BULLDOG BULLETIN

Dear Sarah Adams Families,

We loved seeing so many of our families at Trunk or Treat last week! A special thank you to all of our parents and staff members who hosted a Trunk, donated candy or treats, and to those who helped in the organization behind the scenes to make it such a fun night.

We also wrapped up Red Ribbon Week today. Students enjoyed participating in the spirit days and the coloring contest. We really enjoyed having the LZPD welcome students with high-fives yesterday and today!

Please see below for specific information about Halloween, our parade and parties for 10/31. This information was also shared 10/11. We look forward to an eventful week ahead!

Enjoy your weekend.

Fondly,

Dr. Colleen Conway

📌 October 31: Halloween Parade 1:45-2:00 | Halloween Parties 2:00-2:50

📌 November 4: Student Non-Attendance Day

📌 November 5: Election Day (No School)

📌 November 6: Shelter in Place Drill

📌 November 11: PTO Meeting

📌 November 21: Parent Teacher Conferences

📌 November 25: Early Release | Parent Teacher Conferences

We will celebrate Halloween as a school on Thursday, October 31st. Students may come to school in their regular clothing, and will be provided time in the afternoon to change into their costumes. Please send your child(ren) to school in something that is easy to put their costume over (ex: leggings, t-shirt, etc).

• For the safety and well-being of every student, please select kid-friendly costumes that do not have full face masks or weapons of any kind. If your child's costume has a mask, they may wear it on top of their head. Weapons or weapon replicas of any kind will not be allowed.

  
  

  Please keep in mind the following:

  
  

  • Your child should be able to put on their costume by themselves (we can help with ties, snaps, buttons!)
  • Age appropriateness of the costume
  • Appropriate for the weather (as long as it is not raining, we will parade outside!)
  • Easy enough that students can go to the bathroom in their costumes by themselves

  
  

  
  

  Our Halloween schedule is posted below, please note the parade is open to all families!

  
  

  -PARADE- 1:45-2:00

  Families are invited to view our parade in the front circle of the school. Please park on the street as the lot will be closed for safety. You may stand on the grassy area on Old Mill Grove Road/circle drive but please do not block the sidewalk for our route. It is is raining we will parade only inside. Unfortunately parents will not be able to come in for the indoor parade.

  
  

  -PARTIES-

  All room representative need to have filled out the Parent Volunteer form and must check in the vestibule. Additionally, all volunteers must watch the Safety video (below) prior to volunteering. If you are volunteering and have not filled out the form, please stop by the office before 10/31 to complete this step. We have a list of volunteers who are permitted into the building for that afternoon.

  
  

  
  

  As a reminder, no food or additional guests are permitted at out parties. Parents are welcome to wear costumes, however please do not wear a mask. Volunteers must sign out at the front office before leaving.

  
  

It seems like our cold and flu season has come sooner than expected this year! If your child is out sick and has a doctor's note, please send the documentation to our school nurse, the classroom teacher, and your child's PE teacher:

• Autumn Wallin, School nurse: Autumn.Wallin@lz95.org
• Lisa LePage, PE teacher: Lisa.LePage@lz95.org
• Nick Georgeson, PE Teacher: Nick.Georgeson@lz95.org

This extra communication is helpful to make sure we accommodate any needs.

In order to ensure a safe environment and that everyone knows what to do, should there ever be an emergency, we are asking all potential Sarah Adams volunteers to please preview the video below, before volunteering at the building. Thank you!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/156XU60dUMU4hwnfsgnV9szsrKMqUO_Hi/view?usp=sharing

Please keep in mind that elementary students should not be utilizing the texting or calling features of a smart watch during the school day. This has included parents texting their children during school hours. These devices fall under LZ School Board policy.

7:190 Student Behavior

Using or possessing an electronic paging device. Using a cellular telephone, video recording device, personal digital assistant (PDA), or other electronic device in any manner that disrupts the educational environment or violates the rights of others, including using the device to take photographs in locker rooms or bathrooms, cheat, or otherwise violate student conduct rules. Prohibited conduct specifically includes, without limitation, creating, sending, sharing, viewing, receiving, or possessing an indecent visual depiction of oneself or another person through the use of a computer, electronic communication device, or cellular phone. Unless otherwise banned under this policy or by the Building Principal, all electronic devices must be kept powered-off or silenced during the regular school day unless: (a) the supervising teacher grants permission; (b) use of the device is provided in a student's individualized education program (IEP); (c) it is used during the student's lunch period, or (d) it is needed in an emergency that threatens the safety of students, staff, or other individuals.

In case you missed it…We shared important attendance information at our curriculum night. In case you weren’t able to attend, the slide deck with this information is linked here. We appreciate your continued partnership as we work to maximize student attendance this school year!

