Cardinal Corner

District News:

May 17: Coffee Connection with the Board, 1-3pm

May 20: Superintendent Open Door, 2-4pm

May 26: Memorial Day — All Schools Closed

June 10: Last Day of School; Progress Reports Issued; School Board Meeting, 6:15pm

School News/Sports

May 16: South Track Practice, 3-4pm; The Skymmies Drama Awards, 3-5pm; Spring MAP Reports Sent Home

May 17: Track Sectionals, 9am

May 19: South Track Practice, 3-4PM

May 20: South Track Practice, 3-4pm

May 21: South Track Practice 3-4pm; Spring Jazz Band & Choir Concert, 7pm

May 22: South Track Practice, 3-4pm

May 23: South Track Practice, 3-4pm

May 29: Band Open House, 3:45-6:45pm; Westgate Hosting Their Fifth Grade Concert, 6:30pm

June 6: Sixth Grade Field Day

June 9: Seventh Grade Homebase Cup Olympics

June 10: Yearbook Signing

Dear South Parents and Guardians:

May has brought many exciting events and activities at South. It is wonderful to see our students involved in so many different activities which brings forth their individual strengths and talents.

South's Thespians did an amazing job acting and singing as they presented five performances of The Little Mermaid for students and families. Over 40 students participated in these performances. Their hard work and dedication paid off. We are very proud of our South Thespians. A special thank you to Mr. Skym for directing the show, as well as Mr. Cook, and Ms. Ornduff for their support roles.

On May 8th, South students' art projects were on display at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, as part of the District 25's Student Art Show. Several of our students' work was proudly displayed. Congratulations to all of our artists, and thank you to Mr. Gnutek for inspiring these fine pieces of work.

In addition, on May 14th, our South Families were treated to a wonderful concert performed by South's bands including Concert, Symphonic and Wind Ensemble. We heard the students perform a wide variety of music including: Bermuda Triangle, Jurassic Park, Lost in Mammoth Cave, and Spirit of the Wolf. Congratulations to Mrs. Schneider and Mrs. Lukaszewskyj for their hard work and effort preparing these students. Please mark your calendar and join us for the South Choir/Jazz Band Concert on Wednesday, May 21st at 7pm.

On June 6th, our sixth grade students will be participating in a Field Day where each Homebase will be challenged with different academic and physical feats. On Monday June 9th, our seventh grade will participate in a Homebase Cup Olympics. On June 10th, both sixth and seventh grade students will be signing yearbooks.

We want to take a moment and thank our South Staff Retiree's: Marie Hajduk and Oksana Lukaszewskyj for their hard work, dedication, and caring of our students throughout their amazing careers at South. They will truly be missed.

Thank you to South's PTA for their generosity during Teacher Appreciation Week last week! Our staff enjoyed all of the delicious food and gift cards that were donated. We are very lucky to have a wonderful PTA community who supports our staff!

As this will be my final newsletter, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for the wonderful opportunity to have been a part of this amazing school and community. These past six years have truly been a highlight of my 38 years in education.

The teachers at South are nothing short of extraordinary. Throughout the many challenges we've faced together over the last six years, particularly the unprecedented times of Covid, the educators here have consistently gone above and beyond. Their unwavering dedication to putting students first and providing them with the tools to not only succeed academically but, more importantly, to develop into compassionate and well-rounded human beings, has been truly inspiring.

I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of the District 25 team and Arlington Heights community, and I will cherish the memories and the impact of the South community for years to come.

Thank you for everything.

Have a great summer!

South Administration

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month—it is dedicated to paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success.

For more information, visit this website.

May is Jewish American Heritage Month. It is an annual recognition and celebration of Jewish Americans’ achievements and contributions to the United States of America.

For more information, visit this website.

Memorial Day* is a federal holiday in the U.S., observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

*Date changes year to year

Graduation: If you are in need of accessible seating for the graduation ceremony, please email Ms. Humber at chumbert@sd25.org by June 1st. We can reserve only four seats per family for accessible seating due to floor seating restrictions.

