The Jayhawk Weekly

Dear Julian Parents and Guardians,

A special thanks to all the teachers, staff, PTO and Spirit Team members that made the Olympic Day and Career Exploration Day possible. So many positive learning experiences and lasting memories were made during these last school days. It has truly been a pleasure to see our school come together and our students work together to achieve their goals.

8th grade families, please be sure to let us know about the lunch refund preference for your graduate's MealTime account (see the 8th Grade News section below). We are looking forward to a wonderful last three days of school (two for our 8th-grade students) this week! As we reflect on the year, there is so much to celebrate and be proud of. Thank you for continuing to reach out to partner with our teachers, staff, and administrators for the success of your children! Together, our community is stronger. Together, we can get through difficult times. Together, we can learn and grow. Together, we are better.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, or ideas, please don’t hesitate to contact our team (emails below). Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our students' growth and success.

Jayhawks together,

Nick Filipowski

Principal, Percy Julian M.S.

• School Office hours: Monday, June 2nd - Wednesday, June 4th (Office closes at 4:00 p.m.)

• 8th Grade Graduation: Tuesday, June 3rd (6:30 p.m. @ Oak Park and River Forest H.S. - must have ticket for entry)
• Last Day of School: Wednesday, June 4th (Report Card Day)

On Thursday, May 29, students from the Spirit Team (and an additional group of student volunteers), led "Olympic Day." This event was fully student-planned and facilitated. Students in all grades participated in fun indoor and outdoor team-building events, such as cup stacking, tug of war, hula hoops, a school-wide trivia competition, sack races, and more! Congratulations to the Spirit Team and the group of student volunteers who made this day possible!

Under no circumstances are students allowed to bring water guns to school. Weapons of any type or kind, including toy guns or water guns, are strictly prohibited. And should not be brought to school or be used anywhere on school property, including the turf field. Students found using or bringing anything resembling a weapon to school, including toy or water guns, will have immediate consequences, up to or including detention and suspension.

We ask that families discuss this important safety practice with their Julian student(s). Administrators will contact parents/guardians and issue appropriate consequences for behavior infractions.

• To ensure safety, students must be able to redirect behavior and follow adult directions or requests throughout the school day.

• To ensure student accountability, students should consistently demonstrate responsibility through regular class attendance and limited tardies throughout the school day.

• Student must be in good standing, in accordance to behavior expectations, as outlined in the Oak Park School District 97 Student/Family Handbook. Any student who does not adhere to the behavior expectations in the handbook may be removed from the end of year field trip/travel opportunity, even past the date of eligible refunds.

• Monday, June 2 - Wednesday, June 4 - the school office will close at 4:00pm for graduation ceremony prep and on the last day of school

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Yearbook were 'distributed to 8th graders during Advisory on Wednesday 5/28.

For 7th and 6th graders - we will be distributing pre-paid yearbooks and selling any remaining yearbooks AFTER school by the front entrance/cafeteria entrance on:

Mon. 6/2/25 - 3:35 - 4:15pm

Tue. 6/3/25 - 3:35 - 4:15pm

Students can pay the $30 cost on Revtrak, or by cash or check payable to District 97. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Guarino, C104.

Your graduate's lunch account balance can be refunded after the last day of the school year. A positive lunch balance over $10 can be issued in one of 4 ways (provided that there are no past due or lost library books, no lost textbooks, and/or no outstanding school fees owed):

1. Add any remaining lunch funds to my student's new OPRFHS lunch account
2. Send me a check refund
3. Transfer the money to my child at an elementary school or a sibling at Julian
4. Donate the funds to the lunch account of a needy Julian student

If the balance is less than $10, we can issue the refund at the school office between June 5 - June 12 between 8:30am-3:30pm. If your child has missing textbooks, library books or unpaid school fees, the lunch balance can instead be applied to the outstanding balance(s) owed to the school.

Please indicate on this google form how you would like to have your student's positive lunch account balance refunded this summer. PLEASE INDICATE YOUR LUNCH REFUND PREFERENCE BY MONDAY, JUNE 2. Also note: if you elect to have the Julian lunch account balance transferred to the OPRFHS lunch account, the new account will be credited after the high school's staff returns from summer break in August '25 (since their current school year will have already ended by June 2nd).

• 8th Grade Great America field trip: Monday, June 2rd (9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.) Students should wear their new Class of 2025 t-shirt for this field trip.
• 8th Grade Graduation Rehearsal: Tuesday, June 3rd (10:00 a.m.)

• 8th Grade Graduation Ceremony: Tuesday, June 3rd (6:30 p.m. @ Oak Park and River Forest H.S. main auditorium - MUST HAVE TICKET FOR ENTRY)

🎓Please let your family and friends know that the graduation ceremony for Julian will be held on Tuesday, June 3rd at 6:30pm in Oak Park and River Forest High School's auditorium:

Please click here for the reminders regarding parking, arrival time, live stream link and more, for the ceremony.

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, June 3!

