Letter from the Principal
Dear Lions Park Families:
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year at Lions Park Elementary School! We are getting very excited to have your children back in the building. I hope that your families enjoyed some fun and memorable activities this summer, and I look forward to hearing about the children’s summer adventures in our area or on trips out of town. Our custodial team, led by our facility supervisor, Mr. Lett, has been hard at work all summer getting the building ready and the district has had some safety upgrades done to the buildings. Teachers are already planning for the year ahead, and they have started to come in to set up their classrooms. Our assistant principal, Mrs. Grzybek, our secretary, Mrs. Rizzo, and I are back in the office and eagerly making preparations for the new school year.
Below is some helpful information that will help you and your child prepare for the new school year. We will also be having a Back to School Night on the evening of Thursday, August 24th from 6:00-8:00PM. This will be an opportunity for you to meet our school staff and learn more about Lions Park. A more detailed schedule will be shared soon.
School Newsletter
Our school newsletter, Paw Prints, will serve as the bridge between home and school all year. You will receive the first one on Friday, August 18th. You will then receive one every two weeks. The newsletter includes a letter from me and/or a letter from the PTO (Parent and Teacher Organization) co-presidents. In addition to the letters, the newsletter includes essential information regarding events at the school and in the community. The Paw Prints newsletter will be sent electronically to all families that have provided an email address to the school. If you do not have an email address, a paper version of the newsletter can be picked up in our main office on Fridays. It is also posted on our website each week.
First Day of School for Students in Grades 2-5
School will begin for students on Thursday, August 17th. This will be a regular day of attendance (8:50AM-3:20PM) for all students at Lions Park. Prior to the first day of school, you will receive a letter or email from your child’s classroom teacher welcoming you to the new school year. If you do not receive this communication by noon on Wednesday, August 16th, please contact me at kkelly@d57.org. This letter will include pertinent information for you and your child about where to go on the first day. Please send school supplies with your child on the first day. Please do not enter the building with your child’s class. All parents/adults must enter through the office (Door 1) whenever they visit the school.
Daily School Schedule
8:35AM Students may arrive at school. Do not arrive earlier. There is no outdoor supervision before this time.
8:45AM First Bell
8:50AM Second Bell and Classes Begin
11:50AM-12:50PM Lunch and Recess
3:20PM Student Dismissal
The school office is open from 8:00AM-4:00PM. The office phone number is (847) 394-7330. Please feel free to call with questions and concerns. All visitors must sign in and wear a visitor badge while visiting the school. For safety reasons, all other entrances will be kept locked during the school day. We have a security system in place this year where all visitors during the school day will have their driver's license scanned. Please plan to bring your driver’s license if you will be entering the school (beyond the office) during the school day.
Classroom Assignments
Classroom assignments will be e-mailed on Thursday, August 10th after 1PM. A current email address for each family is necessary for this process to work effectively. Teacher assignments are not released until your Infosnap registration process is submitted. We do not make changes to classroom assignments once they are shared.
Student Supplies
If you ordered a supply pack from the PTO, it should be picked up at the PTO Back to School Bash from 5-8PM on Monday, August 14th. The school supply lists for each grade level can be found at this link at the bottom right under “HELPFUL DOCUMENTS”. Also, each student in grades 3-5 will be given an assignment notebook which was included in “Instructional Fees.”
Medication in School
Requests for administration of medication and all emergency medication at school must be renewed every year. The required paperwork needs to be completed by the parent/guardian & child’s physician. This paperwork was sent home in May in a large white envelope and is also available on the District website at this link. Please drop off all completed forms and medications to the school health office prior to the first day of school. The building nurse returns to work on Tuesday, August 8th. It is critical that the medications & paperwork are received to be processed prior to the first day of school, please plan on dropping off the required paperwork & medication August 8th - 11th.
Please contact the Lions Park school nurse, Cathy Bauer, at cbauer@d57.org for any questions or concerns.
Incoming Second Grade and New Family Night
On Wednesday, August 9th we will be holding an Incoming Second Grade and New Family Night. Second graders, new students and their parents/guardians will gather in the gym at 6:30PM. Second graders and new students will then be taken to another area of the school for a presentation by our assistant principal and some Lions Park students. Parents and siblings will stay in the gym for a presentation by our principal. Students and families will then be reunited and will be given the chance to take a self-directed tour of the building to help students feel more comfortable with their new school. Teachers will not be present at this event and classrooms will not be open.
PTO Information
PTO information and materials will be sent home at the beginning of the school year. Be on the lookout for many exciting opportunities to get involved with our wonderful Lions Park PTO! Attached to this email are two flyers about beginning of the year PTO events.
