Waltham Elementary School

Welcome Back, Hawk Families!

On behalf of our entire staff, welcome to the 2026–2027 school year! We hope your family enjoyed a wonderful summer filled with fun, relaxation, and time together. We are excited to welcome our students back for another incredible year of learning, growth, and Hawk Pride!

As we prepare for a new school year, our staff has been hard at work planning meaningful learning experiences and creating welcoming classrooms where every child feels safe, valued, and inspired to succeed. At Waltham, our commitment remains the same: students come first in every decision we make.

Our Schoolwide Focus for 2026–2027

This year, our staff will be united around five schoolwide goals that support student success both academically and socially:

📚 Strengthen Literacy Through the Science of Reading
We will continue implementing evidence-based literacy practices to strengthen reading skills and help every student become a confident, capable reader.

🦅 Foster a Positive Climate, Culture, Safety & PRIDE
Creating a safe, welcoming, and respectful school environment remains one of our highest priorities. Through our PRIDE expectations and strong relationships, we strive to ensure every student feels they belong.

🎯 Increase Student Attendance & Engagement
Every day matters. We will continue partnering with families to promote strong attendance and meaningful engagement because students learn best when they are present and connected.

🤝 Maximize In-House Staff Expertise & Resources
Our talented staff members have a wealth of knowledge to share. By learning from one another and collaborating as professionals, we continue to strengthen instruction and better serve our students.

📣 Strengthen Communication
Open communication builds strong partnerships. Through monthly newsletters, classroom updates, social media, and our website, we look forward to celebrating our students while keeping families informed throughout the year.

Growing Together

We are excited to welcome a new six-classroom modular addition to our campus this year! This space allows us to better serve our growing student population while providing quality learning environments for our students.

Waltham continues to welcome new families throughout the year, and we are grateful that so many families are choosing to become part of our school community.

We understand that community members may have questions regarding our facilities, enrollment growth, or how space is being utilized within our building. We encourage anyone with questions to contact the school directly. We are always happy to provide accurate information, answer questions, and share how we are planning to meet the needs of our students both now and in the future.

Welcome to Our Newest Hawks

This year, we are thrilled to welcome 14 new staff members to the Waltham family! As our enrollment and student needs have continued to grow, we have filled positions that became available over the past several years, including both certified staff and paraprofessionals, to ensure we continue providing the high-quality support our students deserve.

Please join me in welcoming the following staff members:

• Mrs. Andrea Bonnell, preschool teacher
• Ms. Bernadette Dittmer, paraprofessional
• Mrs. Crystal Holliday, paraprofessional
• Mrs. Juli Leifheit, paraprofessional
• Ms. Alexis Moore, paraprofessional
• Miss Emma Koetz, 3rd grade teacher
• Miss Elle Weber, 4th grade teacher
• Mrs. Maria Graves, junior high writing teacher
• Mrs. Kylie Mattioda, 5-8 special education resource teacher
• Mrs. Elizabeth Puente, paraprofessional
• Ms. Heather Erickson, K-4 special education resource teacher
• Mrs. Missy Corrigan, paraprofessional
• Ms. Abby Kirby, paraprofessional
• Mrs. Tricia Gaughan, administrative assistant

We are also excited to welcome a student mentor, Mr. Monte McNall, provided through Regional Office of Education #35, whose sole focus will be supporting the academic, social, and emotional success of our students.

As always, thank you for your continued partnership, trust, and support. We are honored to work alongside our families and look forward to a year filled with learning, laughter, growth, and countless moments of Hawk Pride.

Here's to an outstanding school year!

With Hawk Pride,

Melanie Lukacsy
Principal

• Waltham’s school supply drop-off and Meet the Teacher Night will be Wednesday, August 12th from 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. This will be for all grade levels, PreK-8. Please use this time to drop-off your child/children’s school supplies to their classroom and get acquainted with their teacher prior to the first day of school.

• Parents will be able to sign-up for the time/day of their choice for parent/teacher conferences at this time. You may also drop off student physicals, birth certificates, dental or vision exams to the office.

• PE uniforms will be available for purchase for junior high students.

• Our new modular classroom unit where junior high, our student mentor and Mrs. Lukacsy will be housed will be open for viewing!

As a reminder, all PreK–8 students will be dismissed at 2:10 p.m. every Wednesday throughout the school year. This weekly early dismissal provides dedicated time for our staff to collaborate, participate in professional learning, and strengthen instruction—all with the goal of providing the best possible educational experience for our students.

Families will also notice a few 11:35 a.m. dismissal days on the school calendar. While these half days are scheduled periodically throughout the year, they will most often occur on the Friday before a three-day weekend, allowing families the opportunity to begin holiday weekends a little earlier.

We encourage families to review the school calendar and plan ahead for these adjusted dismissal times. Thank you for your continued partnership and support!

