Caruso Connect - October 15th
#CarusoWay
It was a fast short week @ CMS! There is so much positive energy in our classrooms and it is amazing to see all of the great things our students are learning! Please make sure to ask your students what they are doing. It is imperative that we all check in with them as the end of the quarter approaches. First quarter ends Friday, October 22, 2021 and report cards will be posted online Friday, October 29, 2021. Please note that Family Access will close on October 19, 2021 so that teachers can begin to finalize your student's grades. Please reach out to your student's teachers with specific concerns.
With the start of quarter 2, there will be a change in our lunch procedures. Schools across the district will be moving inside however, we are already fully eating inside. We will continue to allow student time outside as weather permits. Starting on Monday, November 1, 2021 students will have new seats.
Have a GREAT weekend,
Tim, Caitlin, and Heidy
Tim Brodeur - Principal - tbrodeur@dps109.org
Caitlin Lucci - Associate Principal - clucci@dps109.org
Heidy LaFleur - Interim Coordinator of Student Support - hlafleur@dps109.org
Upcoming Events
10/22 - PTO 8th Grade Bash
10/29 - Halloween Dress Up
11/11 - No School
11/22 - Parent Teacher Conferences (Evening)
11/23 - No School - Parent Teacher Conferences
11/24-11/26 - No School
12/20-12/31 - No School
Blue Jays of the Week
Caruso Halloween Guidelines
Caruso welcomes students to express their creative side and dress for Halloween while in school on Friday, October 29th. However, the following criteria are in place to ensure a safe and inclusive environment.
Students can only apply make-up, spray colored hairspray, or put on costumes at home. Parents should have full knowledge of what their child will wear for school on October 29th.
Students will not be permitted to wear any type of mask or any other costume that will obstruct the learning environment at school.
School rules for dress will apply. Students should not wear anything that has a sexual connotation or would be considered inappropriate dress.
Students should respect political views and religious beliefs.
Costumes that promote graphic violence are not permitted.
Students should not use costume props of a violent nature, such as toy guns, toy knives, and/or toy swords, to name a few.
Please be mindful of the impact of group costumes. We want to promote the social-emotional well-being of all students. If your child is participating in a group costume, please remind them to consider others and not intentionally exclude anyone.
Friday Spirit Days
All students and staff are encouraged to join us for Friday Spirit Days!
Oct. 22nd - Flannel Friday
Oct. 29th - Halloween!
All District 113 Community Members Invited to Share Input on the Future of 113
Listening Sessions and Tour Information - Tuesday, October 19 at 6 p.m.
The Board of Education seeks your input on the future of District 113 as the Board considers options for addressing financial and facilities needs in light of declining student enrollment. The second Listening Session to provide input to the Board will be held on Tuesday, October 19 at Deerfield High School. The tour will begin in the Auditorium at 6 p.m. and the Listening Session will begin in the Auditorium at 7 p.m. The Listening Session portion of the meeting will be streamed and recorded.
Check out the dist113.org/Future113 website for more details. Questions? Contact District 113 Director of Communications Karen Warner at kwarner@dist113.org.
Online Enrollment for Class of 2026
Dear Class of 2026 Families,
On behalf of Deerfield High School, I would like to welcome you to the first portion in enrolling your student for high school. As our first step, you will begin this enrollment process by giving us your demographic and contact information through our online form. This step of collecting demographic data should take no longer than 15-20 minutes to complete.
Please complete this step by Friday, November 19, 2021. Upon collecting your contact information, we will then email you directly with further information about the upcoming course placement process, 8th grade Curriculum Nights, registration for courses and other pertinent information.
Please click the link below to begin. All of the necessary information can be found on this District 113 Online Enrollment Registration page link, including the link to begin the enrollment:
ENROLLMENT AND ONLINE REGISTRATION PAGE
Thank you, and we look forward to welcoming the Class of 2026 Warriors!
Best,
Dr. Brandt
--Lilly Brandt, Ph.D.
Assistant Principal
Deerfield High School
1959 Waukegan Road
Deerfield, IL 60015
224.632.3015
Meet Kaye, Our Marla's Lunch Rep!
