What a great week to be a BRAVE! First off, yes I slept all night on the roof, and yes, it sure was cold! I love finding ways to bring fun into our school community. While it is all in good fun and games, research shows that when students feel connected to their school through positive experiences, they perform better academically, build stronger relationships, and develop better social skills. That’s why I make it a point to add extra joy wherever possible!

On Tuesday, we held a Family Engagement Meeting as well before getting on the roof! This was all in support of our exciting Bingo Night, happening on Friday, November 15, from 6-8 PM. It’s going to be a night full of fun and prizes, and we hope to see you there! Don’t forget to save the date and bring the whole family for a great time.

We also have some sweet news thanks to our amazing PTO to help thank our student body for the amazing job in last week's Popcorn Sales. Ice cream will be provided to all students during lunch on Friday, October 18. There’s no need to send any money; it’s all taken care of. We are so lucky to have such a supportive community! In addition, we are still looking for volunteers to help with selling items on certain days. If you’re able to lend a hand, please sign up using the volunteer link found here. Every little bit of help makes a big difference!

A friendly reminder that all physicals and immunizations for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 6th-grade students are due. Please remember that these are separate from any sports physicals you may have already submitted, so double-check and make sure you’re up to date.

Planning is also underway for our Veterans Day celebration, and we would love for you and your family to be part of this special event. Please RSVP using the link below, where you’ll also find more details. Let’s make this a memorable day as we honor our veterans.

The MAP and IAR reports have been sent home, and we encourage you to review them. If you have any questions or need further resources, we’ve got plenty of helpful materials available below. Feel free to reach out to me or your child’s teacher for more information.

Lastly, there is no student attendance on Friday, October 11 as our staff at GLS continue our professional development with a specific focus on student voice and choice while focusing on engaging instruction through our PBL process. On Monday, October 14 there will be no school as well in honor of Indigenous People's Day.

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 thrilled to announce that our Family Engagement Team will be meeting on Tuesday, October 8 at 6:00 PM in the Library (LRC) to plan our first-ever GLS Bingo Night and we need YOUR help to make it amazing! This event is going to be a blast, but we can’t do it without you! We’re looking for volunteers to help gather supplies, organize prizes, coordinate food, and plan the logistics for a smooth, fun-filled evening. Whether you’re a master organizer or just love being part of the action, your time and talents will make a huge difference.

If you’re free on Tuesday, we would love for you to join us and be part of something special. Let’s work together to create a fantastic event for our community!

On Thursday, October 3, all families with students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade should have received their child's assessment data. For Kindergarten through Third Grade students, this includes a cover letter and a MAP Report with your child's Math and Reading scores from the Fall assessments. Families with Fourth through Eighth Grade students should have received the MAP Report along with your child’s Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) results from the March assessment.

It’s important to remember that these scores provide a snapshot of where your child currently stands academically and do not define their full potential. With continued effort and collaboration between home and school, we’re confident that your child’s growth will continue to shine in the days, months, and years ahead.

Below, you’ll find helpful links to guide you through understanding the reports.

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.

See below for what our 8th Grade Students did in Art to welcome WGN on Wednesday to celebrate our students' success in the Popcorn Fundraiser!

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