The Patton Post
Friday, 11th August
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Friday, August 11th
HELLO PATTON FAMILIES!!!!
I hope you all had an amazing summer and are enjoying these last few days before school starts! As much as I don't want to burst your summer bubble, we do have a great deal of information to share and I am sure some of you are ready to add things to your calendar and figure out your schedules. I wanted to get some information out sooner rather than later so we can all hit the ground running this year!
We have a lot of exciting news to share and a lot of information to pass on regarding the upcoming construction projects that are starting at Patton so please do read through this newsletter!
By now, you will have been notified of your child's class placement! We are looking forward to an exciting school year and all of our teachers are eager to meet their new students, implement their exciting lessons, and help everyone reunite with old friends and build new friendships.
Please mark your calendars and make plans to attend our annual BACK TO SCHOOL BASH on FRIDAY, AUGUST 25th (rain date: Friday, September 8th). This "bash" is always A LOT of fun and our PTA pull out all the stops to ensure it is an amazing experience every year! It's such a great way to kick off the start of the school year and I hope you can attend!
I have missed seeing everyone's faces and can't wait to hear all your amazing summer stories on THURSDAY, AUGUST 17th! We are looking forward to a great year!
Have a great weekend!
Ellie Chin
PTA SPONSORED EVENT: Last Splash Pool Party - Sunday, August 13th
FIRST DAY FUN AT PATTON!
Even though construction is taking place, weather permitting, we will continue with our first day of school traditions! For those of you who are new to Patton, families celebrate the start of the year by bringing their kids to school and watching them reunite with friends, meet their teachers, find their lines, and by capturing some of these memorable moments with some first day pictures. Again, weather permitting, students will congregate on the field this year instead of the blacktop. Knowing your teacher's name and section number will be helpful in finding your class!
Staff will be on site to help students find their lines and teachers. Students will enter the building with their teachers and will be informed of the new arrival procedures they will be following for the rest of the school year!
Starting on Friday, August 18th, all students will be lining up indoors. At 8:50 AM, doors will be opened to allow students entry into the building. More extensive information will be shared in a separate Arrival/Dismissal communication
If it rains, we will have all students proceed indoors at 8:50 AM, and ask that you capture your first day photos at home. If you want to take photos at Patton, please plan to park on the street and walk. Please allow enough time for your child to enter the building at 8:50 AM.
WE ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION!
We know many of you have been watching the progress unfold over the summer. After much anticipation, construction officially started this week and we have BROKEN GROUND!
We are so excited about the construction plans and are eagerly anticipating the expansion to Patton School. We look forward to having three additional classrooms as well as a second gym! We are keeping that thought in mind knowing that we will face some challenges with the building work this year. We invite you to join us in maintaining a positive and flexible mindset. We thank you in advance for partnering with us in embracing some of the necessary changes that construction brings.
A communication solely devoted to arrival and dismissal procedures is being sent separately from this Patton Post so please do keep your eyes peeled for it.
Returning families - we need you to read this as well! Everything is going to look quite different this year and we need everyone to be aware of the changes.
If you do not receive this separate communication, please do reach out to Mrs. Dunning or Mrs. Hamilton in our front office (847-398-4288) who will be more than happy to help you out! We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to read, re-read, read again, print it out, highlight important info etc.!
IMPORTANT - VERY LIMITED PARKING SPACES IN THE FRONT LOT
Many of our parking spots have been removed to create space for students to play daily at recess. Please do not plan on being able to park in the lot. These spots were sitting empty for the vast majority of the day and our children do need their space to play at recess. In inclement weather, the blacktop may be the only option available to allow students to enjoy their recess outdoors.
The remaining spots will be mostly utilized by staff, substitutes, visitors, traffic volunteers and CAP supervisors. We did maintain the same number of accessible parking spots in our lot, and those will continue to be available for anyone who needs to use these spots.
Due to the VERY limited space, during arrival and dismissal the parking lot will be DRIVE THROUGH ONLY!
Anyone who feels that they need to park and exit their vehicle should park on the street and walk. Please remember to be aware of the No Parking zones around Patton.
We appreciate everyone's understanding and partnership in keeping all of our Patton Panthers safe and to ensure arrival and dismissal runs as efficiently as possible. Please allow yourself a little extra time in the morning, and be kind, patient, and considerate of one another as we are all in this together!
NEW STAFF!
We are delighted to welcome not one, not two but FOUR new amazing members of staff to Patton this year!
We are so excited for them to join the team and to be part of our Patton Family!