Amazingly fun facts about Ms. Kaye:
- She has a PhD in French history from the University of Chicago
- She is a trained chef AND baker with a published cookbook through Quaker Oats
- She LOVES our Blue Jays and is here to ensure everyone has a delicious and satisfying lunch when they order through Marla's
In her role, Kaye is here to support and troubleshoot any issues that might arise with vendors during lunch. Our students love her and she is a huge asset to our Caruso school family!
Philanthropy Club Food Drive
Caruso Choir Popcorn Fundraiser 2021
Caruso Choir is raising money for our Choral & Musical Program! We are pleased to be featuring gourmet popcorn from Popcornopolis!
Money raised will go towards things such as:
-New Choir Music and Folders
-Lights, sound, and costume rentals
-Bus rental to music/theater related field trips
-Purchasing extra ties and pearl necklaces for uniforms in case of a costume emergency
-Guest Clinicians
-AND MORE!
Students are selling Popcorn this week through Friday, October 29th. Students may come up to you and ask if you'd like to buy some, but if they don't and you're interested in ordering, please read and fill out the Order Form here: Caruso Popcorn Info and Order Form
Some Caruso Staff and I have already tried a sample of the popcorn and we enjoyed it (my favorite is the Zebra . Stacey and Sara liked the Unicorn in past years!)
Popcorn will be in mid November (should be in before we leave for Thanksgiving). The company also said that unopened popcorn lasts for 8 months, so if you're looking to buy some early holiday gifts, this is a great opportunity! Once the popcorn arrives, it will be delivered to you by a Choir Member or me.
The Caruso Choral & Musical Program receives 50% profit of every sale. The more we sell as a group, the more our program benefits.
Thank you for helping out the Caruso Choral & Musical Program and raising awareness of our fundraiser! Please don't hesitate to ask any questions. See Ms. Vombrack
A TikTok Challenge Warning
There are a series of nationwide TikTok challenges set for the coming months that are encouraging destructive and deeply inappropriate behavior in schools. DPS 109 will not tolerate any disruptions to our learning environment.
While students may believe they are playing a prank or answering a challenge, it is important to know that these behaviors are actually very serious in nature and could result in school consequences including potential involvement by law enforcement.
We will not tolerate these behaviors in our school, and encourage parents/guardians to speak with their child about this. We thank you for your ongoing partnership in keeping DPS 109 a safe and supportive learning environment.
Freshman Year Information for DHS
Attention all 8th graders, Parents/Guardians of 8th graders, and 8th grade teachers...and hello to the DHS Class of 2026!
Registration for high school is coming up soon! In preparation for this, we invite all 8th grade families and teachers to join our brand new Fine and Applied Arts Department Facebook group. This group will introduce you to all the wonderful Fine and Applied Arts teachers at Deerfield High School, as well as answer any questions about registration for their classes. The arts are a critical part of a holistic education, and we are so excited to invite your students to discover, nurture, and grow their artistic abilities through the wonderful programs at DHS. Even if your child has not been involved in the arts in middle school, we invite you to join the Facebook group.
Here is the group link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/258970622746387
Questions? Please reach out to:
Anastasia Cameron Balmer, Middle School Liaison for Fine and Applied Arts at DHS abalmer@dist113.org 224-305-2108
Dee Bolos-Hartman, DHS Fine and Applied Arts Department Chair dboloshartman@dist113.org 224-632-3161
No PSAT
Reminder for School Volunteers
A quick reminder, that all volunteers or individuals spending prolonged time in one of our buildings are required to be vaccinated or provide proof of a negative COVID test.
If you are coming to our building to volunteer, please remember these things:
-Wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status
-Bring a photo ID to check in at the front office
-Bring your proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test (not self-administered) from within the last week
-Complete a Covid self-certification prior to coming to school
Thank you for your cooperation and please contact Eric Steckling (esteckling@dps109.org) if you have any questions.
Activities and Sports Update
Congrats to all our student athletes and coaches on successful seasons for Cross Country, Girls Volleyball, and Soccer! We are anxiously prepping for our winter season with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade basketball (Girls and Boys), wrestling, and cheer/poms. Please see the Clubs and Activities Website for more details.
Also, see the image below for info on COMEDY CLUB with Mr. Arbit, starting on Monday, Oct 18!
What is Test To Stay?
This year, fewer students are needing to be quarantined if they are a close contact to a COVID-19 case, thanks to the Lake County Health Department's "Test To Stay" protocol. Click here to read more from the district about it.
