The Avoca West Weekly

Dear Avoca West families,

Thank you for all your support as we rolled out our new arrival and dismissal procedures this week. Students did a great job following expectations and being safe! Today is the last day of our PTC Taffy Apple Sale, it runs both before and after school. We are also excited for Saturday's Fall Fest at Avoca West. More information regarding this PTC event is included below. I hope you have a great weekend and enjoy the fall weather.

Your partner in education,

Margaret Burke

Avoca West Principal

October 10th - PTC Taffy Apple Sale (before and after school)

October 11th - PTC Fall Fest from 12 - 4 pm (see new information below!)

October 13th - Columbus/Indigenous Peoples' Day (school in session)

October 21st - Picture Retake Day

October 28th - Erin's Law Lessons

October 29th - Half Day for Students (Dismissal at 11:45), Parent-Teacher Conferences (3:00 - 7:00pm)

October 30th - Half Day for Students (Dismissal at 11:45), Halloween Celebration, Parent-Teacher Conferences (3:00 - 7:00pm)

October 31st - No School, Teacher Institute Day

Students are expected to be in attendance each day that school is in session unless a parent or guardian notifies the school office. Please notify the front office of student absences by 8:25 am. Parents can report absences by calling the school at (847)724-6800 or completing the online reporting form as soon as the absence is known. Students absent for 3 or more days in a row due to illness, must provide a doctor's note to return to school.

School office hours are from 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

School Hours: 8:25 am - 3:00 pm

Kindergarten/1st grade lunch: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

2nd/3rd grade lunch: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

4th/5th grade lunch: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

Dear Avoca Community,

As part of our ongoing Safety Plan and in alignment with practices in our neighboring districts , we will be adding exterior doorbell and intercom systems to both of our school’s main entrances. These updates will help us ensure a safe environment for our students and staff as all visitors will be identified prior to entering the facilities. Teachers and staff will continue to enter the building using their FOB key access. We believe this important safety measure offers an added level of security for our students, teachers, and employees. Thank you for your continued support as we will continue to improve our school safety procedures.

Sign-ups for our October 29th and 30th Parent-Teacher conferences opened on October 8th. Parents, an email was sent on the 8th with detailed directions and links. We look forward to discussing your student's learning and growth with you later this month!

Thank you to all our families, students and staff for a successful first week of our new Arrival and Dismissal procedures. Students were able to enter in an organized and safe fashion with increased supervision.

Please note:

• our supervision in the morning begins at 8:10 am, students should not be on school grounds independently prior to this time.
• Car's in the drop off line, must remain in line and may not pass other cars to prevent collisions and protect any pedestrians in the parking lot.

Thank you for your help in keeping students safe.

Every year, public schools are mandated by the state to provide age-appropriate lessons on personal body safety under Erin's Law. The goal is to help students recognize unsafe situations, understand their right to say “no,” and know how to seek help from a trusted adult. Lessons use a developmentally appropriate approach to support students. Avoca West is providing these lesson's on October 28th for students K-5. A survey was provided to families at the beginning of the year if they wished to opt their child out of these lessons. We appreciate your collaboration as we provide these valuable safety lessons to students.

From October 1st to November 14th, Avoca West is participating in the Rotary Club of Wilmette and Bernies Book Bank's Big Book Drive. We are accepting donations of gently used books for students in need at Chicagoland schools. We appreciate your collaboration as we support our greater community!

Attached is a list of Avoca West's extracurricular offerings before and after school. Please reach out to the identified staff members if you are interested in this opportunity for your child. You can also find more detailed information for upcoming clubs below.

**This list will be updated throughout the year to provide the most current information for each club.**

All visitors to Avoca West must have a valid state ID or driver’s license. Identification is entered into the Raptor identification system. This process only takes a short time to complete. Once you have clearance, the office staff will provide you with a visitor pass lanyard/badge that you must wear throughout the building. The office will hold your ID until you return to the office and return your lanyard. We appreciate your support as we proceed with this district-mandated safety procedure for the safety of our students.

Avoca West Elementary School follows policies and practices reviewed and implemented by the District 37 Board of Education. Please review the Avoca West Student-Parent Handbook before the start of the school year.

Please take a moment to sign into your Parent Portal to ensure your student contact tab is up to date with the correct phone numbers and email addresses for each child. In addition, please make sure your emergency contacts are up to date and accurate. Each student should have at least one additional adult as an emergency contact.

Mobile devices, such as cell phones, Smart Watches, etc. may be brought to school but they may not be used during the school day. Mobile devices should remain in student backpacks throughout the school day. Students using mobile devices, including smart watches, during the school day will have them confiscated. If a student needs to call home, they may request permission to use the phone in the office. Students may not use their personal devices to call home during the school day.

WHAT Avoca West’s Fall Fest 2025 features games, inflatables, a petting zoo and pony rides, performances by The Sidewalkers, TwistiCiti Bubble Show, food & drink, arts & crafts, pumpkins and more!

WHEN Saturday, October 11th, 12:00 – 4:00 PM. Special 11:30 early opening for families that need a sensory-friendly experience.

WHERE Avoca West Elementary

WHO Students, parents, friends, neighbors and family welcome

WHY To celebrate our community, raise funds for PTC and have fun!

Avoca West’s Fall Fest is in its inaugural year and it’s going to be one wild party!

TICKET INFO

Presale: $25/child, $5/adult - Presale saves you $5 per ticket!

You must be an Avoca PTC member and have the Membership ToolKit in order to purchase tickets. 24/25 school year PTC memberships are valid until 9/30/25 and qualify for presale until 9/30/25. Click here to purchase presale tickets.

Day Of: $30/child, $10/adult

Presale Cut-Off: Thursday, October 9 at 6:00 PM

Kids 2 & Under Free

Middle School and New Trier volunteers will have admission waived.

If you need financial assistance for this event, please reach out to your school principal.

Liability Waivers:

Every individual entering Avoca West school grounds the day of the Fall Fest October 11, 2025 must have a signed waiver on file before entering the Fall Fest event. This includes all children, adults, administrators, volunteers, and community members. In order to make sure our events run smoothly we ask that you come with this waiver filled out prior to the event for all of the individuals in your party. There will be waivers at the event but to help keep lines short please fill out beforehand.

Liability Waiver Link

Students working the event must still have a parent or guardian fill out the waiver prior to volunteering.

SPONSORSHIP

Contribute to the fun of the Avoca West Fall Fest by sponsoring a ride, game or event, with sponsorship fees directly benefiting Avoca’s PTC. We’re thrilled to offer businesses and Avoca families sponsorship opportunities. In exchange for sponsorship, your family’s or business’s name will appear on signage during the event and community outreach. Please reach out to avocafundraising.com for more information.

Food and Drink

• One bag of popcorn per child ticket

• One cotton candy ticket per child ticket

• Jester’s Food Truck on site for food and drink purchases

• 8th Grade Concession’s on site for food and drink purchases

Performance Schedule

1:00-2:30 The Sidewalkers

3:00-3:30 TwistiCiti Bubble Show

If you want to perform at future events please reach out to avocafundraising@gmail.com

Volunteering

Please consider making this event a success through your service of volunteerism. Click here to sign up to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer as a member of the "Dad Crew" click here.

All students volunteering receive one free entry into the Fall Fest!