We will share more information about these awesome staff members in the coming weeks but for now, should you see these faces on the blacktop or in the hallways, please give them a warm Patton welcome!
FOOD SERVICE INFORMATION
Our Food services team are delighted to welcome you back this school year! Updated menus were posted this week and the Choosi App has been updated! All product nutrition and ingredient information can be found on the AHSD25 Food Services page and all allergy information is available on the Choosi App!
Please see links below for some helpful information
SIGNING STUDENTS IN AND OUT OF SCHOOL
Should your child need to enter or leave school during the school day (including for lunch), we ask that you notify the teacher and Patton's office beforehand, via email or phone. When you arrive at school, you will need to sign your child in or sign your child out using the QR code posted on the sign OR the ONLINE FORM. Students are required to be signed in if they arrive at 9:05 or later.
The form should only be filled out when you arrive to pick up/drop off your child. The form "time stamps" your entry and filling it out too soon provides inaccurate attendance information. If you fill out the form before picking up your child, the office will request you to fill it out again so the time accurately reflects when your child was picked up or dropped off. The QR code will be posted outside the main entrance, but many families also find it helpful to bookmark the page for easy access.
ABSENCE PROCEDURES
If your child cannot attend school on a specific day, there are two ways to report an absence. Please click HERE to record absence information using our online form, which is located on our school website on the Absence page. You may also call our office to report an absence. When you call our school’s main line at 847-398-4288, you will initially hear an auto attendant. You will be prompted with a few options: press “1” to report the absence; press “2” for the nurse; press “0” or remain on the line for the front office. This procedure not only helps us fulfill necessary attendance obligations as required by Illinois law, but it also helps us to monitor the safety of our students en route to school.
SCHOOL SUPPLY DROP OFF - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16TH - 2:50-3:20pm
Please come and drop your school supplies off and meet your teacher on Wednesday, August 16th! Classrooms will be open 2:50-3:20pm and I know the teachers are so excited about seeing everyone!
Class supply lists can be found HERE for anyone who still needs to do their shopping.
This year, our Food Services department will also be in attendance providing delicious "taste tests" of the lunches that will be provided this year. If any of you have ever wondered just how good the "Chicken and Waffles" really are, this is your opportunity to find out!
SAVE THE DATE - CURRICULUM NIGHT - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23rd - 6:00 pm
Please be sure to mark your calendars for Curriculum Night on Wednesday, August 23rd, 6:00 pm.
This is a great way for you to spend some time with your child's teacher, visit their classroom, and to find out what they'll be learning throughout the year! Our amazing specials teachers and specialists will also be available at this event should you have any questions for them!
More information will be sent out soon regarding this event!
2023-2024 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Should you want to print this calendar as well, please click HERE.
MEDICATION - DROP OFF
Please submit all medication for this school year and completed forms to the school nurse:
Monday, August 14–Wednesday, August 16
Thursday, August 17–the first day of school.*
*If you choose to drop off medications on August 17–the first day of school, please allow extra time for your forms and medication to be reviewed!
BACK TO SCHOOL BASH - FRIDAY, AUGUST 25th
We cannot wait for our annual Back to School Bash next week! As with all our events, they are always so awesome because of our amazing PTA and volunteers! If you would like to help out, be it selling pizza, helping with the obstacle course or just ensuring everyone is having a great time, please click HERE.
Please note that the PTA will NOT be selling beverages at this event! Please bring your own drinks or refillable water bottles.
We can't wait to celebrate the start of this amazing school year with you all in style!!
PARENT ACADEMY
The District recently launched its new Parent Academy newsletter and page on the website.
The goal of Parent Academy is to provide learning opportunities for parents to better understand ways to support their students’ academic success and personal well-being. We welcome parents and families to engage in various activities and events to explore topics related to mental health, well-being, equity and inclusion, and academics. Please visit the website (www.sd25.org/ParentAcademy) for archived newsletters, further resources and information, or to submit an idea/topic for the next Parent Academy newsletter.
LET'S CELEBRATE!
UPCOMING EVENTS/IMPORTANT DATES
Thursday, August 17th - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!
Wednesday, August 23rd - Curriculum Night
Friday, August 25th - PTA Sponsored: BACK TO SCHOOL BASH
Monday, September 4th - NO SCHOOL
Friday, September 8th - PTA Sponsored: Kindergarten Family Night
Please be sure to click on the Patton PTA website button above for information about other upcoming events
PATTON ELEMENTARY
Main Line: (847) 398-4288
Fax #: (847) 394-6681
Absence Procedure
Twitter: @AHSD25Patton