The Avoca West Weekly

Dear Avoca West Families,

As we wrap up this truly wonderful school year, I wanted to take a moment to send a huge, heartfelt thank you to all of our amazing parents and guardians. We simply couldn't do what we do without you. Your constant support, cheers from the sidelines, and partnership have made this year a great success for our entire school community.

We are so incredibly proud of our students' hard work, kindness, and growth this year. Watching them learn and lift each other up has been the absolute best part of our days.

Please have a safe, happy, and relaxing summer break. We can't wait to welcome our returning students back with big smiles in the fall! And to our fabulous 5th graders: we are cheering you on as you head to middle school. You are going to do amazing things!

Your partner in education,

Margaret Burke

Avoca West Principal

June 5th: Clap off @ 2:30 pm

June 6th: Happy Summer!

June 8th: Report Cards mailed home

August 19th: First day of 26-27 school year

Students are expected to be in attendance each day that school is in session unless a parent or guardian notifies the school office. Please notify the front office of student absences by 8:25 am. Parents can report absences by calling the school at (847)724-6800 or completing the online reporting form as soon as the absence is known. Students absent for 3 or more days in a row due to illness, must provide a doctor's note to return to school.

School office hours are from 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

School Hours: 8:25 am - 3:00 pm

Kindergarten/1st grade lunch: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

2nd/3rd grade lunch: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

4th/5th grade lunch: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

We were so excited to welcome you to AW tomorrow for our end-of-year picnic celebration. Unfortunately, the weather forecast has changed and is now projecting rain and thunderstorms during the event.

Because of this, we are pivoting to indoor class parties today. Due to space constraints indoors, we are unfortunately unable to accommodate all families (or siblings) and can only host 4 parent volunteers per classroom. A huge thank you to our Room Parents for quickly coordinating the volunteers for each classroom.

I sincerely apologize for this late notice and change of plans. Thank you so much for your understanding, flexibility, and continued support of our students.

As we continue to monitor the weather, we want to provide an updated rain plan for our 5th Grade Clap-Off at 2:30 PM today.

If it is raining at the time of the event, we will move the Clap-Off indoors. Here is what you need to know:

• Location & Entry: Families are welcome to join us in the North Gym. Please enter and exit strictly through the exterior North Gym doors (see the map included below). Doors will open at 2:15 pm. For school security, parents will not have access to the rest of the building.

• The Event: Our 5th graders will start running through the hallways at approximately 2:35 PM to be cheered on by the Avoca West students. They will then enter the North Gym to run a final lap and be cheered on by their families. Parents, please line the perimeter walls of the gym to clear a path for the students.

• Dismissal: After their lap, students will return to their classrooms to gather their belongings for a normal school dismissal.

Signing Your Student Out Early: If you would like to sign your student out immediately following the Clap-Off, please exit the North Gym and re-enter the building through the main front doors to check them out properly.

If it is NOT raining, we will proceed with our outdoor Clap-Off as originally planned. Those details are provided below.

Thank you once again for your flexibility and understanding as we work together to provide a wonderful last day for our students!

We are excited to send our 5th graders off to Middle School with our annual Clap Off! On June 5th, 5th graders will exit out the Main Entrance at approximately 2:35 pm. They will walk around the school counter clockwise, ending on the playground to finish their day. Please see the accompanying map to illustrate the student route.

Please inform the front office prior to the last day if your students' dismissal plans will be different so we can support a safe end of the day for all. Thank you!

As the school year comes to a close, please join us in sending our deepest gratitude and warmest congratulations to Cece Donoghue on her upcoming retirement.

Cece is truly the heart of Avoca West, leaving an indelible mark on our students, staff, families, and community. I am personally so thankful for her invaluable support during my transition to Avoca West this year. While we know she has many wonderful adventures ahead, she will be deeply missed. We wish Cece the happiest and most well-deserved retirement!

I am excited to share the below changes to next year's staffing with our greater Avoca West family.

Diane Bilcer will be returning to fifth grade as a classroom teacher.

Taylor Martinez will be transitioning into the Advanced Learning ELA role.

Sophie Knebelkamp will be looping up to be a fifth grade teacher in the Fall.

Lauren Abrams will take on the new District Technology Coach role for D37.

We know that all of these valued staff members will bring great ideas and true expertise to these roles and teams and I can't wait for what next year has in store.

In an effort to align our practices across the district and support confidentiality, student report cards will be mailed home to families the week of June 8th. We appreciate your flexibility as we adjust to this new procedure.

Thank you to our Avoca West Student Council for organizing and brainstorming this year's End of Year Countdown! You can find our Student Council's flyer with information below.

Please consider joining WPD on June 7 as Officers, their family members, and community members support Special Olympics Illinois with the Law Enforcement Torch Run! This is an untimed “fun run” expected to begin around 10:55am at Green Bay Road / Ashland and will travel south on Green Bay Road to Isabella Street. We hope to see you there!

Registration for the 2026-2027 opened on April 15. If you haven't received the registration email or have any questions, please email registration@avoca37.org. Please complete registration by May 30, 2026.

If your child is transitioning to kindergarten at Avoca West, you will receive a new student registration link once we have received all required pre-registration documents.

Moving out of District? If your student will not be attending an Avoca school next year, please let registration@avoca37.org know. That will help make sure we don't send reminder emails!

Looking for an amazing summer experience that also supports our school? During Camp Galileo’s Sale (Now - May 6), families save $30 per week automatically. Plus, if you use our school’s fundraising code 26MAVOCA50, you’ll get an additional $50 off your total purchase, and Galileo will donate $50 back to our school!

It’s a great way to finalize your summer plans while helping us reach our fundraising goals. Head over to galileo-camps.com to browse 2026 projects and sign up!

All visitors to Avoca West must have a valid state ID or driver’s license. Identification is entered into the Raptor identification system. This process only takes a short time to complete. Once you have clearance, the office staff will provide you with a visitor pass lanyard/badge that you must wear throughout the building. The office will hold your ID until you return to the office and return your lanyard. We appreciate your support as we proceed with this district-mandated safety procedure for the safety of our students.

Avoca West Elementary School follows policies and practices reviewed and implemented by the District 37 Board of Education. Please review the Avoca West Student-Parent Handbook before the start of the school year.

Greetings to the AVOCA SCHOOL DISTRICT 37 families!

It the time of the year when we would unite and give back to the less fortunate!

As was the previous years, we are going to have the event on the last day of school before summer break!

This is such a fun way to expose our children to some of the difficulties that children in some parts of the world are facing. This is a truly wonderful organization that is bigger than religion, race and whatever it is that divides people.

Let's experience once more the strength in our numbers and solidarity in making a difference in children's lives. Giving them hope to dream of a better future one meal at a time.

• DATE: Friday June 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
  
• PLACE: Libertyville, IL 742 East Park Ave, Libertyville, IL 60048 View Map
• Event Contact: Fen Yu Chan email: fenyu_chang@yahoo.com
• JOIN LINK https://www.fmsc.org/join-group?joincode=G91L63&ShowSteps=true

Marie Murphy 8th grade uses RaiseRight to fundraise the easy way—you can earn over $1,000 each year by using gift cards to pay for everyday expenses and shopping online through the app or website. It's convenient, and it works!

Sign up using this referral link: https://www.raiseright.com/invite/web/email/RR-Y2Y55EAWEZ