News

August 14, 2020

It is hard to believe that the start of the year is right around the corner.  As a reminder, our supply pick up will take place on Monday, August 17th and Tuesday, August 18th for students in 1st thru 6th grades.  Kindergarten supply pick up will be on Thursday, August 27th.  Please see below for detailed information. 

Mark your calendars for our first ever Virtual Curriculum Night on Wednesday, August 19th at 7:00 p.m.!  Our teachers are looking forward to connecting with you and sharing information about how they will support and engage your children this year.  Please be on the lookout for an email from your child’s teacher with links to their presentations. 

Supply Pick Up

As the start of the year approaches, we have plans in place to ensure that student materials are picked up in a safe and organized way.  On August 17th and 18th (see schedule below) we will facilitate a supply pick up drive through system for students in grades 1-6.  Kindergarten pick up will take place on Thursday, August 27th.  Pick up times are arranged by homeroom teachers.  You can find your child’s homeroom teacher by logging into the Parent Portal.  If you have trouble logging in, please email [email protected].  Please read carefully to ensure that the procedures are followed as best as possible: 

  • Parents will drive through bus loops/parking lot at their assigned times (see schedule below) for curbside pick up of school materials.  Our staff will place student materials in the trunk of each parent’s car
  • Parents and students will remain in cars the entire time
  • To ensure materials are distributed efficiently, please attend the pick up at your child’s designated time
  • Parents with more than one child should attend pick up times for each child
  • Parents should write their child’s first and last name and teacher name on a paper and place it on the front dashboard

Monday, August 17th – 3rd & 4th Grades: Pick up locations are split between Lowell Lane and Norwood Lane.  Details are below.  Please note, ALL 3rd graders will return their iPads and chargers.  All 3rd graders will receive Chromebooks at pick up.

*3rd graders returning their iPads should have the iPad and charger in the trunk of the car. Please have items in a labeled bag.

Homeroom Teacher Pick-Up Time Pick-Up Location
Mrs. Kim 2:15-2:30 Lowell Lane
Ms. Serna 2:30-2:45 Lowell Lane
Ms. Giammarese 2:45-3:00 Lowell Lane
Ms. Komoda 2:00-2:15 Norwood Lane
Ms. Hernandez 2:15-2:30 Norwood Lane
Ms. Umemori 2:30-2:45 Norwood Lane
Ms. Mui 2:45-3:00 Norwood Lane

 

Tuesday, August 18th – 1st, 2nd, 5th, & 6th Grades:  All pick-ups will be in the front circle drive: Norwood Lane

Homeroom Teacher Pick-Up Time Pick-Up Location
Ms. Serena 8:20-8:40 Norwood Lane
Ms. Nowak 8:40-9:00 Norwood Lane
Mrs. Bell 9:00-9:20 Norwood Lane
Mrs. Sanders 9:20-9:40 Norwood Lane
Mrs. Bach 9:40-10:00 Norwood Lane
Mrs. Kim 10:00-10:20 Norwood Lane
Ms. Meservey 10:20-10:40 Norwood Lane
Ms. Frieders 10:40-11:00 Norwood Lane
Ms. Brandys 11:00-11:20 Norwood Lane
Ms. Whowell 11:20-11:40 Norwood Lane
Mrs. Vandebogart 11:20—11:40 Norwood Lane
Mrs. Tufexis 11:40-12:00 Norwood Lane
Mrs. Abe 11:40-12:00 Norwood Lane

Thursday, August 27th – Kindergarten:  All pick-ups will be in the front circle drive: Norwood Lane

Homeroom Teacher Pick-Up Time Pick-Up Location
Yamamoto 9:00-9:30 Norwood Lane
Herbig 9:30-10:00 Norwood Lane
Mannina 10:00-10:30 Norwood Lane

Virtual Curriculum Night

We are excited to host our first ever Virtual Curriculum Night on Wednesday, August 19th from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.  We will start the night off with our building kick off and staff introductions. Following our kick off, teachers will lead out two classroom sessions, at 7:20 and 7:40.  This will allow parents with multiple children to attend both sessions.  Teachers will email links to the sessions by the morning of August 19th.

Voluntary Accident Insurance

2020-2021 Student Accident Insurance Online Enrollment Flyer.pdf 

19-20 PTA Yearbooks

Parents who ordered a yearbook, please read the attached letter from Lifetouch. Lifetouch 8.14.20.docx 

20-21 District Calendar – Updated

The 20-21 District Calendar was recently updated, and can be viewed here: 20-21 District Calendar.  Please note the first day of school for Grades 1-6 is August 24, and the first day of school for Kindergarten is August 31.

Technology Updates

How Students Will Join Classes on the First Day

We have created a brief run-through of how students in K-2 and 3-8 will sign in and be present in their classes on the first day. The videos highlight 3 key points – How to login/join, how to switch between classes, and how to navigate to tasks/activities. There is a video for Seesaw and a video for Google Classroom. The 2 videos combined take up a total of just under 7 minutes.

Students Starting School Using Seesaw

Students Starting School Using Google Classroom

For K-2 Families

Each day, please remember to open Seesaw and go to your child’s Homeroom class and navigate to activities for the day.  This will allow you to obtain the Zoom link for the daily morning meeting.

For 3-8 Families

Please have your children check their Gmail accounts prior to the first day of school.  They will have an email that provides all the necessary codes to join their Google Classrooms.

Internet Access

Hotspots are also available for financially struggling families who don’t have internet access at home. Please contact our office if you are experiencing financial hardships and need a hotspot. 

Device Support

Our Technology Department has been working to support students and staff as we all learn and work remotely. We understand that some families are experiencing slow speeds or problems with their providers, and we ask you to report that directly to your provider.

People experiencing problems with District 54 technology (Chromebooks and iPads for students) should email [email protected] so that we can troubleshoot the problem via phone or email. If the problem cannot be resolved, we have a technology drop-off program. To schedule an appointment to drop off a broken laptop, iPad or other device, you must first email [email protected].  Please do not stop by without an appointment. By making an appointment, we can abide by the rules of social distancing and ensure we have a replacement device ready for you when you arrive.

School Office Hours

The Dooley office is open from 8:00 AM-4:00 PM each day.  Our preference is for paperwork to be submitted electronically when possible to reduce contact with visitors.  Documents can be submitted via email to Mrs. Lancaster [email protected], Mrs. Mitsuno [email protected] or Mrs. Johnson, our school nurse at [email protected].

Registration

Mrs. Lancaster and Mrs. Mitsuno have been contacting families with incomplete registration for their children. Please remember that complete residency is required to finalize your child’s enrollment.  Please call the office if you have any questions at 847-357-6250. If you would like to schedule a time to drop off paperwork in person, please review the new procedures for visitors:

Mrs. Lancaster and Mrs. Mitsuno will go through a COVID self-screener checklist when a visitor rings the bell. All visitors are required to wear a mask and will get their temperature checked prior to entering the school.

Important Dates

August 17:  Supply Pick Up for 3rd and 4th Graders (3rd graders return iPads on this day)

August 18: Supply Pick Up for 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th Graders

August 19: Virtual Curriculum Night (7:00-8:00PM)

August 24: First day of virtual learning for students in grades 1st thru 6th

August 24-26:   Kindergarten Screenings

August 27: Kindergarten Supply Pick Up

August 31: First day of virtual learning for kindergarteners