Pick-up/Drop Off Procedures
Your child will enter and exit the building each day at the door listed in the letter sent from your child’s teacher. Drop off and pick up traffic signs must be adhered to by all drivers in order to keep your children safe. Please send a note to school whenever your child will be picked up by someone different than usual, not be taking the bus (students may only ride their assigned bus), or have any other variation of their usual pick-up routine. For the safety and comfort of our students, animals and cigarettes are not allowed on school grounds. Please do not ride bikes, skateboards, or the like on school property during drop off and dismissal times. Students are asked to walk their bikes to the bike rack once they are on school property. Please only cross at designated crossing areas at Council and Elm and Council and School.
Parking
THE SAFETY OF ALL CHILDREN IS OUR PRIMARY CONCERN. Please pay attention to the posted signs that identify the areas where you may pick-up/drop-off your child WITHOUT leaving your vehicle. You may drop off your child on School Street, Council Trail or along the right side of our parking lot where there is a sidewalk. These are “kiss and go” areas. If you wish to park and walk your child to the door, you may park south of Council Trail on School Street, south of Council Trail on Elm Street or east of School Street on Council Trail. Please help us reduce traffic congestion by electing to use the school bus, carpooling with neighbors, and walking or biking to school.
District Handbook/Calendar
The District Handbook is available online at this link.
Reminder of Attendance Calling
If your child will be absent, please call the school’s attendance number before 8:50AM to report the absence at (847) 394-7330. For your convenience, our attendance line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You may also submit the absence online through the Lions Park Website at this link. We will contact the parents/guardians of a child who is absent from school if the school has not been notified in advance that the child will be absent. The telephone numbers you provide on the emergency card will be used for this purpose. The primary telephone number will be called first.
Early Pick-up
If you need to remove your child from school before the end of the school day, please send a note with your child that morning stating the necessary details. You must ring the bell at Door 1 and sign your child out at the time of early pick up. Someone in the office will call the classroom to have your child sent down. Children are not allowed to leave school during the instructional day without a parent/guardian signing them out.
Lunch/Recess
Students have a one hour break from instruction 11:50AM- 12:50PM; a half hour lunch and a half hour recess. There is no food service at Lions Park, other than for students who qualify for a free lunch. Milk passes can be purchased for the year or students can purchase milk for $0.50. Each child must bring lunch every full day of school, unless they qualify for a free lunch (details below). Refrigeration is not available, so ice packs are a good idea. Microwaves are also not available, so a child friendly thermos for preheated items is a good idea. Please pack utensils from home, if needed.
Waste free lunches are highly encouraged. In order to REDUCE waste, please consider the following as you pack your child’s lunch:
*check with your child on the food he/she will eat; unfortunately unwanted foods may end up in the trash
*please pack your child’s lunch in a reusable lunch box or bag (not paper or plastic bags)
*use reusable containers for sandwiches rather than foil, plastic wrap, etc.
*buy snacks in quantity (it’s usually less expensive) and transfer them to a reusable container
*put drinks in a child-friendly thermos rather than sending throw away juice boxes, etc.
National School Lunch and Student Fee Waiver Programs
The District uses the qualifying free income level guidelines for the National School Lunch Program to determine if a student qualifies for a student fee waiver. To qualify for this waiver, District policy requires a Student Fee Waiver Application to be completed and submitted to the District office with all supporting documentation. Information is included within the online registration as well as the District 57 Website at www.d57.org. If you have questions regarding the National School Lunch/Illinois Free Lunch Program and/or the District’s student fee waiver program, you may contact the business office at (847) 394-7300.
District Calendar
We continue utilizing Google calendar for your convenience, which can be located on the website. This calendar is kept up-to-date throughout the school year. Take some time to review the information on the calendar and refer to it as a helpful resource during the school year. Other calendar information is available at this link.
Early Release Days
Throughout the 2023-24 school year, there will be six days of half-day attendance for students throughout the District. Lions Park students will be in attendance from 8:50AM-11:50AM on October 6th, February 16th, March 8th, April 19th, and May 17th and May 31st. Our Kids’ Corner program will only be available before school only on these six days. Please make sure to inform your private daycare providers of this variance in the schedule.
Student Accident Insurance
In accordance with Board Policy 4:100, the Board annually designates a company to offer student accident insurance coverage and any contract is between the parents/guardian and the company. District 57 does not carry student accident insurance on its students. A link to the student accident insurance information and application can be found at the District website.
District 57 is hiring
As a school district, we are always looking for parents and other interested adults who enjoy working with children to work in our schools. Please visit this link to view the current openings.
If you have any questions about anything, please call the Lions Park School office at (847) 394-7330 or email me directly at kkelly@d57.org. We look forward to welcoming your children back to school on August 17th.
Warmly,
Katie Kelly
Lions Park Principal
Lions Park Elementary School
Email: kkelly@d57.org
Website: http://www.d57.org/lionsparkelementaryschool_home.aspx
Location: 300 E Council Trail, Mount Prospect, IL, United States
Phone: (847) 394-7330