Vision:

Spring Trail Elementary inspires each individual to believe in their potential for success by providing a safe, engaging, and diverse learning environment.

Mission:

Spring Trail Elementary is a safe and diverse learning community where staff and students work collaboratively to support and prepare students for lifelong learning through an academically challenging environment.

If the links in the newsletter do not populate, you will need to view the newsletter in a new browser rather than your email. Clicking the top of the newsletter allow you to open the newsletter differently.

Welcome Back and Happy New Year, Spring Trail!! Mr. Krause and I hope everyone had an exciting and joyful winter break filled with memorable moments! It’s been wonderful to see our students and staff return to school refreshed, energized, and ready to dive into the second half of the school year.

This week, we’ve jumped right back into action, tackling rigorous and engaging tasks that are challenging our students to think critically and stretch their learning. As always, our students enthusiasm and readiness to challenge their brains is truly inpiring! Mr. Krause and I love to share with our families what we are learning each day in school. We will continue to showcase different classrooms and share with you a small piece of your children's work!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Together, we’re making this school year an incredible journey of growth and discovery. Here’s to a fantastic second half of the school year!

At this point in the year, we begin focusing on helping our Kindergarten students learn their sight words. Ms. Liner's class is ready to take on this challenge and is racing toward the finish line to master all their sight word lists!

Ms. Liner and I have noticed how much her students enjoy being recognized in our newsletter when they master a list, so we’re excited to continue this tradition. This week, we’re giving a big SHOUT OUT to Mickey and Rayne for diving right in and mastering their first sight word list. Congratulations, Mickey and Rayne! Keep up the fantastic work!

As we welcome back our students to campus, we want to reiterate some of the expectations for arrival and dismissal in our parking lots.

This week we were informed that our community members have been submitting complaints to the Mayor's office and the Police Department regarding our families blocking their driveways or pulling into their driveway in order to turn left. PLEASE, PLEASE refrain from doing this. It is never okay to impact someone from being able to enter their own driveway. Additionally, there are several signs up that state there is NO LEFT TURN during the hours of 8:00am-9:00am and 2:30-3:30pm. If you turn right on Spring Valley, you can easiely access Fair Oaks with just a few more right turns. We would appreciate if you could help us uphold the system we put in place with the Police Department to ensure we are not imapcting others in the community during dismissal.

As a reminder, dismissal takes ONLY 15 minutes at the most even in inclement weather. As long as parents are following the expectations and students are listening for their number we can get you in and out of the parking lot quickly. Here are a few expectations that we ask you to abide by:

• Dismissal begins at 2:30, typically our littles (K-2) come out of the building first. We can move the line quicker if our K-2 families are in the front of the line. We are requesting that our 3-6 families maybe leave their houses a little later to accommodate getting our K-2 students in cars first.
• No Cell Phones in School Parking Lots - this is a law
• Do not get out of your car to assist your child. We have staff on duty who can help if needed, please just reach to them.
• If you need to buckle your child in after they get in the car, pull into a spot and our supervisor will direct traffic to get your car backed out when you are ready.
• Be sure to have your number hanging from your rearview mirror
• If your child has special needs and you need alternate arrangements, please set those up with Mrs. Dupuis or Mr. Krause. We have several families we work with to accommodate the needs of the child.

During arrival and dismissal we should not have ANY cars coming in or out of our bus lanes. Please use the car rider lane UNLESS you have spoken to Mrs. Dupuis or Mr. Krause about accommodating your child.

As a reminder, the Police Department has posted signs in both our car and bus rider lots stating there are NO LEFT TURNS. Please abide by the rules of the road.

Winter is in full swing, and the chilly temperatures are here to stay! With the cold weather upon us, it’s essential that our students are properly prepared for outdoor play. Unless the temperature drops below 15 degrees, we’ll continue to enjoy recess outside.

Here are a few reminders to help your child make the most of snowy recess fun:

• Gear Up for Snowy Adventures: To play in the snow, students must have boots, gloves, and snow pants. Without these, they’ll still enjoy recess but will need to stay on the playground.
• Snow Play Fun: Snow angels, snowmen, and snow forts are all encouraged—let’s make the most of this magical season!
• Safety First: Snow stays on the ground—no snow throwing. This ensures everyone stays safe while having fun.

Please make sure your child comes to school ready to stay warm and dry to fully enjoy the winter weather. Thank you for helping us keep recess a safe and fun experience for everyone!

