We finally have, power fully restored to our building and all of our systems, including internet, are fully operational. These past two weeks have hindered some of our preparations but we are still on track to have everything ready for the upcoming school year. We are still trying to register several returning Taft families and we encourage everyone to please make it a priority to complete registration as quickly as possible.

I remain frustrated with the vendor who will be installing our playground. When we placed the order in December we were targeted for a July 1 date to begin installation and here we are at the end of the month and they still have not started. I am hopeful that they will finally begin tomorrow to ensure it is ready for the school year. Please be on the lookout for more information because we may need some help from our community to pull some weeds and spread some mulch depending on how quickly they complete the install.

Registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open. Please register as quickly as possible to help us plan for class sections for next year. Please use the button below to access the online registration.

Softball tryouts are Monday 7/29 from 9:00 to 11:00 at Dellwood Park at the field by the amphitheater. Tryouts are for 5th through 8th grade students. You must have a current sports physical on file to try out. Please email Coach Winterroth at e.winterroth@taftsd90.org if you have any questions.

Baseball tryouts are the following Monday 8/5 from 4:00 to 6:00 at Dellwood Park at the end of Parkview Ln. Tryouts are for 5th through 8th grade students and a current sports physical must be on file. We have a new coach this year who is excited to get started. Contact Coach Howard if you have any questions at p.howard@taftsd90.org.

I am pleased to announce that I will be hosting a free basketball skill and development training session for students in grades 3rd-8th. The focus of this training will be on the fundamentals of basketball, including ball handling, shooting form, defense, and more.

If you are interested in having your child participate, please reserve their spot as soon as possible. There are only 30 spots available for each session.

I am excited to introduce myself as the new principal of Taft. My name is Kim Thompson, and I officially began my new role on July 1st. While this is my first year as principal, I am proud to say that I am starting my 18th year at Taft. Having been a part of this wonderful community for so long, I am thrilled to continue serving our students, staff, and families in this new capacity.

While summer is a time for family, fun, sun, and relaxation, I can't wait for August 15th when we welcome everyone back in the building for the first day of school. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to reach out. I look forward to working together to make this a fantastic year for everyone. If you have not completed registration for your students please make sure you do so as quickly as possible. We are closely watching our 4th grade to see what our enrollment looks like. We also seem to be getting a fair amount of new students registering every day. Please see the information regarding registration and our school supply list along with our lunch order form below.

Attached is the order form for Taft SD90 August and September lunch. Lunch is ordered a month in advance, but changes can be made up to a week before if needed. The form is due back to us by 8/3/24. You can select Hot, Cold, or Milk for your child's lunch on any given day. The form can be downloaded, saved, and edited, and then emailed back to Mrs. Zimmerman at j.zimmerman@taftsd90.org as soon as possible. Please ensure that your child's name and grade are included on the top part of the form.

At the start of the school year, extra lunches will be ordered just in case you are not able to return the form by 8/3/24.

Even if you qualify for free or reduced meals, a form must be filled out for each day your child desires a school lunch. You may choose between a Hot or Cold option. The cost of a school lunch is $4.35 per meal. Failure to fill out the form may result in not having lunch available for your child. If your child only wants milk, a charge of $0.50 will be applied, even if you qualify for free or reduced meals.

Please see the attached below for the 2024-2025 School Calendar.

All students entering early childhood-including speech services, kindergarten, and 6th grade are required to have a current physical examination completed on the approved Illinois Department of Public Health Form.. A sports physical does not meet the requirement. The parent portion on the upper backside of the form must be completed and signed. Required physical exam with updated immunizations must be turned in by October 15,2023 to avoid exclusion from school.

• Preschool
  

  
  

  Complete Preschool Physical Examination

  No additional immunization requirement if up-to-date.

  
  

• Kindergarten
  

  
  

  Complete Kindergarten Physical Examination and all required immunizations including:

  • Two doses of MMR Vaccine

  • Four doses of Polio Vaccine

  • Four doses of DPT/DTaP Vaccine

  • Three doses of Hepatitis B

  • Two doses of Varicella Vaccine (chicken pox)

  • Complete Kindergarten Eye Examination - Must be turned in prior to October 15 of the current school year.
    

  • Complete Kindergarten Dental Examination - Must be turned in prior to May 15 of the current school year.

  
  

  • 6th Grade
    

    
    

    Complete 6th grade Physical Examination and all required immunizations including:

    • One dose of Tdap Vaccine

    • One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (meningitis) after the 11th birthday

    • Two doses of Varicella Vaccine (chicken pox)

    • Three doses of Hepatitis B at the required intervals

    Complete 6th grade Dental Examination - Must be turned in prior to May 15 of the current school year.

    
    

  
  

  Students entering an Illinois school from out of state or out of the country for the first time at any grade level must also provide the physical exam form. The exam must be completed no earlier than a year (365 days) prior to the start of attendance at an Illinois school.

  
  

Staff will be outside each morning beginning at 8:10 AM to begin supervising students. Before 8:10 AM, there will not be any supervision for students so we ask that parents please do not drop off your students before that. There is no parking in the drop-off lanes on 16th and 17th Streets. Parents who wish to park or wait with their children are expected to use the spaces on Washington Street. The drop-off lanes on 16th and 17th Streets are designed for parents to drive up and drop students off and proceed forward. Parents should simply wait in line until they get close to the school and then drop off students. Jumping the line to save a few seconds is dangerous and breaks down the process for everyone and will take longer in the end.

Pick-up time generally follows the same procedures except parents will typically begin lining up prior to school letting out. During pickup time it is acceptable for parents to wait in their cars for their students however parents should not park, and leave their cars in the pickup lane unattended. As the line moves we ask that parents pull as far forward as possible to ensure the traffic flows and to allow more students to enter their cars. Please note that with the upgraded curves on the 16th Street side that there is a change in the traffic pattern.

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade - Line up on the back playground each morning and enter through Door 4. Teachers will come out and get them from their lines. First and second-grade students will be dismissed out the playground doors each day. Kindergarten will be dismissed from Door 2 nearest to the kindergarten classroom. All students in kindergarten through 2nd grade must be picked up by a parent or sibling and checked out with their teachers to ensure our youngest students are safely picked up.

3rd & 4th Grade - Line up and dismissed from Door 7 on 17th Street

5th - 8th Grade - Line up and dismissed from Door 2 on 16th Street

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Taft is proud to have the “Stop It” program up and running for the 2021-2022 school year. Stop it is an online program that students can use to report bullying or any unsafe behavior while remaining anonymous. These reports come through to the Superintendent, Principal, and Social Worker via text so we can address the situation right away. This provides the student with an opportunity to share their concerns if they feel they cannot speak immediately to an adult.

We continue to teach our students to advocate for themselves in situations where they feel they can speak to a situation on their own. The students are reminded there are different approaches to stop bullying or unsafe situations outside of reporting things anonymously. Students are encouraged to share concerns with friends, staff, and family to learn to advocate for themselves. However, we understand that there are some situations where students may feel safer reporting discreetly.

If you have any questions regarding the Stop It program, please contact Mr. Davini or Mr. Calabrese.

Email: j.calabrese@taftsd90.org
Website: www.taft90.org
Location: 1605 South Washington Street, Lockport, IL, USA
Phone: (815)838-0434
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taft.vikings
Twitter: @jjcalabrese