D96 English Learners Newsletter

Welcome to the September/October edition of the District 96 English Learners' monthly newsletter. Our goal is to provide you with meaningful educational resources and information to continue empowering our students' lives and education. If there is a topic or resources that you would like to learn more about please contact your child’s English Learner Teacher. We look forward to working and growing with all of our students and families.

Welcome back to all of our returning EL students and families, and a very special welcome to all of our new EL students and families! We are so excited to begin another wonderful school year together!

We hope everyone had a fun and relaxing summer. We are looking forward to a year filled with learning, growth, new friendships, and lots of fun! We can’t wait to see our families at our upcoming family and BPAC events throughout the school year.

Let’s work together to make this an awesome school year filled with great memories and new experiences!

Welcome back—we are so happy to have you as part of our EL family!

As fall approaches and the weather starts to change, families looking to enjoy some outdoor activities can check out the Lincoln Park Zoo! The zoo is free and open to everyone and will be hosting a variety of special family-friendly events throughout the fall and into November.

There’s something for the whole family to enjoy, so bundle up, get outside, and make some fall memories together! 🍁

Check out the link below to see all the upcoming events and activities:

We understand that students get sick from time to time, and we want them to rest and recover. However, it is very important that families call the school office to report all absences whenever a student is out. This helps us keep accurate attendance records and ensures the safety of all students.

To support families, we are sharing the district’s Sick Day Guidelines to help determine when your child should stay home:

• Colds – Stay home with a fever, excessive cough, or excessive nasal discharge

• Chicken Pox – Exclude from school for 5–7 days and until all spots are dried/crusted; notify the nurse

• Diarrhea – Stay home until symptom-free for 24 hours without medication

• Ear Infections – Contact your physician, especially with a fever

• Eye Infections (Pink Eye) – May return after 24 hours of treatment and/or doctor’s note

• Fever – Stay home if 100°F or higher and remain home until fever-free for 24 hours without medication

• Fifth Disease – Notify nurse, especially if exposed to pregnant women

• Fractures/Surgeries – Notify nurse and provide physician’s note with restrictions

• Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease – May return if no fever and lesions are not weeping

• Head Lice – Notify nurse

• Impetigo – May return with doctor’s note 24 hours after treatment

• Molluscum Contagiosum – Provide doctor’s note and cover affected areas

• Nosebleeds – Child will need to go home if bleeding does not stop after 10 minutes

• School Injuries – Nurse will notify parents if injury is serious

• Rashes – May return if rash-free or with doctor’s note stating rash is not contagious

• Ringworm – Return with doctor’s note; infected site must be covered

• Strep Throat – Return 24 hours after antibiotics and fever-free

• Vomiting – Stay home until 24 hours after last episode

Thank you for helping us keep our school community safe and healthy!

We would love your input! If your family has traditions or holidays you would like us to highlight at one of our upcoming BPAC events, please take a moment to fill out our survey. Our goal is to learn, educate, and celebrate the beauty of our community’s diversity. Your suggestions help us create meaningful experiences that honor the cultures and traditions that make our school community so special.

Are you interested in helping plan our BPAC school year events and sharing your ideas for what you’d like to see in our program? The BPAC is a great way to get involved! Meetings are held both in person and virtually, making it easy for everyone to participate.

If you’d like to join or attend, please reach out to Alejandra Lopez at govea-lopeza@district96.org. We’d love to have you be part of the team!

Each school has either a PTA (Parent Teacher Association) or a PTO (Parent Teacher Organization). While the names are slightly different, both groups share the same important purpose: to support students, staff, and families by strengthening the school community.

A PTA is part of a national organization that provides resources, advocacy, and training to help families and schools work together. A PTO operates independently at the school level, allowing flexibility to focus on the specific needs of that school community. Both play a vital role in supporting school programs, organizing events, fundraising, and encouraging family engagement.

Below are links to each school’s PTA or PTO. For more information or if you would like to get involved, please reach out to your child’s school PTA or PTO, or contact Mrs. Alejandra Lopez.

As a reminder, there are four half day institute days for District 96 this school year: October 30, January 28, April 23, and May 14. Hauser and the elementary schools will dismiss students at 11:20AM. These longer professional development days allow staff to collaborate and plan ahead while maintaining a student instruction day.

Riverside Parks & Recreation and District 96 are partnering to provide free half day coverage from 11:20AM-3:00PM on these dates. After care can be added from 3:00PM-6:00PM for $17.

Register through Parks & Rec by the first of the month at 11:00AM (October 1, January 1, April 1, and May 1).

Based on enrollment, the program will be offered at the Scout Cabin (with transportation provided) or, if needed, at District 96 schools. Students should bring a lunch and water bottle. The program includes games, crafts, and outdoor activities.

If you ever have any questions or concerns feel free to reach out to our Riverside 96 Bilingual E.L .Parent Liaison, Mrs. Alejandra Govea-Lopez. She is available to answer any questions and assist with any paperwork, answer questions, etc. If you would like assistance do not hesitate to reach out and set up a meeting.

Email: govea-lopeza@district96.org

Phone Number: 708-447-1106

Reading is an important part of helping children grow, learn, and succeed in school and beyond. Whether your child loves stories, science, comics, or learning about something new, making time to read every day can help build vocabulary, comprehension, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.

And remember—your community libraries have so much more to offer than just books! 📖✨ Libraries provide free programs, activities, events, technology, learning resources, and opportunities for the whole family to enjoy.

Take a look below and click the links to see what is happening at your local community libraries! There may be something fun and educational for everyone in your family.