If you are dropping your child off at school in the morning, please remember doors open at 8:00am for breakfast. Supervision on campus begins at 8:15 outside and therefore students can be dropped off at that time. We enter the building at 8:25 and ALL of our supervisors will be inside the building by 8:30am.

If you are dropping your child off and DO NOT see a supervisor outside in a YELLOW vest, then you must come inside to sign your child in late. We have had upwards of 25 students walking into our buiding after 8:30am and most are not with their parent. We reminder our late students that they need their parent to sign them in. We would greatly appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

At Spring Trail Elementary students are expected to keep their cell phones and bluetooth watches turned off during the school day. If there is an emergency and a parent needs to get a hold of their child, then please call the school's front office to speak to your child. If a teacher addresses this issue with a child and the child is unable to follow the expectations of our handbook, the device may be taken by the teacher or the office until the end of the school day. If this occurs, a phone call will be made home to make the parent aware of the issue.

You can find the specifics of the U-46 guidelines on Page 10 of the handbook listed above.

Keeping Students Healthy While Supporting Attendance

We want to remind you how important it is for students to be in school every day to support their learning. However, we also understand that illnesses are more common during this time of year, and it’s important to prioritize your child’s health. Currently, our country is experiencing a significant uptick in viral illnesses, including Influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and Norovirus. This has led to the term “quad-demic” being coined to describe the simultaneous spread of multiple viral infections. Click here for a complete Quad-demic Update.

If your child is sick, please keep them home to rest and recover. This helps protect other students and staff while ensuring your child is ready to return to school. To help, please refer to this “When To Keep Your Child Home” guide for deciding when to keep your child home.

Thank you for working with us to make Every Minute Matter!

Mantener a los estudiantes saludables mientras se apoya la asistencia

Queremos recordarles lo importante que es que los estudiantes estén en la escuela todos los días para apoyar su aprendizaje. Sin embargo, también entendemos que las enfermedades son más comunes durante esta época del año y es importante priorizar la salud de su hijo(a). Actualmente, nuestro país está experimentando un aumento significativo de enfermedades virales, como la gripe, el COVID-19, el virus respiratorio sincitial (RSV, por sus siglas en inglés) y el norovirus. Esto ha hecho que se utilice el término “cuadremia” para describir la propagación simultánea de múltiples infecciones virales. Haga clic aqui para un informe completo sobre la cuadremia.

Si su hijo(a) está enfermo, manténgalo en casa para que descanse y se recupere. Esto ayuda a proteger a otros estudiantes y al personal mientras garantiza que su hijo(a) esté listo para regresar a la escuela. Para ayudar, consulte esta guía "Cuándo mantener a su hijo(s) en casa" para decidir si su su hijo(s) debe quedarse en casa.

¡Gracias por trabajar con nosotros para hacer que cada minuto importe!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Detailed information regarding Absences, Truancy, Valid Illnesses, etc. you can review page 13 of the U46 Handbook listed above.

From the end of November until December 18th, we celebrated students who demonstrated outstanding dedication to their education by showing up to school every day of the week, arriving on time by 8:30 AM, and staying for the entire day. As part of our attendance initiative, students meeting these expectations earned a ticket to enter a weekly raffle. Their commitment to being present and punctual highlights the importance of consistent attendance in achieving academic success and building lifelong habits of responsibility.

We are thrilled to recognize these 8 amazing students who won the raffle as part of this initiative! Their commitment to attendance sets a positive example for their peers, showcasing how being present every day contributes to learning, personal growth, and community success. Congratulations to our raffle winners, and thank you to all students who rose to the challenge and prioritized their education through excellent attendance!

Congratualations to Hunter, William, Monica, Henry, Sarah, Giovonni, Valentina, and Adelaide!

Don’t miss out on capturing your child’s amazing memories this year! Yearbook orders are open all year, and here’s the best part: the more yearbooks we sell, the more Treering donates to help students who might not be able to afford their own.

Let’s make sure everyone gets to treasure their school memories!

🎉 Order yours today: https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016364339231287

Secure your child’s yearbook now and help us spread joy to even more students! 💛

If you would like to donate items for the Family Dance, please scan the QR code below. Please note the code mentioned in the registration form is no longer working.

If the QR code does not work for you there is a link below to the Sign Up Genius.

Click on the form below to give a little love to the teachers and staff at Spring Trail Elementary.

To Mrs. Humphreys from Lena: Mrs Humpherys is so nice she is always in a good mood.

To Mrs. Fels from Avery: Mrs Fels is always so encouraging nice and very helpful.

