Ludwig Ledger
Summer 2024
Dear Ludwig Families,
I hope all of our Ludwig Families have been able to spend time relaxing, recharging, and making memories with families and friends this summer. Here at Ludwig School, we’ve been preparing for the start of the 2024/2025 school year. Our first day of student attendance is Wednesday, August 21st. This is an early release Wednesday, with students being dismissed at 1:50pm. I look forward to welcoming all of our 5th graders back and meeting all of our incoming 4th grade families and students!
Your child's teacher/classroom assignment, bussing information, and locker number will be accessible to you, via the PowerSchool Parent Portal, on August 12th. Please keep in mind that you must be registered and have proven residency to access this information. If you have any questions about the registration/residency process, please see our district website (www.d92.org) or contact Ludwig's main office.
Our motto at Ludwig School is, "Believe in the Bulldog". By inspiring our students to show determination, strength, and courage each day at school, we know that they will continue to make great strides in their educational journey! Our teachers and staff look forward to creating strong partnerships with our incoming 4th grade families and returning 5th grade families, to ensure all of our student scholars have a first-class educational experience at Ludwig School. We look forward to celebrating student growth and achievement with you at home throughout the year. When we work together, we provide our students with a support system that will help make a positive impact on their schooling experience.
Please take a moment to read through this edition of the Ludwig Ledger Newsletter, as it contains information about the start of the 2024/2025 school year. Monthly editions of the Ludwig Ledger will be released, towards the start of each month, with updates of happenings and events around the school and the district. Also, please visit our Ludwig School Facebook page and our online Virtual Backpack, regularly, for other school-related information.
The Ludwig School Staff is looking forward to having another wonderful school year! Please reach out to the main office, or myself, if you have any questions about the information below. I hope you all enjoy the remaining weeks of summer, and I look forward to seeing everyone on August 21st!
Sincerely,
Mr. Kulik
General School & Ludwig Staff Information
School Motto: "Believe in the Bulldog"
Address:
Ludwig School
710 N. State Street
Lockport, IL 60441
Phone: (815) 838-8020
Fax: (815) 838-3226
Website: www.d92.org
Main Office Staff:
Principal - Mr. Jeff Kulik - jkulik@d92.org. (Ext. 5003)
Secretary - Mrs. Lisa Szymanski - lszymanski@d92.org (Ext. 5001)
Attendance Secretary - Mrs. Lori Sterka - lsterka@d92.org. (Ext. 5002)
Nurse - Roxanne DeVito (Ext. 5005)
Get to Know the Ludwig School Staff:
2024/2025 Ludwig Staff Slideshow
Please visit the Ludwig School Staff Directory page for teacher emails and websites.
School Office, Student Attendance Hours, & '24/'25 Calendar
Summer office hours are 7:30am-2:30pm (Through Fri., Aug. 9th)
Regular office hours are 7:00am-3:30pm (Starting, Mon., Aug. 12th)
Student attendance hours are 7:50am - 2:30pm
Student drop off begins no earlier than 7:30am
*PLC Wednesdays - Dismissal will be held at 1:50pm every Wednesday.
Car Rider Drop-off / Pick-up Procedures
This year's car rider drop-off and pick-up procedures remain the same as last year. Please see the 2024/2025 Car Rider Arrival/Dismissal Procedures Google Doc for more information. Thank you for having patience during these busy times of the day and for helping keep our students, staff, and families safe! If you have any questions about these procedures, simply contact Ludwig's main office.
PFA Supply Kit Pickup Days
For our Ludwig families that purchased this year's school supply kit through the PFA, there are two scheduled pickup dates at Oak Prairie:
August 15: 8:00am - 4:00pm
August 16: 8:00am - 4:00pm
For families purchasing school supplies on their own, here are Ludwig's supply lists for 2024/2025.
Supply Drop Off
Ludwig School will be open on Monday, August 19th, for families that would like to find their child's classroom and drop off school supplies before the year starts. The school will be open between 10:00am -12:00pm and then again from 4:00pm - 6:00pm. Please enter the school through our gym doors. Teachers are NOT required to be present, so this day will strictly be a drop off event and not a “meet and greet”.
Teachers will have places for you to drop off the various school supplies in the classrooms. As you can imagine, our teachers and staff have spent many hours preparing their rooms for the first day of school. We welcome you to tour the classroom and school, but please do not move anything such as books or learning materials or write on the whiteboards.
Curriculum Night / Open House
Ludwig's Curriculum Night / Open House will be held on Tuesday, August 27th. This event provides parents the opportunity to meet your child's teacher and learn about the expectations for the school year. The 5th grade session will run from 5:00pm - 6:00pm and the 4th grade session will run from 6:30pm - 7:30pm. We look forward to seeing all of you there!
