August Update
Monday, AUGUST 5TH
Dates to Know
Monday, August 5th - Homeroom emails sent throughout day
Wednedsay, August 7th - Pizza Store Opens (PTO Sponsored Thursday Pizza)
Wednesday, August 7th - 6:00 pm - New Family Orientation
Tueday, August 13th - School Supply Drop-off (8:15-9:15 am); PTO meet/greet
Last Name A-M = between 8:15-8:45 am
Last Name N-Z = between 8:45-9:15 am
Wednesday, August 14th - First Day of School
Thursday, August 15th - Fastbridge Testing begins (K-1)
Tuesday, August 20th -MAP Testing begins (2nd-5th)
Wednesday, August 21st - Parent Night 6:00 pm
Week of August 26th - SAFETY WEEK
Friday, August 30th - Stuff the Squad
Friday, August 30th - Pacers begins
Thursday, September 12th - 5th Grade Camp Duncan Extended Field Trip
Friday, September 20th - Picture Day
Saturday, September 21st - Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast Day
Week of August 5th-August 9th Activities and Information
Wednesday, August 7th - Our new families are welcome to join us at Carpenter at 6:00 pm. You can enter through the main entrance on Hamlin and we'll meet in our south gym. Students are welcome to attend. Our Kindergarten Families that were unable to attend in the spring are welcome to join us as well. We'll talk about Carpenter School and the basics and we'll take a brief tour. It will not be longer than 1 hour.
Welcome New Staff!
Welcome to our new Carpenter Staff!
Erin Smetana - 1st Grade
Alaina Knapp - Music
Samantha Stevens - Occupational Therapist
Erin Gilfert - Office Secretary
Hillary Larson - Office Associate
Michael Cherone - Teaching Assistant
Denise Schliesmann - Teaching Assistant
Stephani Roman - Teaching Assistant
Desiree Tobias - Teaching Assistant
Nicole Thomas (M,W,F) & Paula Coleman (T,TH)- Nurses
John Pelican - Bridge Custodian
Carpenter Homeroom Information and Numbers
Kindergarten - Mrs. Belmonte, Mrs. Carfagnini, Mrs. Fehrman - 64 Students
1st Grade - Ms. Farrell, Mrs. Komenda, Mrs. Smetana, Mrs. Schmit - 74 Students
2nd Grade - Ms. Breslin, Ms. Ferraro, Mrs. Jurczak, Mrs. Mata - 76 Students
3rd Grade - Mrs. Hoffman, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Norman - 73 Students
4th Grade - Mrs. Barbera, Mrs. Brayton, Ms. Lies - 75 Students
5th Grade - Mrs. Fuller, Ms. Keenan, Ms. King - 73 Students
Pizza, Pizza, Pizza!!
Back to school, means back to PTO Pizza Days! PTO Pizza Days run every Thursday, starting August 29th and run until the last Thursday of the school year!
The pizza store will open for the first trimester on August 7th and close THURSDAY, August 22. NO LATE ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED. ORDER HERE NOW!! The second trimester store will open on November 4th for you to make any mid-year order adjustments.
Are you interested in volunteering to serve pizza to our Carpenter students on Thursdays? Please limit to one slot per trimester. Volunteer opportunities will open on Membership Toolkit on Sunday, August 18th at 2pm. They fill quickly, so have your available dates ready! For any questions or to be added to the sublist, please contact Sarah Kazarian at 847-769-6191.
Pizza Prices for 2024-2025
Cheese Pizza
Single Slice-$42
Two Slices-$65
Gluten Free
Single Slice-$58
Two Slices-$98
PTO MEMBERSHIP
New School Year = New PTO Membership
Please update your family profile now.
Your PTO membership fee funds the events and field trips THIS YEAR.
Updating your family profile ensures you will receive the weekly newsletter, have access to the directory and event tickets (like the LAST SPLASH POOL PARTY 8/9/25 at Hinkley), pizza orders and volunteer opportunities (like the coveted pizza duty and Pacers spots). Please update/create your family profile in Membership Toolkit now. It takes just a minute and sets you up for the school year
PTO Room Parent Sign-up for 2024-25 School Year
The Room Parent Committee would like to thank our current Room Parent Volunteers for an AMAZING job-we truly appreciate everything you did to make this school year a success.
At this time, we are inviting any parents interested in acting as a Room Parent for their child’s classroom during the 2024-25 school year to complete and submit the Google Form below. You must submit a separate form for each child that you are interested in being a Room Parent for. The responsibilities include:
- being an active member of the PTO (attend at least 1 meeting per quarter)
- help recruit/promote the PTO
- serve as an ambassador to your homeroom
- coordinate classroom Halloween and Valentine’s Day parties
- work with the yearbook committee to collect photos throughout the year
communicate PTO announcements and assist in any other homeroom activities/requests as needed.
You will be contacted in August with the opportunity to accept or decline this volunteer position. Unfortunately, we are unable to grant each interested volunteer a spot for this position as there are only two parents assigned to each homeroom. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.
CHESS PROGRAM RETURNS ON TUESDAYS - SIGN-UP!
Chess-Ed is excited to return to Carpenter School to provide lunchtime chess instruction
this Fall. The 10-week program runs from 9/10/24 to 11/12/24 and takes place on
Tuesdays from 11:35 am to 12:30 pm (during lunch). The program is open to Carpenter
students in all grades and of all chess abilities (including those in full-day and half-day
Kindergarten). Professional instruction will include the basics for beginner and novice
players and build with opening theory, middle game planning, and end game combinations
for continuing and advanced students. Playing chess improves memory, uses analytical
and critical thinking skills, teaches problem solving, responsibility, sportsmanship, social
skills and more! The benefits of chess last a lifetime!
To register, please go to https://2024-2025carpenterchess.eventbee.com/. Register by
8/27/24 to take advantage of lowest available fee. For more information about the program,
please refer to the program flyer. Chess-Ed is looking forward to working with your CHESS
ENTHUSIAST this Fall!
Join the Award-Winning D64 Instrumental Music Program!
We would like to invite your student to join the District 64 Instrumental Music program next year! Beginning in 4th grade, your child is eligible to join Orchestra and 5th grade students are eligible to join the band or orchestra. To learn more about the program and the string instruments offered, please see the links below:
Read: Important Information About Instrumental Music
Video Presentation: All About Band!
Video Presentation: All About Orchestra!
If you already registered your child for the 2024-2025 school year but did not select instrumental music, log back into your account to add band/orchestra: Click Here to Add Instrumental Music, click "Forms" on the left, then "Enrollment" at the top and scroll down to instrumental music.
Click here for a video tutorial on how to add band/orchestra to your child’s registration!
The instrumental music registration deadline is August 1. Band/Orchestra teachers will communicate more information via email with registered families the second week of school. Lessons will begin the week of September 2.
If you have any questions, please email Erica Faulhaber (efaulhaber@d64.org), Curriculum Specialist for Instrumental Music.
Rainbows Student Peer Group
here is still time to register your child/children for our 2nd session of the Rainbows for all Children peer groups. The first session for this school year begins Tuesday, Sept. 10th at 5:30 pm. This free program will meet weekly, for 1 hour, at the Park Ridge Community Church and provides a safe space for students in 1st - 8th grade to share their experiences associated with loss of a loved one and/or a changing family dynamic due to divorce, deployment, etc. Trained facilitators help encourage communication while identifying, navigating and discussing feelings amongst the group.
Please use the Google form link below to sign up your child and/or to be added to our email communications list. Any questions or interest in volunteering to become a facilitator, please contact rainbows64@att.net . For more info about Rainbows, please visit: https://rainbows.org/