Eagle's Post - 8/11/25

Dear Families,

The countdown is on—just two days until our halls are filled with the energy and excitement of a new school year! As we get ready to welcome students back on Wednesday, August 13th, please take a moment to review the information inside this newsletter.

Thank you for your continued partnership in making Middle School South a welcoming, safe, and engaging place for our students to learn and grow. I’m looking forward to an incredible school year ahead!

Anthony Dengler
Principal

First Full Day of School

Friday, August 22, 2025
6th Grade Activity Night (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)

Monday, August 25, 2025
6th Grade Curriculum Night (6:15 PM – 8:30 PM)

Tuesday, August 26, 2025
7th & 8th Grade Curriculum Night (6:15 PM – 8:30 PM)

6th & 7th Grade MAP Testing - Reading

8th Grade Pre-ACT9 Testing - Reading/English Sections

Thursday, August 28, 2025

6th & 7th Grade MAP Testing - Math

8th Grade Pre-ACT9 Testing - Math/Science Sections

Friday, September 5, 2025

All School Activity Night (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM)

The PTO looks forward to welcoming all 6th grade students to the 6th Grade Back to School Bash on Friday, August 22nd from 6 PM-8 PM here at Middle School South.

There will be lots of fun activities that students will rotate through and concessions will be available to purchase. Students should wear white or a light colored shirt for the color wars fun of the evening. There will also be a quiet area with games and calming activities available to all students.

Students should be dropped off at the main entrance at 6 pm with pick up at 8 pm.

Parents, we are looking for volunteers to help run this event. Look for a sign up genius to come out on Friday!

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.

Drop-off at MSS has been going well to start the school year, but we wanted to share our arrival procedures as a reminder for our families:

• This year students may begin arriving at school at 6:55 a.m. entering either through Door 25 (main entrance) or door 26 (entrance closest to Isaac Fox). Students who arrive before 7:10 a.m. will wait in a designated location inside the building until the first bell rings.

• The first bell will ring at 7:10 a.m. At this time, students will be let into the building and released to their lockers and first-period class.

• Students arriving after 7:10 a.m. must enter through door 25 (main entrance).

• Students should arrive at school before 7:15 a.m. to ensure they can be in their classrooms ready to learn when the 7:20 a.m. bell rings for instruction to begin.

Additionally, we want to share a few safety reminders:

• As a reminder, there is no left turn out of the parking lot during arrival and dismissal times. Cars will only be able to turn right on to Cuba Rd during these times.

• Stop at all stop signs when entering and leaving the parking lot.

• The front curb lane (highlighted in yellow) is the ONLY place to drop-off and pick-up students. Pull all the way forward in a single line before unloading. This will allow the most cars possible to move into the drop-off line and keep the car line moving as quickly as possible.

• Do not drop-off students on Cuba Road or in an undesignated area. This is dangerous and could cause a crash or an injury.

• Maintain a slow speed on school property and in the school zone.

We appreciate all of our families support in a safe and efficient arrival procedure.

As we have done in years past, we will be collecting information from students during the week of 8/18/2025 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, will be administered during homeroom/BOC time, 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 our building assistant principal, Ms. Leslie Manypenny at leslie.manypenny@lz95.org.

As we prepare to start the school year, it is important that students and families establish regular routines to maximize student attendance to school. Students are expected to be at school daily, and with enough time to navigate to their first period class on time.

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 and students can find more information regarding attendance in the Parent-Student Handbook.

Additionally, there will be more information shared at our Curriculum Nights on August 25th for 6th grade and August 26th for 7th and 8th grade. We hope to see you there!

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. [A QR code will also be available on the back of students’ ID cards in grades 6-12 for easy access to the reporting tool.] 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!

Please use the links below to access a welcome back letter from our school food service company Whitsons.

English

The first day of student attendance is Wednesday, August 13th. As a reminder, the first day of school is a full day, from 7:20 a.m. - 2:10 p.m.

Please mark your calendar with the following dates:

Monday, August 25th: 6th Grade Curriculum Night; 6:15 PM - 8:30 PM

Tuesday, August 26th: 7th & 8th Grade Curriculum Night; 6:15 PM - 8:30 PM

A current grade-level list of school supplies can be found on the school website. You can also access the middle school supply lists by clicking here.

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.

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!

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

Needed Forms Prior to First Day of Activity/Tryout:

For students interested in trying out and participating in a sport, students must have the following:

• Physical: All students participating in try-outs and a sport must have a current physical or sports physical on file. Physicals are good for one year and one month from the date the physical was conducted. Please check to make sure your physical is current prior to tryouts or the start of an athletic activity. The physical should be turned into the Nurse’s Office.

• Emergency Information Form: Students must have a completed and signed Emergency Information Form for each activity they are trying out for/participating in. They will need to turn this form in to the coach or sponsor at the time of try-outs. If try-outs are not required, then the form should be turned-in at the first meeting of the sport or activity.

All registration for activities will be in ParentVUE and information about registration will be sent later this summer.

Do you want to be a part of the MSS Fall Musical? This year's musical will be a production ofYou're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Whether you are interested in joining the cast or being a part of the stage crew, there will be an information meeting on Wednesday, August 20th after school.

Here are a few other important dates:

Workshop: Thursday, August 21, 2025

Auditions: Monday, August 25th, Tuesday, August 26th, and Wednesday, August 27th.

Below is information regarding tryouts, season schedules, and other information for our Fall athletic teams.

Cross Country:

No tryout required

Student Informational Meeting: Thursday, August 14th @ 2:20 PM

Click here to sign up for early practices.

Season Schedule

Boys Soccer:

Tryouts: Friday, August 15th & Monday, August 18th @ 2:20 PM

Season Schedule

Pom Poms:

Clinics: Tuesday, September 2nd & Wednesday, September 3rd @ 2:20 PM

Tryouts: Thursday, September 4th @ 2:20 PM

Season Schedule

Girls Basketball:

Tryouts: Monday, September 15th & Tuesday, September 16th @ 2:20 PM

Season Schedule