Maple Marquee

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of summer vacation! We have been busy at Maple School preparing for the 2024-25 school year and are excited about the first day of school on Wednesday, August 21 beginning at 8:35 a.m. This fall, we also look forward to the important growth to come at Maple and in District 30 as we launch our Strategic Plan that will guide us in our mission to create an inclusive community that inspires learning, fosters resilience and cares deeply for every child.

The program at Maple School is designed to foster and enhance each aspect of our students’ development. We recognize that this is a time in our students’ lives reflecting tremendous growth and change. Our goal is to address students’ daily needs and to assist them with the variety of learning experiences they will encounter during the school year.

One new key initiative is our home-school partnership with RULER, an evidence-based approach to social-emotional learning developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. This year, we ask parents and guardians to be our RULER partners in an effort to best support our students; we encourage you to learn more below in this newsletter. We are also pleased to welcome a new social worker role to Maple, which will help to better support our students' social-emotional needs.

Communication is critical as we look forward to another great year for students and our Maple learning community. Our staff is prepared to be an active partner in providing up-to-date information for parents, guardians and students.

Below, you will find essential event dates and information for the 2024-25 school year. Please review each item carefully and note our attendance procedures that requires absences to be reported through the Parent Portal. Through the year, the best source of information about our school is through our weekly electronic Maple Marquee that is emailed each Friday. In addition, the Maple calendar listing sports, school, and PTO events is always available on our Maple website at district30.org/maple.

We look forward to the start of the year and partnering with all of our Maple students and families. Please feel free to call our office for information about our school or contact your child's teachers at any time during the year to discuss their progress.

Sincerely,

Dr. Sam Kurtz

Principal

skurtz@district30.org

847-400-8905

Ms. Angela Jaeger

Assistant Principal

ajaeger@district30.org

847-400-8904

August 12

Students schedules available in the Parent Portal (see "First Day of School" item below)

August 13

9:00-10:00 a.m. – All 6th grade & new student orientation

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. & 1:00-4:00 p.m. – Locker set-up

10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. – New to the district math & EL student placement testing

August 14

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. & 1:00-4:00 p.m. – Locker set-up

August 16

PTO registration opens

August 21

8:35 a.m. – First day of school begins

August 26

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing begins

August 28

7:00 p.m. – Curriculum Night

6:30-7:00 p.m. – High school placement info (8th-grade parents and guardians only)

September 2

District holiday - NO SCHOOL

September 9

PTO general meeting

September 27

Picture day

Student attendance will be a focus at Maple School this year.

1. Your student's attendance matters -- there are social, emotional, and academic impacts to inconsistent attendance. We want to make sure we all get on the same track for a successful school year. Everything you need to know about attendance can be found in the Maple School Handbook.
2. It is important for parents to know the difference between "excused" and "unexcused" absences. Please see the table below for more details.
3. Maple's administration and teachers are always available to support students and families to remediate attendance issues. Please contact Maple's principals if you'd like to discuss methods of support.

All parents and guardians must report student absences, late arrivals or early departures through the Parent Portal. Please do not contact the Health Office, School Office, or classroom teacher via phone or email.

For a step-by-step guide on how to report an absence, click here. Please ensure to include as much detail as possible when entering the reason for the absence.

If no information is in the Parent Portal by 10:00 a.m. and a student is absent, the school will attempt to contact a parent or guardian.

If the absence is medically involved, please report the absence first in the Parent Portal. Following this, you are welcome to contact the school Health Office to communicate with the nurse about the condition.

Questions? Please contact the front desk.

Each grade has its own school supply list below:

• 6th Grade Supply List

• 7th Grade Supply List

• 8th Grade Supply List

For your convenience, the PTO offers a ship-to-home service that allows parents and guardians to purchase supplies online through the School Tool Box. Each box can be customized to add or remove items. It’s an easy way to order school supplies, and a portion of sales benefits the Maple PTO.

We encourage all students to label their supplies and water bottles, as we tend to collect quite a few items in our Lost and Found over the year.

A special orientation has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 13 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. for all incoming 6th-grade students and Maple students new to District 30. The information discussed during this time will mirror that which was shared during last year’s incoming 6th-grade orientation.

Placement testing for all students new to District 30 will be held at Maple School at the following times:

• Math & EL Assessments: Tuesday, August 13 from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Maple welcomes the following teachers to our school this fall/ Please give them a warm welcome as they join our One Herd!