We would like to invite you to the last MPAC meeting of the school year, on June 3, 2025, from 6 PM to 7:30 PM at the D97 main office (260 Madison St, Oak Park). The agenda for the meeting includes:

- MPAC board updates and planning for School Year 2025-26

- Planning for Adult ESL classes

-Budget Input for School Year 2025-26

- Any other topics

We encourage all multilingual and multicultural families to attend this meeting as important decisions will be made to support our ML students in the coming months.

Please sign up for this meeting here and let us know if you need an interpreter for the meeting.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to thamm@op97.org.

MPAC Team

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Invitación a la reunión del MPAC 6.2025

Les invitamos a la última reunión del MPAC del año escolar, el 3 de junio de 2025, de 18:00 a 19:30 h, en la oficina principal del D97 (260 Madison St, Oak Park). El orden del día incluye:

- Actualizaciones de la junta del MPAC y planificación para el año escolar 2025-26

- Planificación de las clases de inglés como segundo idioma (ESL) para adultos

- Aportes al presupuesto para el año escolar 2025-26

- Otros temas

Animamos a todas las familias multilingües y multiculturales a asistir a esta reunión, ya que se tomarán decisiones importantes para apoyar a nuestros estudiantes multilingües en los próximos meses.

Inscríbase aquí y avísenos si necesita un intérprete.

Si tiene alguna pregunta, no dude en escribir a thamm@op97.org.

Equipo del MPAC

Our coaches wanted to share information about our upcoming 2025 Cross Country (XC) Camp, which we’re excited to offer as part of our efforts to support student-athletes and build momentum heading into the new season.

The camp is open to both incoming and current athletes who are interested in building endurance, being introduced to the sport, and fostering team connections before the school year begins.

See below for a flyer with full details, including dates, location, registration information, and more. For any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Coach Tysse at ktysse@op97.org or Coach Talarico at mtalarico@op97.org.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

In September 2024, District 97 introduced the VisitorSafe™ Visitor Management System(formerly known as the Raptor Visitor Management System) to streamline the visitor check-in process, ensuring that all visitors are properly identified and authorized before entering our schools.

As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance school safety, visitors may sign in using the Raptor Safe mobile app.

The Raptor Safe app offers a secure and convenient way for visitors to verify their identity before arriving at school. With the Raptor Passport feature, visitors can pre-verify their identity, which ensures a faster and smoother sign-in process when they arrive.

When arriving at a school, visitors can use the secure QR code generated by the app to expedite the check-in process. These QR codes regenerate every 5 minutes to maintain security and prevent misuse.

Please note, that using the Raptor Safe app to pre-verify your identity is optional. Visitors may still check in upon arrival using a government-issued ID.

The Raptor Safe app is available for all visitors across the district. To download the app, please refer to the Raptor Safe FAQ Sheet or go to https://raptortech.com/raptorsafe-app/.
If you have any questions, please contact your building principal or contact us via Let’s Talk.

Sincerely,
D97 Safety Team

If your child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), we highly encourage you to take the ISBE SPP Indicator 8 Survey to help guide our parent engagement efforts and provide the best possible service to our students.

Your responses through the survey play a vital role in shaping future initiatives and strengthening family-school partnerships in special education.

The survey can be completed by mail or online using the unique seven-digit survey ID enclosed in a recent letter from Measurement Inc. If you did not receive a letter from Measurement Inc., or need your seven-digit survey ID, you may request it online here.

For assistance in English or Spanish, contact Measurement Inc. at ISBEParentSurvey@MeasInc.com or (877) 881-7077. You can also reach District 97 Senior Director of Student Services Donna Middleton at dmiddleton@op97.org.

The survey is open through June 30, 2025. We value your input and thank you for your participation!

Online registration for the 2025-26 school year in District 97 is now open for all students. Complete details about the process—including residency documents, timelines and other helpful resources—are available on the district website: www.op97.org/registration. Julian currently only has 81% of our families registered. Please complete your registration as soon as possible to ensure you are ready to start the new year in August!

Returning Students

Registration for returning District 97 students is open Feb. 26 through April 30, 2025. Complete details can be found at https://www.op97.org/hr/returning-student-registration.

New Students and Kindergarteners

Registration for kindergarten and new students opened Feb. 19. Please click the links below to learn more about the registration process for kindergarteners and new students.

• Kindergarten Registration

• New Students

Get Ready to Register

Visit our District 97 Registration page for everything you need to know about the process, including residency documents, timelines, and helpful resources.

Need Help? Our registration team is here for you! Reach out anytime through Let’s Talk. We look forward to supporting you through this process!

As you may be aware, there are currently several measles outbreaks across the United States. Measles is highly contagious, particularly among school-aged children. While there are no reported cases in Illinois at this time, there has been an increase in positive cases nationwide.

The Oak Park Department of Public Health has requested that we provide the following letter (linked here), which includes important information about measles; the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine; and the 21-day quarantine period required for exposed individuals who lack immunity.

