Message from the Principal
Welcome Back for the 2022-23 School Year
Message from the Principal
Dear Virginia Lake Families,
Welcome to the 2022-23 school year! We hope you had an incredible summer filled with sun, loved ones, and joyous experiences. The Virginia Lake staff is eager to welcome our students back to school!
This year, our theme at Virginia Lake is a collective community of care and support. We are committed to spreading kindness throughout our wonderful school and community.
The first day of school for students in Grades 1-6 is Wednesday, August 17th. The first day of school is a half day with the hours of 9:15 a.m.- 12:15 p.m. Arrival begins at 9:00 a.m. The first day of school for students in kindergarten is Thursday, August 18th. Every Friday, we dismiss students at 3:05 p.m to provide time for our staff to engage in professional development activities.
We look forward to welcoming our students and their families on Tuesday, August 16th to Meet the Teacher, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Families are encouraged to bring their child’s school supplies to this event.
Classroom teacher assignments will be available on Thursday, August 4th at 4:00 p.m. in your Infinite Campus portal.
A special welcome to our new hires and staff new to Virginia Lake. Individual information is available below.
The following Virginia Lake staff members will be joining a new team this school year:
Tina Dashto- Bilingual Kindergarten
Samantha Bonasorte- 3rd Grade
Rozina Mohammed- 3rd Grade
Brenna Williams- 4th Grade
Deborah McRorie- 5th Grade
Kelly DeRosa- Bilingual Resource
Rita Chavez- Bilingual Resource
The school staff at Virginia Lake looks forward to encouraging, helping, guiding, nurturing, and supporting all of our students academically and socially this school year.
Communication is an important connection between home and school. Families will receive weekly newsletters from Virginia Lake on Sundays at 5:00 p.m. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please contact me at 847-963-7105 or vanwinkp@ccsd15.net. We are always happy to assist you.
Let’s make it a great school year!
Warmest Regards,
Patti Van Winkle, Principal
School Hours
Virginia Lake is a Tier 3 school for the 2022-23 school year.
School Hours:
Monday- Thursday: 9:15 a.m.- 3:55 p.m.
Friday- 9:15 a.m.- 3:05 p.m.
AM Kindergarten: 9:15 a.m.- 11:50 a.m. Fridays: 9:15 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
PM Kindergarten: 1:20 p.m.- 3:55 p.m. Fridays: 12:55 p.m.-3:05 p.m.
Lunch Hours:
K-2: 11:50-12:50
5-6: 12:20-1:20
3-4: 12:50-1:50
Office Hours: 8:30 a.m.- 4:55 p.m.
Supply Lists
Supply lists are available online. Please click on the following link for information specific to your child’s grade level assignment.
Virginia Lake School Supply Lists
Staff New to Virginia Lake
Megan McFalls, Assistant Principal
Cynthia Castelan, 1st Grade Bilingual Teacher
Karina Theobald, 3rd Grade Bilingual Teacher
Anayeli Mendoza, 4th Grade Bilingual Teacher
Ally Rosenbaum, 5th Grade Teacher
Lori Schmidt, Instructional Coach
Olivia Bogacz, Music Teacher
Kristin Jurca, Special Education Coordinator
Ms. Kelly O'Kane, Resource Teacher
Ms. Cam Gaffud, Resource Teacher
Ms. Gaffud will be joining the resource team. She most recently served as the cross-categorical 4th grade teacher at Riley Intermediate. She was known to many students for supporting students socially and emotionally by making sure that each student feels appreciated. Ms. Gaffud is looking forward to serving the community in District 15.
Carolina Rodriguez, Speech Pathologist
Carolina Rodriguez is our new Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist. She recently graduated from Marquette University where she received her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology with a specialization in Bilingual English-Spanish. Her passion for this field began with having experience interacting with a Speech-Language Pathologist as a child and appreciating their passion for helping and supporting people's communication because everyone deserves to have a voice! She provides a welcoming atmosphere and looks forward to getting to know everyone!
Ms. Brenda Galarza, Bilingual Academic Interventionalist
Ms. Alyssa Plank, ESL Teacher
PTA meetings will occur monthly on the second Wednesday of the month. The next PTA meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 14th at 7:00 p.m.
PTA membership forms will be available soon! The PTA is looking forward to a great school year!
PTA Back to School Homecoming- Friday, August 19th- 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Important Dates
Saturday, August 13th- Kindergarten & 1st Grade PTA Playdate
Tuesday, August 16th - Meet the Teacher - 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 17th- First Day of School- Grades 1-6- Half Day- 9:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Thursday, August 18th- First Day of School for Kindergarten
Friday, August 19th- PTA Homecoming Picnic- 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 25th- Parent Orientation- 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 1st- Picture Day
Monday, September 5th- No School- Labor Day
Wednesday, September 16th- PTA Meeting- 7:00 p.m. at Virginia Lake
Virginia Lake Elementary School
Email: vanwinkp@ccsd15.net
Website: https://www.ccsd15.net/VL
Location: 925 N Glenn Dr, Palatine, IL, USA
Phone: 847-963-7105