LZHS Principal's Newsletter
March 6, 2024
Principal's Message
Good afternoon, and happy Friday!!! I'm going to highlight the last days of school for our Lake Zurich High School students. For our 9th through 11th grade students, the tentative last day of school has been adjusted to Friday, May 24th, 2024. Second semester finals will occur on Wednesday, May 22nd, Thursday, May 23rd, and Friday, May 24th.Please note that these are tentative dates in case there is a need for any additional emergency days.
For our 12th grade students, graduation will be held on May 19th. Their last day of school will be May 15th. Students will attend practice graduation on May 17th. There will be more information coming concerning graduation after Spring Break. As always, if you need anything please reach out!
New Topics
-Upcoming Important Dates
-Attendance and Grades Update
-Illinois Science Assessment
-Finalists for the National Merit Scholarship
-Gold Designation at Science Competition
-Scholastic Art Award Winners
-COVID Updates
-Summer Semester Coursebook
Previous Topics
-Prom Dresses
-Maker Mart
-5Essentials (Parents)
-Yearbook Ordering
-Varsity Tutors
-Athletic Booster Club Seeking Volunteers
-Attendance Information
-SchooLinks Information
-Spiritwear Sales
Upcoming Important Dates
-March 13-Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) for Juniors
-March 19-LZHS PTO Meeting
-March 25-29-Spring Break
-April 10-PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, SAT Testing for 9th, 10th, and 11th Graders (Half-Day Student Attendance)
-April 10-No School for Seniors
Attendance and Grade Update
Illinois Science Assessment
Next week, on March 13th, all 11th grader students will be taking the Illinois Science Assessment. This is a full day of school for 11th graders. You received an e-mail on February 23, 2024 from Aubrey Allen, our Director of Data, Assessment, and Programs, concerning this assessment. If you have any questions please let us know.
National Merit Scholarship Finalists
We would like to congratulate the following students for being National Merit Scholarship finalists! Way to go!
-Lia Carroll
-Kyle Chua
-Matthew Chung
Gold Designation at Science Competition
Junior Cibi Vadivel earned a gold designation at the regional Illinois Junior Academy of Science poster competition this weekend. In addition, Cibi was the top four finisher at the competition, advancing to both to the state competition and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in LA in May. Cibi is the first student from LZHS to attend ISEF. Regeneron ISEF 2024 is the world’s largest pre-college STEM competition and will take place from May 11-17 in Los Angeles, California. You can find more information about this competition here. Congrats Cibi!!!!!
Scholastic Art Award Winners
Please join us in congratulating the following artists for their outstanding accomplishments in this
year's Scholastic Art competition.
Gold Keys- awarded to the top 5-7% of all entries, and advance to the national level of adjudication
- Hannah Wilkerson - Ceramics & Sculpture
- Mia Gries - Ceramics & Sculpture
Silver Keys-awarded to the top 7-10% of all entries
- Morgan Krieter - Digital Art
Honorable Mentions -awarded to the top 10-15% of all entries
- Andrea Fernandez - 2 Ceramics & Sculpture
- Hannah Wilkerson - Ceramics & Sculpture
- Hannah Wilkerson - Art Portfolio
- Mayah Radoy - Ceramics & Sculpture
- HeeJee Yamamoto - Digital Art
- Grace McFarland - Photography
Congratulations everyone!
COVID Updates
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced that it is adopting the updated guidance from the CDC to simplify recommendations for dealing with COVID-19 - effective Friday, March 1st. We have since received confirmation from the Lake County Health Department (LCHD) that school districts are free to move forward adopting the same guidance.
Please see below for changes to guidance for students who test positive for COVID:
Students who test positive for COVID “can return to normal activities when symptoms have been improving for 24 hours,” per LCHD
If there was a fever present, students may return to school once their fever has been gone for 24 hours without use of a fever-reducing medication
This updated guidance removes the mandatory 5-day isolation period, and instead focuses on symptom monitoring - which means that a student may be able to return to school in fewer than 5 days, or may be out more than 5 days (depending on the severity of their symptoms)
Please continue to monitor your child for symptoms of illness, and communicate with the school health office if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to implementing this adjusted, more flexible guidance with respect to COVID cases.
Summer Semester Coursebook
District 95 is pleased to inform families that the Summer Semester coursebooks, along with detailed information, will be made available during the week of March 4th. This release will allow families to explore the diverse range of courses offered and plan for a rewarding summer educational experience.
Summer Semester Registration for in-district families is scheduled to open on April 2, 2024. District 95 encourages families to utilize this early registration period to secure their preferred courses. District 95 looks forward to welcoming students to an exciting and productive summer semester.
Pop Up Prom Shoppe
Please see the flyer to the right for information on a free prom dress giveaway, an opportunity to get assistance filing out your FAFSA form, and a chance to spend time on a college campus. A one stop shop for all of the above!
