The Sequoit Weekly

Important Upcoming Dates

OCTOBER

20 -- Instrumental Concert

22 -- Choir Concert

29 -- BOE Classroom Visits

NOVEMBER

3 -- NON-ATTENDANCE DAY - NO SCHOOL

4 -- PSAT for Incoming Ninth Graders, Aux Gym

4 -- Sequoit Pride Booster Club Monthly Meeting 6:00 p.m

6 -- Semester 1 Grade, Checkpoint 2 of 3

12 -- You Make A Difference Awards 7:00 a.m.

18 -- Board of Education Meeting @ ACHS 6:30 p.m

19-22 -- Fall Play

24 -- Early Release 2:30 p.m

25-27 -- THANKSGIVING BREAK - NO SCHOOL

DECEMBER

2 -- Sequoit Pride Booster Club Monthly Meeting 6:00 p.m

5 -- Holiday Showcase 8:00 a.m

10 -- You Make A Difference Awards 7:00 a.m

10 -- Board of Education Meeting @ District Office 6:30 p.m

11 -- Holiday Concerts 5:00 and 7:30 p.m

16-18 -- Final Exams

18 -- Semester 1 Ends

19-31 -- Winter Break - NO SCHOOL

Sequoit Speakers (Weekly News Updates)

Wear Out Wednesdays (NEW)

Whitsons Food Service Survey (New)

At Community High School District 117, we are committed to providing students with a positive and enjoyable dining experience. As part of our ongoing effort to support the needs of our school community, we are partnering with Whitsons Culinary Group to gather feedback on our food service program.

We invite students, families, faculty, and staff to participate in a brief survey and share their experiences and perspectives. Your feedback will help us better understand what is working well and identify opportunities to further enhance our meal program.

Take the Survey: https://xmp.insight-surveys.com/s/fall-2026

Your input will help us:

• Assess satisfaction with our current foodservice program

• Enhance the meal experience for students, families, and staff

• Enhance the overall dining experience throughout our schools

The survey will be available from October 19 through November 6 and should take only a few minutes to complete. Responses will be collected by Whitsons and shared with our school administration as we work together to continuously improve the program. We encourage everyone who participates in our school meal program to take part. Your feedback is important and greatly appreciated.

Thank you for helping us create the best possible dining experience for our school community.

Report student absences in your Infinite Campus Parent Portal! (NEW)

Did you know that you can report your student's absence right from your phone? Follow our handy guide to learn how to report an absence using your Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

You're of course still welcome to call our Attendance Office. But the parent portal is a really quick and easy alternative!

Post-Secondary Planning Events for ACHS Families (3rd Week)

The flier linked below outlines a series of events that the ACHS Student Services department will be hosting this fall. Please join us for the events that are applicable and helpful to you! We hope to see you there!

October College Visits

From Congressman Schneider (2nd Week)

If you or your student is interested in military academy service, please read the following for details on Service Academy nominations.

The honor of attending a service academy comes with the obligation and commitment to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation. For more information, please review the page of Frequently Asked Questions for those seeking a Military Academy Nomination.

Members of Congress may nominate candidates for appointment to four of the five U.S. service academies:

U.S. Military Academy (USMA)
U.S. Naval Academy (USNA)
U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA)
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA)

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) does not require a Congressional nomination for appointment. Up to ten individuals may be nominated for each vacant academy slot allotted to our district. To request a Military Academy Nomination from our office, please complete the form online.

Each service academy operates under its own admissions guidelines, so receiving a nomination from our office is just one step in the larger process. After submitting a complete nomination packet, applicants will be scheduled for an interview with our Service Academy Nomination Board in November, and all materials are reviewed carefully to ensure candidates meet the academic, medical, and physical standards required by the academies.

The deadline to apply is October 31st.

The Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide competition that encourages students to learn science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills by coding their own application or “app” for any digital device.

The Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle and high school students who live or attend school in the Tenth District, regardless of skill level. Students can choose to participate individually or as part of a team of up to four students, if two of the team members meet eligibility requirements.

To enter, participants must upload a video showcasing their app and an explanation of what they learned throughout the app-making process.

Deadline to register: October 26th.

SENIOR FAMILIES - The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is open! (NEW)

The FAFSA is Open! Tips, What's New, and Free Application Workshops

Attention SENIOR students and families! The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now open for the upcoming 27-28 academic year. Whether you plan to attend college or trade school, completing the FAFSA is essential to unlocking financial assistance. Completing the FAFSA is an Illinois state high school graduation requirement.

What’s Important This Year

Contributor Direct Invites: Every person required to provide information on your FAFSA (such as a parent or spouse) is considered a "contributor" and must log in separately with their own StudentAid.gov account to provide consent and sign.

Direct Tax Transfer: Financial info is securely pulled directly from federal tax records, streamlining the process.

Student Aid Index (SAI): The formula uses the SAI to measure financial need and evaluate eligibility for need-based aid.

November: Many early decision and early action FAFSA deadlines are in early to mid-November. Be aware of college-specific deadlines!

Essential FAFSA Success Tips

Get Your FSA ID Early: Set up your StudentAid.gov account at least 3 days before you plan to finish the application so your identity can be verified.

List All Potential Schools: You can add up to 20 colleges or career schools to receive your FAFSA data.

Don't Skip It: Even if you think you won't qualify for need-based grants, filing opens doors to institutional scholarships and federal student loans.

Upcoming FAFSA Completion Workshops

Need assistance? Join one of our free hands-on workshops where staff will walk you through the process section by section.

