Elm School March Madness Bracket Challenge - Selection Sunday is here!

We are organizing a schoolwide March Madness Bracket to: (1) foster community, (2) raise funds for our school, and (3) have a bit of fun! 

 

BACKGROUND: 

  • What is March Madness? March Madness refers to the annual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's and women's college basketball championship tournaments. It's a single-elimination tournament that takes place in March and April.
  • What is a Bracket? Each year, millions of people (fans and NON-fans alike) complete March Madness brackets to track the winners of each round of games. These brackets are tracked online, with rankings in your team pool (here: Elm Community) displayed daily.
  • The Kids Follow the Games at School! The P.E. Teachers have each class randomly select a few teams to be their "class teams" to root for and follow their progress. We encourage you to follow along at home with your own brackets!

DETAILS:

  • Entry Fee: $20 donation per entry (includes both Men's and Women's).
  • Bracket: Complete your bracket(s) between Sunday, March 16th 5pm (“Selection Sunday”) and Thursday, March 20th (“Tip-Off”).
    • Click HERE for Men's and HERE for Women's. 
  • Track Your Standing: Follow your bracket to see where you stand among your peers as the games continue through April 7th (the “Championship”)!
  • Winner: Receives a class party for their child! (+ schoolwide bragging rights)
    • There will be one winner for the Men's bracket and one for the Women's bracket.
    • If you have multiple children at Elm, you can register multiple entry fees if you would like a chance to win a class party for each. 

ABSOLUTELY NO love of basketball/sports is required - this is just an excuse for fun, fundraising, and a bit of healthy competition! 

 

Questions? Email waysandmeans@elmschoolpto.org.

Order by Wednesday 3/19 12pm for Special Lunch on Thursday 3/27

The next Special Lunch (Sarpino's) is on Thursday, March 27th. Orders must be placed by 12pm on Wednesday, March 19th. See ordering instructions HERE

Principal's Corner

Lockdown Drill Notification

Per the School Safety Drill Act covered under Illinois Statute (105 ILCS 12/20), this notification is being provided to parents and guardians of students attending Elm School. On 3/10/25, Elm School will conduct a lockdown drill that will include school staff, students, and Burr Ridge law enforcement agency representative(s). During this drill, teachers will utilize the linked Google Slides to instruct students. 

We understand that some parents/guardians may want to opt out of this type of drill for their child. As the parent/guardian of a student attending Elm School, you have the option to exempt your child, for any reason, from the drill. If you choose to exempt your child from the drill, please notify Mrs. Miscimarra at 630-861-4001 or mmiscimarra@d181.org no later than the morning of the drill.

Thank you for your continued support.

 

Report Cards Now Available

Your child’s report card is now available and can be viewed electronically through your Skyward Family Access account. Please use the following steps to see your child’s report card:

  • Login to Skyward Family Access at http://skywardfamily.d181.org

  • Select the Portfolio Tab

  • Click on your child’s T2 Report Card

  • Once it processes, click “View Report”

Our schools are pleased to share your child's progress through the report card. We encourage you to contact your child's teachers with any questions or comments you might have. If you have any difficulty logging into Skyward Family Access, or difficulty accessing your child’s report card once you have logged in, please contact Nick Skrip at nskrip@d181.org.

 

D181 Registration Now Open for Current Students

D181 registration for the 2025-2026 school year is now open for current D181 students. Please register your child as soon as possible. For step-by-step instructions, click here.

*All current D181 students in Preschool/ECE and those entering Kindergarten through 8th grade for the 2025-2026 school year must complete the District registration and fee payment process (including the payment of all past due fees from the current school year).

Library News

Spring Fundraiser / Parents' Night Out!

DON'T MISS YOUR SHOT to attend this year's Spring Event to support our school. Ticket sales end this Wednesday 3/12 - click HERE to purchase! 
 
TWO tables are still available - buy now before they sell out! *If you and your friends have already purchased tickets, you can upgrade to a 6-person table decorated for your team of choice for an additional $100.00; email waysandmeans@elmschoolpto.org to upgrade*
 

Remind Text Update

The Remind platform has recently changed its policy around sending text messages. If you're subscribed, you will no longer receive messages via text. Remind messages will only be delivered via email or app, so you will need to either enable email notifications in your account settings or download the Remind app to keep receiving messages. 

Thank You, Mrs. Santini!

We are so thankful for having our very own social worker, Mrs. Santini, present at our PTO meeting last week. She discussed zones of regulation, which is what our children use at Elm School to describe their feelings and moods. We learned how all feelings are okay, all zones are okay, but not all behaviors are okay, and what tools to use to help us and our children in each zone. It was great to learn these strategies so we can bridge the experience to our homes. Thank you so much for teaching us!

Registration Open for Spring Session of Golf

Elementary Golf School is offering an exciting junior golf program at Elm School, designed to expose golf to juniors of all ability levels. This program is created and taught by PGA Professionals, to include lesson plans that are fun, safe, and educational. Youngsters will be given the opportunity to experiment with playing a variety of different shots. Our program teaches basic fundamentals, with plenty of variation for practicing and playing. We will not only teach the shots, but also the etiquette, behavior and finer points of the rules of the game. Our instructors will be able to adjust the level of complexity to each child’s individual level of progress. For more information, or to register for the after-school golf program at Elm School, please visit www.elementarygolfschool.com or call (630) 853-6348.