September 4, 2021
Good morning GRES Families,
It's hard to believe we've been in school over a week. What a week! We're getting into the swing of things and some of our students have already started MAP testing, AIMSweb testing, and getting into the groove of our individual schedules. Every morning we start with announcements which include the Pledge of Allegiance, student birthdays, updates to the lunch menu, as well as any necessary reminders. In addition, every student gets a 20 minute lunch and currently students are able to eat in the Cafeteria.
One of the other routines that is really coming together is our morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. All good things come with time...as we repeat this procedure daily, our times waiting in line are decreasing! The line goes much smoother when all hugs, kisses, and good-byes are provided as you wait on Grande Trail. In the morning when staff waves you up, please pull as far up as possible and encourage your child(ren) to get out as quickly as possible.
In the afternoon, please focus on pulling up, the available staff will help locate your child. We have noticed several families parking on Grande Trail by the park. For any families that do so, please use the blacktop path to walk over by the yellow gate and wait for your child to meet you. It may be a good idea to review every morning with your child how they will be getting home ("don't forget, you're taking the bus this afternoon," "meet at the yellow gate and we'll walk together," "watch for us in the blue truck," etc.). In addition, if someone different than normal will be picking your child(ren) up, please share this information with them so they know who to expect. If you think it may help, we are happy to provide bright colored paper for those who would like to make an eye-catching sign to hang in the window that may help your child(ren) recognize your car quicker. Please ask your child's teacher, and we'll send it home next week. If nothing else, it's a great activity to do as a family.
As a safety measure, we are talking with individual families when necessary to keep ALL students out of the parking lot. Parking in the parking lot to expedite dropping off or picking up your child is not allowed. Again, our goal is to keep our students safe and we can do that by working together! Please know that due to short- or long-term individual safety needs (students with wheelchairs, on crutches, or with impairments, etc.), we have made arrangements for a small number of our families (less than 1%) to park and pick up their child. To find out if you are eligible, please contact the office. We appreciate your understanding and trust in our decisions.
Great news...we were able to get EXTRA yearbooks last Spring! If you would like to pick one up, they are $12. Please contact Debbie in the front office at 630-553-5513.
All Kindergarten students should have received tablets this week. If you are having issues at home, please contact
studentsupport@y115.org for help. When you do that, please be sure to provide the student's full name and any identifiable information on the back of the device. Doing so helps our technology department know which device is having problems.
We appreciate any feedback you wish to provide as we believe we are a team working towards the same goal! :)
Sincerely,
Michele Breyne
GRES Principal
