Franzen Falcon

Happy March!

Dear Franzen Parents,

We are SO lucky to have such wonderful families at Franzen. We appreciate YOU!! Thank you for all you do to support your children and our school. Please make sure to scroll all the way to the end of the newsletter for important updates about what is going on around Franzen and District 10.

A LOT OF INFORMATION THIS MONTH

!! Please scroll all the way to the bottom !!

D10 Employment - Come work with us!

March 2 - No School - Casimir Pulaski Day
March 4 - 5th grade spring musical @Peacock 7pm
March 6 - Report Cards go home
March 8 - Daylight Savings Time
March 11 - Itasca School Board Meeting @ 7pm
March 17 - St. Patrick's Day - Wear Green!!
March 18 - Early Release @1:10
March 23-25 - Illinois Science Assessment for 5th grade students
March 25 - Chaperone Training for Field Trips 5:30pm @Benson
March 25 - Franzen Spring Chorus Concert @Franzen 7pm
March 30 - April 6- No School Spring Break
April 7 - School Resumes
April 8-10 - IAR testing - grades 3-5

All students will take the state assessment, the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, on April 8, 9, 10. Our staff has been preparing students for this experience! Over the course of three days, students will take three reading and three math assessments. All grade levels will follow an alternate school schedule on this day and students will take one test in the morning and one in the afternoon.

How can parents help their student prepare?

Please encourage your student to do their best! Students will receive "effort tickets" throughout the test that can be cashed in for larger incentives.
Please ensure students are getting a complete breakfast and plenty of sleep the night before. Schedule doctor’s visits or other appointments for other weeks to ensure students do not have to make up their assessments.
Make sure student’s Chromebooks are fully charged each night. All assessments will be administered through their Chromebook.
Students may follow an alternate schedule on these days which may alter their lunch time. Please make sure your child brings a healthy snack each day.

All fifth grade students will also take the Illinois Science Assessment on March 23-25, 2026.

Children need consistency. In order for the office to effectively communicate these changes, we need parents to plan ahead and do the following:

In the morning, write a note to the school, tell your child about the change, and have your child give the note to their classroom teacher stating the needed change.

Written notes are to be sent whether a child does or does not take a bus and will be going home to another student’s house. Notes are needed from both sets of parents, the sending and the receiving parent, so that neither parent gets a “surprise visitor” or gets worried thinking that their child is lost.

2. If a phone call must be made by a parent regarding a change in dismissal,the office must be contacted before 1:30 in the afternoon. Since the office gets very busy, especially near the end of the day, a message called after that time may not reach your child in time for dismissal.

We are asking for your assistance to complete the Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey and help us reach our goal of 80% completion rate. The information you provide will assist us with directing our efforts and guide educational opportunities for students. While your participation is voluntary, it is crucial to access results from the survey. We are unable to access survey results unless a minimum of 20% of parents respond.

The survey will be open February 3, 2026 through March 13, 2026. Please know your identity and responses will be kept confidential and will not be connected with your child.

Go to: https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/ to take the survey.
Select “Parent Survey.”
You may enter your email address if you would like to receive confirmation of your submission, but it is not required.
Then enter “DuPage” into the county field and “Franzen Intermediate” to find our school.
Complete Google Form below when finished

The homeroom with the most parent responses will be treated to a pizza party! Please complete the Google Form below once you complete the survey. Each individual student will also receive Franzen Falcon sticker or magnet. Please complete the form linked here once you have completed the survey.

Additionally, 4th and 5th grade students will be completing the survey during classroom time over the next couple of weeks. If you would not like your student to participate, please email Ms. Wit to let the school know - lwit@itasca10.org.

Thank you for your input. We appreciate your support!

Music

Art

PE

This school year, students will learn more about the 8 Keys to Excellence through activities that include reflection and application. We encourage all students to go beyond being "respectful, responsible, and safe" to embody the characteristics of the 8 Keys. More information about each key and it's meaning can be found here.

Update - Franzen's Average Daily Attendance currently stands at 95.5%.

Our school goal is to always be above 95%. We are doing AMAZING this year! PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE REACH OUR GOAL!! Thank you :)

Students must be in school at least half of a school day in order to participate in after school events.

In order to attend school, students must be in compliance with all DuPage County Health regulations. See the Health section for more information related to deciding when your child is too ill to be in school.

Attendance patterns are monitored regularly by school staff. If the number of days missed to school is equal to 5% of the total days that school has been in session, a referral will be made to the DuPage County Truancy Office. This means that the truancy officer will contact you for problem solving in order to improve the child’s school attendance. A student who misses 5% or more of school every year will lose ONE FULL ACADEMIC YEAR of learning before reaching high school graduation.

If your child has a medical condition that is contributing to missed school days, contact the school nurse.

We are excited to share that all Franzen students have access to individual and personalized math and reading lessons through iReady. Through this platform, students will follow an individual learning path that provides interactive lessons on specific academic skills. Grade level teachers Have taught students how to use this program. Students are welcomed and encouraged to complete these lessons outside of school as well!

Students can login with their school username and password at https://login.i-ready.com/. More information on how you can support the learning process is linked below.

IReady tips for lessons at home

How to monitor your child's Iready progress

IPTO March 2026 Newsletter

IPTO February 2026 Newsletter

IPTO January 2026 Newsletter

IPTO December 2025 Newsletter

IPTO November 2025 Newsletter

IPTO October 2025 Newsletter

IPTO September 2025 Newsletter

IPTO August 2025 Newsletter

IPTO Website

Marla's Lunch - Hot Lunch information

Attached below is additional information on childcare providers in our community.

Before/After School Childcare & Tutor List

As the year begins please know it is normal for your child's bus route to be delayed as students become familiar with their bus route. We have a service to help you be notified if there is a delay.

Please click the link below to sign up for BUS BULLETIN notifications.