Patriot Pulse

Hello Grissom Families,

As the crisp fall weather settles in, we're embracing the exciting season ahead. The energy here at Grissom Middle School is palpable as our students work hard, learning and achieving in innovative and impactful ways.

We are proud to say that Grissom truly is "Home of the Champions" this fall! Both our Girls Cross Country and Girls Softball teams captured the SWIC Conference Championship—an outstanding accomplishment. Congratulations to our athletes and coaches!

In just three short weeks, the first quarter will come to an end. Be sure to check in on your student’s progress and grades using the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

As a reminder, there will be no school on October 14th in observance of Columbus Day. Enjoy the extended weekend!

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Let's make this a fantastic October!

With gratitude,
Mr. Michael Rumbaugh
Principal

Picture re-takes will be on Thursday, October 17th during the school day for those who were absent on picture day or are not satisfied with the picture originally taken.

If a picture package was purchased and you are unhappy with the photo, please send the whole package with your child to school on re-take day, and Van Gogh will print the original order with the new image. Please be aware that the re-take photo REPLACES the original image.

Contact the Grissom office at 708-429-3030 if you have any further questions.

Our 8th-grade graduation ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025, in the main gym at Andrew High School. The ceremony will begin at 7 PM.

More details about graduation and other 8th-grade events will be shared throughout the school year.

Parents/Guardians of 8th-Grade Students,

Please look on Parent Square for an October 1st post titled "District 230 Data Sharing Permission Form". Be sure to fill out this form at your earliest convenience. This permission authorizes District 140 to share a student's academic data with District 230 (Andrew High School).

Thank you.

Student IDs and Grissom lanyards have been ordered and are expected delivered to Grissom within the next couple of weeks. Every student will be provided an ID and lanyard.

Students will be expected to wear their ID and lanyard while at school. This expectation will be communicated and reinforced with students when they receive these items. IDs will also need to be presented at after-school events - such as basketball and volleyball games, for entry. IDs can be used for checking out books from our school library, as well.

Yearbook orders are available at the following website YEARBOOKORDERCENTER.COM

Enter code 8034 when you order.

Contact our yearbook sponsors, Mrs. Labudzik or Mrs. LaPlant, if you have any questions.

Gather your family, put on your walking shoes or biking gear, and celebrate National Walk & Roll to School Day with us on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.

D140 families are encouraged to walk or bike to school together using our Safe Route to School guides linked below.

• Bannes Elementary

• Fernway Elementary

• Keller Elementary

• McAuliffe Elementary

• Millennium Elementary

• Grissom Middle School

• Prairie View Middle School

Our hope is that by encouraging participation in this event, more students will choose to walk or bike to school on a regular basis.

For pedestrian and bike safety information, please check out these tips from the Tinley Park Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit.

Students and staff are encouraged to wear orange on Unity Day, Wednesday, October 16, to show they care about safe and supportive schools and communities. This is the day when everyone can come together and send one large ORANGE message of kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.

During Red Ribbon Week, schools across the nation join together to promote a drug-free lifestyle and encourage students to make positive, healthy choices. It is an ideal way for communities to unite and take a visible stand against substance abuse.

Monday, October 21: “Proud to be drug-free!”

• See how much red you can wear from head to toe.

Tuesday, October 22: “Outshine drugs!”

• Wear neon or the color yellow.

Wednesday, October 23: “Give drugs the boot!”

• Wear a western outfit, a flannel, or the color green. Yee haw!

Thursday, October 24: “Put drugs to sleep!”

• Wear pajamas or the color blue.

Friday, October 25: “Our school chooses to be drug-free!”

• Wear your school shirt or school colors.

Intramural athletics are offered to any 6th, 7th, and 8th grade student who wishes to participate. Intramural programs are organized to encourage physical activity. Students need to have a parent permission form completed to be eligible for intramural participation.

Current offerings include volleyball on Tuesdays and basketball on Thursdays. Later in the year, we will also offer soccer, wiffle ball, and kickball.

