Sleepy Hollow Elementary School
Virtual Backpack: Week of
Week of August 17, 2026
SHES Updates
Sleepy Hollow Elementary School Families,
Learning is already in FULL BLOOM at Sleepy Hollow! Our students and staff have been getting into a school rhythm of expectations, routines, and procedures. Their respectful, responsible, and ready efforts were so impressive and were celebrated during our first all school assembly on Friday. Be sure to ask your child how they have already Rocked the 3 Rs (Respectful, Responsible, and Ready) throughout all the spaces of our school. We are working together toward earning our first all-school incentive: school-wide bingo!
Please see below for SHES and D300 information and announcements.
In partnership,
Kari Littlehale, Principal
Ashley Patterson, Assistant Principal
Melvin Caldwell, SSS
New District 300 Elementary Family FAQ
To make information easy to find and ensure it stays up to date, the FAQ is available on the District website and can also be accessed from our school's ABOUT page.
- View the Elementary Family FAQ Here: https://www.d300.org/about/elementary-faq
Attendance
Please remember all absences must be reported BEFORE 8:00 AM for each day missed.
To report a student absence, late arrival, or early release, please
(1) call 224-484-4920 or (2) email attendance.shes@d300.org
D300 Parent/Guardian Handbook Acknowledgement
Thank you for taking the time to read and review the D300 Parent/Guardian Handbook for the 26-27 school year. The attachments below give step by step directions on how to acknowledge these guidelines through the Parent Portal.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
SHES drop off and pick up procedures are linked here.
Our front parking lot is reserved for buses. Students may only ride as passengers to their assigned bus routes. Students with play dates or alternative dismissal plans are not able to travel via bus on a different bus route. It is unlawful to drive past our parked buses during arrival and dismissal as they have their stop signs displayed. Thank you for your patience and understanding to prioritize safety each day.
If you choose to drive your child, please use the side parking lot. Thank you for waiting in the brief line to either use our "kiss and go" lane or park in an open spot. If you do plan to exit your vehicle and meet your child on the property, we ask that you walk to end of the parking lot first and avoid cutting through the car lanes. We want to keep everyone safe! You may park and walk your child to the door but parents/guardians are not allowed to enter the building. Students are expected to dismiss directly to their dismissal plan. We appreciate our community's support in ensuring that students refrain from playing in separation of their pick-up designee so that we can safely release students after each school day.
Thank you for also being mindful and careful of community members when driving students to and from school. It is critical that the speed limit is maintained to keep pedestrians safe as many travel on foot on the edge of our streets surrounding our school. In order to assure student health and safety, animals are not allowed on school property, except in the case of a service animal accompanying an individual with a documented disability. Thank you for your help in ensuring student safety and well being with this expectation, especially during our arrival and dismissal times.
Throughout the school year should there be a change in your child(ren)'s dismissal plan, we ask that you contact our main office and the classroom teacher.
Free and Reduced Lunch Applications
Free and reduced lunch applications are available on the district website at https://www.d300.org/parents. Remember, you must reapply every year!
Open House- August 26
- 5:00-5:30 PM Grades 3-5 Classroom Presentations
- 5:30-5:45 PM Grades 3-5 Abbreviated Classroom Presentations
- 5:45-6:00 PM Grades K-5 Meet and Greet Opportunities
- 6:00-6:30 PM Grades K-2 Classroom Presentations
- 6:30-6:45 PM Grades K-2 Abbreviated Classroom Presentations
Gr 5 Band and Orchestra Enrollment Night
5th Grade Band & Orchestra Enrollment Night
Where: Liberty Elementary School
Date: Thursday, September 3rd
Time: Anytime between 4:30pm-8:00pm
Picture Day- September 8
Mileage Club
Dear Parent / Guardian:
The CDC recommends that children ages 6-17 engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) every day. In CUSD300, students in elementary school only have PE twice per week for 30 minutes each. To help our students get closer to meeting the 60-minute daily activity goal, at Sleepy Hollow, we provide our students with as many opportunities as possible to be active. We have monthly all-school fun runs when weather permits or in-class workouts when it does not, weekly before school (7:45 a.m.) morning warm-ups in the gym for grades 3-5, and a daily lunch-recess walking / jogging / running program called Mileage Club. This program ensures that all of our students get at least some exercise during one of their daily recesses. By participating in MVPA, students also work to improve their endurance & heart health, increase focus & attention, boost their energy, reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep, and learn that exercising while socializing with friends can be fun.
Our Mileage Club is a fun, noncompetitive program that provides the opportunity for all students to walk, jog, or run for fitness. We ask that every student participate in one Mileage Club lap (1/6 of a mile) at lunch-recess each day to help them get warmed up before more strenuous activity and to improve fitness. If students run their lap, it takes about one minute. Those who choose to walk take closer to three or four minutes. When students finish their lap, they may choose to complete more Mileage Club laps or engage in a different activity on the playground. Students do not need any special equipment to participate in this program; however, it would be appropriate for them to wear athletic shoes.
As in PE, if a student is sick or injured, they will not be required to participate in Mileage Club. If you send a note for your child to miss (or take it easy) in PE, they should do the same for Mileage Club and recess. Students should inform the lunch supervisor if they have a note for PE, in case I am unable to contact them before lunch recess.
Rewards are given to celebrate student accomplishments. For every 5 miles completed (30 laps around our course), students receive a Toe Token to put on a 24” chain that is provided for them. At the completion of miles 26.2, 50, 75, and 100, students can earn special number tokens. Be on the lookout for students with chains full of Toe Tokens!
This program not only provides SHES students with tangible rewards, but they will also experience the physical, mental, emotional, and academic benefits of exercising regularly. Our hope is that this will also instill lifelong healthy exercise habits in our students. If you have questions, please call me at school or send an e-mail to Rebecca.meyer@d300.org.
In Health,
Coach Meyer
SHES Musical Performances
PTC
Volunteers Needed for Our Culver's Restaurant Night!
Culver's will donate a percentage of the evening's sales back to our school. To help make this event a success, we're looking for volunteers to help run food during the event. Kids are welcome to volunteer as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AAAA928A5F4C07-65018986-culvers
Past Virtual Backpacks
Calendar Information
Late Start Calendar
D300 Calendar
Elementary A-B-C-D-E Day Calendar
About SHES
Principal - Karolyn Littlehale - karolyn.littelehale@d300.org
Assistant Principal - Ashley Patterson - ashley.patterson@d300.org
Student Services Specialist (SSS) - Dr. Melvin Caldwell - melvin.caldwell@d300.org
Principal's Secretary - Dawn Hall - dawn.hall@d300.org
Registrar/Attendance Secretary - Natalie Chapa - natalie.chapa@d300.org
Nurse - Joyce Sharlog - joyce.sharlog@d300.org
For a complete staff list and contact information, CLICK HERE.
