope for each and every one of our students here at Isaac Fox: that no matter our differences, every child feels seen, supported, and equipped to grow into the very best version of themselves using our Portrait of a Graduate as inspiration.

Our teachers cannot wait to welcome your children back to school! Whether your child is stepping into elementary school for the very first time or returning with familiar footsteps, they are walking into a place where they are known, valued, and celebrated. We are ready to build strong relationships, spark curiosity, and nurture confidence in every student.

Here’s how you can help your child feel ready for the first day:

• Begin transitioning to school routines (bedtime, wake-up time, reading together).

• Talk positively about the upcoming year—highlight excitement and new beginnings.

• Mark your calendars and plan to head to school for our Meet the Staff event this Tuesday, August 12th from 1:30-3:00. This is a wonderful opportunity to help students feel comfortable navigating their way to a new room, connecting them with their teacher who will become a familiar face, and organizing their supplies for success.

Do not hesitate to reach out to our main office at any time as you prepare to kick off a new school year. In the meantime, enjoy these last sweet moments of summer, and know that we are counting down the days until we’re all back together again.

In Partnership,
Mrs. Kelly Olivero
Principal, Isaac Fox Elementary

Please welcome Mrs. Karyn Baugher as our new part time Administrative Assistant in our Isaac Fox main office! Karyn brings over 15 years of experience as a youth services librarian, where she developed a passion for organization, helping families, and keeping things running smoothly. Isaac Fox is grateful for Karyn to bring her talents to our school community!

Like many of us, she is experiencing some firsts this season as she is the parent of a Middle School South 6th grader. Karyn will often be the first face you see when you enter our building, so be sure to say hello and take some time to introduce yourself the next time you stop in.

Ms. Megan Bent: 1st Grade Classroom Teacher

Mr. Connor Friedman: General Music Teacher

Mrs. Mary Hanson: School Psychologist

Mrs. Beth Cassidy: Special Education/Learning Behavior Specialist

Ms. Tanya VanCleave: Special Education/Learning Behavior Specialist

Ms. Alanna Buttitta: 3rd Grade Classroom Teacher

Mrs. Michelle Detloff: 1st Grade Classroom Teacher

Mrs. Kathryn Magnuson: 5th Grade Classroom Teacher

Mrs. Adysin Pattelli: 5th Grade Classroom Teacher

• August 9th: Kindergarten Play Date 9:30-11:00
• August 10th: Kindergarten Play Date Rain Date, if needed
• August 12th: Meet the Staff 1:30-3:00
• August 13th: First Day of School
• August 20th: Curriculum Night (K-2: 7:00-8:00; 3-5: 5:45-6:45) Please note: Times corrected from 7.25.25 newsletter
• August 22nd: Back to School Bash! 5:30-7:30
• August 25th: Isaac Fox PTO Meeting 6:30pm

Wednesday, August 13th is the first day of school!

Student Arrival: 8:05-8:15am

Student Dismissal: 2:50-3:00pm

Please click here to find the school supply lists for the 2025-2026 school year.

By Tuesday, August 12th, we ask that you help us understand your plans for arrival and dismissal for your child. Parents must complete the Student Arrival & Dismissal Form prior to your child's first day of in-person instruction. Please complete this form for each of your children. Please click on the link above to complete the form. Your child will be classified as a walker, bus rider, car pick up, or day care bus rider.

Supervision of student arrival begins at 8:05am. Please do not plan to have your students arrive at school before that time. Students will be permitted to begin entering the building at 8:05 am and go directly to their classrooms. (*Please note that if a walker arrives early, we will allow them to enter starting at 7:55am with our buses.)

Student may enter through one of three entrances.

Below are classroom locations that are closest to each of our entrances for student arrival:

• 1st Grade and 2nd Grade Classrooms: enter the school by the flagpole in the front of the building.
• Kindergarten and Grades 3-5 classrooms are closest to the main entrance nearest the office.
• If your child is a walker who lives behind the school, they may enter via the rear door near the playground (Door 8).

Dismissal begins at 2:50 pm each day. Parents should meet your students in one of three places:

1. Car riders - In the car rider lane (inside your car).
2. Walkers (Front) - Near the flagpole on the sidewalk at the front of the building if you walk or bike to school to pick your children up.
3. Walkers (Back) - On the playground blacktop if your family lives in the neighborhoods behind Isaac Fox.

• If you drive your car and choose to get out, you should park your car in a parking space at MSS in the front or side/rear parking lots. Do not turn left and park in front of Isaac Fox because that is our bus lane during dismissal time.
  
• Students who live in the neighborhoods behind Isaac Fox will exit the rear of the building toward the playground.
• First grade walkers and car riders will exit the building at the flagpole in front of the school.
  
• The remaining walkers and car rider students will exit the front of the building. Staff members will be present to ensure students go to the car pick up lane and/or are picked up by a family member or designated adult.
• Students who ride the bus will be called to the Kindergarten hallway for dismissal one bus at a time and led by a staff member to their bus.
• Students who walk to school will be dismissed based upon their last names throughout the 10 minute dismissal period 2:50-3:00pm.

We strongly discourage students from being dismissed between 2:30-2:50 pm due to the dismissal lines and buses at that time. If you need to pick your child up early, please arrange for a time prior to 2:30pm.

Understand that no changes in student transportation will be made without a written or verbal request from a parent or guardian.

Once we have established your designated travel, you must notify your child’s teacher and the office in writing each time a change is made from that routine. If a change in transportation is necessary please adhere to the following guidelines: Notify the office of the dismissal change via note or phone call prior to 2pm.

Kindergarten and any student new to the District:

Please upload any health and physical forms to ParentVUE or bring hard copies into the school office prior to the first day of school, if needed.

