BULLDOG BULLETIN

Dear Bulldog Families,

I hope this message finds you well and enjoying the signs of spring all around us! As we move into the final stretch of the school year, I want to share a few important reminders and updates to help keep everyone safe, informed, and connected.

Student Safety Reminders
As the weather improves, more of our students are walking or biking to school. Please take a moment to remind your children about the importance of staying on sidewalks and using crosswalks appropriately. These simple actions go a long way in ensuring everyone's safety during arrival and dismissal times.

Likewise, we kindly ask all parents and caregivers to only use designated parking areas when dropping off or picking up students. Avoiding double parking or stopping in non-parking zones helps keep the flow of traffic smooth and, most importantly, keeps our children safe.

We love furry, four-legged friends, but unfortunately, all pets must stay off of school property before and after school.

Calendar Updates
Please mark your calendars with the following important dates:

• No School on Friday, April 18th

• School Canceled on Monday, April 21st
  Due to the cancellation, our new last day of school will be Thursday, May 29th.

Thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we adjust our calendar.

• Field Day, Friday May 23 | Rain date, Tuesday May 27

PTO Book Swap and Book Drive
We’re excited to partner with our PTO for our upcoming Book Swap! Students are encouraged to bring in gently used books to donate. During the event, students will have the opportunity to "shop" for new-to-them books to take home—what a fun way to refresh those home libraries! In addition, donated books will also support Bernie’s Book Bank, helping to put books in the hands of children who need them.

Earth Day Celebration Update
A big thank you to our PTO Earth Day Committee for their incredible flexibility and support as we adjusted our Earth Day plans in response to the April 21st cancellation. Your creativity and commitment to our school community make such a difference—we are grateful!

As always, thank you for your continued partnership. Together, we keep our school a safe, joyful, and enriching place for all of our learners.

Warm regards,

Dr. Colleen Conway

📌 April 14-18: Book Swap (See below!)

📌 April 16: McTeacher Night

📌 April 18: Institute Day- No School

📌 April 21: No School

📌 April 23: Evacuation Drill

📌 April 28: MAP Testing Begins

📌 May 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week

PreK-12 online registration for the 2025-2026 school year is now open! All families must complete the registration process through ParentVUE. These instructions can also be found on the district website under Parents->Registration.

• Returning Families: Log into ParentVUE, select Online Registration, and review/update student information.

• New Families: Create a ParentVUE account to begin the registration process.

• New Students: Proof of residency* and birth certificate verification must be completed in person at your child’s school.

• Fees & Health Forms: Once registration is accepted, fees can be paid in PushCoin (starting in May), and required health forms can be uploaded in ParentVUE.

*Some exceptions apply in cases of homelessness; for families who have questions regarding homeless status, please contact the building secretarial staff for further information.

As summer approaches, District 95 will once again be offering a variety of Summer Semester programs for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, including Extended School Year (ESY).

Summer Semester Course Offerings

Please click the links below to access further information about the summer semester and the programs that will be offered. If you are having trouble viewing any of these resources or need translations, please contact Aubrey Allen at aubrey.allen@lz95.org or (847) 540-5489.

• K - 8 Summer Semester Course Guide

• LZHS Summer Semester Course Guide

Summer Semester Registration

Summer Semester 2025 registration will open on Monday, April 7, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. and run through Friday, May 16, 2025 for in-district families. Families who are not residents of District 95 will be able to register for a limited number of courses at the high school level from May 1, 2025 - May 16, 2025.

Registration will be conducted exclusively through ParentVue, accessible via the district website (www.lz95.org) including for non-District 95 families.

This is the time of year where our staff will begin the process of student/teacher assignments for the 2025– 2026 school year. The entire staff plays a role in this process, as we work to place each of the children into the very best setting. We consider learning styles, student personalities, girl/boy ratio, class size, and student academic strengths and needs, all while striving for a heterogeneous class make-up (full range of abilities).

If you would like to share something about your child’s learning style or personality that would help us with this placement process, please submit your letter to Dr. Conway no later than April 25th, 2025. We trust that you will rely on our professional judgment, as we group each of the children with the idea of creating the best learning environment possible for everyone. With that being said, requesting particular teachers will not be accepted.

As we did in the fall and winter, teachers at the elementary level will complete a spring screening using the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) during the week of April 28th where they will report on the frequency they observe specific behaviors associated with key social-emotional skills.

Additionally, students who had an expanded profile completed following the Fall and/or Winter screening process will have a full profile completed during the spring New students who are indicated as potentially needing additional instruction based on screening results will also have an expanded profile completed by staff.

All families will be notified of spring social-emotional screening and/or expanded profile results. This data will be utilized to assess our progress with social-emotional instruction across the course of the school year as a building, as well as to plan for instructional needs in the fall.

The screening will not disrupt your student’s schedule in any way, and your student will not be asked to complete anything as part of this process. Please feel free to contact me directly with any additional questions you may have.

As part of the district’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and to creating learning opportunities for students that highlight environmental responsibility (part of the District 95 Portrait of a Graduate), the district is partnering with TreePlenish to host a tree-planting event on May 14, 2025 (with the weather back-up date being May 15, 2025).

We would like to extend an invitation to families and community members who may have interest in supporting the event, space permitting. If you are interested in supporting the event and receiving further details, please complete the form linked HERE.