Please follow the link below to sign up for your child's Fall Conference that will be held on Monday, December 2 (and December 3 for our Pre-K families). While you are at Grass Lake, don't forget to check out our Book Fair in person and online from December 2 through December 13. For more information, please follow this link.

We look forward to seeing you there!

What a great week to be a BRAVE! We started our week on Monday celebrating our GLS veterans at our Pancake Breakfast and our all-school Veterans Day Celebration and are ending our week on another high note with our First Annual GLS Bingo Night!

The all-school Veterans Day Celebration included a special performance by our school choir, singing a tribute to the Armed Services. Staff members who wanted to join the choir’s tribute were welcomed, creating a shared, unifying moment to honor those who serve. To close the ceremony, our 8th graders led a reflection on each of the five branches of the military. Mrs. Latondress and our 8th graders coordinated this as a class activity, and each 8th-grade representative shared insights about the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Their words highlighted the values and bravery of each branch, concluding with a final thank you to all veterans for their service. It was a very memorable day and I am including just some of the pictures from the event below. Please follow this link for all the pictures from the event that are on display on our website.

Tomorrow night is the night! I want to remind all our families that on Friday, November 15 we are holding our first annual GLS Bingo Night from 6:00-8:00 pm. Please remember the entire family is invited and as such, it will not be a drop-off event but one we hope the entire family attends. Please follow this link for additional information and how you can help!

Next week, our Student Council has created a Spirit Week (pictured above or by following this link). I've also included for you below our PTO, which is once again offering spirit wear for purchase! See below for details under our PTO section and we hope you consider purchasing some amazing BRAVE wearables to show that BRAVE pride when you are out and about!

Next week we also have auditions for our musical! The spring musical this year will be, "Willy Wonka Jr!" Auditions will be held Monday, November 18th from 3:15-5 pm. All students in 4th-8th grade are welcome to audition and if they are planning to audition on Monday they should also plan on completing this form.

Thank you, as always, for your help and support. I hope everyone has a great weekend and we look forward to another great week of learning next week!

Warm Regards,

Ryan Wollberg

Principal/Grass Lake School

Grass Lake School has made notable progress in both academic performance and school climate over the past year. According to the 2024 Illinois Report Card, our dedication to enhancing student achievement through Project-Based Learning (PBL) and a supportive, student-centered environment has yielded measurable results.

IAR Growth
In 2024, Grass Lake students demonstrated significant growth on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), reflecting our focus on deeper learning and mastery of core skills. Compared to 2023, the percentage of students meeting or exceeding proficiency standards has increased in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. This improvement highlights the positive impact of PBL, as students engage in hands-on projects that boost critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for success on standardized assessments.

5Essentials Climate Survey
Our school’s scores on the 5Essentials climate survey, which assesses areas like Supportive Environment, Collaborative Teachers, and Involved Families, also showed improvement from 2023 to 2024. Notably, Grass Lake achieved higher ratings in "Supportive Environment" and "Collaborative Teachers," underscoring the strength of our school community and the positive relationships fostered among staff, students, and families. This progress reflects our commitment to creating an inclusive, safe, and engaging learning space where every student can thrive.

Overall, these gains in both the IAR and 5Essentials survey indicate that our strategic efforts to enhance academic and social-emotional learning are working, and we look forward to building on this momentum to achieve even greater success in the years ahead. Please see below for more details.

Each week throughout the school year, families enrolled in our Backpack Program will go home with pre-bagged, shelf-stable, nutritious food items. Items may include: milk, pasta, canned fruit, canned vegetables, cereal, tuna, beans, rice, and more! Please complete this form if your family would like to be enrolled. The food will come home with your student once a week. If you decide your family would no longer like to be part of the program, or if you have any questions, please contact Kelly Porter at 847-395-5160 or kporter@gls36.org. This form and program are confidential.

Our 8th-grade students are putting the finishing touches on their giant sculptures in art class, inspired by the renowned artist Claes Oldenburg. Known for his larger-than-life sculptures of everyday objects, Oldenburg transformed familiar items like food, tools, and household objects into monumental pieces, often displayed in public spaces. Students studied his unique approach to scale, texture, and humor, and applied these concepts to their own projects.

Please also see below for information about our annual Poinsettia Sales and Fine Arts Night on December 12 along with our PBL Showcase!

Please follow the link below for more information about our Fall athletics.

Please follow the button below to be directed to our GLS website for more details related to our Breakfast/Lunch menus and ordering information. If there are any questions, please contact our main office. As a reminder, our lunch fees are $3.75.