• Molly Hoisington, Occupational Therapist
• Lindsay Huegelmann - Special Education Teacher, 6th Grade
• David Karnoscak - Multi-Tiered Support Systems Teacher
• Daphne Meng - Music/Choir
• Bill Reis - Instructional Assistant
• Jennifer Winter - Social Worker
• Esther Xu - Science Teacher, 8th Grade

Locks will be available for purchase during the New Student Orientation and on locker set-up days (see schedule below). Locks cost $7.00; please bring exact change or a check made payable to Maple School. Parents, guardians and students need to keep a record of the lock combination as Maple School does NOT keep these records.

As has been the practice each of the past few years, students will not change for physical education or utilize the gymnasium locker rooms. Therefore, students will not need to purchase or wear uniforms during PE.

7th- and 8th-graders should be returning to school with the lock that they have used in the past.

The building will be open to parents, guardians and students for locker set-up on:

• Tuesday, August 13 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-4:00 p.m.

• Wednesday, August 14 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-4:00 p.m.

6th-graders and students new to Maple are required to provide the school with a health exam, which was completed within one year prior to the first day of school. Students new to Illinois will need to hand in a completed eye exam. Sixth graders must also provide the school with a dental exam form or waiver.

All forms are available on the Maple website.

If your child will be participating in Maple athletics, it is required that your student have a health exam that was completed within one year prior to the last game of the season, on file in the health office.

Before any medication can be dispensed, the school must receive written instructions and a signed permission form from the student’s physician and parent. All medications must be properly labeled and kept in the Health Office. Parental permission must also be obtained for non-prescription medication.

All forms can be dropped off with a member of the Maple front desk team, or emailed to School Nurse Mrs. Katie Weissler (kweissler@district30.org). Please contact the Health Office at 847-400-8908 if you have questions.

District 30 continuously strives to support our Strategic Plan values, which includes a student-centered education that nurtures intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth in a safe and supportive environment, as well as inclusivity and belonging; health & well-being for our students and community; and community collaboration that is rooted in empathy.

As part of this effort, we have committed to implementing RULER, an evidence-based approach to social-emotional learning developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. This year, we ask parents and guardians to be our RULER partners in an effort to best support our students:

What is RULER? RULER is an acronym for the skills of emotional intelligence: Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing and Regulating emotions.

Does my child know about RULER?: Yes! Throughout last school year in 2023-24, students were taught the principles of RULER and have been practicing them in class and beyond.

How can I help this year? As we continue on our RULER journey, we'd like to do that in partnership with you! Each month in the Wescott Word, we will share RULER themes and tips for applying these ideas at home to help families better understand, navigate and communicate their emotions. Please watch each edition of this newsletter to learn more each month, and click the link below to see the schedule of topics you and your child(ren) will learn about and can practice this year.

On Wednesday, August 21 students should report to their advisory classroom indicated in the Parent Portal, under 2024-25 School Year Information.

All parents and guardians who have completed all registration forms and payments can access student schedules in Parent Portal after August 12 following these steps:

1. Log into Parent Portal at ps.district30.org/public
2. Click Student Reports in the left navigation menu
3. Click Maple Student Schedule (2024-2025) under Archived Reports
   
   

Students will attend the opening day ceremony and follow an abbreviated schedule. Buses will operate on the first day of school and Quest lunch will be available.

Beginning Wednesday, August 21, school buses will be in operation for arrivals and departures. Students should report to the bus stop early for the first few days. Buses will depart from Maple no earlier than 3:45 p.m. Buses will arrive and depart from the bus lane on the south side of the building.

Bus passes will not be required during the first couple of weeks. First Student Transportation has mailed registration materials, including a fee schedule for AM and PM Activity Routes, directly to your home. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact First Student at 847-724-7200.

Student pick-up and drop-off procedures are designed to provide a safe and controlled environment for students as they enter and exit cars. The only vehicle entrance into Maple School after 2:45 p.m. will be off of Shermer Road. Please watch the video below from when this procedure debuted in 2022 and reference the map, also below, that details the new traffic pattern. These will allow you to be prepared for a smooth pick-up on our first day of school.

Students may be dropped-off along the curb on the north side or east side of the Maple School building. There is NO student drop-off on Sherman Drive or at the GBN parking lot. After drop-off, drivers should continue and exit onto Sherman Drive or Shermer Road. Students may enter the building through Maple’s Main Entrance (north side) or the Activity Entrance (east side).

Please remember, during the school year students will not be permitted to enter the building until 8:05 a.m. unless they are attending a band, orchestra, or choir rehearsal, or they have a scheduled meeting with a teacher. After drop-off, music students should proceed to their classrooms, while all other students should proceed directly to the cafetorium.

