Cougar Clips

Please feel free to email our PTO at ptokipling@gmail.com for any questions!

In-person Instrumental Music Open House is Monday, May 12!

We wanted to send a quick reminder that all 3rd grade parents and guardians (no kids, please!) are invited to attend our in-person instrumental music open house on Monday, May 12th at 6:00 PM in the Caruso auditorium. During our open house, you will learn all about our band and orchestra program (which your child will register for this May), watch high school alumni from our program perform on each instrument, and be the first to receive the sign up link to register your child for their instrument fitting. This open house is for adults only as space is limited in the Caruso auditorium. If you are unable to attend, we will share all the information that was covered (including the instrument fitting registration link) via email the following day.

We encourage you to talk about this opportunity with your 3rd grader and to check out our instrumental music program website with them to learn more about each instrument and watch past performances from our programs.

We hope to see you soon! Please direct any questions you may have to eim@dps109.org and one of our directors will be in touch.

Thank you!

The DPS 109 Instrumental Music Team

Deerfield Police Department Safe Screens Parent Workshop

2025-2026 Fee Payment & InfoCheck Open Soon!

Look for an important email to hit your inbox next week. That’s the sign that you’ll be able to log into Family Access to:

• Pay your 2025-2026 fees

• Verify your contact and other information

• Review the Student/Parent-Guardian Handbook

• Learn about new publication permission opt-out procedures

If you haven’t logged into Family Access in a while, now is a good time to make sure you can do so! If you forget your login information, you can reset your password with your login ID (not your email address) by using the “Forgot Password” button. After you click that button, enter your login ID (yourfirstname.yourlastname, unless you already logged in and changed it). You’ll receive an email to the email address the District has on file with a link to reset your password. If you still need help, call the District office at 847-945-1844 or email communications@dps109.org.

Important Safety Alert: Dangerous Social Media Trend

There is a concerning trend currently circulating on TikTok that encourages children to insert objects (paper clips, pencil graphite, or other conductive materials) into the ports of electronic devices like Chromebooks, or directly into electrical outlets in order to cause an electrical short circuit.

We have had incidents in our schools. Other schools in our region also have experienced damage to district-issued devices, personal injuries, and even small fires as a result of students engaging in this dangerous behavior.

Tampering with District-issued devices or electrical outlets not only puts the individual student at risk but also endangers everyone in the school building. Such actions violate our safety protocols and student code of conduct, and any student found engaging in this type of behavior will face disciplinary consequences in accordance with District policy.

We are asking for your partnership in helping us reinforce this message at home to ensure that our schools remain safe environments for all students and staff.

Missed a Tech Tip? We got you covered!

In October, we began sharing weekly tech tips in our newsletters to encourage digital safety. If you missed a tech tip or just want to review them, we have a Digital Hub for you to view them at your convenience. Make sure to keep your eyes open for more tech tips to come in the following weeks.