Conant HS Principal's Newsletter

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” ― John Steinbeck

I hope this correspondence finds you having an enjoyable summer! We have stayed very busy this summer preparing for the upcoming year! Students were enrolled in summer school classes, athletic camps and activity camps. Parents and students have been in our front offices meeting with counselors, and our freshmen, the Class of 2028, are participating in their high school orientation experience. Teachers have been participating in a variety of curriculum projects and we spent time focusing on best practices for school safety, improving systems of communication, and enhancing systems of academic and social-emotional supports available for all students.

One of the most important aspects of my job is to ensure we provide our students with the highest quality of educators, and our hiring for next year is complete. We are fortunate that District 211 is a place educators really want to be, and I am afforded a strong pool of applicants who want to work at Conant High School more than anywhere else. Our new teachers are so excited to be Conant Cougars!

This year we welcome the following faculty:

Ms Kimberly Davis, Blue Team Administrator

Ms. Moreno, English

Ms. Shoro, English

Ms. Vasylego, English as Second Language

Ms. McCaliano, Math

Mr. Schols, Math

Ms. Nottoli, Science

Mr. Mercado, Social Studies

Mrs. Donatucci, Special Education

Ms. DePons, Psychologist

There are many resources available to view your child’s progress and information about upcoming events. I encourage you to spend time becoming familiar with these resources. One of the most important is your child’s Team Room. The Team Room serves as a “one-stop shop” that enables students and parents to connect with their administrator, counselor and other support staff in a setting that fosters a student-centered approach to problem solving and a shared approach to helping students plan for their futures. Students are assigned to one of three teams (red/white/blue). It is important for you to know which team your child belongs to and, along with teachers, please contact your child’s guidance counselor or team administrator when you need assistance or information.

Please see the Team Room staff list below for reference.

Infinite Campus provides important information specific to your student's progress in school. Parents and students can log into Infinite Campus through the Conant website. Please contact our technology department at 847-755-3761 if you need assistance accessing Infinite Campus. The Conant website provides upcoming dates and events. Also, follow Conant High School on Instagram (conantcougars), and Facebook (James B. Conant High School). The links to the official sites are available on the Conant High School website.

Conant High School is a very special place, and Cougar pride runs deep!

I look forward to collaborating with you to ensure we are providing our students a world-class educational experience both inside and outside of the classroom.

Sincerely,

Julie Nowak

Principal

Daily classroom attendance directly influences students’ academic success, social development and overall well-being.District 211 encourages seven or fewer days of absence (for any reason) in a single academic year.

This ensures your student has consistent engagement in the new lessons, discussions and activities that occur in our classrooms on a daily basis. The rigorous academic environment and interactions that happen between students and educators in our classrooms are difficult to recreate. Parents and studentsYou may not realize missing about two days a month – or 18 days a year – identifies a student is considered chronically absent by the state of Illinois.

Daily attendance is important to school success, access to Harper Promise scholarships and making the most of opportunities available during your four years in high school.

We know there are a variety of reasons why your student may be absent from school. However, we want to begin this school year with a clear message and strong partnership to ensure your student’s success. We look forward to working with you in a renewed proactive effort to positively instill the importance of attendance in our learning community.

Registration for Fall, Winter, and Spring Sports is open. Registration can be completed through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Participants must have an up-to-date physical on file with the nurse's office. Physicals can be emailed to the school at chsnurse@d211.org or paper copies can be dropped off at the school. Athletic Dept. Staff are available to answer questions: 847-755-3770.

Registration Link

The first day for Fall Sports practice is Monday, August 12, 2024, which is also the first day of school!

Conant is pleased to announce IHSA Girls Flag Football will start this Fall!!! Contact Conant Head Coach Lorel Cunningham (lcunningham@d211.org) with questions.

Cheerleading - Coed Fall

• Amanda Schweinebraten aschweinebraten@d211.org

• Christina Schweinebraten cschweinebraten@d211.org

Cross Country - Boys

• John Powers jpowers@d211.org

Cross Country - Girls

• Kalli Dalton kdalton@d211.org

Football

• Anthony Donatucci adonatucci@d211.org

Football - Girls Flag

• Lorel Cunningham lcunningham@d211.org

Golf - Boys

• Scott Cieplik scieplik@d211.org

Golf - Girls

• Megan Hebert mhebert@d211.org

Poms - Fall

• Arden Panek apanek@d211.og

Soccer - Boys

• Jason Franco jfranco@d211.org

Swimming & Diving - Girls

• Denise Mitchell dmitchell@d211.org

Tennis - Girls

• Matt Marks mmarks@d211.org

Volleyball - Girls

• Drewann Riebel dreibel@d211.org

Conant High School's PRIDE Program (Preparing Resourceful Individuals Determined to Excel) is a student mentorship program for all freshman students aimed at creating a sense of community and easing the transition to high school. Mentors are junior and senior students who have been selected based on their leadership qualities. Student mentors and teachers will conduct lessons Tuesdays - Thursdays during the first half of lunch periods. These lessons are focused on welcoming students and providing them with resources for a successful student experience. After the first semester, students will have a traditional 50 minute lunch period or they will use their Cougar PRIDE time to receive tutoring and other supports as needed.

This program earned recognition from the Illinois State Board of Education this spring.

Juniors and Seniors with unweighted GPAs of 3.0 or higher received a letter and an email inviting them to apply for the National Honor Society. The application due date is 3:30 pm on Friday, August 16. Please follow the exact instructions provided in the letter. Students may contact Jeff Stewart, NHS Co-Sponsor, at jstewart@d211.org with questions or concerns.

In accordance with State of Illinois requirements, all incoming freshmen must have a valid physical examination and up-to-date immunization records on file with the school nurse. Please note the IHSA sports physical cannot be used for 9th grade or transfer student school physicals.