Patience is a key component to a safe and efficient pick-up and drop-off experience. We appreciate your cooperation and your kindness toward our custodians and staff who are assisting with the traffic flow.

Maple School Utilizes MealTime Point of Sale System.

• Go to: www.mymealtime.com and create an account

• Parents, guardians or students can deposit money on their Maple student IDs to pay for food and beverages in the Cafetorium serving line

• Cash will also be accepted

• PTO Special Lunch, Ice Cream Days, and Blizzards are NOT part of the Quest lunch program
  

Any items, including iPads, dropped off in the office for a student should have the student's name and grade on it and be placed on the cart labeled by grade for the student to pick up.

When a student forgets their iPad or any other items for the day, they should first check in with their teacher, then come to the office to see if it was dropped off. Students are also welcome to make a phone call from the office phone to request items to be dropped off that day.

In order to keep classroom interruptions to a minimum, students will NOT be called to the office to pick up items. The procedures for distribution of these items are listed below.

Place your items on the cart in the vestibule, labeled by student name and grade:

• Before lunch - they will be brought to the lunchroom during the student's lunch period by the lunchroom supervisor to be given to the student.

• After lunch - students will be called to pick up items at the end of the day.

• Items not picked up by a student by the end of the school day will remain in the office until the next day's lunch period for delivery to the student.

• Unclaimed lunch boxes left at school will be discarded at the end of each week.

We ask parents and guardians NOT to order food or beverages to be delivered directly to school during their child’s lunch period. Our front office staff will not be responsible for its timely delivery to the lunchroom.

To ensure a safe school environment for all, we ask that food with nuts be limited only to the lunchroom. If teachers permit snacks during Advisory, students are expected to only bring healthy, nut-free options.

Students are only permitted to drink water throughout the school day, and are encouraged to bring water bottles. The only exception is during their lunch period, when they can enjoy other appropriate beverages.

The school district supplies an assignment notebook to each student. This is given to your student on the first day of school. Students are expected to bring their Maple assignment notebook to each class every day. The assignment notebook is an instructional tool used by every teacher. The replacement cost is $6.

Following the start of the 2024-25 school year, the district's online adaptive assessment, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), will be administered to all Maple students. The MAP test window will open on August 26 and run through September 13. Please check with your child's teacher about their testing schedule so there are no conflicts if appointments need to be scheduled during this time.

These assessment results will continue to be used (1) by teachers to assist them in differentiating lessons in reading/language arts and mathematics; as well as (2) to measure student academic growth. Students' fall assessment reports will be made available to parents and guardians later in the school year.

We will offer an in-person Curriculum Night experience on Wednesday, August 28, in which families will have the opportunity to experience an expedited version of their student’s schedule. During this event you will hear from each of your student's teachers and learn about them and their class. The night's events include:

• 8th-Grade parent information meeting, 6:30-7:00 p.m.
• Curriculum Night presentation, 7:00-8:15 p.m.

All who live in District 30 boundaries are invited to meet Superintendent Dr. Tammaru and a member of our Board of Education to ask questions and share what is important to you in our schools.

You can pick from either the 12 p.m. or 6 p.m. session on Wednesday, September 25 at our District 30 Offices, 2374 Shermer Road, Northbrook. RSVP is optional so we can plan for space and send a reminder to participants close to the event date.

Please share with neighbors, as this event is for everyone in our boundaries – even if they do not have children in our schools. Click below to join us!

Anyone wishing to purchase a yearbook for their student should click here to complete the online order or call Josten's at 877-767-5217. Purchasing the yearbook is optional, but most students like to have one at the end of the year. The current cost per book is $32.00. This will increase after winter break.

ALL students in Band will begin on Tuesday, September 3. Students should bring their instruments and meet in the band room (room 163) at 7:45 a.m. The band will follow this schedule:

• Concert Band: Tuesday and Thursday mornings 7:45-8:25 a.m. - (All band students 6th, 7th and 8th grade)

• Symphonic Band: Monday and Wednesday 7:45-8:25 a.m. (Advanced group)

• Jazz Band: Friday mornings 7:45-8:25 a.m.

Drop off between 7:30-7:40 a.m. - ACTIVITY DOOR ENTRANCE

Please bring: Summer music, black music binder, highlighter, and pencil to all rehearsals.

Students with NO BAND EXPERIENCE may still join the band!

Please contact Mr. Robert Pittman at rpittman@district30.org for more information.

The orchestra will play the National Anthem on the FIRST DAY of school, August 21st at the opening day assembly. We will have rehearsal that morning at 7:45-8:25 a.m. to tune and warm up. More info. to follow in August!

