What a great week to be a BRAVE! Our Halloween festivities brought extra excitement this week with spirited classroom parties and a lively costume parade through GLS. The students and teachers went all out with their costumes, and it was a joy to see the creativity and excitement generated throughout the building. Trick-or-treating in Antioch runs from 4 PM to 7 PM, so we will not have any after-school programs or bus services. Also, as a reminder, please help monitor the amount of candy your child brings to school after Halloween. While candy makes a great dessert after lunch, it can be a distraction during snack time. We kindly ask that you limit the amount of candy brought to school and we appreciate your support.

We wrapped up Red Ribbon Week with fantastic participation in spirit days, especially Mrs. Moe dressed as Batman on Superhero Day (see the picture above!). We are now excited to reveal which class will be our VIP at the upcoming school movie after their fantastic movie poster designs. Stay tuned for the winner!

Our Family Engagement Team has been busy putting together an unforgettable evening for the whole GLS family. Mark your calendars for Friday, November 15, from 6:00-8:00 pm—we’re transforming the GLS gymnasium into Bingo Central! Plan to bring your competitive spirit, and come ready for some fun prizes, laughs, and memories as we strengthen our home-school connection in the most fun way possible. Parents and guardians, this night is all about family, so please plan to join your child(ren) and be part of the excitement. Stay tuned for more details early next week and we can’t wait to see you there!

Breakfast with Santa is coming up in December, and we’d love your child to help! Please see below for details about how your child(ren) can be a part of our Breakfast with Santa holiday video.

And don’t forget to RSVP for our Veterans Day celebration on the link below. It’s an opportunity to honor our veterans and show appreciation as a community. We look forward to having you join us for this meaningful event!

As a reminder, there will be no school on Tuesday, November 5, in observance of Election Day. No matter the outcome, voting is an essential part of our civic duty, and we encourage everyone to take this time to participate in the democratic process.

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

We are excited to announce that this year’s Veterans Day Celebration will be held on Monday, November 11, and we are extending an invitation to all family members who are Veterans or Active Military Personnel, as well as our students’ families, to join us for this special day. The celebration will include a pancake breakfast and a Veterans Day ceremony.

The day will begin at 8:00 a.m. with check-in starting at 7:45 a.m. in the front office. Please bring a valid ID for check-in. The pancake breakfast will be served by our students and will conclude at 8:45 a.m. Following that, at approximately 9:00 a.m., we will hold an all-school assembly to honor our guests, along with a special school-wide tribute.

We understand that some of our guests may only be able to attend one part of the event. On the RSVP form, you will have the option to indicate if you are attending just the breakfast or the ceremony, or both.

To allow us time to prepare, please complete the RSVP form by Friday, November 1, at 3:00 p.m. Late submissions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis depending on space availability.

We look forward to celebrating and honoring our Veterans and Active Military Personnel on this important day!

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.

Mrs. Neihengen is teaching our students some amazing instrumental skills in Band this week as our spotlight. This year Band is split into 2 sections- 5th & 6th grade and 7th & 8th grade! Our 5th and 6th grade Band students have been doing a great job learning their new instruments and preparing for our Winter Fine Arts Night!

Please also see below fro 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