Cardinal Corner

Important Dates

• March 3rd & 5th - Illinois Science Assessment (8th)

• March 10, 11, 12 - Illinois Assessment of Readiness (6th-8th)

• March 17 - No School! (Teacher Institute Day)

• March 20 - End of Quarter 3

• March 23rd - 27th - Spring Break No School!

School News/Sports

• March 7th - Science Olympiad - Regional Tournament at Harper

• March 10th - Battle of the Books Tournament at Thomas Middle School

• March 19th - 8th Grade Picture Retake Day
  
  

Dear South Parents and Guardians,

5Essentials Parent Survey – Please Participate!
We are currently at 9% parent participation in the 5Essentials Survey, and we need to reach 20% by March 13, 2026 to generate a parent report. This survey helps us understand what’s working well at South and where we can improve to support all students. Your responses are completely confidential. If you haven’t completed it yet, please take a few minutes to fill it out: CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE. Every response counts and makes a real difference.

Spring Testing – ISA & IAR
Our Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) and Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) windows are coming up. Please help your child be ready by making sure they get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, bring a fully charged Chromebook, and bring headphones or earbuds each day.

• March 3 & 5, 2026 – ISA for 8th Grade

• March 10–12, 2026 – IAR for 6th–8th Grade

Lunch Reminders
If a student forgets a lunch from home, a parent/guardian may drop off their child’s lunch, or the student can purchase a school lunch. Please only bring lunch for your own child. Meals for other students are not allowed. Our front office will NOT accept restaurant or delivery service orders for students. Also, students are not allowed to leave campus during lunch with another student’s parent/guardian.

Student Safety – Bike Reminder
Students who ride bicycles to school must lock their bikes and cross streets at crosswalks, stop lights, or where crossing guards are present for their safety.

Thank you for your support in helping our students stay safe, prepared, and successful!

South Administration

🚨NEED 20% Parent Participation by March 13!

We are asking our parents to please participate in the 5Essentials Survey:

• CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE

🚨 Please note: A parent supplement report will only be generated if at least 20 percent of a school’s parents complete the survey. Our response rate is below. The survey closes on March 13.

Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

Our IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness) and ISA (Illinois Science Assessment) state testing windows are coming up, and we appreciate your partnership in helping our students perform their best. Please help your child be ready by ensuring they get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, charge their chromebook and bring a pair of headphones or earbuds to school every day to use during the assessments.

Dates

• March 3rd & 5th - Illinois Science Assessment - 8th Grade
• March 10th, 11th 12th - Illinois Assessment of Readiness - 6th - 8th Grade
• See Adjusted bell schedules below.

School-age children are susceptible to various common illnesses.

We encourage you to take a moment to review this Information Letter on Common Illnesses for valuable guidance.

To help prevent these illnesses, please remind your child to practice healthy habits, including:

• Washing hands frequently.

• Staying well-hydrated.

• Avoiding the sharing of personal items, food, or drinks.

• Refraining from touching their eyes.

• Covering their mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter as we work together to keep our students healthy and safe.

Attention 6th grade parents:

The Illinois State Department of Human Services requires a dental examination for all children entering kindergarten, second and sixth grades. The compliance date for this regulation is May 15, 2026. We can accept dental exams that have been completed after November 15, 2024. Children in kindergarten, second and sixth grades that do not have copies of the required dental exam on file by May 15, 2026 are not in compliance with this regulation.

Please feel free to contact echapin@sd25.org and smusolf@sd25.org with any questions.

Dental forms can be downloaded at www.sd25.org.

• March 19th - Graduation picture retake day for those that are not able to take their photos.

• May 28th - 8th Grade Great America Field Trip

• June 1st - 8th Grade Picnic from 12:30-2:45pm at South
• June 2nd - 8th Grade Graduation @ 4:00 pm at Forest View Education Center Field House: 2201 S. Goebbert Rd., Arlington Heights.

Calendar Sync Update

Due to our recent website platform change, the process for syncing school and district calendars with your personal calendar is now different. The previous calendar sync from our former website will no longer show the most up-to-date information.

To continue receiving accurate event updates, please disconnect or delete the old calendar link and add the new one…it takes just a minute! A short how-to video is linked below to walk you through the steps.

