Mills Moments

April 25th, 2025

April continues to be a time of growth and learning, and our students and teachers are working hard. A huge shoutout to our fifth grade students for their grit during this week's Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) this week. Students arrived on time and were focused. Thank you, parents, for ensuring your students arrived to school ready to excel and show their pride for excellence.

May 5th through May 16th is our NWEA MAP spring testing window for students in K-5. This is our local benchmarking and is a nationally recognized assessments that measures your child's academic progress in reading and mathematics. Teachers will use the results, along with other classroom assessments and observations, to get a complete picture of your child's learning. More information about NWEA MAP can be found here.

Please mark your calendars for these dates so your student is in attendance for his/her days of testing and ready to do their personal best.

Kindergarten testing is May 6

1st grade testing is May 6

2nd grade testing is May 7

3rd grade testing is May 6

4th grade testing is May 6, 7, and 8

5th grade testing is May 13

Practice Items and Student Resources by grade level can be found here.

Finally, please strive to have your student in their homeroom and ready to learn by 8:40am. We are still experiencing a high number of tardy students. Our doors open at 8:20am and close at 8:35am. At that time, all students must use Door 1. The tardy bell rings at 8:40am because instruction starts at this time. With this said, we understand that mornings can be busy, and unforeseen circumstances can sometimes cause delays. This should be the exception and not a daily practice. Tardy students disrupt the learning environment and the flow of the classroom for their classmates. We ask that you set a regular morning routine that promotes arriving to school on time.

With Trojan Pride,

Mr. Kuzniewski

Attendance Matters

Strive for 95!

The April Attendance Challenge data as of today. Keep striving for 95% attendance and earn an in school dance party!

Click Here for Registration for 2025-2026 School Year

New and returning student registration for the 2025-2026 school year is open. Beat the back-to-school rush by registering your student(s) early. Not only will you go into summer with nothing to worry about and be able to have your student(s) start school on time, but we're also offering an

Early Bird Discount of $100 for those who fully register and pay by May 3rd!

Think of it as a little thank you for being so on top of things.

All students must enroll each school year. All enrollment is done through PowerSchool and you will need an account to enroll your student. Returning students registering by May 3rd can take advantage of the early bird discount.

For Returning Students: Student residency is reviewed in the spring. If your residency was verified in public record, you do not need to submit residency. If it was not verified, you will need to provide proof of residency through the PowerSchool portal. Your PowerSchool account will be updated of your status. Students without approved residency will not be able to enroll in EPCUSD 401 schools.
For New Students: New students are defined as students who have not attended an EPCUSD 401 school in the prior school year, or have transferred out to a different district and are re-enrolling. All new students must prove residency.
For Pre-K Students: Enrollment in preschool for the 2025-26 school year is open to Elmwood Park children who will be at least 3 years old during the school year and no more than 5 years old as of Sept. 1, 2025. John Mills is the only District 401 school that offers preschool instruction. All preschool programs are half day, with some students attending in the morning and others in the afternoon. Students must be Elmwood Park residents.
For more information, please contact Pre-K Secretary Leslie Laureano at:
- Email: laureanol@epcusd401.org
- Phone: 708-583-6285