Mills Moments

I want to take a moment to give a huge shout-out to our incredible students for their fantastic school attendance. Showing up every day ready to learn makes a huge difference, and seeing their bright faces in our hallways brings so much energy to our school community!

This year, we remain focused on a simple goal: being better, doing better, and aiming higher each and every day. Progress is not about being perfect; it is about making small steps forward together.

A big part of our success comes from showing up with TROJAN PRIDE:

• P – Driven by Purpose in our daily work

• R – Showing Respect for self and others

• I – Taking Individual responsibility for our choices

• D – Practicing Disciplined behaviors in the classroom, cafeteria, and playground

• E – Striving for Excellence in all we do

When students practice these values they show a true commitment to excellence. Thank you to our parents and guardians for supporting the students at home, and thank you to our students for giving your best effort. Let’s keep this great momentum going!

Here are a few reminders:

Pets Not Allowed on School Property

We all love our pets. Our own pets! As a reminder, pets are not allowed on school property during the school day. Please be respectful of others and adhere to the guidelines set forth in the student handbook and leave pets at home.

Traveling During the School Year?

Here is the updated chronological list of school holidays and the travel opportunities they create. Plan your student's absences to minimize the loss of instructional time:

• Columbus Day (Oct. 12): A 3-day weekend (Monday off) in early autumn, perfect for a short fall trip.
• Conference Exchange (Oct. 23): A 3-day weekend (Friday off) for a quick late-October getaway.
• Institute Day & Election Day (Nov. 2–3): A fantastic 4-day weekend (Saturday through Tuesday). Since Monday is an Institute Day and Tuesday is Election Day, students get an extended break.
• Thanksgiving Break (Nov. 25–27): A 5-day holiday window (Wednesday through Sunday) when combined with the weekend.
• Winter Break (Dec. 21–Jan. 1): A full two-week window covering the Christmas and New Year holidays.
• January Breaks: You have an Institute Day on Monday, Jan. 4 right after winter break, followed by a standard 3-day weekend for MLK Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 18.
• Presidents Day Weekend (Feb. 12–15): The combination of a Friday Conference Exchange and Monday Presidents Day gives you a 4-day winter weekend.
• Spring Break (March 26–April 2): An extended 10-day block (including weekends) starting with a Friday Institute Day on March 26 and running through the full week of Spring Break.

Volunteer Application

If you are interested in being a volunteer at a District 401 school, please apply using this link. It is very important that the information you enter on the application matches your government issued identification card including your full legal name and that you provide a valid email address so you can be notified as to the status of your application and for future communication.

Walk Your Wheels

Over the past few months, we’ve continued to see an uptick in accidents involving kids riding bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters throughout the Chicagoland community. To bring awareness to bike safety and ensure our pedestrians remain safe on our grounds, we are officially launching a new safety initiative: "Walk Your Wheels."

What You Need to Know:

• The Rule: Everyone must walk all bicycles, e-bikes, and e-scooters while on D401 property.

• To ride an e-bike/e-scooter to D401 property you must adhere to the local ordinances, which includes having a valid driver's license.

• The "Why": Many modern e-bikes and e-scooters can reach speeds exceeding 30 mph. Combining these high speeds with crowded walkways and foot traffic creates a high-risk environment for our students, staff, and visitors.

As members of our school community please remember if you see something, say something. Help to keep our D401 grounds a safe environment.

Congratulations to Grades 1st - 5th for meeting the attendance goal of 95% for September!

Click here for all the information about this year's Costume Parade

Every single student brings something unique to John Mills School—your family traditions, your heritage, your language, and your stories. When we share these parts of ourselves, our school becomes a brighter and far more interesting place to learn. October is a time to celebrate and recognize the impact Polish and Italian Americans have contributed to our society.

By clicking on each image below, you and your student can learn more about both cultures.

In the event your child is absent, please call the 24-hour Absentee hotline number listed below before 9am. Please leave your child's name, teacher's name, and the reason for the absence. Be as specific as possible so we can keep attendance records accurate. In the event that a reason was not given, your child will be marked "unexcused absent".

Pre-K: 708-583-6285

K-5: 708-583-6288

Thank you to all the families who joined us on McTeacher Night! We had a lot of fun seeing you outside of Mills. This year, we made $1544.14 for Red Cross!

We wanted to show our custodial staff just how much we appreciate them with some gifts and of course some John Mills fun!

Each Friday morning before instruction begins, staff are presented with a question, task or activity to keep things fun here at Mills! Videos will be posted every week either in our Mills Moments Newsletter or on ParentSquare. If you have ideas or suggestions for future videos, let us know by emailing Mrs. Petrino or Mrs. Green!

Fire Prevention Week™ is October 4–10, 2026. “Charge Into Fire Safety™. Safe Charging Is a Superpower” focuses on the everyday charging habits that can help reduce the risk of lithium-ion battery fires and keep homes and communities safer. Plug in. Power up. Stay safe.

Click the poster below to donate and help Mills win!

October 12th- No School for Pre-K-5

October 16th- Scheduling closes for Parent Teacher Conferences at 11:59pm

October 21st and October 22nd- Parent Teacher Conferences 3:15pm-7pm

October 23rd- No School Pre-K-5

October 30th- Costume Parade

There is something special about the energy in our school when we come together as one. We want to harness that energy and start every week with a powerful reminder of who we are. This is why we have Maroon and Gold Mondays!

