1st Quarter EMSD Newsletter

• 5th Grade Back in Elementary
• Backpack Night in EMSD
• New Traffic Flow at Hillcrest and the Glenview/Ridgewood Campus
• Meet Your School Administrators
• School Safety Update
• Calendar of Events

After 15 months of thoughtful planning, community collaboration, and visioning, the moment we’ve been preparing for has officially arrived! We are thrilled to launch our redistricting project and share a historic milestone for our district: 5th grade is coming back to our elementary schools for the first time in over 30 years!

Starting this coming school year, our elementary campuses will expand to serve students from Pre-K through 5th grade. This change isn’t just a shift in logistics—it’s a powerful step forward for student success. Research shows that a longer elementary experience yields significant benefits, including:

• Stronger Academic Achievement: Extended time in a familiar, foundational setting allows for deeper learning and mastery of core skills.

• Enhanced Social-Emotional Growth: Staying in a nurturing elementary environment longer builds confidence, resilience, and strong peer connections.

• Smoother Transitions: A more gradual path into secondary education helps students adjust comfortably when the time comes.

This evolution also opens up exciting new opportunities for our middle school! By refocusing its expert staff and programs specifically on grades 6–8, the middle school will foster a tailor-made, developmentally appropriate environment crafted specifically for young adolescents during these crucial intermediate years.

Bringing 5th grade back to the elementary setting strengthens our school community from top to bottom. Our teachers and staff have spent the last 15 months laying the groundwork to ensure an inspiring transition and we cannot wait to see our oldest elementary leaders shine.

Thank you for your continued partnership and enthusiasm as we embark on this bright new chapter together. Great things are ahead!

Backpack Night is a special event to help students and families get ready for the first day of school.

👩‍🏫 Meet the teacher: Visit your classroom and meet your teacher.

🎒 Bring school supplies: Leave your supplies at your desk or locker before school starts.

🏫 Tour the school: Walk around the building so your child feels safe and comfortable.

📄 Finish school paperwork: Turn in any remaining forms and ask any questions you have.

Parking Notice: Parking at Ridgewood and Glenview is limited. Families are encouraged to park at Christ United Methodist Church (3801 7th Street, East Moline) and either take the shuttle or walk to the school.

See the dates and times below for your school!

Click here to view translated information.

Welcome to the new school year! To help keep our students safe and ease traffic congestion around the Hillcrest Elementary and Glenview/Ridgewood campuses, the East Moline School District partnered with Hutchison Engineering and city officials to conduct a comprehensive traffic study. Based on those findings, we are implementing updated drop-off, pick-up, and traffic flow procedures at both campuses this year. Please click the links or map below to view the updated routes. We greatly appreciate your patience and cooperation as we adjust to these new patterns together!

As we kick off another exciting school year, we are thrilled to introduce the dedicated leaders guiding our schools! With fresh energy and new leadership across many of our buildings, our administrative team is more ready than ever to partner with you and support your child's educational journey. We invite you to scroll through the directory below to put a face to the name of your school's leaders. Whether you have a quick question, a big idea, or just want to say hello, our doors are always open. We are honored to serve your families and look forward to a fantastic year together!

EMSD37 Adopts the “I Love U Guys” Standard Response Protocol

EMSD37 has officially adopted the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) from the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, a trusted, nationally recognized safety framework already in use at over 78,000 schools, districts, agencies, and organizations. This gives every one of our buildings, our staff, and our students one clear, consistent plan for any emergency - and it lines up with the same structure our local first responders use every day.

Our team has been working hard behind the scenes to make sure EMSD37 stays ahead when it comes to keeping our campuses safe, and this is one more piece of that ongoing commitment.

To help introduce the SRP to your family, we’ve provided links for two resources:

• A Parent Information Sheet (attached) covering the 5 SRP actions in simple, easy-to-reference terms.
  English Spanish French Arabic
  

• A short 5-minute video from the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, walking through how the SRP works.

English Video
Spanish Video

We encourage every family to take a few minutes to watch the video and keep this link handy for future reference. Staff training is already underway, and students will begin learning the SRP in the same calm, everyday way we teach fire and severe weather protocols.

Thank you for partnering with us. Every student and staff member deserves to feel safe on our campuses, and that's exactly what we’re working towards every day.

Stay Safe,

Chad Brodersen

District Safety and Security Coordinator

Spanish Version

Aug 10-11: In-Service Day - No Student Attendance

Aug 12: First day of School (No School for the Early Learning Center)

1 hour Early Dismissal (Glenview - 1:25 pm, Elementary 2 pm)

Aug 17: First Day of School for The Early Learning Center

Sept 7: Labor Day (No School)

Sept 8: In-Service Day - No Student Attendance

Sept 18: 1/2 Day Early Release

(Glenview 10:55 am, Elementary 11:30 am, Early Learning Center - No School)

Oct 5-9: Fall Break

Oct 12: Columbus Day (No School)

Oct 18: 1/2 Day Early Release

(Glenview 10:55 am, Elementary 11:30 am, Early Learning Center - No School)

Oct 23: End of 1st Quarter