The Eagle's Nest

May 3, 2026

Hello Eagle Families,

Congratulations to all our math bowl participants! Flossmoor Hills earned 1st place in the individual competition for Division B! Congratulations also to the entire Division B team for earning 4th place overall in the team competition. In addition, congratulations to our team captain for Division B, who also earned the honor of being named MVP! Thank you to Mrs. Sandy Thompson, Mrs. Joelle and Ms. Elaine Wengert for all their hard work and dedication to prepare our students for another successful math bowl.

This week is teacher appreciation week and we are ready to shower our incredible Flossmoor Hills educators with the love and gratitude they deserve! We appreciate our teachers for their tireless energy, patience and for always putting our kids first!

How you can join the celebration:

Send a Note: A simple handwritten card or email from a student is often a teacher’s favorite gift.
Share a Memory: Tell your child’s teacher about a specific moment this year that made a difference.

Please take a look at the updates in this week's newsletter. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Let's connect.....

Email address: emcneil@sd161.org

Office number: 708-647-7100

A big shoutout and thank you to Mrs. Wilcox and the reading squad for an amazing 5th grade poetry cafe! The creativity on display was truly inspiring, as our young poets stood front and center with confidence to share their original verses. Thank you to everyone who helped transform the space and provide the perfect backdrop for our students to shine.

Lights, camera, action! 🎬 We are so proud of our Flossmoor Hills 5th graders for their incredible guest appearance on the HF VTV broadcast! They got a first hand look at high school media in action! A huge thank you to Mrs. Salter and Mrs. Ciesielski for collaborating with HF to provide this inspiring opportunity to our students.

Teacher Appreciation Week begins - May 4th - May 8th
2nd grade field trip to Brookfield Zoo - May 5th
Spring AIMSweb begins - May 6th
Prek field trip to Homewood Science Center - May 6th
Candor health presentation for 5th grade - May 6th
Practice Fire Drill - May 7th
5th grade boat trip - May 8th
Spring musical rehearsal at PJH May 11th - May 13th - 6:00 p.m.
FH Musical (The Lion King Jr.) at Parker - May 14th - 6:00 p.m.
4th Grade Presentation in gym at 2:00 p.m. - May 14th
PTO Sponsored Fun Run at 1:30 p.m. - May 15th
Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon - May 21st - 1:30 p.m.

Superintendent Search Update

The Board of Education recently heard an update from BWP and Associates on the superintendent search process. Specifically, they discussed the leadership profile that was developed using information from the stakeholder survey and the in-person focus groups. Looking forward, the Board of Education intends to begin interviewing candidates in mid-May, with a recommendation for hire coming at the June 15th Board meeting.

District Department Plans

District 161 department leaders presented the tentative Department Plans for the 2026-27 school year. We discuss the initial plans in April, so that changes and adjustments can be made before the building teams begin building their School Improvement Plans in June. Looking forward to the 2026-27 school year, we will be refreshing the Strategic Plan and that process should be completed by March. Once that is done, the district will be on an aligned schedule that will lead to consistent improvement.

Preschool Expansion

For the 2026-27 school year, we will be offering a full-day Preschool classroom at Flossmoor Hills, along with two half-day classrooms. The adjustment is a pilot program that the Board of Education will use to make future decisions regarding Preschool programming. In order to be considered for Preschool services in District 161, your child must complete the screening process and that information can be found here.

Cheryl Gozzi, RN BSN

FH Health Coordinator

p. 708-647-7105

f. 708-798-2339

e. cgozzi@sd161.org

End of Year Medication Pick Up

Parents/Guardians - Please remember to pick up your student's medications that are at school. Medications CANNOT be sent home with your students. All medications that are not picked up at the time of dismissal on the last day of school will be disposed of. Additionally, if your student will be attending Summer Academy and they received medication during the school year, you are responsible for dropping off the medication to the summer school nurse.

