Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures
If you drive to school and drop off your student(s):
- Morning Arrival: 8:05-8:15am
- Please enter the circular drive at the front of the school.
- Pull as far forward as possible to allow multiple cars in the circular drive.
- *Do not have your student(s) exit the vehicle until a staff member comes to you. Parents, please do not exit your vehicle as this slows down the arrival process. If you do want to assist your child in exiting the vehicle, please pull into one of the marked parking spaces.
- The students will enter the building at the front entrance and make their way directly to their classroom.
- Once your child exits the vehicle, you are free to go. Please do so quickly as we will keep the line moving. **We have many car drop offs, and will do our best to get through cars quickly!**
If you are planning to drive to school and pick up your student(s):
- Afternoon Dismissal: 2:50-3:00pm
- Please send in an email to SLDismissal@lz95.org letting us know your child will be a pickup.
- Have your child's last name visible in the front window of the vehicle.
- Please enter the circular drive at the front of the school.
- Pull as far forward as possible to allow multiple cars in the circular drive.
- When your child is safely in your car, please exit the drive quickly in order to allow the line to keep moving. Please do not exit the vehicle to meet your child. We will help them find your vehicle.
- When vehicles in front of you leave, please continue to pull forward to fill gaps.
- Please do NOT pull around cars at the entrance to the circle. Please stay in line and move forward behind the person in front of you.
If your child walks to school, they will enter the building at the front entrance (Door 1).
Walkers will exit at dismissal from Door 1. Parents can meet students by the playground. Please do not come to the main entrance area as students use this area for car dismissal.
**NEW THIS YEAR***
In order to prevent a backup of cars on Old McHenry, we will be utilizing the MSN bus lane for our beginning of the day and end of day car lines. When cars begin to build in the circle, we will ask you to drive down the MSN bus lane, circle around, and come back to the front circle (making a turn back into the circular drive). This should pull traffic off the main road and make it easier to get in and out at the light.
We will utilize cones to help with this process.
(Shout out to Mrs. Wiest for the suggestion!)
Please bear with us for the first few weeks of school. These are new routines for everyone and it takes time to build consistency. As the first few weeks progress, arrival and dismissal will run smoothly and will take much less time!
Changes in Dismissal
If you are planning a change in dismissal (even for one day), please make sure you contact the front office to notify them of any changes. This will help ensure a smooth process. The front office number is (847)719-3300 and the email is SLDismissal@lz95.org. Please copy the classroom teacher on the email as well.
Thank you!
Attendance
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.
First Day of School
Our first day of school for all students is Thursday, August 15th. We are very excited to welcome everyone back to the building!
Student Arrival: 8:05-8:15am
Student Dismissal: 2:50-3:00pm
Please click here to find the school supply lists for the 2024-2025 school year.
Upcoming Events
August 14th: Kindergarten and New Student Playdate 12:30-1:30pm (SL playground)
August 14th: Meet the Staff 1:30-3:00pm
August 15th: First Day of School!
August 16th: SL Back to School Event
August 21st: Elementary Curriculum Night
Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and Replacement Math Curriculum Night
- Session 1: 5:45-6:15pm
- Session 2: 6:15-6:45pm
3rd, 4th, and 5th grades Curriculum Night
- Session 1: 7:00-7:30pm
- Session 2: 7:30-8:00pm
September 2nd: No School - Labor Day
September 9th: SL Picture Day
September 10th: PTO Meeting 6:
Safety Week
We are excited to kick off the 24-25 school year with Safety Week, to occur during the week of August 19th, as we welcome students back from summer - and start the year off with messaging about creating safe, healthy school communities. During this week, students will engage in learning around the following topics:
The Standard Response Protocol (SRP), our emergency response protocol used to address safety concerns
Safe2Help, our new anonymous reporting tool for safety concerns
Collective responsibility for school safety (i.e., it takes all of us working together to maximize feelings of safety in the school community)
Families who want to learn more about the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) and the “I Love U Guys” Foundation may access information via the foundation’s website HERE. They can also view a previously-recorded safety forum HERE (select Safety Forum - August 2022). Please note that students will NOT be engaging in any drills associated with the SRP during Safety Week, and families will receive separate notification in advance of scheduled lockdown drills for the school year.
District 95 has partnered with Safe2Help Illinois, a statewide school safety program. This replaced the current District 95 See Something, Say Something tool. Safe2Help Illinois features a 24/7 helpline (1-844-4-SAFEIL), free mobile app, and dedicated website. [A QR code will also be available on the back of students’ ID cards in grades 6-12 for easy access to the reporting tool.] Families who want to learn more about Safe2Help can visit the website at www.Safe2Helpil.com.
Thank you in advance for your partnership as we approach the start of the school year; it takes all of us working together to create safe school communities!
Bus Behavior Expectations
As we approach the start of the school year, we want to remind all of our students and families of bus behavior expectations. Please take some time to review the information below with your student(s) before the start of school:
Drink water only while on the bus; other food or drinks should be kept put away
Use a voice level of 0 (voices off), 1 (whisper) or 2 (conversational volume, such as talking to someone next to you) at all times while on the bus
Keep the aisle clear when students are loading or unloading
Keep all body parts within the bus during the entire route
Remain seated during the entire route
Report to and stay in your assigned seat during the entire route
Follow loading/unloading/crossing directions provided
Exit through the designated doors only
Take all trash and personal items with you when exiting the bus
Keep all personal items with you during the route
Use your assigned bus stop
Families can find additional information regarding bus expectations in Chapter 4 of the Parent-Student Handbook; students will also receive additional instruction on this topic during the first few weeks of school. We look forward to your partnership in these efforts, and to a successful start to the school year on transportation!
Birthdays
We do not allow food to be brought in for birthday celebrations. If treats are sent to school, they will not be distributed and will be sent back home with your child. Non-food items such as pencils, stickers, or other small items are welcome. Thank you for your assistance in keeping our students safe.
Back to School Bash
There will be lots of fun activities which include DJ, Games, Glitter Tattoos and a Balloon Twister.
Back by popular demand, we present Pie Toss with SL Staff Fundraiser. It's the ultimate showdown, take aim and toss a pie at a SL staff member. One whipped cream plate will be for sale for $1.
Raffles and great eats from Food Trucks will be for purchase. Thank you to Kona Ice and our very own Lake Zurich Kurbside Pizza for joining us this year.
PTO Website and App
We want to continue to improve our ability to communicate with parents about upcoming events and have all of our information in one easy to access place. We know it can be hard to sift through e-mails, newsletters, and social media posts so wanted to have a spot where parents can find calendars, sign ups, and other information from your phone or computer. Create an account now so you are able to access sign ups as they come out as well as the Buzz Book once it is complete!
https://spencerloomis.ptboard.com/
Sign Up Code: GPHSQ8
App: PTBoard