5Essentials Survey - We Need Your Help!
As of Tuesday, January 30, 2024, parents/guardians, students, and teachers across Illinois are invited to share their thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness. This survey is a key tool in ongoing efforts to improve student learning and school conditions. District 95 highly values the insights and perspectives of parents/guardians; please complete the survey to assist in shaping the educational environment and experience for students.
Survey Participation Details:
Survey Period: January 30, 2024 - March 29, 2024
Who Will Participate: All teachers and fourth through 12th-grade students
Parent/Guardian Participation: All parents/guardians are encouraged to complete the survey. A 20% or higher response rate will generate a specific parent/guardian report.
Survey Link: https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/
More Information: Visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois
Yearbook Ordering
This is a reminder to order your yearbook now! Please follow the instructions below to make sure you don’t miss out!
New Yearbook Order:
Search for Lake Zurich High School by clicking the “Search by school name” link under the red enter button.
Click the order a yearbook button.
Add yearbook(s) to your cart. Be sure to select your student's name for the order.
Place your order and wait for the confirmation email.
If you believe you have ordered a yearbook but are unsure if you placed an order, please follow these instructions.
Check On Your Yearbook Order:
Click the red button under the white box that says “Look up order”
Enter the confirmation number in the middle box if you know it.
If you don’t have a confirmation number, you can search with your email address if you first open your school’s order site. Click “Look Up School” below the confirmation box. On the school’s page, click “Find Your Order” near the bottom.
If you have any questions, please contact Herff Jones at 866-287-3096
Free Online Tutoring Opportunity
I am excited to share that, through a partnership with the Lake County Regional Office of Education, all students in District 95 will have access to on-demand virtual tutoring support through Varsity Tutors at no cost to families - starting January 2024. Varsity Tutors has a long-standing reputation for providing services to students, and is positively regarded in this area.
To learn more about Varsity Tutors services and platform, parents/guardians can click the link HERE (NOTE: District 95 students will have the 24/7 on-demand tutoring option available to them at no cost)
Additional features available at no cost on the platform include on-demand essay review and on-demand classes (self-paced for students), which include topics in a wide range of areas - such as SAT/ACT prep for high school students
To support your student in accessing the platform, parents/guardians can click the link HERE for further information
The Varsity Tutors icon will be located under the “More Apps” section of the Clever landing page (bottom of the page); students can add this link to their favorites if they wish
Once students access Varsity Tutors through Clever, they should select the “Chat with a Tutor” option; they will then be able to select the subject area on the following screen
If your student experiences any difficulties with accessing the platform via their Clever account, please contact support@lz95.net. If parents/guardians have questions or concerns about the platform, they can complete the feedback form HERE. Note that District 95 does not own or operate the platform; however, the district does have contact with the vendor, and will provide feedback periodically.
We look forward to being able to offer this support to our students!
Athletic Booster Club Seeking Volunteers
The ALL NEW Athletic Booster Club is looking for parent involvement. If you have a student-athlete and are looking for a way to contribute, we have multiple positions within the Athletic Booster Club to share your skills and advance the state of our newly formed booster club.
Our biggest need is for volunteers to assist with:
· Fundraising
· Concessions
· Sponsorships
Please respond by completing the survey.
Attendance Information
Students are expected to be at school daily, and with enough time to navigate to their first period class on time.
Please note that for students who struggle to maintain regular attendance, parents/families will receive additional communication, conference requests, and other interventions to support regular school attendance - in accordance with state law. At the high school level, this may involve one or more of the following:
- having students attend Office Hours to make up work missed due to tardy behaviors or unexcused absences,
- assignment to after school interventions (i.e., staying for a period of time after Office Hours), and
- not being able to make up formative work missed for credit due to attendance concerns.
SchooLinks Information
Welcome to SchooLinks, our new College and Career Readiness platform. We wanted to send out some information that will help you navigate SchooLinks alongside your student.
- To login please click “Forgot my password” and enter the email address that you use for your ParentVue login. From there you will be able to access your guardian account
- You and your student(s) will be automatically connected within the platform alongside your student's counselor and other faculty members who will take part in your student's journey toward College and Career Readiness
- We are always looking for additional industry partners to help bring work based learning experiences to all students. To learn more about how you can help, please email our Director of College and Career Readiness, Ali Finn
- SchooLinks provides extensive support for navigating all it has to offer. You can locate the help center here
- For any additional questions, please reach out to Ali Finn
Thank you for your continued support throughout your student's journey to life after District 95!
Dr. John Walsh and Ms. Ali Finn
Spiritwear Sales
The Bear Booster store has gone LIVE! We are so excited to showcase our NEW line! Start the new school year sporting your trendy LZ Bear Spirit Wear! GO BEARS!!!
SHOP: https://lake-zurich-high-school-bear-booster-club.square.site/
Questions: Lzhsboosterstore@gmail.com