• May 29: Great America
• June 2: PTA-sponsored Eighth Grade Picnic
• June 3: Graduation Ceremony @ Forest View Education Center, 4:30pm. Due to how early the graduation is, eighth-grade students only will be dismissed from school at 1:45pm.

Save The Dates: 2025-2026 School Year

• Sixth Grade Summer Visit/PTA Chill Out: Tuesday, August 5, 2025
• First Day of School: Thursday, August 21, 2025
• Sixth Grade Locker Set-Up Date: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
• Sixth Grade Curriculum Night: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
• Seventh and Eighth Grades Curriculum Night: Thursday, September 4, 2025

ATTENTION 6TH & 7TH GRADE PARENTS

If you need to report damages to your child's device over summer break, please fill out the D25 Summer Device Repair Form. Thank you!

ATTENTION 8TH GRADE PARENTS

If your eighth grade student would like to keep their Google Drive documents, they can create a backup using Google Takeout. Google Takeout exports your data from your Google account to a zip file that can be stored on your computer, external hard drive or USB Flash Drive. This should be done on a home computer.

Student Google accounts will not be accessible after June 10, 2025.

The Best Buddies Club worked together to plant plants provided by South's PTA to beautify the front of the school.

Please come in and check our Lost & Found before the school year ends. If your child is missing an item, it is potentially sitting in the vestibule here at school.

All items will be donated in June!

Become an annual member of the ABC/25 Foundation for just $40 during registration and help South secure the $2,500 Membership Incentive Grant! This grant is awarded when 25% of the school’s families become members of the ABC/25 Foundation. In previous years, we have utilized this grant to purchase cushioned blocks for the hallway, providing students with comfortable seating while they work or wait between classes. We also upgraded the sound system in the Multipurpose Room and installed a television to display announcements and showcase the accomplishments of former students in the foyer!

Your membership, along with any additional donations, helps fund another grant program specifically geared towards AHSD25 teachers, providing exciting new resources for the classroom! Our previous teacher grants have included upgraded sound equipment, podcasting equipment, video cameras, HUE cameras & mini studio photo boxes for stop-motion animation, and so much more!

Your membership covers all District 25 schools that your students attend, plus you’ll receive free access to the ABC/25 STEAM events!

Here are some key dates specific to Prospect High School that may impact parents and/or incoming freshmen next year:

Thursday, August 28, 2025: Open House (For current PHS parents), 7pm

Saturday, October 25, 2025 or November 1, 2025: Incoming 9th Grader Placement Testing, 8am

Wednesday, December 3, 2025: Electives Night (Incoming 9th Graders), 6pm

Wednesday, February 25, 2026: Activities Fair (Incoming 9th Graders), 6pm

Mandatory Dental Examination for Students in

Kindergarten, Grade 2, & Grade 6

The State of Illinois requires students in Kindergarten, Grade 2, and Grade 6 to submit a completed Illinois School Dental Examination Form, signed and dated by a licensed dentist.

Deadline: Proof of a dental examination must be submitted no later than May 15, 2025. The exam must have been conducted on or after November 15, 2023 (within the past 18 months).

Forms are available at your dentist’s office or Illinois School Dental Examination Form

For any questions, please contact our school nurse. Thank you for your compliance with this State of Illinois important health requirement!

Here is this week's SMS Track & Field Things To Know Newsletter. Let us know if you have any questions, and have a great week!

Go Cardinals!!!

The South Middle School Magnet measures 5″ x 5″ and is 30 mil thick, making this perfect for use on a vehicle, refrigerator, filing cabinet or any other metallic surface.

South Car magnets—Order: Click Here

The SMS Office is open Monday-Friday, 7am-3pm.

Address: 400 South Highland Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Twitter: @AHSD25South

Main Line: (847) 398-4250

Absence Line: (847) 506-6999 x7300

Fax line: (847) 394-6260