Grass Lake School News

What a great week to be a BRAVE! You will notice that effective today through Spring Break, there will be a number that appears at the top of my weekly update. This number represents the percentage of families that have completed our 5Essentials Survey. To obtain results from our Parent Survey, we need at least 20% of our families to respond. While 20% is the required amount set by the survey, we always strive for excellence and to get the most voices heard. I am personally hopeful to get that number closer to 80% to ensure the most voices are heard. The survey takes approximately 20 minutes and provides Grass Lake with feedback from our families about things that are going well as well as opportunities to improve. Please see below for further details about the survey or follow this link to take the survey. We thank you in advance for your participation.

Dr. Newby and I will be having a Parent Forum on Tuesday, February 13 at 6:00 pm via Zoom to talk more about the 5Essentials Survey and also begin to collaborate with families on what events the school can help bring to our school community. I cannot believe it but I am already into my 8th month as Principal of GLS. For anyone who has talked to me, you have probably heard me say "it takes a village" or even "partnering home and school" as it relates to your child(ren). We are looking for feedback on what families want from us to help support our entire school community. Whether it be activities to promote learning at home, supporting your child(ren) in this age of social media, social and emotional learning, etc. If you cannot make it, no problem, but please consider leaving your feedback in our Virtual Suggestion Box found below or follow this link.

As a reminder that this evening, February 8 from 6:30-7:30 in our Grass Lake Library we will welcome Jim May for an evening of storytelling. Bring the family for a fun evening listening to stories told in an entertaining fashion with audience participation too! Participants are encouraged to come in their PJs, bring a stuffy, and get ready for a fun evening that will end with some milk and cookies before we send everyone home for a restful evening. No RSVP is required and see below for further details.

Lastly, next week, we will celebrate a GLS Spirit Week which was created by our students. Please consider having your child(ren) participate in the week of fun. We will also be celebrating Valentine's Day on Wednesday. Staff have been in communication regarding parties and celebrations for the day and I look forward to seeing everyone in their Valentine's Day wear on Wednesday! You will also notice that Friday is left off as we will have a Teacher Institute Day with a specific focus on PBL (please follow this link to learn more about our PBL initiative) and there is no school on Monday, February 19 in honor of Presidents Day.

Thank you for a great week and on behalf of our amazing staff, we appreciate all your help and support. I hope everyone has a great weekend and we look forward to seeing everyone on Monday!

Sincerely,

Ryan Wollberg

Principal/Grass Lake School

Dear Grass Lake Parents/Guardians,

We hope this message finds you well! We're excited to inform you about a wonderful opportunity for you to share your thoughts and insights about your child's school. Starting today, students and teachers all across Illinois, including Grass Lake, will be taking part in the eleventh annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey.

This survey is designed to gain valuable insights into the inner workings of your child's school, and we genuinely value your input. As parents/guardians, your participation will help us better understand and improve the key aspects of school effectiveness.

The Illinois State Board of Education has teamed up with UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago to conduct this survey online. It focuses on five critical indicators that can have a significant impact on student outcomes, such as attendance and test score improvements. These five indicators, which influence school success, are:

1. Effective Leaders
2. Collaborative Teachers
3. Involved Families
4. Supportive Environments
5. Ambitious Instruction

Previous research involving over 400 schools has demonstrated that schools excelling in at least three of these "5Essential" indicators were 10 times more likely to enhance student learning in math and reading than those weaker in three or more Essentials.

The survey will be completed by all teachers and students in grades four through eight. To generate 5Essentials Reports for our school, we need our teachers and students to meet a response rate threshold of 50 percent and the results are included in our School Report Card.

Furthermore, our district is offering an optional parent survey to help supplement. If at least 20 percent of Grass Lake parents/guardians take part in this survey, we will receive a parent report. Please note that the parent data will not be included in the State Report Card. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will provide invaluable insights into the conditions at Grass Lake Elementary School and help guide our improvement efforts. Rest assured, your identity and responses will remain completely confidential and will never be linked to you or your child.

We kindly ask you to click the link below to complete the survey. Your confidential responses are greatly appreciated as we work together to continue making progress at Grass Lake Elementary. For additional information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey please visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois.

Thank you for being a valued member of our Grass Lake community, and for your important contribution to the future of Grass Lake School as we continue this year and in to the coming years as well!

As we are deep in the cold and flu season, I continue to have conversations with families about when to send their children to school and when to keep them home. I have included a visual reminder from a neighboring school that is helpful as you are making the tough choice to either send your child or keep them home. Grass Lake encourages you to send your child to school every day, unless they are exhibiting one or more of the following symptoms:

1. The student has a temperature consistently above 100 even when taking medication in the last 24 hours.
2. The student is throwing up or experiencing diarrhea in the last 24 hours.
3. The student has pink eyes that are crusty and not receiving medication for them for 24 hours.