This year, you will continue to see important updates from me regarding the importance of attendance every day at GLS. More information will be forthcoming in upcoming newsletters but we wanted all of our students to start the year off headed in the right direction. Please follow this link to view our Academic Calendar for the upcoming school year and we encourage all of our families, to the greatest extent possible, to schedule doctor and dentist appointments, vacations, etc. on days off. While we understand there may certainly be extenuating circumstances out of your control, your help in sending your child to school every day will help them continue to excel at GLS.

As a reminder, Grass Lake encourages you to send your child to school every day, unless they are exhibiting one or more of the following symptoms:

1. The student has a temperature consistently above 100 even when taking medication in the last 24 hours.
2. The student is throwing up or experiencing diarrhea in the last 24 hours.
3. The student has pink eyes that are crusty and not receiving medication for them for 24 hours.

While this list is not all-inclusive your help is appreciated as even missing 2 days a month equates to missing almost 10% of the school year. Also, as a reminder, any absence due to illness that lasts for more than three consecutive days may be verified by a medical note, which must be produced within two days of the student’s return for the absence to be considered excused. Thank you for your help and support!

Grass Lake School hours of attendance are 7:45 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. on regular schedule days and 7:45 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. on early release late-start days. When reporting an absence please indicate the reason for the absence and if it is due to illness, please report symptoms including if your child has a fever, cough, or sore throat. This will assist the district in assessing when a student will return and whether it must comply with any reporting or notice requirements.

Please report absences by phone OR by email:

• Call (847) 395-1550, or
• Email attendance@gls36.org

If the school has not heard from you and your child is absent, you will receive a call to verify the absence. School code provides that parents/guardians/other persons having legal custody of a child provide telephone numbers at the time of enrollment to enable the school to notify the parent/guardian/other person with legal custody of the child’s absence from school. Accordingly, this verification of absence call will be made to the numbers provided at registration and not necessarily the parents’ places of employment.

This year, we have adjusted and included bus information in Infinite Campus. You can view your child(rens) bus information by following these steps or going to our website by following this link:

1. Sign into Infinite Campus
2. Select your GLS Student(s)
3. Select "More"' in the column on the left
4. Select "Transportation"
5. Under "Bus" it will read one of three numbers GLS00# (# indicates what bus 1, 2, or 3) to indicate if they are on bus 1, 2, or 3. This year we are running three routes for K-8.
6. If you are a Pre-Kindergarten parent it will read GLSPK# (# indicates what bus 1(AM), 2(AM), 3(PM), or 4(PM).

As a reminder, for Friday early release, please plan for students in grades K-8 to be home 1.5 hours earlier than Monday through Thursday.

We’ve also posted this information on our website, which you can access by following this link. As a reminder, during the first few days, the buses may run approximately 5-10 minutes off schedule, so we kindly ask for your patience. Additionally, all Pre- K and Kindergarten families, please plan on meeting your child at the bus stop, as the drivers will not release them unless an adult is present for safety purposes. We truly appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Below, you’ll find a map for your convenience, detailing our drop-off and pick-up procedures. We ask that parents remain in their cars during drop-off and pick-up to ensure smooth traffic flow and student safety. The only exception is for Pre-K families, who may require the need to get out to get their child(ren) out of a 5 point harness car seat.

Please note the following morning waiting areas for students:

- Pre-K: Will enter in the main entrance but have a separate waiting area in our main foyer/hall.

- K-3: Library

- 4-6: MPR (Multi-Purpose Room)

- 7-8: Basement near their lockers

If you plan to pick your child up early from school, kindly email your child's teacher as well as Cristina Monroy, our administrative assistant. Early pick-up and late drop-off should be done through our main entrance. Please remember to bring your ID when picking up your child, as we want to ensure they are sent home with an approved individual.

When your child is dropped off in the morning, they will enter through the main entrance. In the afternoon, they will exit through the same doors (marked by the yellow box below). Please wait in your car, and we will release students to you as quickly as possible. Again, we ask for your patience at the beginning of the year as we refine our procedures—rest assured, the process will become faster as everyone gets accustomed to it. Additionally, please do not drop off your child until the front doors open at 7:30 am.

Thank you for your continued support!

GRASS LAKE SCHOOL

26177 W. Grass Lake Rd. Antioch, IL 60002
Phone: (847) 395-1550 | Fax: (847) 395-8632

Email: rwollberg@gls36.org
Website: www.gls36.org
Location: Grass Lake School District 36, West Grass Lake Road, Antioch, IL, USA
Phone: 847-395-1550