Wow! What a week! In addition to the normal adjustments to the first week of school we endured the hottest school week in recent memory, adjusted to masks, experienced new procedures for pick-up, drop-off, and bathroom use, incorporated extra hand hygiene, had new technology challenges, and experienced interrupted internet service. And yet we survived. Actually, we thrived in many ways thanks to our resilient students and incredible teachers. This school year will be about making adjustments (some new ones are listed below). We are in this together. I look forward to being back together on Monday.

Curriculum Night: Curriculum Night is on Wednesday evening. This year it will be virtual using Zoom. On this evening you will hear from your student’s teacher about what to expect throughout the school year in terms of curriculum, expectations, and communication. There are two classroom sessions in case you have more than one student. There will also be a session with Principal Koehne to hear general information about the new school year. If there is time for questions, they should be general in nature. If you have a question specific to your student, contact the teacher directly. Zoom links will be sent to you next week. Session times are listed in the calendar below.

If you have not yet filled out the GradeLink re-enrollment paperwork, please do so as soon as possible. It is important that we have the most up to date emergency information. Contact the school office if you need login information.

Sunday          Church Services, 8:30 virtual & 11:00am limited to 50 people. Please go to       

                        Grace Lutheran Church website to sign-up

Monday         

Wednesday   First day for all school remote learning

                         Virtual Curriculum Night, general session at 6:30pm, 1^st classroom session

                         starts at 7:00pm, 2^nd classroom session starts at 7:30pm                                      

Thursday      Chapel Service, 8:30am

Friday        

Looking for Volunteers! Please consider volunteering to help with temperature checks during morning drop-off! The shifts are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday, 7:40-8:15. Please let us know if you can help. 

Pick-up Procedures: The pick-up line after school is going well. Two new steps to make it go even better.

1)     If you are in line on Division Street, put on your hazards so that when other parents pull up they know you are in line and not parked on Division Street.

2)     If you have a PK-SK student, you will pick them up in the parking lot where you drop them off in the morning.

Walk with Grace is Grace Lutheran School’s annual walk-a-thon fundraiser.  This year the event is Friday, October 2^nd, so it is just over a month away (this is a shorter timeframe than past years)!  You will all receive full details next week, but we wanted to get it on your radar. As part of our mission at Grace we are always looking to help our greater community. So, along with raising funds for our school and families, we will be walking throughout the community and collecting food to benefit BEYOND HUNGER (formally Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry).

This event will be open to both our in-person and remote learners, so please mark your calendars.  Also, please note that this is a half-day, so dismissal will be at 11:30am (extended care will be available).

If you have any questions or would like to help on the planning committee, please contact Becky Morgan at rebecca.morgan04@gmail.com

Chapel services will be on Thursday this school year. Chapel will start at 8:30am. You can find the link here for parents who would like to participate. 

It is not too late to sign your child up for milk for lunch. The cost for the school year is $18.00 for white milk and $19.00 for chocolate. Students who sign up next week will start getting milk as of Tuesday, September 8.

Dress Code: You can find the dress code for this school year at this link. There has been a change to the dress code for 5^th – 8^th grade students since these students will not be changing in the locker room for PE classes this year. 

GLS Masks: The Grace Lutheran School face masks have arrived. Those that have ordered masks may pay for them and pick them up from Mrs. Maggio.

Forgotten books or lunches: If you bring a student book or lunch that was forgotten at home, you will be need to put it in the bin inside the first set of front doors. The front desk receptionist will then collect it and get it to your student.

Grace member Alison Carris, a behavior analyst and counselor, invites Grace Church and School families to an online workshop, "Creating Space," for parents of children in grades K-8. Learn techniques for adapting the physical environment and expanding emotional capacity for the coming school year. The workshop is hosted online by King of Kings Lutheran Church in Michigan on Tuesday, September 1, at 6:30pm Central Time. More information and a link to register are here. 

Wheaton College's Humanitarian Disaster Institute presents a webinar on "Spiritual and Mental Health for Children and Teens During COVID-19. Watch it on Vimeo. (Parish Nurse Pat Gulik says the second and third speakers, who focused on the needs of parents and kids, were especially good.)

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