Orchestra will officially start the second week of school on Tuesday, September 3 for Chamber Orchestra and Wednesday, September 4 for String Orchestra

Students should bring their instruments and meet in the orchestra room (room 164) at 7:45 a.m. The orchestras will follow this schedule:

• String Orchestra: Mondays and Wednesdays 7:45-8:25 a.m. in Room 164

• (ALL orchestra students)

• Chamber Orchestra: Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:45-8:25 a.m. in Room 164

• (Students selected for Chamber Orchestra will be in BOTH orchestras and have rehearsals Monday -Thursday.)

Drop off between 7:30-7:40 a.m..- ACTIVITY DOOR ENTRANCE

Please bring: instrument, black music binder, and a pencil to all rehearsals and lessons.

**Cellos and basses ONLY - There are school owned instruments for you to use at Maple. Please keep the rental instruments at home for practice.

There will be an Orchestra Parent information meeting on Curriculum night on Wednesday, August 28 from 6:30-7:00 p.m. in the orchestra room. You’ll also be receiving a copy of the orchestra handbook in the fall. In the meantime, you can check the orchestra website for more info.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Yoo at ryoo@district30.org.

All choir students will begin on Friday, September 6. Choir rehearses three days a week from 7:45-8:25 a.m. in Room 165. Two of those days are sectional rehearsals with specific voice parts (soprano or alto/tenor), and Fridays will be full rehearsals with everyone. Each week, students will attend one sectional rehearsal and one full rehearsal on Friday.

Rehearsal Schedule:

Day TBD - Sopranos

Day TBD - Altos and tenors

Fridays - Everyone

Drop off between 7:30-7:40 a.m. - ACTIVITY DOOR ENTRANCE

All students are welcome to join choir! No previous choir experience is necessary. Students who are interested in joining the choir should come to a rehearsal in the music room (Room 165) on any of the rehearsal days to get started. Students who are in band or orchestra may also join the choir. The directors will work out a schedule to share students. Students have until September 20 to complete sign-up for choir.

Students will be assigned their voice part (soprano, alto, or tenor) when they attend their first rehearsal. Meeting days for soprano and alto/tenor sectional rehearsals will be determined after the first rehearsal on Friday, September 6.

Materials: Students will be provided choir folders to hold their music and may be asked to bring them home occasionally for practice. Please bring your choir folder, a pencil, and water to all rehearsals!

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Daphne Meng at dmeng@district30.org.

Band/choir/orchestra polos and sweaters are available for purchase from the PTO’s supplier –EmbroidMe. Parents and guardians may purchase their order at the EmbroidMe store at 2845 Dundee Road in Northbrook, 847-272-9000. Store hours are: Monday - Friday, 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

If your child already has a band/choir/orchestra uniform from previous years, you do NOT need to purchase a new one.

Our after-school athletic programs begin the first full week of school with fall sports clinics and tryouts for girls’ volleyball and soccer.

Students who participate in the interscholastic programs are required to provide evidence of a recent physical examination (within one year prior to the start of the first practice). The examination date must be within one year of the conclusion dates of the sport season or a more current physical will be required. Parents and guardians are encouraged to obtain their child’s physical examination as soon as possible to avoid any delay in the student’s participation. An Illinois Department of Public Health “Certificate of Child Health Examination” form is available online at the district webpage under the parent documents and forms link. A 2024 summer examination prior to the start of school covers a student for all sport teams offered throughout the 2024-25 school year. Student participation in any sport begins only after the completed permission form is returned to the Maple School office.

Students must maintain a minimum level of academic achievement with no grade below a C prior to tryouts and throughout the season. It is the expectation that the students demonstrate appropriate behavior and good sportsmanship at all times.

Please visit the very informative Maple Athletics Website to find out all necessary information for the 2024-2025 school year in the coming weeks: District 30 Athletics

Our Maple Parent/Teacher Advisory Council is seeking parent members for the 2024-25 school year. The Parent/Teacher Advisory Council (PTAC) has been created and designed to engage our learning community in discussion and dialogue about the education of our students. The PTAC focuses on topics regarding the school’s curriculum, programming, procedures and any other areas that may impact our students and their learning environment. Additionally, the Parent/Teacher Advisory Council will review and explore educational research and best practices relative to Maple School and the middle-level child.

We intend to maintain a 10- to 15-member council that is representative of the diversity of our Maple School community. Members of the Maple Parent/Teacher Advisory Council will be a well-informed group in order to provide support and guidance for our learning community during the school year.

Planned meeting dates are: October 7, December 9 and March 3 and May 12 at 6:30-7:30 p.m. The meetings will be held in Maple School’s LMC.