Grading & Reporting
Students will continue to be graded using traditional letter grades A, B, C, etc... on a 90%, 80%, 70%, etc... grading scale.
Teachers will also to continue to give feedback, in a variety of ways, on the priority standards for each grade level and subject area.
Trimester End Dates:
1st Trimester - Nov. 15th
2nd Trimester - Mar. 7th
3rd Trimester - June 4th
School Lunches
For the 2024-2025 school year, student lunches will cost $3.40. If your child only wants to purchase a milk, the cost is 50 cents. The school lunch menu can be found online on our Mealviewer.
To check your child's lunch account balance, please visit www.myschoolbucks.com where you will be able to add money to his/her account, starting on August 6th, 2024. If you have questions, please contact MySchoolBucks at (855)832-5226.
To see if your child qualifies for free or reduced lunch, please fill out the application HERE. For questions about this application, please contact Diana Goldstein at (815) 838-8031 ext. 1110. Families that qualify for free or reduced lunch must complete this application each school year, prior to October 1st.
This year 5th grade students will start their lunch/recess block at 10:35am. 4th Graders will start their lunch/recess block at 11:35am.
Click HERE to find out more information about our D92 lunch procedures, from our D92 Food Services Director, Michelle McGuire.
Student Attendance
As we head into the new school year, we would like to remind all of our families and students of the importance of having good attendance at School:
Every day a student is absent is a lost opportunity for learning. Too many absences not only can affect student achievement but it can also disrupt learning for the entire class. Research shows that students who consistently miss school are at risk for lower academic achievement, failure, and even dropping out of school altogether. Bringing awareness to the issue of chronic absenteeism, and by providing information and resources to parents can help improve student attendance and help student achievement. Here is a Family Attendance Handout that provides some facts about attendance and some suggestions to help keep your child attending school.
We understand that situations happen that can lead to absenteeism, and we will always partner with you to support you and your child in any way possible when there are factors that contribute to longer absences. In the event your child is sick and won't be attending school, please call Ludwig's main office before 8am and leave a message in the attendance mailbox. Thank you!
Ludwig School Procedures / Behavior Expectations
A Behavior Contract will come home with your child, in his/her backpack, on the first day of school. Please take a moment to review this contract with your child and return a signed copy to your child's teacher. Thank you!
Ludwig School Bulldog Pledge:
I pledge to show respect and kindness each day
To learn and grow in every way
With Bulldog pride we stand up tall
In blue and gold we give our all
Social Emotional Learning
During the 2024-2025 school year, we will continue to support the social/emotional well-being of all of our students. Our SEL resource, Second Step, will continue to guide our efforts in this area. Being able to manage emotions, build/maintain relationships, and care for oneself helps us deal with the stressors and challenges that we face in our everyday lives. Parents are able to find out more about our Second Step resource by visiting www.secondstep.org, creating an account, and entering the following access codes:
4th Grade Family Access: SSP4 FAMI LY74
5th Grade Family Access: SSP5 FAMI LY75
Please continue to support all that we do in the area of SEL in the home setting, as well. If you have questions about SEL programming and supports during the school year, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher, Ludwig's Social Worker - Ms. Grahovec, and/or Ludwig's main office.
Principal's 200 Club
At Ludwig School, students are rewarded when they are caught showing respectful behavior to staff and fellow students and/or are witnessed setting an example of great character for others. Please see below for more information about Ludwig's Principal's 200 Club!
Additional Information
School Security - School security is a high priority in all of our D92 schools. Please bring your driver's license when you come to the building, as you'll need it to enter. We will scan your license through the School Pass System for verification against the national sex offender database.
Communication - Please contact your child's teacher, throughout the school year, if you have questions or concerns. Our Ludwig Staff members are dedicated to being your partner in your child's educational journey.
Bussing - Bussing tends to run slower for the first week or two of school. As the driver gets to know your child, the pick up/drop off times, the route, traffic patters, etc.... travel times will decrease. Please be patient as we get all of our students to and from school safely.
Birthday/Classroom Parties/Volunteer Opportunities - Please contact your child's teacher directly for more information about birthday celebrations, classroom parties, and volunteer opportunities in his/her classroom.
Upcoming Dates For Your Calendar...
8/15 & 8/16 - PFA School Supply Kit Pickup at OP (8am-4pm)
8/19 - Supply Drop Off @ Ludwig (10am-12pm & 4pm-6pm)
8/21 - First Day of School (1:50pm dismissal)
8/27 - Ludwig Curriculum Night / Open House (See flyer above for more information)
8/27-8/29 - Fall FastBridge administration
9/2 - NO SCHOOL - Labor Day
9/5 - Fall Picture Day