Martin Memo

What a wonderful first full week of school! Students are finishing lessons on schoolwide expectations and classroom routines, building strong classroom communities, and getting ready to work hard in literacy and math. Please read below to learn about a new schoolwide math activity that all Martin students will begin to help strengthen their fact fluency!

🚗 Important Car Rider Safety Reminders

To help keep everyone safe during morning arrival, please remember:

• Students must remain inside their vehicles until the 7:50 a.m. bell rings. Staff supervision begins at 7:50, and students should not be outside while cars are still moving through the arrival area.
• Please do not drop students off in the parking lot. Staff members and visitors are still arriving, and the parking lot is not a designated or supervised student drop-off area.
• Always pull forward and have your child exit at the curb. Please do not wait until you reach the door closest to your child’s classroom, as this creates a backup for everyone in the car rider line.
• After your child exits safely, please continue moving forward so the line can flow smoothly.

Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and partnership in keeping all Martin students safe! 💙💛🐾

What a fantastic Back-to-School Bash hosted by our CMPTA for the Reed Road Campus! Thank you for creating such a fun, family-friendly event where students, families, and staff could connect, laugh, and celebrate the beginning of a new school year together. Events like this help strengthen our school community and remind us how fortunate we are to be part of such a supportive campus family. We appreciate everyone who helped make the evening so special! 💙💛

Sept 2-CMPTA Meeting at Chesak 6:30-7:30pm

Sept 7-Labor Day - No School/Offices Closed

Sept 4-Fifth Grade Choir Registration Closes

Sept 6-PTAC Interest Form Due

Sept 12-Huntley Hootenanny

Sept 22-Early Release Day-Dismissal at 12:55

Sept 22-PTAC Meeting at District Office 6-8pm

Sept -29-School Anxiety, Avoidance & Refusal: Symptoms and Interventions

Are you looking for a meaningful way to get involved in our school district? We invite you to consider serving as a representative on our district Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee (PTAC) for the 2026–27 school year.

This year, we are working to strengthen communication and connection between our schools and the district by increasing awareness of the important work of PTAC. We are seeking one parent and one staff representative from each school to attend three meetings during the year and serve as a liaison between their building’s parent group and the district PTAC.

About PTAC

PTAC is a school board-required committee led by the superintendent that meets regularly to review and provide input on key areas, including:

• Student discipline policies and their implementation, including considerations for students with disabilities

• The reciprocal reporting system between the school district and local law enforcement

• School bus safety procedures and how they are reflected in discipline policies

• Policies addressing student behavior, including supports for students at risk of aggressive behavior and bullying

• Guidelines related to the administration of medication at school

Meeting Schedule
All meetings will be held at the District Office from 6:00–8:00 p.m. on:

• Tuesday, September 22, 2026

• Tuesday, January 12, 2027

• Tuesday, April 20, 2027

Representatives will be asked to share updates and gather feedback at their school’s parent meetings (such as PTO/PTA or school advisory groups) to ensure two-way communication between the district and each building.

Important Note
While PTAC plays an important advisory role and informs recommendations to the Board of Education, it is not a decision-making body.

Interested in Participating?
Please complete the interest form by Sunday, September 6, 2026.

Your voice matters, and your perspective is essential to this work. We look forward to partnering with you to support our students, staff, and school community.

If you are looking to be involved at the school level rather than the district level, more information on ways to do that will be coming out soon.

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026

Time: Race starts @ 7:15 p.m.

Location: Downtown Huntley Square

Cost: $25 adults; $20 kids

All Huntley 158 staff, families and community members are invited to participate in the Huntley Education Foundation's annual Hootenanny 5K run/walk through the heart of Huntley on Saturday, September 12. The Hootenanny is the Huntley Education Foundation's largest fundraiser and is presented in partnership with the Village of Huntley and Huntley Community School District 158.

Now in its 9th year, the Hootenanny helps fund scholarships for students and classroom grants for teachers, directly benefiting Huntley 158 staff, students and schools. For the past several years, the foundation has been able to award $50,000 in scholarships to HHS students thanks to funds raised by the Hootenanny.

Come out and join us for some good, old-fashioned family fun on September 12! To learn more and register, click the link below.

Topic: School Anxiety, Avoidance & Refusal: Symptoms and Interventions

Tuesday, September 29, 2026, 6PM - 7PM

Presenter: Jacqueline Rhew, LCPC

Open to all Huntley 158 families

Join via Google Meet

September is Attendance Awareness Month and Huntley 158’s motto is “Your Presence is Your Power.” Every day a student is in school is an opportunity for them to build relationships, learn and access support.

