Grass Lake School News

Grass Lake School District 36 is looking for applicants to fill a vacancy on the Board of Education.

The chosen candidate, after the board collaboration process, will serve until the next regular

school election scheduled for April 2027, at which time a candidate will be elected to fill the

remainder of the unexpired two-year term. If you are interested in applying to become a Grass

Lake School District 36 Board Member, please email your cover letter, resume, and completed

application, to Christine Pawlowski, Administrative Assistant to the

Superintendent and Board of Education Secretary of Record, at cpawlowski@gls36.org on/before

May 15, 2025.

All legal requirements must be met for the Board Member position (i.e., resident

of Grass Lake School District 36 and meet criminal background check requirements). If you

have any questions, please call Christine Pawlowski at 847.603.5141.

What a great week to be a BRAVE! This week, our students participated in a Severe Weather Safety Drill to practice how to stay safe during events like tornadoes. Students did an outstanding job following directions, moving calmly to their designated areas, and listening closely during the drill. These moments are never just about routine. They’re about helping our students feel safe, prepared, and confident. We always follow up with a conversation to make sure they understand the purpose and feel reassured that they are as safe at our school as they are in their own homes.

Tonight is also our Antioch Library Night, and I am so excited to see many of our Grass Lake families there! I’ll be reading a story or two and always enjoy connecting with our students and families outside the walls of our school. It’s one of those special evenings where community, literacy, and fun all come together and I hope to see you there!

Looking ahead, next Thursday, May 1, we’ll host our annual Spring Fine Arts and PBL Showcase beginning at 5:30 p.m. (Students should arrive by 5:15 p.m.). This night is a wonderful celebration of learning, creativity, and expression. You’ll have a chance to view amazing artwork, enjoy musical performances, and explore a wide range of student-led Project-Based Learning displays. It’s always inspiring to see the incredible things our students create and share.

To help get the word out, our kindergarten students even made a commercial. You’ll find it linked below and the students are so proud of their latest PBL, we don’t want anyone to miss out!

And just a heads-up that our PTO will be hosting a Bake Sale during the showcase, and we’d love your help. If you’re able to donate baked goods, please check out the sign-up form found here.

We’re also thrilled to share that the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to GLS from Monday, May 5, through Friday, May 9, and it's a Buy One, Get One Free event! This is a great opportunity for students to stock up on books and continue growing their love of reading. You can read more information here.

Finally, our ABC Countdown for 3rd–8th grade is already in motion, with lots of fun theme days coming up each school day. We also have a version for our K–2 students. You can view both below:

• 3rd–8th Grade ABC Countdown

• K–2 ABC Countdown

Thank you for all you do to support our students, staff, and school. Your presence at events, your words of encouragement, and your partnership mean the world to us here at Grass Lake.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Warm Regards,

Ryan Wollberg

Principal/Grass Lake School

For those of you who are interested in exploring how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is shaping not only the future of education but also the world our children are growing up in, we invite you to take a moment to watch the video below. Dr. Newby presented on this very topic earlier this week and the video of the presentation is below.

AI is rapidly becoming a powerful force in nearly every industry. From healthcare and transportation to communication and entertainment. In education, it's the ability to transform how we teach, learn, and support students in meaningful ways. Whether you're tech-savvy or just beginning to learn about AI, this video offers valuable insights into the exciting possibilities (and important questions) that AI brings to the table.

We hope you’ll take a few minutes to check it out!

After a thorough review of student data, a cost analysis, and valuable input from students, staff, and parents, Grass Lake School will not be offering an academic summer school program this year. Instead, we are refocusing our efforts on enhancing our school-year schedule to better meet student needs year-round, rather than just through a three-week summer program. While GLS will not be hosting a summer school program, we’re excited to share that Stellar Athletics (who currently runs our Friday Afterschool Club) will be offering a summer camp opportunity right here at GLS!

This nine-week program, running from June 4 to August 1, will provide structured and engaging activities for students in grades K-8. Families will have flexibility with daily or weekly sign-ups so you can take those summer vacations and still allow the students to join the camp. Stellar Athletics operates independently from GLS, meaning families who choose to participate will be responsible for the cost. GLS is not financially responsible for the program, but we’re excited to share this opportunity with our school community as it was designed with you in mind! See below for more details:

Things to know about Steller Summer Camp:

• 9 week Summer Camp June 4th through August 1st
• Camp operates Monday-Friday 7:30 am - 4:00pm
• Early Bird Drop off and Extended Day Pickup available
• Early Bird- 6:30 am-7:30 am
• Extended Day- 4:00 pm- 5:00 pm
• Campers will be dropped off and picked up by their parents. NO BUSSING available.
• Campers will need to bring their own sack lunch, snack and water.
• Early Bird Registration ends March 21st for a guaranteed spot!

Things to expect from Steller Summer Camp:

• A safe, fun and socially engaging environment for all campers to participate
• Each week will be themed with all activities following the theme!
• Campers will have the opportunity to:
• Participate in small group activities
• Be creative with art projects & crafts
• Explore with experiments to stimulate learning
• Utilize STEM Centers
• Enjoy outdoor activities- weather permitting
• Participate in water activities- weather permitting
• Recieve movement breaks with sports and open play
• Watch themed and purposeful movies
• Have FUN Fridays!

There will be no Afterschool Club on Friday, April 18 however, see below for a "magical" experience that will be offered this week on Friday, April 25.

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 847-603-5160 or kporter@gls36.org. This form and program are confidential.

A huge thank-you to all the families who came out to support our Scoopie Night at Culver’s in Antioch! This event is always a favorite GLS tradition, and your presence made it even more special. Whether you stopped by for dinner, grabbed a treat on your way home, or just came in to say hello, we’re so grateful for your support. Events like these highlight what makes Grass Lake such a special place to learn and grow.

Your participation helps fuel the amazing work of our PTO, funding classroom experiences, schoolwide activities, and so much more throughout the year. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of it!

As a reminder, our Spring Fine Arts Night: “Around the World” is scheduled for Thursday, May 1, at 5:30 p.m. (Students should arrive by 5:15 p.m.). This evening will showcase our students’ incredible artistic and musical talents, as well as our Spring PBL (Project-Based Learning) Showcase, which will be open for viewing until 7:15 p.m. It promises to be a celebration of learning and creativity!

Please follow the link below for more information about our Winter 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