Volleyball (Tuesdays) = 5 sessions left

October 8, October 15, October 22, October 29, November 4 (Monday)

Basketball (Thursdays) = 5 sessions left

October 10, October 17, October 24, October 30 (Wednesday), November 7

Students should arrive to the Grissom Main Entrance at 8 AM if they would like to participate.

Students should wear athletic apparel. All students must wear gym shoes.

ONE permission form is good for ALL intramurals for the school year. Students can pick up a permission form from the main office. It can also be printed (see link below) and turned into the main office.

The Orland Township Food Pantry is hosting a Scare Away Hunger Food Drive during the month of October. Please consider donating some much-needed food items from this list: apple sauce, boxed potatoes, broth, cake mix, canned fruit, canned tuna, canned beans )black, kidney, garbanzo), canned veggies, cereal, jello, pudding, ramen, soup, stuffing.

Donations can be dropped off at any KSD 140 school from Tuesday, October 1, through Thursday, October 31. For questions or more information, please contact Orland Township at 708-403-4222.

Student support is open to any student who wants to complete schoolwork in a supervised, quiet setting - our Media Center.

Before-school support is offered Monday - Friday starting at 8:00 A.M. Students attending can be dropped off at Grissom's main entrance. Students will not be able to enter the building before 8:00 A.M.

After-school support is offered Monday - Thursday until 4:05 P.M. An activity bus is available to take regular bus riders home at that time, if needed.

An after-school activity bus will be available ONLY for students who already receive bus service. Students who attend after-school activities that last no later than 4:05 P.M. can take the bus home.

KSD 140 uses ParentSquare for email, text, and voice messaging. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourages greater engagement and connection with the District. Families can choose their language preference and indicate how and when they want to receive information (email, text, and/or app notifications).

We encourage parents to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app and update their preferences on when and how they are notified.

Please visit ParentSquare.com to register or download the free app for iOS or Android devices.

• Wednesday, October 9th
  Walk and Roll to School Day
• Monday, October 14th
  No School - Columbus Day
  
• Wednesday, October 16th
  Unity Day
• Thursday, October 17th
  Picture Re-Take Day (during school hours)
• Thursday, October 17th
  Board of Education Meeting
  7 PM - KSD 140 Administration Center
• October 21st - 25th
  Red Ribbon Week
• Thursday, October 31st
  Half Day - 12 PM Student Dismissal

The entire school year calendar can be viewed on our website at 2024-25 School Year Calendar.

Calling all former Grissom Patriots!

In anticipation of our 50th Anniversary this upcoming 2024-25 school year, we are launching an alumni page for former students and current/former staff members.

If you are a Grissom alum or staff member, click the link below to join and contribute to our group. Feel free to share the group with other former alum so we can grow our community.

https://www.facebook.com/share/Dj32ArEGLBFUBbnR/

We can’t run any of our wonderful hot lunch days

without our great volunteers! Please consider signing

up even if you can’t come the whole time. Meet new

parents, and get involved at the school! We have

availability on Tuesdays and Fridays. Scan one of the

QR codes below to sign up.

Tuesday Volunteer Sign Up

Friday Volunteer Sign Up

Order your Grissom spiritwear for the 2024-25 school year.

Spiritwear Link.

D140 prioritizes comprehensive strategies to support students' mental, emotional, and physical health. Please click Health Information to review our resources. Together, we can create a nurturing environment where every student can thrive.

Grissom Middle School and Kirby School District 140 are committed to open and transparent communication. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

#KirbyONE40 #EveryChildEveryDay

Respectfully,

Mr. Michael Rumbaugh - Principal

mirumbaugh@ksd140.org

Mr. Alex Weinberg - Assistant Principal

aweinberg@ksd140.org

Principal Michael Rumbaugh- mirumbaugh@ksd140.org

Website: ksd140.org/grissom
Location: 17000 South 80th Avenue, Tinley Park, IL, 60477
Phone: 708-429-3030