Mustang Memo

Hello Spencer Loomis Families-

I am very excited for the start of the school year and to be joining the Spencer Loomis community! It is hard to believe that this will be my 22nd year in District 95. After the past eight years at Seth Paine (one as assistant principal and seven as principal), it is exciting to start again with new families and a new staff. I look forward to meeting all of you and getting to know your students.

We have been hard at work to get the building ready. Our new Literacy and Innovation Hub looks amazing and we cannot wait to show it off!

Please find important information included below, with more to come in the upcoming weeks.

See you soon,

Marie Rothermel

Class lists/teacher assignments will be available in Home Access on August 5th (by the end of the day).

To view your student’s schedule/classroom teacher in Home Access:

1. Go to the district website: https://www.lz95.org.
2. Mouse over Parents and click Home Access. Log in with your Home Access username and password. (Note: Your username is the email address the district has on file for you. Click the “Forgot My Username or Password” link if you need to retrieve your password.
3. Click Classes in the top menu.

If you can’t log into Home Access, contact support@lz95.net for additional assistance.

We are excited to host our “Meet the Staff” event on Monday, August 15th, 2022. We will return to the more traditional style of hosting families in the building for this event! Please feel free to drop off school supplies in classrooms on this day as well.

K-5 Grades:

1:30-3:00pm

The SL faculty has the traditional staff photo scheduled for 3:00.

Welcome to Kristin Herrick! She will be a building administrator assigned to Spencer Loomis, fulfilling the Assistant Principal duties for this school year. Kristin has been in the district for the past 3 years (two years as a bilingual 1st/2nd Grade teacher and one as Bilingual Coordinator). Previous to District 95, Kristin taught for eight years in Round Lake (grades 2 and 3).

Our first day of school for all students is Tuesday, August 16th. We are very excited to welcome everyone back to the building!

Student Arrival: 8:05-8:15am

Student Dismissal: 2:50-3:00pm

Please click here to find the school supply lists for the 2022-2023 school year.

The PTO has its own Facebook page as well as a PTO tab on the Spencer Loomis website, along with Instagram and Twitter accounts. Please be sure to follow the PTO Facebook page for the latest information on events, volunteer opportunities, and school celebrations. The Spencer Loomis website contains additional information including the bylaws, meeting schedule, and Spirit Wear information.

Back to School Event: Wednesday, August 17th (save the date!)

If you drive to school and drop off your student(s):

• Morning Arrival: 8:05-8:15am
• Please enter the circular drive at the front of the school.
• Pull as far forward as possible to allow multiple cars in the circular drive.
• *Do not have your student(s) exit the vehicle until a staff member comes to you. Parents, please do not exit your vehicle as this slows down the arrival process.
• The students will enter the building at the front entrance and make their way directly to their classroom.
• Once your child exits the vehicle, you are free to go. Please do so quickly as we will keep the line moving. **We have many car drop offs, and will do our best to get through cars quickly!**

If you are planning to drive to school and pick up your student(s):

• Afternoon Dismissal: 2:50-3:00pm
• Please send in an email to SLDismissal@lz95.org letting us know your child will be a pickup.
• Have your child's last name visible in the front window of the vehicle.
• Please enter the circular drive at the front of the school.
• Pull as far forward as possible to allow multiple cars in the circular drive.
• When your child is safely in your car, please exit the drive quickly in order to allow the line to keep moving. Please do not come up to the exit to meet your child. We will help them find your vehicle.
• When vehicles in front of you leave, please continue to pull forward to fill gaps.
• Please do NOT pull around cars at the entrance to the circle. Please stay in line and move forward behind the person in front of you.

If your child walks to school, they will enter the building at the front entrance (Door 1).

Walkers will exit at dismissal from Door 1. Parents can meet students by the playground. Please do not come to the main entrance area as students use this area for car dismissal.

Please bear with us for the first few weeks of school. These are new routines for everyone and it takes time to build consistency. As the first few weeks progress, dismissal will run smoothly and will take much less time!

We are happy to welcome a few new staff members this year!

Melissa Hull - Kindergarten

Jessica Morton - 1st Grade

Emily Maneval - 5th Grade

Gretchen Matovic - Learning Behavior Specialist (shared with May Whitney)

TJ McManus - PE Teacher (shared with Seth Paine)

Sonia Sheware - OT

Back to SL:

Lauren Matzkin - Speech Pathologist

Robin Dillon - Reading Specialist

Fee Waivers for the 2022-2023 school year are being accepted by the Business Office, and the forms are available on the district website on the Business & Operations Department page at https://www.lz95.org/departments/business-operations. Fee waiver forms must be completed and submitted for review each school year. If you have any questions regarding the Fee Waiver process please contact the Business Office at businessoffice@lz95.org

Looking for an opportunity to give back to the community? Retired and looking for a way to stay active and connected? A Parent wanting to have the same schedule as your children? Want to bring your preschool aged child to work with you? Join our amazing team of bus drivers. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.

Benefits Include: · Paid Behind the Wheel Training · Partial Paid Health Insurance · Retirement Benefits · Sick Leave · Personal Days· Competitive Pay including pay for prior experience

Qualifications: · Good Driving Record · Minimum of 21 years old (Drivers) · Pass required Federal Background check · Pass a pre-employment/ annual physical & drug test · Enjoy working with Kids!!

If you have any questions, contact the District 95 Transportation Department at 847-438-2834.

Click here to apply online by visiting our website or go to www.lz95.org/jobs ~ Click on Job Openings ~ Select Transportation ~ Select Apply button

In preparation for the 22-23 school year, please note several updates to the District’s Health & Wellness protocols as it relates to COVID.

• Students and staff members who test positive for COVID will continue to need to isolate for five days following the onset of symptoms or from their test date (if symptom-free)

• Buildings will no longer be notifying families when they have been a close contact to a COVID positive case; for those families with unique medical situations (and a doctor’s note) requiring notification, please contact Lauren McArdle at lauren.mcardle@lz95.org

• Students who are in isolation due to a COVID positive test will be able to access support with schoolwork from staff outside of school hours (schedule will vary depending on the student level); families will receive information regarding how to access support when their isolation window begins, but will no longer include online access to the general classroom experience (i.e., no Zooming into daily classes)

• The District has discontinued a central COVID testing location; tests will remain available at the building level for students and staff members who display symptoms while present at school or work

• The District-wide free testing program will be discontinued effective at the start of the 22-23 school year; families and staff are reminded that home tests are now accepted for the purposes of clearing a student to return to school when experiencing symptoms

• Cumulative COVID positive cases by building will be reported on a weekly basis via the District website, with the past two weeks of data available for viewing (as has been the reporting practice during the summer semester)

• The District Health & Wellness website has been updated to reflect our protocols for the coming school year. As always, families should continue to monitor their children for any changes in health and must keep students who are ill at home.

• Lastly, the District will be convening a Health & Wellness Committee again for the 22-23 school year. The work of this committee will be expanded to include monitoring of illnesses beyond COVID, providing input on the District nutritional/physical wellness practices, and providing input on student social-emotional well-being initiatives. Parents and staff members who are interested in participating on this committee can complete the interest form linked HERE.

Email: marie.rothermel@lz95.org
Website: www.lz95.org
Location: 1 Hubbard Lane, Hawthorn Woods, IL, USA
Phone: (847)719-3300
Twitter: @MRothermelD95