As we prepare to start the school year, it is important that students and families establish regular routines to maximize student attendance to school. For younger learners, sometimes this means helping students feel more comfortable about a transition away from home and caregivers. Parents can find additional resources for students struggling with thinking about the transition back to school HERE.

Please note that for students who struggle to maintain regular attendance, parents/families will receive additional communication, conference requests, and other interventions to support regular school attendance - in accordance with state law. Parents/guardians can find more information regarding attendance in the Parent-Student Handbook.

Additionally, there will be more information shared at our Curriculum Night. There will also be a parent workshop offered in early September around supporting student attendance - stay tuned for more information!

As we head into the cold and flu season, we wanted to share some helpful tips for staying healthy and ways to help decrease the spread of germs:

• Kids should stay hydrated and eat breakfast (either at home or at school)

• Kids should get plenty of sleep and be well rested for the school day

• Kids should wash hands on a regular basis before and after eating, when they are dirty, or after sneezing/blowing their nose

• Remind kids to cover coughs and sneezes with tissue or an elbow

As a reminder, students with a fever of 100.4 or higher, vomiting, diarrhea, or other significant symptoms (i.e., persistent cough, body aches) should be kept home from school. Additionally, please see the notes below:

• Students must be free from fever, vomiting, and diarrhea symptoms without the use of medication for at least 24 hours before returning to school

• For students with an illness that requires antibiotics (such as strep throat), students must be on antibiotics for at least 24 hours before returning to school

Thank you for your partnership as we all work together to decrease the spread of illness in school!

Red Ribbon Week is a national drug awareness campaign that started in 1988, and that continues on today. The Red Ribbon is a symbol to show that ribbon by ribbon, neighbor by neighbor, we are united in our stand for drug-free youth and communities. With more than 100,000 schools and organizations taking part, Red Ribbon Week is the largest anti-drug awareness event in the United States.

In District 95, we plan to celebrate Red Ribbon Week October 21st through October 25th with a variety of activities designed to teach the importance of making healthy choices. Families can click HERE to learn more about the Red Ribbon Campaign and activities for the week across all levels. For families with students in grades 6 through 12, information about a poster design contest can be found HERE.

Thank you for all your support and partnership on this important topic!

In advance of Parent-Teacher Conferences, we want to take a moment to provide information to parents/guardians regarding their rights to participate in school-related meetings for their students - as we believe home-school partnerships are critical to student success.

The School Visitation Rights Act permits employed parents/guardians who are unable to meet with educators because of a work conflict the right to time off from work to attend necessary educational conferences at their child’s school. The full act can be found HERE; please inquire with your employer if you have questions about your eligibility to access time off for conferences.

This year, in conjunction with the District 95 Board of Education and administration, the Superintendent has started a new initiative called “Sip ‘n Chat” where up to two Board members, one or more administrators, and Dr. Gallt will be available at various locations in the community for people to drop in for conversations relating to our school district. Key administrators will also be on hand as subject matter experts in particular areas, but discussions are not restricted to only that topic. The hope is to have room for up to 20-25 people at one time, though it is also fine to come and go – please consider stopping by for a cup of coffee and a chat! The next Sip ‘n Chat dates are listed below:

October 16, 2024

Life Time LifeCafe, 400 N. Rand Rd, Lake Zurich

8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Subject Matter Experts: Technology, Communications

November 13, 2024

District 95 Young Adult Center, 315 Surryse Road, Lake Zurich

6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Subject Matter Experts: College and Career

December 9, 2024

First Watch, 20505 N Rand Rd, Kildeer

8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Subject Matter Experts: Supporting Student Needs

The district is working to build its resource library for families in several high-interest areas. Over the summer and early this fall, the resource center has been expanded to include more topics - such as safety topics and resilience-building resources. This center will also serve as a “hub” where families can find recordings and presentation materials from family workshops.

In order to access the Family Resource Center from the district website, families can select the “Parents” tab - followed by the “Family Resource Center” tab (they can also directly access the center by following the link HERE). Be on the lookout for future communications when we add more resources to the FRC!

The 2024-25 Sarah Adams yearbook is now available for ordering. We have soft and hard cover options, which will be delivered to school in May. Please email SAYearbookLZ95@gmail.com with any questions and don't forget to join the Sarah Adams Yearbook (that exact name) facebook group to submit your photos for inclusion in the yearbook.

Link to order - https://yearbookordercenter.com/job/25039

Job Number - 25039

Joanie’s Closet will be collecting new or gently used snow pants and snow boots from Oct. 1st - Nov. 8th. A donation box will be in the vestibule of the District Administration building.

Come Join Us! During this session, Doug Bolton will lead parents through a conversation about how best to support students who are struggling emotionally in unprecedented ways. This talk will provide parents with new ways to understand children's significant emotional needs and provide them with tools and strategies for supporting them in their hardest moments.

Participants will receive a zoom link following registration, in advance of the session.