Bulldog Bulletin

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and time spent with family and friends! We are excited to kick-off the last month of 2023 with Sarah Adams Celebrates Spirit Days! Below you'll see a calendar with a theme for every day. This year students at each grade level collaborated to choose a special spirit day, which all students can participate in:

Kindergarten's choice for December 1: Sparkly Start! Wear something that is bright and sparkles!

1st grade's choice for December 4: Wear glitter and gold today!

2nd grade's choice for December 5: Wear your pajamas to school!

3rd grade's choice for December 6: Game Day! Students will be provided time to play a game with their peers.

4th grade's choice for December 8: Black and White Day to celebrate our 101 Dalmatians performance!

6th grade's choice for December 11: Anything but a backpack day- get creative and make sure your student can carry this 'non-backpack' on their own.

We look forward to making the whole month of December an exciting one for our Sarah Adams community.

Have a great weekend,

Ms. Colleen Conway

Tickets for the Sarah Adams production of 101 Dalmatians are on sale! Performances are on Friday, December 8 at 7pm and Saturday, December 9 at 2pm at Middle School South. Tickets are $7 each and can be purchased at https://sarahadams.seatyourself.biz/. Come out and support our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade performers.

We wanted to take a moment to emphasize the crucial role that regular school attendance plays in your child's education and overall development, especially in light of the specific definition of "chronic absenteeism" according to the state of Illinois.

The state of Illinois defines "chronic absenteeism" as missing 10 percent or more school days within an academic year, with or without a valid excuse. This definition underscores the significance of ensuring your child's regular presence at school, as extended absences can have lasting consequences for their education.

Here are some additional reasons to prioritize regular attendance:

• 1. Learning Opportunities: Consistent attendance allows your child to engage fully in the learning process, ensuring they don't miss out on important lessons, discussions, and hands-on experiences that are essential for their academic growth.
• 2. Building Relationships: Regular attendance helps your child build relationships with teachers, peers, and other school staff. These connections can be valuable for their social and emotional development.
• 3. School Designation: One of the many factors the state uses when evaluating school and assigning them a designation includes chronic absenteeism. One of the things you can do to help support the school is to ensure your child regularly attends school.
• 4. Academic Success: Studies consistently show a strong link between regular school attendance and academic success. Missing school can lead to gaps in knowledge and skills that can be challenging to overcome.
• 5. Future Opportunities: A good attendance record can have a positive impact on your child's future educational and career opportunities. Many colleges and employers place a high value on a history of punctuality and commitment.

We understand that there may be times when your child needs to miss school due to illness or other unavoidable circumstances. In such cases, please ensure you communicate with the school to provide necessary documentation and stay updated on your child's assignments.

Thank you for your support in ensuring that your child attends school regularly, in compliance with the state of Illinois's definition of chronic absenteeism. Your involvement in their education is invaluable, and together, we can help them achieve their full potential.

Calling all District 95 students! The school district is holding a contest for student-created original artwork, and poems or verses for a New Year's card which will be sent to district employees as well as some community partners at the beginning of January.

All submissions must be digital (JPG or PNG formats only) so if the artwork is on paper, please take a clear photo to submit. The winner(s) will be gifted a small token of appreciation.

Click here to submit your entry by December 6th, 2023!

Parents can access Health Office visit information through ParentVUE. Once logged in (either on the web portal or using the app), select “Health” and “Nurse Visits” to see a log of when your student visited the Health Office. For more serious illnesses or situations, parents can expect to receive a phone call from a Health Office staff member or building administrator. Please reach out to the school nurse with any questions you might have regarding office visits.

The Lake Zurich Police Department (as well as Hawthorn Woods and Kildeer departments) have prescription drug drop boxes for anyone who wishes to safely dispose of their unused/expired prescriptions. These drop locations are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; please keep these resources in mind as you do any end-of-year cleaning!

We want to inform you of a significant update that will come into effect on January 1, 2024, regarding overdue fee balances and their impact on student participation in fee-based activities within our school community.

Effective January 1, 2024:

Students with overdue fee balances will be excluded from participating in fee-based activities. Families that have a payment plan in place – and are current in their payments - are not considered to have an overdue balance and are exempt from this exclusion.

Any fee-based activities are subject to exclusion including the following:

• Athletic participation

• Non-curricular fine arts/performing arts events

• Extracurricular clubs

• Participation in social events such as Homecoming, Prom, and all other dances

• Participation in the high school graduation ceremony

Additionally, please note that the following fees are not eligible for any waiver or reduction:

• Yearbooks (except for 12th grade)

• Parking permits

• Replacement ID fees

• Replacement planner fees

• Summer enrichment classes/camps

• Summer athletic camps

• Non-district summer school classes

• Little Bears preschool

• Little Leader's tuition-based preschool

• Any fines/fees levied against the student for the destruction of District property, including but not limited to books, devices, or other school-owned materials or school property

We understand that participation in these activities is important for the student’s overall school experience. To ensure uninterrupted participation, we urge all families to address any outstanding fee balances as soon as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your fee balance, apply for fee waivers, or wish to set up a payment plan, please contact the District 95 Business Office at 847-540-4943 or email the Business Office at businessoffice@lz95.org.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

Sarah Adams Elementary School Principal

Colleen.Conway@lz95.org