Starting August 24th, every Monday will be a dedicated day for students, staff, and our entire school community to showcase their Trojan spirit.

This isn’t just for students. We want everyone—parents, guardians, siblings, and grandparents—to join in. Whether you are dropping your child off in the morning, attending a school event, or just out in the community, wear your maroon and gold with pride to show that we can’t hide that Trojan Pride!

Get Your Gear Now! Need to refresh your Trojan wear or get your collection started? Our spirit wear stores are open with options for all ages. We have t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and accessories perfect for students, parents, and even grandparents.

1st Place Spiritwear

BSN Sports

We can’t wait to see a sea of maroon and gold every Monday morning. Let’s start our weeks strong, united, and spirited!

Go Trojans!

Do Better, Be Better, and Aim Higher. Aiming higher starts first thing in the morning! Our school day begins at 8:40am. When students arrive after the bell, it starts a bit of a domino effect. Our main office staff loves seeing your kids, but they have a mountain of more important things to accomplish and would much prefer not to spend their mornings writing out tardy passes. Plus, arriving late means teachers have to pause their instruction, which distracts classmates who are already locked in and learning.

When students arrive to school late, they miss out on the important morning meetings, interventions, relationship-building with peers, and the chance to start their day in a calm, routine-focused way.

Showing up for yourself and for others is a major life skill. Excellent attendance and being on time are habits that set our students up for success far beyond the walls of John Mills. When we show up on time, we show respect for our teachers, our classmates, and our own potential.

Let’s partner together to make "on-time" our new normal. Thank you for your incredible support in helping our students Do Better, Be Better, and Aim Higher every single day! Think of it as this: early is on time, on time is late, and late should be an exception rather than a practice.

We are always looking for ways to make our school a happy, welcoming place where every student feels they belong. We want our students to have fun while they learn and to create wonderful memories of their elementary school years. Every Thursday, we invite all students and staff to participate in a fun dress-up day centered around a specific theme. We encourage students to use things they already have at home; if your student does not wish to participate, that is absolutely fine. They should wear their regular school clothes as usual. No student will ever be excluded or made to feel uncomfortable. At all times, please ensure your student’s outfit is still safe and appropriate for all school activities, including recess and P.E. Footwear must remain safe for running and playing.

October 15th - Wear Pink (in Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month)

October 22nd - Candy Corn Day

October 29th - Fall Colors (orange, brown, yellow, red)

Our next PTA meeting is Tuesday, October 13th, at 6:30 pm. Enter door 6, on 76th CT (Kindergarten/Pre-K door) and enter the first stairway to your left to go up to the Library.

Thank you to all who joined the PTA in the month of September! It is not too late to join! You can do so by visiting https://johnmillspta.givebacks.com/shop -no commitment needed! Whether you can/can’t make it to meetings, or volunteer your time, your membership alone helps us plan book fairs, the holiday shop, and so much more!

Get ready for our annual Coin Challenge!! We’re raising funds to purchase new books for teachers' classroom libraries, and every penny makes a difference. Students can bring in loose change on the designated collection dates, or families can contribute through their child's homeroom teacher’s e-wallet.

The top three classes that raise the most money will earn a pizza party! Start saving those coins and help us fill our classrooms with great new books!!

The Book Fair is coming and we need your help! Volunteers are needed during school, after school, and during conferences. Please click here to sign up.

Your child will have the opportunity to visit the Book Fair during the school day. To make shopping easy, please send cash with your child or create a Scholastic eWallet, a secure digital payment account. Changes were made this year with eWallet.

During parent-teacher conferences, we will accept cash, credit cards, eWallets, and Apple Pay. Be sure to stop by and browse our fantastic selection of books, including a variety of Spanish-language titles!

Visit our book fair home page to learn more about setting up eWallet and to preview our Book Fair here.

We look forward to seeing you at the Book Fair!

Next Up!!

• PTA meeting on October 13th! The meeting starts at 6:30 pm.

• Communications will be sent via our Givebacks site- Mills PTA, INC (no-reply@user.givebacks.com).

• Have a question? Comment? Email JohnMillsElemPTA@gmail.com

• 2026-2027 School Supply Lists
• Student Handbook
• District 401 Calendar
• Volunteer Application
• BASEC
• Meal Pricing
• Free and Reduced Price Meal Application
• School Fees
• MySchoolBucks: all school fees are paid through this site
• School Song: sung at every assembly and large gathering
• School Hours for K-5
• 8:40-2:00 on Mondays
• 8:40-3:00 Tuesday-Friday
• School Hours for PK
• Session 1 is 8:15-10:25 and Session 2 is 11:35-1:45 on Mondays
• Session 1 is 8:15-10:50 and Session 2 is 12:10-2:45 Tuesday-Friday.
• School Communications
• ParentSquare is our main communication tool- ensure you have a parent account set up to stay connected.
• ***Any questions to help resolve technical issues should be sent to: support@epcusd401.org***

Phone: 708-452-3560

Email: millsinfo@epcusd401.org

2824 North 76th Avenue, Elmwood Park, IL 60707

School Website

School News & Virtual Backpack

Superintendent of Schools

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Website: Safe2HelpIL.com

Email: HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com

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