Student Health Requirements 21-22
We recognize and are mindful of the fact that many families may have had difficulty getting children in for physical, dental, and eye exams as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to routine medical care; however, at this time, all child-health related requirements for school attendance, remain in effect for children in public, private, or parochial schools, as per 105 ILCS 5/27-8.1.
Health-related examinations and immunization requirements are due no later than October 15. Please click here to be directed to our website for detailed information regarding specific requirements by grade level.
You will soon be receiving communication from our building nurse if your child is missing any of the required documentation. Students not in compliance with the health examination and immunization requirements will be excluded from school beginning Friday, October 15, 2021. Please reach out with any questions regarding these requirements as we want to partner with you to ensure compliance with these requirements. Thank you.
Wednesday ExSEL
This week students met in their ExSEL groups!
ExSEL (Executive Functioning + Social-Emotional Learning) is a new addition to our Wednesday early release schedule. This is designated school-wide time each week for students to build relationships with teachers and peers. During this time, students will have the space and opportunity to check in with teachers while focusing on social-emotional learning, executive functioning, relationship building, coping strategies, and self-awareness.
SHIELD Testing
Students will begin SHIELD testing at 8:30 AM. Please ensure that students do not have food, gum, or drinks an hour prior to testing. Students will be called out of class for SHIELD testing according to the schedule below. Please communicate with your student if you would like them to test or not. We make reminder calls for all students for testing, and if students have your consent they can test even if they do not have a QR code/lanyard yet. (We are working with district office to ensure everyone has one soon!)
8th Grade 8:30-8:50 from Encore 1
6th Grade 8:50-9:10 from Core 1
7th Grade 9:20-9:40 from Core 2
CARUSO - 8:30 AM - 10:45 AM
- Wednesday, October 20
- Wednesday, October 27
- Wednesday, November 3
- Wednesday, November 10
- Wednesday, November 17
-Wednesday, December 1
- Wednesday, December 8
- Wednesday, December 15
Testing is not mandatory. By consenting to the testing, your child’s name is put on a roster and the expectation is that they will be testing weekly unless a parent/guardian notifies us otherwise.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO FILL OUT THE SHIELD CONSENT FORM…
Log in to Skyward/Family Access and it should appear as a green box next to your child’s name. Contact Kristen Neu (kneu@dps109.org) with any Family Access questions.
IF YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO OPT OUT OF A WEEK OF TESTING…
Fill out this Google Form prior to 7 AM on the day that our school tests: Wednesday
Family Support
Student Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures
Arrival will take place from 7:45-8:00. All late arrivals should come to the front office.
Entry Locations/Doors
6th Grade: Main Entrance
8th Grade: West Entrance (side of building)
7th Grade: Corner of West/North Side (drop off students at end of sidewalk before bus area)
Walkers/Bussers: Activities Entrance (back of building)
Dismissal is at 3:00 on M/T/TH/F , and 2:00 on Wednesdays.
**Wednesday, August 25 will NOT be an early release day.**
If you are picking up your student during the school day, please contact the main office by calling or buzzing the front door. If you need to drop something off for your student you will be buzzed into the building and be able to leave it in the lobby. Please make sure to label the item with your student's first and last name.
COVID Information
TESTING FOR SYMPTOMATIC STUDENTS
DPS 109 will be offering testing for symptomatic students Monday through Friday afternoons during the school year. The BinaxNOW test will be administered outside of the District Office in the beige testing building (please look for sign on door). Testing is free of charge to families. Click here to read more about testing.
WHAT DO I DO IF MY CHILD WAKES UP SICK? DO OTHER SIBLINGS HAVE TO STAY HOME?
It’s always a tough situation when this happens in the morning! Be sure to read this section in our COVID information hub, especially if you have multiple children enrolled in DPS 109. Our school exclusion guidance comes from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Who to Contact?
Mrs. Lucci, Associate Principal
Mr. Brodeur, Principal
Mrs. LaFleur, Interim Coordinator of Student Support
Caruso Middle School
Email: cmsoffice@dps109.org
Website: https://www.dps109.org/Page/9
Location: 1801 Montgomery Road, Deerfield, IL, USA
Twitter: @109Caruso