Erickson Express

Dear Erickson Families,

Happy New Year! I am looking forward to a wonderful 2026 with the Erickson community. Thank you to the Erickson families that donated 95 hats and gloves for our Mitten Tree. The items were donated to a local organization to help families in our community.

Thank you to the families who pick up and drop off their child(ren)! The arrival and dismissal has been amazing! Couple SAFETY reminders:

• Please do NOT pull into the circle at dismissal until AFTER 3:00. Once the construction begins, construction crews will leave by 3:00. I do not want cars clashing with big trucks. Thank you!
• When using the circle for drop off, encourage your child to be ready to hop out of the car when it is your turn. Limit long goodbyes so the circle can keep moving :-)
• Preschool families that park in the front lot, please do NOT walk in front of buses. Wait for the bus to leave and then walk through the lot. It is preferred that you arrive closer to 8:42-50 and use the curb parking to avoid the buses all together OR use the sidewalks around the building to walk to the school.

THANK YOU everyone for doing your part to stay safe!

Reminder about January 16th NOON DISMISSAL

January 16, 2025 - Noon Dismissal Grades 1-5, No Preschool

• Noon (12:00) dismissal for ALL students who attend full day.
• Morning Kindergarten will dismiss at their normal time.
• Afternoon Kindergarten will meet at their normal time (12:40-3:30).
• Morning and Afternoon Preschool will NOT be in session.

NO SCHOOL Monday, January 19th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.

If your child will be absent from school, please call the office 630-529-2223 or email the Attendance Email: erattendance@sd13.org by 9:00am. Also, if you are changing your child's dismissal plan. Please call the office by 2:00. Phone calls after 2:00 can not always be relayed to the student.

Please reach out if you have any question or concerns. The best way to reach me would be via email or phone: sjohnston@sd13.org or 630-529-2223.

Stacy Johnston

Principal

• January 8: 5th grade musical auditions - Frozen
• January 9: Hot lunch, Spirit day wear blue and gold
• January 12-23 MAP Winter Assessment - teachers will communicate testing dates to families. Reports will go home on January 30th.
• January 12: Hot lunch
• January 13: School store
• January 16: Noon Dismissal Grades 1-5, No Preschool

• Noon (12:00) dismissal for ALL students who attend full day.
• Morning Kindergarten will dismiss at their normal time.
• Afternoon Kindergarten will meet at their normal time (12:40-3:30).
• Morning and Afternoon Preschool will NOT be in session
• January 19: No School Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• January 26 - January 30 Coin Wars - PTO fundraiser more information to follow
• January 23: Hot lunch, Preschool Open House 2:15-3:15
• January 26: Hot lunch, PTO meeting 5:30 at Erickson
• January 27: School Store
• January 28: Erickson Spelling Bee
• January 30: Hot Lunch, Accelerated Night Out

This week students in 1st-5th grade completed a quick 1 minute assessment for addition and/or multiplication math fact fluency. Students will now set goals for math fact growth. If students accurately know their math facts either by memory or by using a quick strategy to figure out the answer, they will be more successful in other math skills like long division and fractions. Please support math fact practice at home by using the links below.

Construction has begun at Erickson! Over the winter break, the PARENT PARKING LOT has been fenced off to start construction on the Erickson School addition. The addition will include classrooms and a multipurpose room. Please visit the District 13 Construction Website for more information.

Due to the construction project, the parent parking lot will be CLOSED from January-the end of the school year.

Parents can still park in the Park District Parking lot.

The parent drop off/pick up circle will be in operation at arrival from 8:20-8:45 and at dismissal 3:15-3:45.

• The parent circle will open at 8:20 in the morning and close at 8:45 to allow construction to continue. Please do not arrive earlier.
• The parent circle will open at 3:15 and close at 3:45. Please do not arrive before 3:15 as the construction employees will be exiting.

Therefore, parents who pick up and/or drop off will either need to use the parent pick-up circle or park in the Park District Parking lot. Parents should also consider having their child use the bus daily, if you are able, to lessen the congestion due to limited parking.

PRESCHOOL and KINDERGARTEN FAMILIES

• PRESCHOOL FAMILIES can use the staff lot (front lot) at 8:40-8:50 (after buses have been dismissed) and from 3:10-3:15 (before buses arrive).
• KINDERGARTEN and PRESCHOOL families who have a mid-day pick-up between 11:15-11:30 or drop-off between 12:30-12:50 can use the staff lot (front lot) NOT the parent circle. THE PARENT CIRCLE WILL BE CLOSED from 8:45-3:15 to allow for trucks to come in and out of the parking lot.

I know closing the parent parking lot will inconvenience some of you, but please be patient and flexible during this time. The outcome will be well worth it during the 2026-2027 school year.

Important Reminder: MySchoolBucks and Student Fees

School fees for the 2025-26 school year are available in your MySchoolBucks account. If you haven’t received email notifications regarding fees, please ensure your student is "attached" to your account.