While this list is not all-inclusive your help is appreciated as even missing 2 days a month equates to missing almost 10% of the school year. Also, as a reminder, any absence due to illness which lasts for more than three consecutive days may be verified by a medical note, which must be produced within two days of the student’s return for the absence to be considered excused. Thank you for your help!

We are thrilled to offer our Summer School program from June 3 to June 21, with a break on Juneteenth (June 19), to ensure that every student has the opportunity to excel. Our program will run daily from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM, focusing primarily on enhancing reading and math skills and transportation will be provided. In the afternoon, Ms. Juszczyk has already started talking to our GLS coaches and will once again hold summer camps for those interested in participating in sports camps. Sports Camps will run from 12:00-1:30 Monday through Friday as well.

It's important to note that participation in our Summer School program is not a reflection of your child's intelligence. Rather, it's an opportunity for them to strengthen their academic foundations and thrive in a supportive learning atmosphere. Our dedicated staff is here to guide and support each student on an individual basis, tailoring their education to meet their unique needs. We believe that every child has the potential to succeed, and our Summer School program is designed to help them reach their full potential. If your child qualifies for our program, we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to further their education and set them up for success at GLS and beyond!

We plan on sending out invitations to those families whose child(ren) has been selected to participate in the coming weeks and we hope everyone can take advantage of this amazing program.

"No school can work well for children if parents and teachers do not act in partnership on behalf of the children's best interests" - Dorothy H. Cohen

In order to continue to move Grass Lake School forward, please let us know any ideas you have on how we can continue to improve our school! We will be checking this suggestion box periodically- if you would like a more immediate response, please call or email Ryan Wollberg directly.

The PTO is purchasing an ice cream sandwich for every student in school this Friday! Instead of bringing your dollar, enjoy some ice cream on the PTO. Additional purchases will still be $1.

The 8th-grade class is playing ukulele and serenaded Mr. Wollberg with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star this week! It's amazing how much they have learned in such a short time.

All fifth through eighth-grade student-athletes, please follow the button below to view this month's newsletter from Ms. Juszczyk our athletic director.

Please follow the button below to be directed to our GLS website for more details related to our Breakfast/Lunch menus and ordering information. If there are any questions, please contact our main office. As a reminder, our lunch fees have increased from $3.50 to $3.75.

Grass Lake School hours of attendance are 7:45 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. on regular schedule days and 7:45 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. on early release late-start days. An answering machine will take messages during the hours when the school office is closed. When reporting an absence please indicate the reason for the absence and if it is due to illness, please report symptoms including if your child has a fever, cough, or sore throat. This will assist the district in assessing when a student will return and whether it must comply with any reporting or notice requirements.

The telephone number to report absences is: (847) 395-1550 or via email attendance@gls36.org.

We have created an email address to allow you to "email" attendance information. This is an alternative to using the Attendance Hotline phone number or using the Infinite Campus portal. We wanted to create yet another option to allow busy parents the opportunity to report absences. Please email all pertinent information to attendance@gls36.org. If you choose to use this option, pertinent information would include your child's name, date, grade, and reason for the absence, late-arrival or early-dismissal. Please choose the option that works best for you, whether that be email, phone or IC portal.

If the school has not heard from you and your child is absent, you will receive a call to verify the absence. School code provides that parents/guardians/other persons having legal custody of a child provide telephone numbers at the time of enrollment to enable the school to notify the parent/guardian/other person with legal custody of the child’s absence from school. Accordingly, this verification of absence call will be made to the numbers provided at registration and not necessarily the parents’ places of employment.

By now all GLS families should have received an email with information related to their individual child(rens) bus stop information. We also have posted the information on our website which you can access by following this link. As a reminder, the first couple of days the buses may be running approximately 5-10 minutes off schedule so we do ask for your patience. Also, all Kindergarten families please plan on meeting your child at the bus stop as the drivers will not release them unless an adult is present to meet them for safety purposes. We appreciate your help and cooperation.

Below you will find a map for your convenience as it relates to our drop-off and pick-up procedures. If you plan on picking your child up early from school, we kindly ask you to email your child's teacher as well as Cristina Monroy, our administrative assistant. When you enter the building for early pick or late drop off this should all be done through our main entrance. Make sure to have your ID when picking your child up as we want to make sure we are sending your child home with an approved individual.

When your child is dropped off they will enter through our gymnasium doors and in the afternoon they will exit through those same doors (yellow box below). Please wait in your car and we will release students to you as fast as we can. Again, I do ask for your patience in the beginning of the year but I promise you, it will continue to get faster and faster. Also, please do not drop off your child until the gymnasium doors open at 7:30am.

GRASS LAKE SCHOOL

26177 W. Grass Lake Rd. Antioch, IL 60002
Phone: (847) 395-1550 | Fax: (847) 395-8632

Email: rwollberg@gls36.org
Website: www.gls36.org
Location: Grass Lake School District 36, West Grass Lake Road, Antioch, IL, USA
Phone: 847-395-1550