Bobcat Bulletin

Dear Bannes School Community,

It is almost time to welcome our Bobcats back, and I could not be more excited to begin another year together! As we prepare for the 2026–2027 school year, I want to share some important August dates, first-day reminders, and a little about where we are headed as a school this year.

Challenge Accepted: Believe. Challenge. Achieve.

This year, our schoolwide theme is Challenge Accepted: Believe. Challenge. Achieve. More than a theme, it represents the work we will be doing together throughout the year.

What does that look like for our Bobcats?

It means we want students to believe they are capable learners, even when something is difficult. We want them to ask questions, explain their thinking, work with others, take academic risks, learn from mistakes, and keep going when the answer does not come easily. In other words, we want our students to know that struggling with something does not mean they are failing. Sometimes, it means they are learning.

We need your help! Throughout the year, watch for a new Family Challenge each month (starting in September) with simple, fun ways to help your child build confidence, embrace challenges, learn from mistakes, and celebrate growth together.

Important August Dates

Bannes PTO has hot lunch ordering available!! Please use this link to order hot lunch for your child. If you have any questions email the Bannes PTO at BannesPTO@gmail.com

Monday, August 17 | Kindergarten Roundup | 9:00–10:00 AM

We are excited to welcome our newest Bobcats! Kindergarten families will have an opportunity to begin getting comfortable with Bannes and prepare for a great first year of school.

Tuesday, August 18 | Open House | 6:00–7:30 PM

Come meet your child's teachers, visit the classroom, visit your specials teachers, walk through the building, bring in school supplies, and reconnect with our Bannes community.

Thursday, August 20 | First Day of School

Our arrival and dismissal procedures are included below. Please take a few minutes to review them before the first day. You can also find our suggested walking routes to help students travel safely to and from school.

Bannes Spirit: We encourage our students to show their Bobcat pride by wearing their Bannes gear, kindly provided by the Bannes PTO.

Tech Ready: Please make sure your child's iPad comes to school fully charged and ready to use.

School Supplies: Students should bring the supplies listed on their grade-level supply list if they didn't already bring them to Open House.

Lunch & Snack: Please remember lunch and a healthy snack as appropriate for your child's grade level.

Week of August 24 | MAP & FastBridge Testing Begins

Students will begin our fall MAP and FastBridge assessments. These assessments are not something students need to study for, and they are not about earning a grade. They give our teachers information about what students already know, where they are ready to grow, and how we can best support and challenge each learner.

We encourage students to simply do their best and show us what they know. This beginning-of-year information helps us set meaningful goals and measure growth throughout the year.

Wednesday, August 26 | Back to School Bash | 4:00–6:00 PM

Come celebrate the start of the year with us! This is always a wonderful opportunity for our students, families, and staff to spend time together outside of the school day. We hope to see you there!

Thursday, August 27 | Assembly

This day will include a special Challenge Accepted assembly focused on growth mindset and the idea of "failing forward." Students will hear that mistakes are part of learning and that challenges give our brains an opportunity to grow.

This will be our first opportunity to begin a conversation we will continue all year: What do you do when learning gets hard?

There is a lot to look forward to this year. Most importantly, I want our students to know that Bannes is a place where they are supported, their ideas matter, and they are capable of doing hard things.

We are ready to Believe. Challenge. Achieve.

Challenge Accepted, Bobcats!

See you soon!

Ms. Kelly Folliard
Principal

Bannes Elementary School

Arrival

• Students should not arrive before 7:45 am
• Car Riders will enter through the North doors.
• Car rider parents: Please pull up as far as you can in the U-shaped lot to accommodate more cars and avoid a backup. Your child must exit on the passenger side of the car and then proceed on the sidewalk to the north entrance. Parents, stay inside your car. A staff member will assist your student if need be.
• Bridge Walkers will enter through the South doors.
• Bus Riders will enter through the main entrance (2nd-5th) and the northwest doors (K-1st).
• Front door walkers will enter through the main entrance (2nd-5th) and northwest doors (K-1st).
• Students entering after 7:55 am must enter through the main entrance.
• Students arriving after the 8:00 am bell will be marked tardy and must be signed in by a parent or guardian in the front office.

Dismissal

• Ivy League (after-school care) and car riders will be dismissed first at 2:18.
• Car riders will be dismissed through the north door (parents, pull up as far as you can in the U-shaped lot).
• Bus riders will be dismissed through the North and Northwest doors at approximately 2:20.
• Walkers will be dismissed when the buses have left school property through the Northwest and South doors at approximately 2:25 pm.

Car Riders

• If you drive to school, we ask for your cooperation when dropping off and picking up your children.
• Drive slowly and remain alert.
• Please proceed ahead as far as you can up to the next car ahead of you when dropping off your student.
• Please do not get out of your car to assist your child(ren).
• Children should exit their car on the PASSENGER side, closest to the sidewalk.
• Parents are asked not to exit their cars to assist students’ arrival. This causes a delay for those behind you.
• Remember that the area at the corner of 169th Place & Odell is a crosswalk.
• In the interest of safety for all our students, please do not call your child back to your car once they have exited in the morning or entered the car in the afternoon. Upon arrival, if your child has left something in the car, please call one of the adults over or park in our parking lot and bring the item into school. At dismissal, if your child needs to return to the building, please park and wait until the bus riders and walkers have left the school grounds. As always, thank you for your cooperation.

****Illinois law prohibits cell phone use by individuals driving cars in school zones when students are present.

KSD 140 uses the ParentSquare messaging platform to keep parents and guardians informed and engaged with our schools and the District.

• Receive messages from the school via email, text, or app notification

• Choose to receive information as it comes or all at once with a daily digest at 6 pm

• Communicate in your preferred language

• Direct message teachers and staff

• Sign up for parent-teacher conferences

• Sign forms & permission slips, sign up to volunteer, and more, all from your desktop or mobile device

We encourage parents to access their accounts by visiting parentsquare.com/signin and REGISTERING using the email or phone number listed in Infinite Campus.

For even greater convenience, please download the ParentSquare app (available free for iOS and Android devices).

As we prepare for the 2026-27 school year, we encourage families to review the district calendar.

Bannes Elementary School

16835 S. Odell Avenue, Tinley Park, IL 60477

Phone: 708-532-6466

Website: ksd140.org/bannes

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