Algonquin Lakes Elementary

1401 Compton Dr.

Algonquin, IL 60102

(847) 532-7500

Marilynn Smith

Principal

marilynn.smith@d300.org

Rachel Buczkowske

Assistant Principal

rachel.buczkowske@d300.org

Jennifer Ellett

Student Service Specialist

jennifer.ellett@d300.org

Other Phone Numbers

Attendance: (847) 532-7520

Fax: (847) 532-7515

Nurse: (847) 532-7511

Transportation: (847) 658-3262

SCHOOL HOURS

Outdoor Supervision Begins = 7:45am

First Bell Rings = 7:55am

School Begins = 8:00am

Students are Dismissed = 2:15pm

Office Hours = 7:00am – 3:30pm

August 19th - August 30th - Beginning of the Year iReady Assessment Window

August 19th - August 23rd - Protect Our Pride: Keys of Excellence Lessons School Wide

August 27th - ALES Open House! 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

August 27th - Board of Education Meeting 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

August 28th - Late Start - School is in session from 10:00 AM - 2:15 PM

August 28th - 5th Grade Band/Orchestra Enrollment Night at 4:30 PM

August 30th - ALES Picture Day

September 2nd - Labor Day, D300 Offices and Schools are Closed

September 3rd - ALES PTO Meeting at 5:30

Dear Students and Families of Algonquin Lakes Elementary School,

We had such an exciting first week back to school! ALES Staff were so excited to welcome students back to school and start creating great memories for the 2024-2025 School Year! Students participated in class lessons learning about routines, activities that helped them get to know their teachers and classmates, and teacher prepared students to have a successful year!

Maintaining a safe school environment is our number 1 priority at ALES. It is our goal to ensure a safe physical environment for students to learn as well as maintain a positive school culture where students have a strong sense of belonging. Every school year, students and staff participate in 4 major drills: Fire Drill, Severe Weather Drill, Shelter in Place Drill, and Code Red Lockdown Drills. It is important to know that we conduct 3 fire drills, 1 severe weather drills, 1 shelter in place drill, and 2 code red lock down drills annually. These drills are essential to practice in the event there is ever an emergency at school that requires us to respond to keep our students and staff safe. In the event there is ever a real emergency, our school district will be communicating directly with families as soon as they have information to share.

The School Safety Drill Act requires us by law to notify families in advance of any lockdown drills that involves the participation of students. ALES will be conducting a lockdown drill at the end of the week. Please contact me via e-mail (marilynn.smith@d300.org) by Thursday, August 22nd if you wish to opt your child out of our Code Red Lockdown Drill.

We're excited for week 2 at ALES! It is important to know that that Algonquin Lakes Elementary utilizes an instructional program called i-Ready. i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction. The assessment window for i-Ready at ALES is August 19-August 30th. If you have any questions about i-Ready, please do not hesitate to contact your child's classroom teacher. You can also learn more about i-Ready by visiting i-ReadyCentral.com/FamilyCenter.

Thank you for your partnership. Please do not hesitate to contact us as any time if you have any questions or need any support.

Gooooooo Lions!

Kindest Regards,

Marilynn Jankovich (Smith)

Algonquin Lakes Elementary School Principal

• Digital Sign In and Sign Out: As we look to strengthen our systems at ALES, we would like to introduce a Digital Sign In and Sign Out procedure. If you need to sign your child in because they arrived after 8:30 am or because you need to sign them out early for any reason, please do so on the computer provided in the vestibule. Once you do this, our office staff will help your child get to class or called down early.
  

• Change is Dismissal Routine: To ensure the safety of all students, WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE changes to dismissal procedures to be made no later than 1:00 PM day of! This cut off time allows teachers to adequately prepare their dismissal procedures to ensure students arrive home in a safe and timely manner. We also encourage minimal changes to dismissal routines as much as possible. Consistency is key for our students success. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Donated items can be turned into the front office**

Mr. Michael Storer and Mrs. Kristin Pinter (Rock) were excited to introduce our 5th grade students to D300's Instrumental Music Program this week! Students participated in a Demonstration Assembly where students became familiar with the different band and orchestra instruments they may choose from to play in the band or orchestra this school year.

If your child is interested in band or orchestra, please be sure to complete and send back the interest form your child should have brought home. There is one attached below in case you need another one. We encourage those interested in band or orchestra to join us at our Enrollment Night at Algonquin Lakes Elementary School on Wednesday, August 28th anytime between 4:30-8:00pm.

At ALES we strongly believe in promoting the 8 Keys of Excellence. This encourages students to build a strong foundation for success as they develop the skills and traits needed for academic and personal excellence. They are inspired to take ownership of their learning and return to their classrooms with a better understanding of the brain.

Excellent is having good qualities in high degree, not to be confused with perfection, perfection isn’t in our control, excellence is.

For the month of August, we will teach our students an overview of our Keys of Excellence and what the expectations are to Protect our Pride. Your child will be given an overview of our keys this week. Please see our timeline below and we encourage you to discuss these keys with your child throughout the year.