Dear Indian Grove Families,

Over the past two weeks, we have received important updates regarding immigration enforcement and its potential impact on public schools in Illinois. Alongside Dr. Megerle and the entire District 26 team, I want to reaffirm our commitment to supporting all students. We firmly believe that every child deserves a welcoming environment where they can learn and thrive. We are dedicated to ensuring that dignity, respect, and opportunity are at the heart of their educational experience.

We also want to reassure all parents that our district has clear policies in place to safeguard the safety, privacy, and well-being of our students, should immigration officials ever visit our schools.

• Every child is entitled to a free public education, regardless of their background or immigration status. In line with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Plyler v. Doe, District 26 does not ask about or collect information regarding a student’s or family’s immigration status during the enrollment process.

  
  

• Federal and state privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Illinois School Student Records Act (ISSRA), protect student information. These laws prevent the sharing of student records with law enforcement or immigration officials unless proper legal authorization is provided or consent from a parent/guardian is obtained.

  
  

• Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are not permitted to enter our school buildings without a valid, judge-signed warrant. In the event of any such situation, we will carefully review and manage the matter with the guidance of legal counsel to ensure the rights of our students and families are fully protected.

• The Illinois State Board of Education has offered non-regulatory guidance and resources to public schools that you can access at this link.

Please know that your child’s safety and well-being are always our top priorities. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Dr. Megerle and Mr. Timmins

February 7 - PTC Movie Night, 6:30pm

February 11 - RTSD26 Board of Education Meeting, 7pm

February 13 - PTC Meeting, 7pm

February 14 - Classroom Valentines Day Parties, 2:45 pm

February 19 - Kindergarten Registration, 4-8pm

February 20 - Registration for the 2025-2026 school year open in PowerSchool

February 20 - Family Literacy Night

Congratulations to Jonathan in 4th grade for winning the 2024-2025 Indian Grove Spelling Bee! Interested 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students have been meeting after school since December to practice and get ready for our school bee which took place this past Wednesday, January 29. Jonathan now qualifies to compete in the North Cook Regional Bee later this month! Way to go Jonathan!

We are excited to introduce our New Winter/Spring Lunch menus! We have been working hard to offer a variety of delicious and nutritious meal options that will help fuel your child’s learning through the day.

We will begin our new menus on February 3rd. As a reminder, we follow a two-week cyclical menu. This means your child will see the same menu every other week. Cycle calendars are now included on the menus for easy reference. Please note that the new menus will begin on a B-Week.

View the full weekly menus on our district website: https://www.rtsd26.org/departments/food-services/lunch-menus.

Author Ruth Spiro is visiting Indian Grove Elementary School on Friday, February 7th! Ruth Spiro is the author of more than 30 children’s books, with over one million copies in print worldwide. The enthusiastic response to the Baby Loves Science books inspired a new picture book series perfect for early elementary readers, How to Explain Science to a Grown-Up. In addition, Ruth is the author of picture books including Made by Maxine, Maxine and the Greatest Garden Ever, Love Grows, and One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story, which received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus. Ruth graduated with a B.S. in Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign and earned an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago. She speaks regularly at STEM and early-childhood conferences across the country.

You can purchase one of Ruth's books from The Book Stall at this link. Please order by February 5th. All purchased books will be signed by Ruth after her presentations.

Thank you to the PTC for organizing our exciting author visit.

There are some important dates coming up for beginning the registration process for next school year:

February 19, 2025:

• Kindergarten registration will be held from 4:00pm-8:00pm at Prairie Trails School
• You must pre-register for this event.
• RTSD Kindergarten families with older siblings already enrolled in the district may register ALL students at this time.

February 20, 2025:

• Registration for ALL students opens online through PowerSchool (including NEW district families in grades 1-8)

April 17 and April 18, 2025:

• IN PERSON proof of residency events at Euclid and Indian Grove Elementary Schools for all current students in grades 2, 3, 4 and 5.
• Online registration MUST be completed PRIOR TO PROOF OF RESIDENCY.

April 30, 2025:

• This is the last day for an “Early Bird” discount toward student fees.

August 1, 2025:

• Drop date for students who have not provided proof of residency documentation. Students who have not provided this information will be unenrolled from the district.
• Last day to request bussing.
• All bus fees must be paid in full by this date.

Additional information will be updated on the RTSD26 district website and reminders for each event will be shared.

All River Trails 26 schools will be closed on Monday, February 17, in honor of Presidents' Day.

Our visiting Dentist will be at Indian Grove on Wednesday, March 19.

Forms will be sent home in with students in the beginning of February. Send filled out and signed forms to school or you can register online using this link. Registration is DUE by February 17.

If you use Online Registration, please contact Nurse Stephanie (srubinkowski@rtsd26.org) to tell her you signed up online!

Order your 2024-2025 yearbook today! Yearbooks are $20 and can only be ordered online using the link below. The deadline to order is April 4, 2025. Yearbooks will be delivered to school and distributed to students in May.

If you have a 5th grade student and are interested in including a shout out in the 2024-2025 yearbook, please drop off your blurb and $5 in an envelope with your student's name on it to the main office by January 31, 2025.

Join us this Friday night for a screening of Kung Fu Panda 4! Click the picture below to RSVP.

Please join us on Tuesday, February 11th for a Dine and Share Fundraiser at Raising Cane's in Mount Prospect.

Be sure to mention Indian Grove when ordering at the restaurant or enter code RCFUND96 when ordering online or through the app.

Raising Canes will donate 15% of net sales to Indian Grove PTC on orders placed between 4pm-10pm. Thank you for your continued support.