• Please note that the regular school day for students, K-8, will be 8:05 a.m. - 3:10 p.m.
• Every Wednesday will be a 2:10 p.m. dismissal for PreK-8 students.
• Morning preschool students will attend from 8:05-10:35 a.m. and PM Preschool students will attend from 12:40-3:10 p.m. On Wednesdays, PM preschool students will attend from 11:40 a.m. - 2:10 p.m. Please view the preschool calendar for other specific information about the 2026-2027 school year.

Please check the main school calendar for other specific information.

• Students that do not ride the bus should be dropped off/picked up in the car line in the front of the building.
• When entering the parking lot, cars should veer to the right and enter the pick-up/drop-off line.
• PreK-8th grade students should not arrive before 8:00 a.m.
• Students can be picked up at the same entrance at the end of the school day.
• Parents should not begin lining up in front of the building for the dismissal car line until 15 minutes prior to student dismissal. This blocks our main entry for deliveries, early pick-ups and emergency vehicles. If you arrive earlier than 15 minutes prior to dismissal, please back into a parking space to the far south of the building and wait until it is time to begin the car line.
• If your child needs assistance with buckling into your vehicle, please pull forward into a parking spot on the left. This keeps our car line moving and traffic off of Route 178.
• Our car line looks complex, but it is extremely efficient. Please follow the vehicle in front of you, and follow staff directions in order to keep all students safe.

Please share this information with anyone who might be picking your children up from school. We sincerely appreciate your support and cooperation!

Kindergarten - 8th grade students will be dismissed at 11:35 a.m. on the following days:

• Friday - September 4th,
• Friday - October 30th,
• Friday - December 18th,
• Friday - January 15th, and
• Friday - February 12th

Preschool students will not be in attendance these days.

Parent/Teacher conferences will be held this year on Monday, November 23rd from 2:30-6:30 p.m. and Tuesday, November 24th from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Parents will be able to sign-up for the time and day of their choice during Supply Drop/Meet the Teacher Night on August 12th.

• School will be dismissed at 1:35 p.m. on November 23rd for kindergarten-8th grade students.
• No school for all K-8th grade students on Tuesday, November 24th.
• No school for preschool Monday, November 23rd or Tuesday, November 24th.

School will resume on Monday, November 30th after Thanksgiving Break for all PreK-8 students.

• Students will be marked tardy if they are not in their classrooms, ready for learning, at 8:15 a.m.
• If your child needs to be picked up early, please pull up to the front of the building and call the office at 815-667-4417. We will sign your child out and send them out to your car. Students in grades 5-8 must be picked up/dropped off at the main office. They may not be dismissed directly from their classroom trailer.
• No students will be dismissed between 2:50 – 3:10 p.m. unless they are leaving for a Waltham-sponsored event.
• We ask that you please make every effort to make appointments for your children before or after school to minimize disruptions to the learning environment and office.

Unless written notice or a phone call from a parent/guardian is received by the school office one hour prior to dismissal, students will be sent home on the bus.

Report cards will report trimester and final grades. The criteria for earning honor roll status for the Awards Day Assembly will be based on the student’s cumulative GPA for the 3 trimesters. Requirements for honor roll are as follows: Honor Roll – 2.7-3.69 and High Honor Roll – 3.70-4.3.

Parents may not go directly to the trailer without first signing in to the office.

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we want to inform you about some important updates to our school's student handbook. We believe that open communication between home and school is essential for our students' success, and we encourage you to review the updated handbook together with your child.

Our student handbook is divided into two parts:

1. Student Assignment Notebook: This portion of the handbook is a valuable resource for students, containing essential information they may need daily. It includes details on topics such as the dress code, grading scales, honor roll criteria, bus conduct, and attendance policies. Students will find this information readily available in their assignment notebooks.

2. Online Handbook: The complete version of our student handbook is available online. This comprehensive document includes all school policies, procedures, and guidelines. It is a living document, subject to updates as needed and approved by our school board. We encourage you to review the online version with your student(s) to ensure you are familiar with the current policies and any changes that may arise during the school year.

Please take some time to go through both the student assignment notebook and the online handbook with your child. This will help them understand the expectations and standards of our school community, and it will also provide an opportunity for you to discuss any questions or concerns they may have.

The Awards Day Assembly will take place during the school day, prior to graduation. (We want all of our students to have the opportunity to participate and be recognized by their peers.) Further information regarding the assembly and confirmed date will be sent home after the March Board of Education meeting.

• Download the Waltham Elementary School App using either:
• Android: https://bit.ly/3fezeBS or
• iPhone: https://apple.co/2QoGMIC

• Website: www.wesd185.org
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/WalthamPride
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/walthampride185
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/walthampride185/

Email: waltham@wesd185.org
Website: http://www.wesd185.org/
Location: 2902 Illinois 178, North Utica, IL, USA
Phone: 815-667-4417
Facebook: facebook.com/WalthamPride/
Twitter: @WalthamPride185