Back-to-School Information
August 14, 2024
First Day of School
The first day of school for kindergarten and grades 1-12 is Thursday, August 22, 2024. New this year, kindergarteners will start the same day as their older siblings. Early Childhood will hold a parent/student Open House at designated times on August 22 and August 23 with the first day of school on August 26. This year's school calendar is online at 2024-25 School Calendar.
School Supplies
School supply lists for elementary and middle school students can be found on the district's website at 2024-25 School Supply Lists.
Transportation
Transportation information will be available in StudentVUE and ParentVUE beginning August 16 at 7 PM. Please know that the start of each school year brings with it the potential for some overcrowding on buses. During the first few weeks of school, especially on high school bus routes, rider counts fluctuate as students explore their various methods of transportation. We ask for your patience as bus drivers and school administrators take daily head counts of high volume routes and adjustments are made to route assignments. Please allow at least 10 minutes for a late bus before calling your school.
For more information on transportation, please visit the IPSD Transportation Page. If you have further questions regarding transportation, please contact your school. View Bus Rider Reminders here.
Food Service
Menus are available on school websites. Please note that due to ongoing supply chain issues, menus are subject to change. As much advance notice as possible will be provided to the affected schools.
If you believe your family may qualify for free or reduced priced meal benefits, please complete a Household Eligibility Application. (English Application | Spanish Application)
Please make sure your students have adequate funds on their PushCoin account. Even if your family receives free or reduced meals, a la carte items are “extras” that get charged to their account. You can deposit funds to their account at www.pushcoin.com. Setting up a PushCoin account and reviewing balances and purchases is at no extra cost.
The Indian Prairie School District Food Service section of the district's website is one stop for all of this information and more!
Newcomers' Resource Guide
Please view the Newcomers' Resource Guide for helpful information from District 204's ELL Department.
New Administrators Named for 2024-25 School Year
District 204 welcomes the following new administrators for the 2024-25 school year:
CAROL BETZOLD, Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School Principal
MICHAEL ZEMAN, Longwood Elementary School Principal
PATRICK RALEIGH, Gregory Middle School Assistant Principal
RACHAEL ZOZULIA, Granger Middle School Assistant Principal
The following District 204 staff members are in a new role this year:
MICHELLE HEBENSTREIT, Patterson Elementary School Principal
RYAN VANKAMPEN, Waubonsie Valley High School Assistant Principal
The following District 204 staff members are in an interim role this year:
MICHELE FROST, Hill Middle School Co-Principal
CHARLES BIBBS, Hill Middle School Co-Principal
For more information, visit 2024-25 New Administrators.
Health Services Reminder
District 204's Health Services Department reminds parents that the required State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination and Immunization form can be found online at Health Services. Information about requirements was included in this year's registration packet. Students' immunization status and physicals will be reviewed by Registered Nurses and School Nurses. Parents will be notified of any deficiencies. Per State law, if requirements are not met for the 2024-25 school year, students will be excluded from school starting on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Those who did not comply with the requirements for the 2023-24 school year and remain noncompliant will be excluded on Thursday, August 22, 2024. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact your school's health office.
Notification of AI Tool Use in the High School Classroom
As part of District 204's commitment to enhancing educational experiences, we are incorporating ChatGPT, a generative AI tool, into classroom activities at the high school level. This aligns with our AI Belief Statement, which supports the ethical and responsible use of AI to empower students and educators. ChatGPT may store and use content provided by students to improve its services and models, but users can opt out of having their data used for training purposes by following instructions in OpenAI's Help Center. To ensure privacy, please remind students never to enter personally identifiable information into ChatGPT.
While ChatGPT has a built-in filtering system to help mitigate inappropriate content, our technology department cannot filter it as extensively as other programs. Parental permission is required for students under 18, granted by allowing your child to use ChatGPT with no signature needed. Parents/guardians with concerns about this permission can contact curriculum@ipsd.org.
In the coming months, high school students will also be able to chat with Google Gemini in English with added data protection using their school-issued accounts free of charge. If you have any questions, please contact us at curriculum@ipsd.org.
2024-25 Safety Updates
District 204 has implemented a variety of safety upgrades over the summer. Watch the 2024-25 Safety Updates video with Ron Wilke, District 204 Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator to learn more about these safety updates in our schools.
Read more information on school safety when an emergency occurs at your child's school.
Safety Reminder From Our Local Police Departments
With the start of school, our local police departments are urging community members to take precautions. On their website, the Naperville Police give out several tips including making sure students know their home address and parents’ phone numbers. Motorists are asked to be careful as kids will once again be walking to school and waiting for buses. For more tips, please visit the NPD’s website.
Update Your Contact Information in ParentVUE
Be sure to update your contact information in Parent VUE prior to the start of the school year. This will ensure you receive communications from your child’s school and the district. To receive text messages, you must have a designated phone number listed in Parent VUE for SMS messages. Please see the SMS Messaging Setup Instructions. In the event of an emergency, the district may use text messaging as a form of communication to parents and guardians.
Back to School Resources
For additional information and resources, please visit the 2024-25 Back-to-School page on the District's website.