Additionally, all seniors must provide proof of the meningococcal vaccination (MCV4) given on or after the student’s 16th birthday.

Please contact the nurse's office at CHSnurse@d211.org with questions.

More information is available online here: https://adc.d211.org/healthservices

All incoming freshmen will be assigned a hallway locker for use during the 2024-2025 school year. Sophomore, Junior, and Senior students had the opportunity to sign up for a locker in the spring. Students can still request a locker by seeing Ms. Wanaski in the blue team room.

Your Conant High School calendar handbook has been mailed to your home.

It also can be viewed in its entirety online here. The online version will be adjusted during the course of the school year to reflect new events, time changes and more.

District 211 is seeking input from parents and community members as part of our search for a new Superintendent following the retirement of Dr. Lisa Small in June 2025.

We value your input! Please complete the brief survey here: https://hyasurvey.com/D211

To change the survey language, use the drop-down menu.

The survey will automatically close at 11:59 p.m. August 20.

Thank you for your support!

Cougar Kids Preschool will be running a fall and spring session in the morning next year.

Preschool will run Tuesday through Friday from 10:10-11:45 a.m. We currently have open spots and are accepting applications. The cost is $200 for each session, with a $50 non-refundable deposit due with the application. Registration forms can be found on the Conant High School website under the Family and Consumer Sciences link. Email forms to Fatima Candia fcandia@d211.org or Katie Koopman kkoopman@d211.org.

All health guidelines required by the Illinois Department of Health will be followed.

Do you have 4 hours? In an entire school year? To give to your school?

Conant Boosters volunteers are busy preparing for the 2024-2025 school year! Any hour you can give is precious and beneficial one way or another, we need many volunteers to provide our students the best school year we can give them!

Who are the Conant Boosters?

Parents, staff, and community volunteers!

What do we do?

• Work with school administration to improve our school

• Partner with other groups

• Host events

• Support Activities

• Award Scholarships to seniors

• Award Financial Grants to staff for clubs, sports and/or activities

• Raise funds
  
  

How can you get involved?

Visit our webpage at WWW.CONANTBOOSTERS.COM

• Click on MEMBERSHIP to quickly and easily register to become a Conant Booster parent

• Click on VOLUNTEER to see what opportunities feel most compelling for your time

• Click on DONATE to financially show your Cougar Spirit
  
  

I want to welcome you to join the Conant Boosters this school year. We look forward to having you share your time and talent with us and remember, you DO NOT have to attend the monthly meetings to get involved, but we would love if you could.

Our first meeting of the 2024-2025 school year is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 13.

Hope to see you there!

Traci Garcia and Cristina Zajac

Conant Booster Co-Presidents

Visit us at www.conantboosters.com
Find the Conant Boosters online!

conantboosters@gmail.com | Facebook: @Conant High School Boosters | X: @Conant_Boosters

8/7 INSTITUTE DAY - NO SCHOOL

8/8 INSTITUTE DAY - NO SCHOOL

8/9 INSTITUTE DAY - NO SCHOOL

8/12 OPENING DAY OF SCHOOL & FALL SPORTS BEGIN

8/12 BAND PARENT MEETING 7:00PM ROOM A160

8/13 JUNIOR/SENIOR YEARBOOK/ID PICTURES 7:30AM-3:30PM AUDITORIUM

8/13 CONANT BOOSTERS MEETING 7:00PM MEDIA CENTER

8/14 FRESHMEN/SOPHOMORE YEARBOOK/ID PICTURES 7:30AM-3:30PM AUDITORIUM

8/15 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING 7:30PM AD CENTER

8/16 SPIRIT WEAR SALES PERIOD 3-6 COUGAR CORNER

8/20 STUDENT LATE START 9:35AM

8/20 CONANT COMMUNITY MEETING FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS (SCHOOL

SAFETY) 7:00PM CAFETERIA

8/23 SENIOR SUNRISE 6:00AM-7:300AM STADIUM

8/29 EARLY DISMISSAL (OPEN HOUSE) 12:35PM

8/29 JUNIOR/SENIOR COLLEGE PRESENTATION 6:00PM AUDITORIUM

8/29 PARENT OPEN HOUSE 7:00PM-9:00PM

8/29 SPIRIT SALES AT OPEN HOUSE 7:00PM-9:00PM COUGAR CORNER

8/30 SPIRIT WEAR SALES PERIOD 3-6 COUGAR CORNER

9/2 LABOR DAY - NO SCHOOL

9/3 STUDENT LATE START 9:35AM

9/3 PICTURE MAKEUP DAY 9:00AM-3:30PM AUDITORIUM SHELF

9/7 ROBOTICS CLUB FAIR/TOURNAMENT 9:00AM-2:00PM ATRIUM

9/10 CONANT BOOSTERS MEETING 7:00PM MEDIA CENTER

9/13 SPIRIT WEAR SALES PERIODS 3-6 COUGAR CORNER

9/16 BAND PARENT MEETING 7:00PM ROOM A160

9/17 STUDENT LATE START 9:35AM

9/18 FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE WORKSHOP 6:30PM PALATINE HS

9/18 CONANT MUSIC DEPARTMENT CONCERT 7:30PM MAIN GYM

9/19 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING 7:30PM AD CENTER

9/21 CONANT BOOSTERS CRAFT FAIR 9:00AM-4:00PM 1ST FLOOR

9/23 END OF 6 WEEK GRADING PERIOD

9/27 SPIRIT WEAR SALES PERIODS 3-6 COUGAR CORNER

10/4 SPIRIT WEAR SALES PERIODS 3-6 COUGAR CORNER