We encourage you to review the attached letter carefully. For further questions, please contact the Oak Park Department of Public Health at 708-358-5480 or email health@oak-park.us.

Additional Information:

• MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) VIS What You Need to Know (English)
• MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) VIS What You Need to Know (Current Translations)

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Información Importante sobre el Sarampión para las Familias

Como usted sabrá, actualmente hay varios brotes de sarampión en todo Estados Unidos. El sarampión es altamente contagioso, especialmente entre los niños en edad escolar. Aunque no se han reportado casos en Illinois hasta el momento, ha habido un aumento de casos positivos a nivel nacional.

El Departamento de Salud Pública de Oak Park ha solicitado que proporcionemos la siguiente carta (enlace aquí), que incluye información importante sobre el sarampión, la vacuna contra el sarampión, las paperas y la rubéola (MMR); y el período de cuarentena de 21 días requerido para las personas expuestas que carecen de inmunidad.

Le recomendamos revisar detenidamente la carta adjunta. Si tiene más preguntas, comuníquese con el Departamento de Salud Pública de Oak Park al 708-358-5480 o envíe un correo electrónico a health@oak-park.us.

Información Adicional:

• MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) VIS What You Need to Know (English)
• MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) VIS Lo que necesitas saber (traducciones actuales)

Health Reminders

We are so happy when your child can be at school on time and well enough for learning. However, keeping your child home when sick is essential to keep illness out of our schools and prevent spread to others.

*Families must report any absences due to illness or for any other reasons by calling or emailing the school attendance line (708-665-3064 or julianinfo@op97.org).

Please keep your child home if they are exhibiting signs of illness:

• Temperature of 100.0 degrees F° (37 C°)
• Your child should be fever free without medication for 24 hours before returning to school.
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Your child must stay home for a full 24 hours after their last episode of vomiting/diarrhea before returning to school
• Strep throat:
• Your child must be on an antibiotic for 24 hours before returning to school and fever free for 24 hours without medication if a fever is present.
• Swollen, red eyes that itch and are draining (possible pink-eye)
• Your child must be on an antibiotic for 24 hours before returning to school for bacterial conjunctivitis and drainage free and/or a note from the doctor.
• Uncontrolled coughing or constant “runny” nose – especially with yellow or green mucus
• However, for a mild runny/stuffy nose and mild cough it is alright to send your child to school.
• An unusual rash, a blistery rash, or a rash associated with a fever
• Your child should remain at home until you have discussed the rash with your physician and your child is not contagious (a note from your doctor may be required)
• COVID? Please see and follow the info in the link: https://www.op97.org/health-services/covid-19-guidelines
• Has symptoms that prevent them from learning:
• Very tired or lack of appetite
• Headache, body aches or earache
• Sore Throat—a minor sore throat is ok for school, but a severe sore throat could be strep throat, even if there is no fever. Other symptoms of strep throat in children are headache, stomach upset, or rash. Call your doctor if your child has these symptoms.

Approximately 10% - 15% of students have a food allergy. The most common allergen item is nuts of any kind. Every food-allergic reaction has the possibility of developing into a life-threatening reaction within minutes. Some individuals may react to merely touching the substance, while for others, consumption of a tiny amount of that food can cause a reaction which could be fatal.

• We strongly encourage packing nut-free products in your student's lunches

• We strongly encourage sending nut-free products on field trips

• There is NO food sharing between students at any time during school

How to identify safer foods for your children to eat:

1. Please read all packaging to ensure the item is not produced on equipment shared with nuts

2. Additional safe options may be viewed at: www.snacksafely.com

We appreciate your partnership in promoting the health and safety of our children.

FOOD DELIVERY POLICY

***District 97 employees will not sign for food deliveries for students.*** Julian students or parents/guardians should NOT have food delivered to the school through any food delivery service (i.e. DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, etc). Food deliveries will not be accepted during the school day. Please plan to pack a lunch or purchase a school lunch each day.***

LUNCH

Hot lunch is available to students who wish to participate and have a funded or approved lunch account. If you have questions regarding your student's lunch balance, you may contact the Lunchroom Manager, Ms. Venus Jones at vjones@op97.org. To make payments on student lunch accounts please visit, https://www.mymealtime.com/signin.aspx

Fees may be paid online at https://oakpark.revtrak.net/Middle-Schools/BMS/BMS-School-Fees/#/list

You may also pay fees in-person (with check, money order or cash only) at the Julian School Office during the week between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

• Please call the attendance line at 708-665-3064 to leave a voicemail regarding your child's absence.
• Email julianinfo@op97.org if you have any questions for the school office.
• Dial 708-524-3040 to reach the Julian school office. And remember, if you plan to get your child for an early dismissal, give the school office a call 10-15 minutes prior to your arrival. This will give them time to locate your student and for your student to gather their belongings. Please, whenever possible, have your pick up done prior to 3:00 pm. Thank you for your understanding.

Oak Park, IL 60302

708-524-3040

www.op97.org/julian