Grass Lake School News

What a great week to be a BRAVE! Before I get in to our amazing week at Grass Lake, I want to remind everyone that we have a Safety Drill tomorrow at 9:30 am in partnership with the Lake County Sheriff's Department. These experiences can sometimes raise questions from students, so here’s a helpful link on how to talk with your child about school safety by following this link from the National Association of School Psychologists.

I’m excited to share that this past Tuesday, our 5th-8th grade students had the incredible opportunity to meet with GenLink, a student-led organization from nearby Lakes High School dedicated to fostering intergenerational relationships through community service and engagement. During the meeting, our students learned about the significance of volunteering, not just as an act of kindness, but as a way to strengthen social connections and build leadership skills. GenLink emphasizes how service can empower individuals to make a real impact in their communities, and through programs like theirs, our students are discovering how they can be part of something bigger, while developing skills that will serve them well in school and beyond.

By engaging with organizations like GenLink, our students are learning firsthand how their contributions can make a real impact while also developing a sense of responsibility. It was especially fun to see the intergenerational spirit in action, with the Seniors celebrating a pajama-themed Spirit Day, while Ms. Ryan’s 8th-grade students dressed as characters from The Outsiders, a novel they had just finished reading (see picture above). These moments beautifully reflect the connection-building that GenLink aims to foster, both within and across generations.

I am thrilled to share that last year, our Family Engagement Team made up of staff, families, and our amazing students, came together to brainstorm fun and meaningful events for this school year. After gathering input from our school community through a survey, I’m excited to announce that we’ve landed on two fantastic events: a Multicultural Celebration and a fun event such as Bingo!

Now, we need your help to bring these ideas to life! On Tuesday, October 1, at 6:00 PM, we’ll be meeting in the LRC to pick dates and begin planning these events. This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard and help us make these events truly special for everyone at GLS.

Last but certainly never least, Picture Day is coming on October 3rd. See directly below for details and ordering information.

Thank you, as always, for your help and support. I hope everyone has a great weekend and we look forward to another great week of learning next week!

Warm Regards,

Ryan Wollberg

Principal/Grass Lake School

Dear Grass Lake Parents and Families!

Your child's school picture day at:

Grass Lake will be October 3rd

Please use the link below to pre-order your portraits:

http://edclarkschoolphoto.hhimagehost.com/Fall2024GrassLake

Picture Ordering will close at 8am on picture day.

If you are having issues with the link copy and paste this into your browser:

https://AccessMyEvent.com/6KZWR5

We look forward to seeing you!

E.D. Clark Photography

Each week throughout the school year, families enrolled in our Backpack Program will go home with pre-bagged, shelf-stable, nutritious food items. Items may include: milk, pasta, canned fruit, canned vegetables, cereal, tuna, beans, rice, and more! Please complete this form if your family would like to be enrolled. The food will come home with your student once a week. If you decide your family would no longer like to be part of the program, or if you have any questions, please contact Kelly Porter at 847-395-5160 or kporter@gls36.org. This form and program are confidential.

Each week we will share what is happening in our Music or Art classes. This past week it was CHRISTMAS in September!!! K-5 is working hard on the STR Christmas Card Contest.

Please follow the link below for more information about our Fall athletics.

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 are $3.75.

This year, you will continue to see important updates from me regarding the importance of attendance every day at GLS. More information will be forthcoming in upcoming newsletters but we wanted all of our students to start the year off headed in the right direction. Please follow this link to view our Academic Calendar for the upcoming school year and we encourage all of our families, to the greatest extent possible, to schedule doctor and dentist appointments, vacations, etc. on days off. While we understand there may certainly be extenuating circumstances out of your control, your help in sending your child to school every day will help them continue to excel at GLS.

As a reminder, 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 that 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 and support!

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. 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.

Please report absences by phone OR by email:

• Call (847) 395-1550, or
• Email attendance@gls36.org

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.

This year, we have adjusted and included bus information in Infinite Campus. You can view your child(rens) bus information by following these steps or going to our website by following this link:

1. Sign into Infinite Campus
2. Select your GLS Student(s)
3. Select "More"' in the column on the left
4. Select "Transportation"
5. Under "Bus" it will read one of three numbers GLS00# (# indicates what bus 1, 2, or 3) to indicate if they are on bus 1, 2, or 3. This year we are running three routes for K-8.
6. If you are a Pre-Kindergarten parent it will read GLSPK# (# indicates what bus 1(AM), 2(AM), 3(PM), or 4(PM).

As a reminder, for Friday early release, please plan for students in grades K-8 to be home 1.5 hours earlier than Monday through Thursday.

We’ve also posted this information on our website, which you can access by following this link. As a reminder, during the first few days, the buses may run approximately 5-10 minutes off schedule, so we kindly ask for your patience. Additionally, all Pre- K and Kindergarten families, please plan on meeting your child at the bus stop, as the drivers will not release them unless an adult is present for safety purposes. We truly appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Below, you’ll find a map for your convenience, detailing our drop-off and pick-up procedures. We ask that parents remain in their cars during drop-off and pick-up to ensure smooth traffic flow and student safety. The only exception is for Pre-K families, who may require the need to get out to get their child(ren) out of a 5 point harness car seat.

Please note the following morning waiting areas for students:

- Pre-K: Will enter in the main entrance but have a separate waiting area in our main foyer/hall.

- K-3: Library

- 4-6: MPR (Multi-Purpose Room)

- 7-8: Basement near their lockers

If you plan to pick your child up early from school, kindly email your child's teacher as well as Cristina Monroy, our administrative assistant. Early pick-up and late drop-off should be done through our main entrance. Please remember to bring your ID when picking up your child, as we want to ensure they are sent home with an approved individual.

When your child is dropped off in the morning, they will enter through the main entrance. In the afternoon, they will exit through the same doors (marked by the yellow box below). Please wait in your car, and we will release students to you as quickly as possible. Again, we ask for your patience at the beginning of the year as we refine our procedures—rest assured, the process will become faster as everyone gets accustomed to it. Additionally, please do not drop off your child until the front doors open at 7:30 am.

Thank you for your continued support!

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