The district is kicking off its first virtual Family Learning Series this year with a presentation by Jacqueline Rhew, a licensed clinical professional counselor, who specializes in school refusal and anxiety in children. The virtual event is free and open to all Huntley 158 families.

Rhew’s presentation will provide parents and caregivers with practical strategies to support their child who may be struggling with school anxiety, avoidance, and school refusal.

She will explore factors that contribute to school avoidance and help parents learn how to recognize early warning signs and unhelpful coping patterns, and better understand how anxiety and avoidance can reinforce one another.

In addition, Rhew will outline specific interventions to help children manage anxiety, increase motivation, set realistic goals, and gradually re-engage in school. Parents will also learn strategies for responding to anxiety without unintentionally reinforcing avoidance, promoting healthy coping and problem-solving, and using communication that builds self-advocacy, confidence, and independence.

This partnership provides mental health care coordination services. This resource is completely confidential and available to all students, staff, and their families at no cost.

As the new school year begins, supporting our youth's mental health is more important than ever. The new school year can bring feelings of both anxiety and excitement as students transition into a new grade or perhaps even a new school.

We have provided a Back to School resource packet for parents and families who are navigating through this time. Click here to access the kit.

By working together, we can create an environment where our children thrive. As a reminder, Care Solace partners with our school to offer valuable mental health care coordination services to connect you with community-based providers for counseling, therapy, and more.

To access Care Solace:

Call 888-515-0595: Their multilingual helpline is staffed 24/7/365.

Visit caresolace.com/huntley: Explore mental health providers independently or click "Book Appointment" for personalized assistance.

Thank you for being dedicated parents in the Huntley Community School District 158 community!

This year, we are placing a greater emphasis on building students’ math fact fluency. Research shows that when students can recall basic math facts accurately and efficiently, they are better prepared to focus on more complex mathematical thinking, including problem solving, patterns, and algebraic reasoning. Students will continue to strengthen their understanding of math concepts through Illustrative Mathematics, while also participating in short, daily math fact fluency practice. Students will complete brief (1–2 minute) fluency checks to monitor progress and set goals. These are not graded tests, but quick check-ins designed to help students build automaticity and confidence. We will use a research-based approach called Facts on Fire that provides focused practice, immediate feedback, and support as students build accuracy and fluency. Practice will take less than 15 minutes each day and will remain balanced with rich math instruction, discussion, and hands-on learning.

You can support your child at home by practicing a small set of facts at a time. A helpful approach is:

● 1 new fact

● 7 familiar facts

● 1 well-known fact

Some students may benefit from practicing an even smaller set of facts. Games with cards or dice are also great ways to make practice fun and engaging.

Thank you for partnering with us as we help students become confident, capable, and fluent mathematicians!

All 5th Grade Families!

Calling all 5th grade singers! I am thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity for our students. This program will run as an after school extra-curricular activity and will NOT conflict with their school day. Students may participate in choir, even if they are in Band or Orchestra, as they do not conflict! We will meet in Room 422 on Mondays after school until 3:50PM beginning in mid September.

In choir, our instrument is our voice, so there are no rental fees! The goal of the 5th grade elementary choir program is to offer a formal choral music opportunity to our young students and to enrich their musical experience while preparing for middle and high school vocal music possibilities. On top of preparation for future opportunities, Choir is a chance to form a community between students with a common interest. We will be meeting in person once a week and there will also be supplemental material on their google classroom (i.e. warm ups, recordings, music).

We will work on vocal technique, vocal health, unison and part-singing, all through a rich variety of vocal music repertoire. I look forward to embarking on this adventure with you all!

If your student is interested in being part of the 5th Grade Choir, please fill out this form! Further information on our start date will be sent out when registration closes on 9/4!

Choir Registration 2026-2027 (Please register by 9/4)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me!

Sincerely,

Miss Allison Carpenter

acarpenter@district158.org

We're excited to kick off another amazing school year and continue supporting our wonderful Reed Road school community! 🎉 The CMPTA helps make so many fun events and memorable experiences possible for our students and staff.

Our first meeting is September 2, at 6:30 p.m. at Chesak Elementary, and everyone is welcome! 😊

Can't make the meeting? No worries! We'd still love for you to become part of our CMPTA community and enjoy all of the great events and opportunities CMPTA supports throughout the year. Every family is welcome, and every level of involvement makes a difference! ❤️

New, interactive school breakfast and lunch menus are now posted online! Visit the My School Meals website or download the mobile app to view interactive menus and nutritional information in the language of your choice. Read this article below for more information about My School Meals, MySchoolBucks, and more!

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