Workshop 1: Tuesday, October 6, 5:30pm-7:30pm, ACHS ILC

Workshop 2: Thursday, November 5, 3:30-5:30pm, ACHS ILC

Workshop 3: Saturday, November 7, 9am-12pm, Antioch Public Library

What to bring: Student & parent Social Security Numbers (or Alien Registration numbers), access to tax documents and income records.

Ready to start? Visit StudentAid.gov today.

Click here for last week's Financial Aid Night presentation by ISAC (NEW)

District 117 Math Fair (3rd Week)

ACHS Activities

Click Here For ACHS Activities Page

ACHS Athletics (NEW)

Congratulations to the Football team for winning the NLCC Conference and securing a #1 seed in the 5A Playoffs. Click the button below to go to the 5A IHSA Football Brackets for 2026

5A Football Bracket 2026

Resources for students interested in competing in college sports

D117 students have access to HonestGame, a portal to help students with college athletics recruiting and to help make clear the confusing world of college academic eligibility.

You can review the full list of their 2026-2027 webinars here:

https://honestgame.com/student-family-webinar-series/

Students can find HonestGame under their student bookmarks or by visiting honestgame.com and clicking "Sign in with Google".

On October 14, HonestGame Reports that outline progress towards NCAA eligibility will be shared with all students and families. Review the additional resources below if you'd like to learn more about how to read and understand those reports.

Honest Game Intro Video
- Honest Game 2-minute Recruit Assist video
- Honest Game How-to Read Eligibility Report video

Engineering Careers Night at CLC (NEW)

October 29, 5:30-8:30PM

Café Willow

Grayslake Campus
19351 W. Washington St.

Ever wonder what it takes to become an engineer? Curious as to what the profession entails? Come to the College of Lake County to learn about careers in engineering and computer science and meet with representatives from area engineering schools. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. in Willow Cafe. Engineering Night is free and open to high-school and CLC students and their parents.

Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Attendees should sign in outside the Willow Cafe on the Grayslake Campus then strike up conversations with practicing engineers and university representatives in Willow Cafe.

From 5:30- 7p.m., students can mix and mingle with professional engineers to learn about the various engineering professions and majors such as civil, electrical, mechanical, chemical, computer science, aerospace, etc. During this time, tours will be available every 15 minutes of the CLC Baxter Innovation Lab, a makerspace/fab lab for CLC students and the Lake County community. Several 4-year schools will have table displays set up during this time as well, including MSOE, NIU, MTU, Carthage, Iowa State, SIU, UIUC, and UIC.

At 7 p.m. in the Willow Cafe, CLC Engineering professors will present a general overview of the engineering college search process, giving advice on how to research schools, the application process, college costs, choosing a major, and more.

Then from 7:30-8:40 p.m. students and their parents may attend two breakout sessions (30 minutes each) to learn more about the participating college and university programs. The CLC Engineering Transfer program will be hosting sessions in the Baxter Innovation Lab (T120/121) and will include information on the S-STEM scholarship program as well as the guaranteed admission partnerships with UIUC (Engineering Pathways), UIC, MSOE, SIU-E and NIU. Breakout sessions in separate classrooms include MSOE, NIU, MTU, Iowa State, SIU, UIUC, UIC and more.

Attendees are advised to enter the campus from Washington St., park in lots 8 or 9, and enter the college’s T-Wing through door T-1. Signs to Willow Cafe and the Baxter Innovation Lab will direct attendees. Directions to the Grayslake Campus and a campus map are available at www.clcillinois.edu/aboutclc/locations/grayslake

Learn more about our Engineering program at CLC right now. https://www.clcillinois.edu/programs/egr

Pre-Registration is highly encouraged at https://CLCEngineeringNight2026.eventbrite.com

CLC Engineering Night Flier 2026

Other upcoming CLC ENGINEERING & COMPUTER SCIENCE Program events:

• Oct. 29th, 5:30-8:30PM –Engineering Night

• Nov. 7th, 9AM-Noon –STEM for Girls (Registration opens Oct 1)

• Jan. 6th, 11AM-1PM-Engineering and Computer Science Career and Internship Fair

• Jan. 9th, 10AM-Noon – Lake County Robotics Competition Kickoff

• Feb. 11th, 7-8PM –Engineering & CS Info Session

• Feb. 27th,1PM-5PM– Make-A-Thon

• Mar 3rd, 7-8PM –Engineering & CS Info Session

• Apr.1st, 7-8PM –Engineering & CS Info Session

• Apr.17th, 10AM-2PM - Maker Faire Lake County

Community Events

Information sessions

Questions?

Email Dr. Jan Edwards at jedwards1@clcillinois.edu, call (847) 543-2044 or visit www.clcillinois.edu/STEM

CLC STEM for Girls Conference (NEW)

CLC is hosting its 13th Annual STEM for Girls event on Saturday, November 7, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. The event will take place at the CLC Grayslake Campus. Participants will try hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering, healthcare and math. I’ve attached the flyers for you to share. Girls in grade 6-12 are invited. Parents and families members are welcome to join them. Admission is free and registration is available at the link below. The Early College Opportunity team appreciates your support in helping us get the word out!

Registration link: https://STEMCLC.eventbrite.com

Collect Volunteer Hours at YMCA Halloween Bash (NEW)

YMCA Camp Duncan will be hosting their annual Halloween Bash on Tuesday, October 27th, 4pm - 7pm, and they are currently looking for 8–10 high school student volunteers to assist with the event.

Volunteers will help with a variety of responsibilities, including running Carnival style games and activity stations, assisting families and children, and providing general event support. This is a great opportunity for students to earn community service hours while contributing to a local community event.

They are hoping to fill all 8–10 volunteer positions prior to the event. Students interested in volunteering can contact Katie Hedges at kehedges@ymcachicago.org or 847-410-5249.