Welcome to the District Digest - Back to School Edition.

Welcome Back 

Dear District 41 Families,

We are looking forward to welcoming all of our students back to school next week! I hope this special Back to School District Digest provides you with all of the final details and information you need to have a fantastic start to the school year. It's going to be a great year!

Paul Gordon
Superintendent



Letter from the Board of Education

Click Here for a Letter from Board of Education President Erica Nelson. Nelson was recently elected to her third term on the Board of Education and her second appointment as Board President.




First Day of School

Monday, August 24 (K - 8th grades)
Wednesday, August 26 (Pre-K and EC)
Click Here for an at-a-glance school year calendar

 


New School Hours
Kindergarten Schedule 
Morning - 8:30 to 11:30 am 
Afternoon - 12:30 to 3:30 pm 

1st - 5th Grade Elementary Schedule 
Start Time - 8:30 am 
End Time - 3:30 pm 

6th - 8th Grade - Junior High School
Start Time: 8:30 am 
End Time: 3:25 pm 
With these new school hours for K-5 comes a new look to the daily schedules. If you have any questions about your child's schedule, please contact the building principal.

District 41 Handbook

The 2015/16 Handbook is the comprehensive guide to district information, policies, procedures, and guidelines. Please take the time to read this information and use it throughout the year as a reference. A print copy of the handbook will be sent home to every family the first week of school. It will be available in both English and Spanish.

Elementary School Meet and Greets

All elementary schools will hold Meet and Greets this Thursday, August 20. Students with last names beginning with A-L should attend 1:30 - 2:15 p.m. Students with last names beginning with M-Z should attend 2:45 - 3:30 p.m. In addition, EC / PreK families at Forest Glen with the last name beginning with A - J should attend at 5:30 p.m. and K - Z should attend at 6:30 p.m.

 


Bus Schedules

Bus schedules are now available in Skyward Family Access. Due to fluctuating enrollments at this time of year, we recommend you check your pick up times the day before school begins.




What's for lunch?

School hot lunch is available on a cashless system. If interested, please sign up in Skyward Family Access. If you think you may qualify for free lunch, please contact Tess Ngo at tngo@d41.org or (630) 534-7211.

 


New First Day Exclusion Policy

Students going into kindergarten, 6th grade and all new students to the district require recent school physicals and immunizations on file (including dental and eye exams). If required medical documents are not provided prior to the first day of school, the child will not be able to start school. If you have any questions, please contact your school nurse's office.

Abraham Lincoln - (630) 534-7692
Benjamin Franklin - (630) 534-7692
Churchill - (630) 534-7341
Forest Glen - (630) 534-7341
Hadley - (630) 534-7450

Parent Involvement 

Are you looking for ways to support your child's education? Get involved! Consider attending PTA meetings and/or volunteering in your child's school throughout the year. Parent involvement is essential in education. Thank you in advance for your partnership to support student success and build community within our schools! For more info about PTA, go to www.d41.org and see the links at the bottom of the homepage.

 


Visiting Our Schools

Starting the first day of school, all visitors to any District 41 school (during school hours) must provide a state issued photo ID to be scanned into a new visitor management system called Raptor. Implementing this new security measure was a recommendation by the Parent Teacher Advisory Council (PTAC) in response to new Illinois law. This new system and protocol will help us ensure secure and safe entry into all of our school buildings. If you have any questions about Raptor, please contact your school office.

Construction Update

Many projects were underway this summer at all of the district school buildings. We are excited to announce four new classrooms opening at Forest Glen and Churchill. These new 21st Century learning environments were built to replace the portable classrooms at each school. Two more classrooms at Churchill will open June 2016. Next summer we will celebrate the elimination of all elementary school portable classrooms! Hadley students will notice a new gym floor and Abraham Lincoln School's Library was renovated this summer.

 


Welcome New Teachers and Staff!

 


Back Row (left to right) - Bethmarie Byrne, Jon Bradford, Julie Clarke, Mindy Poleski, Derek Winkelmann, Matt Bruns, Mary Grande, Walter Flores, John Olzen
Front Row (left to right) - Rachel Gates, Andrea Teichmiller, Rita Feuerborn, Andrea McNamara, Linda Calvo, Kari Thomas, Ali Brand, Katie Purse, Jessica Reimann, Ali Orchkin, Stephanie Jack.