If you are interested in serving on the Maple Parent/Teacher Advisory Council, please complete the PTAC Google Form below by Friday, September 13.

This year's field trip to Springfield will be on Monday, November 4. We will visit and tour the following locations:

• President Lincoln's home
• Lincoln's tomb
• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum
• Illinois State Capitol
  
  

More information will be sent out shortly after the school year begins regarding registration and other important details.

One exciting social aspect of the seventh grade year can be attending Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. For many years, articles of clothing have been given to the attendees as favors. The majority of the students like to wear this clothing on the next school day, usually the Monday following the celebration.

While most students see this as an act of support for the student who has reached this milestone, it can also be a hurtful gesture that emphasizes who wasn’t invited to the party. In grade school, students are asked not to bring birthday party invitations to school if the entire class is not invited. This is done in order to spare the feelings of those who are not invited.

We feel that this is a similar situation at the middle school level. There are many students who are hurt and embarrassed on the Mondays following the celebration when they are surrounded by a sea of students wearing the clothing received at the party. Many teachers and social workers have had students discuss this problem with them. Finding one’s way socially in middle school can be difficult enough as it is, especially in a small school like Maple. Unfortunately, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah clothing situation often exacerbates this problem.

The school is not banning the wearing of these clothing items but strongly discourages students from wearing them on the first school day after the party or in any organized fashion. We feel that most students who wear these articles of clothing would gladly stop doing so if they were aware of the hurt feelings that it creates in others.

To ensure all Maple students feel equally valued and cared for, locker decorations – both inside and outside – by small groups of students are NOT permitted. Students should NOT bring treats (candy, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, cakes, etc.) for distribution during advisory or lunch.

Maple’s PTO Book Fair will be held from December 10-13. More information will be shared as it becomes available.

Any time a student feels unsafe, any adult in their school can help!

But sometimes, students or parents wish to reach out for help in a different way or after school hours. Safe2Help Illinois offers students a safe way to share information 24/7 that might help prevent any threat to school safety, including bullying, self-harm or other serious concerns.

The goal of this program is to get students to “seek help before harm;" it is not intended to suspend, expel, or punish. Safe2Help Illinois also offers a Mental Health Toolkit that provides resources for parents and educators reinforce the components of this program.

Safe2Help Illinois offers around-the-clock help via:

• Hotline: 844-4-SAFEIL
• Text line: 72332
• Email HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com
• Plus a website full of resources for young people seeking help for themselves or a friend. Its Ways To Get Help page is a directory of specialized hotlines, and other sections of its website provide practical steps for dealing with depression or helping a distraught friend. The checklist called "20 Questions To Ask Yourself If You Feel Like Giving Up" can help older children overcome a bout of anxiety or depression.

The Maple Marquee is a communication that the school sends out weekly to families and staff on Fridays. All copies will be sent electronically to the email addresses that families previously provided us using the online registration system. By now, you should have completed the online registration process so that you can receive all of our school's communications. The next issue will be emailed on Friday, August 23. Please contact the office if you do not receive this edition by Saturday, August 24. The Maple Marquee is also posted on the district website.

Important information is sent home throughout the year in the Maple Marquee, so please make sure to take the time to read each week's issue. We don't want anyone to miss out on seeing notices about current or upcoming events at the school.

Other ways to stay connected with what's happening in our schools include:

• Maple School PTO Facebook
• District 30 Facebook
• District 30 Instagram
• District 30 X (formerly Twitter)
• District 30 LinkedIn
• District 30 YouTube
• Watch for e-blasts from the PTO about upcoming events
  
• Check out the Maple PTO website for all PTO events and forms

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 17, 2025. Please join us for the 24th Annual Lew Blond Memorial 5K Run/Walk. Registration for our May race opens in the winter. Please click here to explore all of the excitement from this meaningful community event.

We will need volunteers for committees to coordinate this event. If you can volunteer please email Maple Assistant Principal Angela Jaeger at blondrun@district30.org.

Be a helper. Be a runner. Be a sponsor! Do them all!!

Maple School is part of Northbrook/Glenview District 30, which exists to create an inclusive community that inspires learning, fosters resiliency, and cares deeply for every child. We honor childhood and foster intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth. District 30 serves more than 1,200 students in pre-K through 8th grade across Willowbrook, Wescott and Maple Schools.

We prohibit harassment and discrimination of all forms within our district and follows all policies and procedures to ensure a safe environment for all.

Main Office: 847-400-8900

Health Office: 847-400-8908

Location: 2370 Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL, USA

Website: district30.org