How to get started:

1. Sign in to your MySchoolBucks account.

2. Attach your student(s) to your profile if you haven't already.

3. View and pay fees directly through the portal.

Late Fee Policy: To avoid a $25.00 late fee, please ensure payments are made within 60 days of the due date. This policy is also posted on the District Website.

As the temperatures begin to drop, we want to share a reminder about our recess procedures to ensure all students are dressed appropriately for outdoor play:

• Outdoor or Indoor Recess?: Students will line up outside until 8:30am at arrival and enjoy outdoor recess when the temperature is 10 degrees Fahrenheit or above (including the windchill factor). We also continuously monitor the conditions of the blacktop and playground surfaces to ensure they are safe for students.

• Dress Warmly: Please ensure your child is dressed for the weather every day with a warm coat, hat, and gloves.

• Snow Play: Students are allowed to play in the snow if they are fully dressed in the required gear: snow boots, snow pants, winter coat, hat, and gloves. Without all these items, students must remain on the dry blacktop areas.

Due to summer construction, we can NOT extend the school year. The last day of school WILL be May 22 for all full day students. Therefore, if a "snow day" is called there will be an E-Learning Day. Dr. Bartelt will send an email/phone message to all families if an E-Learning Day is called either the night before or the morning of by 6:30am. Once an E-Learning Day is in place, the classroom teachers will send parents a message about the plan for the day. The plan for the day will include a morning and an afternoon student check-in with the teacher via Google Meets using student Chromebooks (grades 2-5) as well as assignments to complete throughout the day. Preschool-1st grade will receive assignments and an optional virtual check-in with the teacher since they do not bring home school chromebook devices. Students will have 3 days to complete any assignments required on an E-Learning Day to receive attendance credit. Teachers have discussed this process with students at school. If you have any questions, please contact me: Stacy Johnston sjohnston@sd13.org

A Bloomingdale Champion (ABC) is a community member or a staff member who exemplifies one or more of the core values of District 13 through intentional acts that:

• Ensure every child will learn;
• Treat everyone with honor and respect, and;
• Demonstrate a willingness to work together to achieve a goal.

1. The nominee must have specific experiences that demonstrate key elements of at least one of the core values to be considered as a finalist.
2. Nominees shall be brought to a committee made up of members of the Bloomingdale Council of Teachers, the Board of Education of Bloomingdale School District 13 and the Administration.
3. Using a rubric (below), each nominee will be scored by each member of the committee until one community member and/or one staff member has been selected for recognition.
4. The form should only take 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

One of the most critical roles in Bloomingdale School District 13 is the paraprofessional. These individuals support instruction from within the classroom, can be directly assigned to students whose goals are outlined on an Individual Education Plan, and, in many cases, are the source of substitute teaching in each building. They supervise lunch and busses, deliver curriculum under the teacher's supervision, and are often the ones helping calm down and dry the tears of children.

With the Shining Star Award, District 13 wants to recognize the work of this group of employees through the special work and support they provide daily. If you as a staff member, or you as a parent through your child have had a wonderful experience working with a paraprofessional, please take the time to complete this brief form to nominate them for this recognition. A couple of times a year, nominees will be selected by a group comprised of school board members, staff, and administration based on the impact the paraprofessional has had through the description you provide.

The School Store is open EVERY OTHER Tuesday from 12:00-12:50. When volunteering, please arrive 10 minutes earlier. As a volunteer you help monitor the student council members with the purchase of school supplies to the students.

Every other Tuesday during lunch

Dates:10/7, 10/21, 11/04, 11/18, 12/09, 1/13, 01/27, 02/10, 02/24, 03/10, 03/24, 04/07, 04/21, 05/05, 05/21

Please click the above tab to send a shout out to an Erickson Staff Member. Your shout out will be published in the Staff Newsletter. Thank you for thinking of our staff!

School Hours:

Grades 1st-5th: 8:40-3:30

Kindergarten AM: 8:40-11:30

Kindergarten PM: 12:40-3:30

Preschool AM: 8:50-11:20

Preschool PM: 12:50-3:20

Student Arrival:

Kindergarten-5 grade students can begin arriving at 8:25. Students should gather in the front of the building. Doors open at 8:30. Students should arrive by 8:40

Lunch Hours:

1st, 2nd & 3rd Grade Lunch: 12:00-12:25

4th-5th Grade Lunch: 12:25-12:50

Dropping off lunches from restaurants (ie- McDonald's, Wendy's, Panera, etc.) as well as using food delivery services to drop off food (ie -GrubHub, Door Dash) is not allowed. Students should bring their lunch in the morning to school each day. Safety is our number one priority and we would like to limit visitors.

Email: sjohnston@sd13.org
Website: sd13.org
Location: 277 Springfield Drive, Bloomingdale, IL, USA
Phone: 630-529-2223

Fax: 630-893-9849