As we prepare to start the school year, it is important that students and families establish regular routines to maximize student attendance to school. For younger learners, sometimes this means helping students feel more comfortable about a transition away from home and caregivers. Parents can find additional resources for students struggling with thinking about the transition back to school HERE.

Please note that for students who struggle to maintain regular attendance, parents/families will receive additional communication, conference requests, and other interventions to support regular school attendance - in accordance with state law. Parents/guardians can find more information regarding attendance in the Parent-Student Handbook.

Additionally, there will be more information shared at our Curriculum Night on August 20th.

As we approach the start of the school year, we want to remind all of our students and families of bus behavior expectations. Please take some time to review the information below with your student(s) before the start of school:

• Drink water only while on the bus; other food or drinks should be kept put away

• Use a voice level of 0 (voices off), 1 (whisper) or 2 (conversational volume, such as talking to someone next to you) at all times while on the bus

• Keep the aisle clear when students are loading or unloading

• Keep all body parts within the bus during the entire route

• Remain seated during the entire route

• Report to and stay in your assigned seat during the entire route

• Follow loading/unloading/crossing directions provided

• Exit through the designated doors only

• Take all trash and personal items with you when exiting the bus

• Keep all personal items with you during the route

• Use your assigned bus stop

Families can find additional information regarding bus expectations in Chapter 4 of the Parent-Student Handbook; students will also receive additional instruction on this topic during the first few weeks of school. We look forward to your partnership in these efforts, and to a successful start to the school year on transportation!

Teacher assignments are now available. To access your student’s schedule, login to ParentVUE and click on the CLASS SCHEDULE tab (located on the left side of your screen).

Additionally, your student’s transportation information can be found by logging into ParentVUE in the Student Information Section (scroll down to view Transportation Information). Please note that, while initial route information is available, there may be slight changes in student pick-up times as routes are run the week prior to school and are optimized; families should check for more finalized information on Monday, August 11th.

For any questions regarding your student’s transportation, please email the team at transportationshared@lz95.org or call 847.438.2834.

We are excited to kick off the 25-26 school year with safety and behavioral expectations learning, to occur during the week of August 18th. During this week, students will engage in learning around the following topics:

• The Standard Response Protocol (SRP), our emergency response protocol used to address safety concerns

• Safe2Help, our new anonymous reporting tool for safety concerns

• Collective responsibility for school safety (i.e., it takes all of us working together to maximize feelings of safety in the school community)

• School-wide behavioral expectations

Families who want to learn more about the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) and the “I Love U Guys” Foundation may access information via the foundation’s website HERE. They can also view a previously-recorded safety forum HERE (select Safety Forum - August 2022).

District 95 has partnered with Safe2Help Illinois, a statewide school safety program. This replaced the current District 95 See Something, Say Something tool. Safe2Help Illinois features a 24/7 helpline (1-844-4-SAFEIL), free mobile app, and dedicated website. Families who want to learn more about Safe2Help can visit the website at www.Safe2Helpil.com.

Thank you in advance for your partnership as we approach the start of the school year; it takes all of us working together to create safe school communities!

As we have done in years past, we will be collecting information from students in Grades 3 through 5 during the week of August 18th, 2025 regarding social-emotional and other related needs. This information will be used to plan for any additional supports for students, as well as for parent collaboration on student needs.

This process should only take a few minutes, and will be minimally disruptive to your student’s school day. Students and families may view the items from the needs assessment HERE. If you do not wish for your student to participate in the needs assessment, please contact the building assistant principal Mr. Steve Bild @ stephan.bild@lz95.org.

Do you know an amazing Lake Zurich High School alumni who has made great contributions and achievements in the world? If so, submit a nomination for the LZHS Distinguished Alumni Recognition award!

Nomination Criteria: To be nominated, alumni must have graduated from Lake Zurich High School at least 10 years ago and made significant contributions in their chosen field of work or through service to community, country, or world. NOMINATIONS DUE BY FRIDAY, AUGUST 22nd (at midnight)!!

Selection Criteria:

• Graduated a minimum of 10 years prior

• Models high standards of excellence in personal and/or professional life

• Outstanding contribution to volunteer service or their community, country, or world

• Post-secondary experiences reflect the values supporting our district mission: Academic Excellence, Accountability, Collaboration, Equity, Integrity, Perseverance, Respect

Click here to nominate a candidate meeting these criteria!

Inductees will be honored at the Homecoming football game and will have their pictures added to our Distinguished Alumni Wall at LZHS!

As we prepare for the start of school, please be aware that there is ongoing construction in downtown Lake Zurich as part of the Village of Lake Zurich’s Main Street upgrade project. Please allow extra time for travel to and from school!

Currently, there is ongoing roadwork on East Main Street (between Old Rand Road and Church Street) and on West Main Street (between Route 22 and Old Rand Road) where the road remains closed to all but local traffic.

The Village has advised us that East Main Street will remain open with one lane and flaggers directing traffic into the new school year. Closures will continue throughout the remainder of the project (late November) at times.

Join the fun at Paulus Park on August 10th from 11 am - 3 pm. Pack a picnic and join us for a day to unplug and connect with our community! For more information go to: www.unpluggedfest.com

To find more information about Free and Reduced Lunch Waivers and CUSD95 Fee Waivers, please visit our Business and Operations section of the LZ95 website: https://www.lz95.org/departments/business-operations.

There are two separate applications for 1)Free and Reduced Lunch Waivers and 2) CUSD 95 Fee Waivers. The School Board of Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 requires a separate application for a waiver of school fees (click here for board policy 4:130 on waiver of student fees) and free and reduced lunch.

Links to the forms, and information can be found under the section: Free & Reduced Lunch and Fee Waivers.