Principal's Corner

School Day

Rising Stars Kindergarten, 1st - 5th School Day - 8:40 a.m. - 3:05 p.m.

Rising Stars Kindergarten, 1st - 5th Lunch - 11:25 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

AM Kindergarten - 8:40 a.m. - 11:25 a.m.

PM Kindergarten - 12:20 p.m. - 3:05 p.m.

• Student Arrival will begin daily at 8:25 a.m. Please do not drop your child(ren) off before this time as we do not have adult supervision prior to these times.

• Student Dismissal will begin at 3:05 p.m.

• We recognize the need for appointments and understand that situations may arise that require you to pick your child up early from school. We ask that you please try your best to schedule appointments OUTSIDE of the school day and not pick your child up early from school, so as to not disrupt the learning process. If students must be picked up early, please ring the bell in the vestibule to let the office know who you are picking up. Students can be signed out on the sheet on the cart in the vestibule.

• To report a child's absence, please access the district website at www.d181.org/parents/report-absence

Prairie Garden Car Line Entrance Door Change

Due to the ongoing construction project, we will need to move our grades 3-5 prairie garden car line entrance door. The traffic pattern for the car line will remain the same, but students will enter through the door pictured below. This door does not have sidewalk space for students to wait prior to 8:25 am. Students cannot be dropped off or leave their vehicles until a staff member is present at 8:25 am. Please be extremely careful when driving, as the sidewalk and curb are narrow. We are hoping this is temporary and that we will be able to utilize our usual entrance and exit doors sometime during this school year. 

First Day of School Arrival Plan

We use only the front door (near the cow) and the fifth grade door (near the prairie garden) only to enter and exit school each day. Students are welcome to use either door; whichever is more convenient for your family. 

On the first day of school, we will meet on the back blacktop, in lines by grade level and classroom teacher. This will give parents the opportunity to briefly see the classroom teacher and to say an extended good-bye to their child. 

At 8:40, teachers will lead their classrooms into the building and assist students in navigating their way through the school. For parents that wish to drop their child(ren) off in the car lines, there will be school staff to assist them in finding their homeroom teachers on the blacktop starting at 8:25. 

On Day 2, students are asked to use only the proper entrance door, per our usual routine.

Curriculum Night

Handbook Changes - Please Review

Cell Phones and Similar Electronic Devices Cell phones, smartwatches, and similar electronic devices shall be collected by a teacher (elementary) or kept in a student’s locker (middle school) during the regular school day and while attending school-sponsored activities unless: (a) the teacher/staff member grants permission or (b) use of the device is provided in a student’s individualized education program (IEP). The school does not claim any responsibility or liability for student’s personal items like these or others. Cell phones, smartwatches, and similar electronic devices not stored or used appropriately may subject a student to disciplinary actions. Students who are unable or unwilling to refrain from the use of a cell phone or similar electronic devices at school may receive consequences and confiscation of the cell phone until such time as a parent/guardian can come and meet with the building administration. Students are strictly prohibited from using cell phones or other electronic devices to take pictures or record school personnel or fellow students without authorization. Students using cell phones or electronic devices for unlawful purposes will be referred to local law enforcement.

Family Photo Request

We kindly ask that you send a family photo to school with your student by August 23rd. We are creating a school-wide bulletin board and would love for everyone to be represented. Your contribution will make our bulletin board a beautiful display of our diverse and vibrant community!

Purchasing Milk

Families will be able to pre-pay via Skyward for milk to be available for your child daily. 

NOTE: We will not collect cash/coins for milk purchases during lunches. This is a one-time fee at the beginning of the year, and families are encouraged to sign up through SchoolPay via Skyward by the deadline of September 2. If you miss this sign-up, you will need to send your child with their own drink.

$88 = x1 milk a day

$176 = x2 milks a day

Login to Skyward Family Access.

Click on the Fees tab.

Click Add a Fee.

Select the Milk option.

Pay for the fee in SchoolPay

NWEA Schedule 

8/26: 4th ELA, 5th ELA

8/27: 2nd ELA, 4th Math

8/28: 1st ELA, 3rd ELA

8/29: 1st Math, 3rd Math

8/30: 2nd Math, 5th Math

Welcome Back Coffee - Tuesday 8/20, 8:40-10AM

Welcome back, parents! Hope you all are having a nice summer with your families and friends! First day of school is Tuesday, August 20th. Please come and join the PTO and fellow parents for a cup of coffee after dropping off your child(ren), from 8:40-10AM at the front of the school. RSVP HERE.

Back to School Ice Cream Social - Friday 8/23, 4-6PM

Join us as we kick off the school year with our annual Ice Cream Social on Friday, August 23rd, 4-6PM at the Elm School Gym. We will have school spirit wear and Legacy Tiles (pre-order here) for sale. With every Legacy Tile ticket purchase you will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win an Elm School Spirit Basket! RSVP HERE for the Ice Cream Social. We hope to see you there! 

See ingredient list below:

Districtwide School Supply Lists

Principal's Corner

Class Placement

As of Tuesday 8/13, you will be able to log into the Skyward Family Access, skywardfamily.d181.org, to view your child’s homeroom teacher.  You will navigate to the student Info Menu on the left to view the teacher assignment. 

