Frankfort School District 157-C

Dear FSD 157-C Community,

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! We hope this message finds you well after an extended summer break.

Over the summer, there has been much happening around the District as we prepare to welcome all students back to school for what we believe will be a memorable school year for all in Frankfort School District 157-C. In just a few short weeks, your children will be met by an energized team of teachers and staff who are beyond excited to create wonderful learning experiences in our three schools.

Leading up to the first day of school on Tuesday, September 5, there are many details for our families to review.

Class Placement

Considerable thought and care have been applied to class placements. On Tuesday, August 15, all three principals will send a welcome letter to families via email at 8 AM. For students in kindergarten through third grade, the message will contain information about your child’s teacher for the year. For students in fourth through eighth grade, the email will provide notice that PowerSchool is open for all families to review their child’s class placement. Please note, the PowerSchool link for parents and students has been changed. If you have it bookmarked, please adjust to the new link HERE. The principal email will also include that link as well. For parents of new students to the district, in grades fourth through eighth, who are also new to PowerSchool, you will receive an additional email that will provide instructions for setting up your new account.

These emails will also outline other key information specific to Grand Prairie, Chelsea, and Hickory Creek.

Meet and Greet

Please join us for our annual “Meet and Greet” events on Friday, September 1. This is a perfect opportunity for students to meet their teacher and drop off materials ahead of the first day of school.

Here are the times for those meetings:

Hickory Creek - 8:30 AM- 10:00 AM

Chelsea – 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Grand Prairie – 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Preschool *Tuesday, September 5- AM Class: 9:30 - 10:30, PM Class 12:30 - 1:30

First Days of School

The first day of school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade is Tuesday, September 5. These are full days of attendance for students. All students should bring their lunch and water bottle. The first day for all preschool students is Wednesday, September 6. School start and end times are outlined below:

Hickory Creek: 7:45 - 2:10

Grand Prairie: 8:25 - 2:50

Chelsea: 9:05 - 3:30

Preschool: AM session 8:20 - 10:50, PM session is 12:00 - 2:30

Attendance

Student attendance is critical to the learning process. State law requires every school district to collect and review its absence data and determine how to support families to encourage the habit of daily attendance to promote success. To support our families, we have created an improved attendance communication process that will begin during the 2023-2024 school year. Please review our newly refreshed process for absence notices at the link HERE.

Transportation

Bus transportation for our students begins on the first day of school. Please review your route information, which will be provided on August 15, prior to the first day of school. Contact Brooke Hardt at 815-469-5922 or bhardt@fsd157c.org in the District Office if you have questions.

Curriculum Night

Each school will host a Curriculum Night onsite for staff to meet their students’ families and outline learning objectives for the school year. This year, the dates of Curriculum Night are as follows:

Grand Prairie: Thursday, September 7, 5:30 - 7

Hickory Creek: Wednesday, September 13, 5:30 - 7

Chelsea: Thursday, September 14, 5:30 – 7.

Picture Day

All three schools will host their student picture day on Friday, September 8. Ordering information will be sent out by each school in the first few days of student attendance.

We know that the successful coordination of so many moving parts during the first few days of school is incredibly important to families. Please know that all these details aside, our teachers will make your children feel right at home in their new classroom. The entire FSD 157-C team looks forward to creating many positive memories through rich experiences in our schools this year.

Sincerely,

Doug Wernet, Ed.D

FSD 157-C Superintendent