To Mrs. Dupuis from Lena: She has always helped alot of people and she is really sweet and nice. #best principal ever!!!!!!!!

What an unforgettable Winter Concert we had at Bartlett High School! The holiday spirit filled the air as our talented students took the stage and wowed the audience with their beautiful voices and incredible performances. From festive tunes to heartfelt melodies, each piece showcased the hard work and dedication of our students, leaving everyone in the crowd beaming with pride and joy.

A special thank you goes to our amazing music teacher, Ms. Boese, whose dedication, passion, and leadership brought this spectacular event to life. Her guidance and creativity made the concert a truly magical experience for our students, families, and community.

We are so proud of our students for their outstanding effort and enthusiasm, which made this event such a success. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our young performers. This was a night to remember, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible teamwork of our school family!

In the final week leading up to winter break, our school was bursting with holiday spirit as we celebrated a fun-packed Spirit Week filled with creative and festive activities. Two of the most exciting highlights were the Ugliest Sweater Contest and the Door Decorating Contest, both of which showcased the incredible creativity, teamwork, and enthusiasm of our students and staff.

The Ugliest Sweater Contest brought out the best (and worst!) of holiday fashion as teachers and students competed to see who could rock the most hilariously outrageous sweaters. From over-the-top tinsel and blinking lights to quirky handmade designs, the creativity on display was truly next level.

Meanwhile, the Door Decorating Contest transformed our hallways into a winter wonderland. Classrooms worked together to design doors that dazzled with holiday themes, from snowy scenes and cheerful characters to imaginative displays that truly captured the magic of the season.

Congratulations to the students and teachers who went above and beyond, earning well-deserved recognition for their participation and creativity! Your efforts made Spirit Week an unforgettable experience for everyone, and we are so proud of the school-wide enthusiasm and holiday cheer. Thank you to all who participated and helped make this season extra special!

Buddy and Jovi brought holiday cheer to Spring Trail as they visited all the students, spreading smiles and festive joy throughout the school!

This past Friday, we held our PBIS assembly, where we focused on what it means to ROAR: being Responsible, showing Ownership, having a positive Attitude, and demonstrating Respect. Students participated in a fun and engaging Jeopardy contest to reinforce these values and shared ideas about being an UPSTANDER.

We also discussed positive expectations across all school settings and emphasized the importance of living out these values every day, no matter who we’re with. Together, we highlighted how these expectations help create a supportive and respectful school community where everyone can thrive!

A big thank you to everyone on our MTSS Tier 1 PBIS Team! Thank you to Ms. Foertsch-Bays, Ms. Giannelli, Ms. Kowalska, and Mrs. Cyr for putting everything together today for our students!

Students will have the opportunity to participate in decorating there cubbies. Students will pay 5 Paw's to participate in this event. Students are encouraged to bring in things from home to add to the decoration of their cubbies! Cubbie decoration will happen on Wednesday, January 15, 2025

In celebration of 100 days of school, we’re bringing back the fun by dressing up as 100 years old! This year, we’re adding an exciting twist—a friendly competition between our primary students (K-2) and secondary students (3-6). The challenge: To see which group can donate the most baby items, such as pacifiers, clothes, diapers, bottles, and more.

All donations will go to our local church partner, supporting families in need throughout the year. The winning group will earn an extra GOLDEN TICKET for their class! Let’s make this milestone meaningful by having fun and giving back to our community! Please see attached flyer.

On Wednesday, January 29, students who paid 10 PAWS to their teachers by Friday, January 24, can participate in Game Day! Students are welcome to bring board games from home and join in the fun for an exciting day of games and laughter!

You can now engage with Mrs. Dupuis, Mr. Krause and Spring Trail Elementary via social media! Be sure to check out our updates!!!!

X:

@ndupuis5

@Jason_Krause5

Instagram:

Springtrailelem

Be sure to check out the PTO Newsletter from last week.

South Elgin High School will now have the Essentials Exchange open to our school community on one Friday of the month from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm. We have all types of clothing, MANY winter coats and cold weather accessories (scarves, hats, gloves), formal clothing including prom dresses, and toiletries. Availability of items can fluctuate, so make sure to come and visit us as soon as you can! All items are free. The Essentials Exchange is located in our mobiles, so please park in the back parking lot near the tennis courts next to the mobiles.

Kidslist is a fantastic website that offers a multitude of activities families can engage in. Be sure to check it out.

If you are in need of childcare before or after school, Right At School has openings. The best part about the program is that it is housed right at Spring Trail. The staff are wonderful and they help ensure the children get their homework completed.