CALENDAR SYNC VIDEO

Greek-American Heritage month, also known as Hellenic Heritage Month, is observed in March of each year. March 25 is celebrated as Greece’s National Independence Day.

This is a time to honor Greek heritage, including Greek history, culture, accomplishments, and experiences. With a vast cultural legacy and history, it is a time to highlight Greek-American contributions to American history.

Irish–American Heritage Month is celebrated by proclamation of the President and Congress in the United States to honor the achievements and contributions of Irish immigrants and their descendants living in the United States. It was first celebrated in 1991 and coincides with the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in March.

March is Women's History Month – commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.

Holi marks the closing of the winter season and marks the onset of Spring. Throwing of colors to each other is the signature of this festival. It is also known as the Festival of Colors, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love. It is an ancient Hindu festival and one of the most popular in Hinduism.

*Date changes year to year

The Eid al-Fitr holiday is celebrated worldwide and marks the end of the month-long, dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. It can be translated as "the feast of fast-breaking" and it is common to visit family and friends and exchange gifts.

*Date is tentative based on sighting of the moon.

The word Nowruz translates to “new day”. It starts at the precise moment that winter ends and spring begins

Nowruz marks a new year for millions of people across the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Balkans, particularly in countries like Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and more.

*Date changes year to year.*

South Jazz Ensemble performs at Jazz in the Meadows

Congrats to the South Jazz Ensemble students on a great performance Saturday, 2/28 at Rolling Meadows High School’s “Jazz in the Meadows” Festival. Students also received a clinic from professional jazz musician Chris Madsen after the performance. Congrats to Fritz T, Greyson H and Claudio R on receiving “Outstanding Musician” awards.

Solo & Ensemble Contest for Band & Choir Students

On Saturday February 21st, students in Band and Choir participated in NIMCon Solo and Ensemble Contest hosted by South Middle School. Over the course of the last few months, students prepared either a solo or an ensemble piece for a performance in front of a judge. This experience challenges both their musical technique and their performance abilities. After the performance they get a short clinic with the judge and receive a rating (Division 1,2 or 3. Division 1+ indicates a perfect score). Congratulations to all participating students! A special thank you to all families who helped make hosting this contest a success!

Congratulations to our Cardinal wrestling team on an outstanding achievement this weekend. Our wrestlers captured the Regional Championship and qualified an incredible 15 athletes for next week’s Sectional Tournament, a first in school history and a new school record. Beyond the championship title, what stood out most was the teamwork, determination, and sportsmanship displayed throughout the day. We are incredibly proud of our student athletes and coaches for representing our school with excellence, and we wish our sectional qualifiers the very best as they compete next Saturday in Romeoville. Go Cardinals!

March is Theatre and Music in Our Schools Month! Celebrate our award-winning students and performing arts programs with us this month via shoutouts and highlights in the morning announcements. If your student has a story to share from their experience in band, music, and/or theatre at South and how these programs have benefited them, have them fill out this form to be featured in the announcements, South Theatre Instagram (for Theatre-related experiences), and/or at this month's Board of Education Meeting: https://forms.gle/17bBhZjSrs2sDBpq7

Reach out to wskym@sd25.org with any questions. We look forward to celebrating with you all month long! - Mr. Skym, Mrs. Schneider, Mr. Cook, & Mrs. Scapillato

Did you know South hosts Homework Hangout twice per week? Encourage your student to start 2026 on a positive note by establishing good homework habits and staying on top of assignments. Many students struggle with procrastination, distraction, and busy schedules once they get home from school. Homework Hangout can help by providing a quiet and structured environment for students to get work done. Homework Hangout meets on Tuesdays in the Music Room from 2:45-3:25 and Wednesdays in the Library from 2:45-3:25. It is supervised by certified staff. We hope you’ll drop by and give it a try!

Remember to join South PTA during your student’s registration to support all our student, family, and school programs.

The SMS Office is open Monday-Friday, 7am-3pm.

Address: 400 South Highland Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Twitter: @AHSD25South

Main Line: (847) 398-4250

Absence Line: (847) 506-6999 x7300

Fax line: (847) 394-6260