Dental Exams for Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, and New/Transfer Students

All students in Kindergarten, 2nd grade, and any new or transfer students are required to have a current dental exam. Please click here to obtain the form. Forms are due by May 15th. Please contact your dentist to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

Warm Weather, Allergies and Asthma

If your student has a health condition that prohibits them from going outside in warm weather, your doctor must fax a note to the nurse at 708-798-2339. Any student with allergies or asthma needs an action plan completed by your doctor and on file in the nurse’s office.

When should my child stay home from school?

Click here for health guidelines.
Please make sure emergency contacts are in Skyward. If your student is sent home we ask that you or an emergency contact picks up the child within 30 minutes.

Nominate a Staff Member for District Recognition

Parents can access the SD 161 Learning and Instruction webpage for detailed information specific to Standards Based Grading and Year Long Plans for every grade level content.

Flossmoor School District 161 - Standards Based Learning Page

Cell Phones & Smart Watches:

Cell phones and smart watches should be kept in a safe place—such as a locker (devices should be neither seen nor heard)—and are not to be used during the school day or during on-campus school activities during school hours.

Parent / Student Handbook

All K-5 students enter the building at 8:30 a.m. daily. The school day begins at 8:40 a.m. and students are dismissed at 3:15 p.m. Students may arrive on campus at 8:25 a.m. and line up on their playground areas. There is no supervision before 8:25 a.m. Students that arrive before 8:25 a.m. will have to wait on their playgrounds unsupervised. Breakfast will be available in the gym room at 8:25 a.m.

Pre-K Morning Session: 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Pre-K Afternoon Session: 12:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Bus Routes

Student bus routes are available in Skyward. Log into your Skyward account to check where your child's bus stop is located. If you have any questions regarding bus routes, call Wanda Alexander at 708-546-7072.

If your child is routed for a bus and will not ride the bus due to you dropping them off or picking them up daily, email Rose Spotora at rspotora@sd161.org.

If your child will not ride the bus everyday, the front office needs a schedule for your child. Please email Rose Spotora at rspotora@sd161.org AND your child's classroom teacher.

Sign up to receive bus bulletins. You can learn more here.

Dismissal Changes

Parents must call the office or email the administrative assistants by 2:15 p.m. if you need to make a change to your child's dismissal procedure (i.e., not riding the bus, not attending an after school program, etc.). The procedure helps to ensure the safe dismissal for all students.

The office number is 708-647-7100. Our administrative assistants can be contacted at rspotora@sd161.org and nfonseca@sd161.org.

Breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m. Students eating breakfast should enter the main entry doors (Door A) upon arrival to school.

Grade Level Lunch Times

Kindergarten and 5th Grade - 11:30 a.m. - recess begins at 11:50 a.m.
1st Grade and 3rd Grade - 12:10 p.m. - recess begins at 12:30 p.m.
2nd Grade and 4th Grade - 11:50 a.m. - recess begins at 12:10 p.m.

If you need to drop off lunch to your student after the school day has started, you may utilize the grade level bins on the cart in the foyer. Please label your child's lunch bag.

Reminder: Lunches sent to the school by food delivery services such as Uber Eats, GrubHub, DoorDash, etc. are not allowed.

Please do not pull or park vehicles in the bus lane. These lanes are for school buses only.
Parents and guardians should never board a school bus. The bus company is instructed to call the police if any adult other than school personnel boards the bus. If you have an issue with the bus or driver contact Mrs. McNeil - Dobson.
It is illegal to pass a stopped school bus.
Cell phone usage in a school zone is prohibited.
Students will learn bus expectations during the first days of school. Please reinforce at home that students should be seated at all times to be safe.

All visitors staying in the school building must be scanned in by our administrative assistants using the raptor. You will have to present your driver's license as proof of i.d. Once you have been cleared through the system, you will receive a name badge to wear. No visitors or volunteers will be allowed in the school without being cleared by the system.

If you would like to celebrate your child's birthday in school, please send non edible items to share (i.e., pencils, bubbles, stickers, etc.). We cannot allow students to share outside food/treats in school. Food items will be returned to you.