Your Login ID is your first name last name (all one word and lowercase), i.e. “minniemouse.”  If you cannot login, use the Forgot Login/Password? link on the login page and follow the prompts to reset your password. If you receive an error message, contact Nick Skrip at nskrip@d181.org.

Please know that placements are finalized. Our grade level teams and specialists (reading specialist, differentiation specialists, resource teachers, and art, music, and PE staff) work together to share input and create class composites conducive to learning.  We take into account your child’s academic, social, and emotional needs. Our goal is to create equitable classes in terms of size, instructional support, gender, etc. and allow for groups of students who can benefit from learning together. 

School Day

Rising Stars Kindergarten,1st - 5th School Day - 8:40 a.m. - 3:05 p.m.

Rising Stars Kindergarten, 1st - 5th Lunch - 11:25 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

AM Kindergarten - 8:40 a.m. - 11:25 a.m.

PM Kindergarten - 12:20 p.m. - 3:05 p.m.

• Student Arrival will begin daily at 8:25 a.m. Please do not drop your child(ren) off before this time as we do not have adult supervision prior to these times.
• Student Dismissal will begin at 3:05 p.m.
• We recognize the need for appointments and understand that situations may arise that require you to pick your child up early from school. We ask that you please try your best to schedule appointments OUTSIDE of the school day and not pick your child up early from school, so as to not disrupt the learning process. If students must be picked up early, please ring the bell in the vestibule to let the office know who you are picking up. Students can be signed out on the sheet on the cart in the vestibule.
• To report a child's absence, please access the district website at d181.org/parents/report-absence

First Day of School Arrival Plan

We use only the front door (near the cow) and the fifth grade door (near the prairie garden) only to enter and exit school each day. Students are welcome to use either door; whichever is more convenient for your family. With our construction underway, we may need to use the alternate door near the fifth grade wing for arrival and dismissal, but we will communicate this at a later date, if necessary. 

On the first day of school, we will meet on the back blacktop, in lines by grade level and classroom teacher. This will give parents the opportunity to briefly see the classroom teacher and to say an extended good-bye to their child. 

At 8:40, teachers will lead their classrooms into the building and assist students in navigating their way through the school. For parents that wish to drop their child(ren) off in the car lines, there will be school staff to assist them in finding their homeroom teachers on the blacktop starting at 8:25. 

On the second day of school, students are asked to use only the proper entrance doors, per our usual routine.

Curriculum Night - Save The Date

Please mark your calendars for Curriculum Night, taking place on August 29th from 6:00pm-7:15pm. Kindergarten-Second grade sessions will take place from 6:00-6:30. There will be a short Principal presentation in the gym from 6:30-6:45, followed by Third-Fifth grade sessions form 6:45-7:15. 

New Family Tours

New families are invited to tour Elm School on Thursday, August 15th from 2:00pm-3:00pm. The whole family is welcome to attend. If you can't attend, please don't worry, we will make sure to assist your child on the first day of school. Please enter through our main entrance on 60th street (the doors closest to the large cow statue located in front of the school). 

Amazon Recall - Glow Dance Party Favor Affected

Please see important Amazon recall email that the PTO has received regarding our favors handed out at the Glow Dance on January 26, 2024:

Dear Amazon Customer,

We write to notify you of a potential safety concern with a product that you purchased on Amazon.com.

Please review the Recalls and Product Safety Alerts page for further details: https://www.Amazon.com/your-product-safety-alerts

Product: NiHome 30PCS Flashing LED Light Up Bumpy Jelly Rubber Rings, 10 Shapes Colorful Finger Toys for Parties, Event Favors, Raves, Concert Shows, Gifts, Blinky Glow in The Dark Party Supplies Party Favors
Order ID: 111-0999568-0456203

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has informed us that the product listed may not meet current mandatory or voluntary safety standards.

If you still have this product, we urge you to stop using it immediately and review the following notification for more details, including what you should do and where you can seek assistance:

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2024/Attom-Tech-Recalls-LED-Light-up-Jelly-Ring-Toys-Due-to-Ingestion-Hazard-Violation-of-Federal-Regulations-for-Battery-Operated-Toys-Sold-Exclusively-on-Amazon-com

If you made this purchase for someone else, please notify the recipient immediately and provide them with the information.

The safety and satisfaction of our customers is our highest priority. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you.

New Elm School PTO Website

We wanted to let you all know that we have worked over the summer to migrate to a new website hosted by MembershipToolkit (previously AtoZ Connect).  Our weekly e-Blasts are now sent by MembershipToolkit and all announcements will be synced on our website automatically.  Note that the elmschoolpto.org domain is temporarily being redirected to elmschoolpto.membershiptoolkit.com.

We will be updating our student/family directory after the teacher assignments are available.  Look for an e-mail from MembershipToolkit to either confirm your information and/or create an account. 

Sunday E-Blast

Did YOU get a Sunday E-Blast from the PTO??

If you have not yet received a Sunday E-Blast email from the PTO, please send your request to be added to the distribution list to Communications@elmschoolpto.org.