September Newsletter

Hello Families!

Wow—can you believe we’ve already been in school for 13 days? Our classrooms are buzzing with excitement and learning! Students have been busy building a strong classroom community by setting expectations together and practicing CHAMPS routines. This helps everyone feel safe, respected, and ready to learn!

We’ve also been completing beginning-of-the-year assessments so we can understand each child’s skills and plan instruction that best fits their needs. Now that we have a clearer picture, we’ve started small math and guided reading groups, and students are already diving into more focused learning.

As we move forward, academic expectations are growing, and your support at home makes a big difference! Reading a favorite book together, counting objects around the house, writing letters, practicing sight words, or even exploring nature can spark great conversations and reinforce classroom learning. Every little bit helps!

Thank you for being such an important part of our school community—we couldn’t do it without you!

Important Dates

Monday, 9/1               No School - Labor Day

Wednesday, 9/3     Fun Lunch - Paisano's Pizza

Thursday, 9/4          Tornado Drill 9:30 am

Friday, 9/5                  KHS Home Football Game v Lemont (Fresh/Soph 5pm & Varsity 7pm)

Monday, 9/8                Bus Evacuation Drill

Friday, 9/12                   5th Grade Field Trip - Cantigny

Wednesday, 9/17       Fun Lunch - Reams Hot Dogs

Thursday, 9/18            PTN Meeting 6:30 pm

Friday, 9/19                    KHS Home Football Game v Ottawa (F/S 5pm & Varsity 7pm)

Wednesday, 10/1        Fun Lunch - Buona Beef

Thursday, 10/2            Custodian Appreciation Day

Friday, 10/3                    Fire Drill 2 pm

Infinite Campus Tip - Requesting Absence

Do you sometimes forget to call your child into the office because your mornings are just so busy...well we can help you out!  Here are a few steps to digitally mark your child's absence. 

1. Log into your family Infinite Campus Account  
2. Click on the 3 lines (top left)
3. Click on "more"
4. Click on Absence Requests
5. Choose which student, Excuse, and Absence Type

Once you submit it, Jessica will be notified in the front office and will mark your child absent. If you still would like to call in you can, but as a parent, I have found this way to be very helpful!! 

Bussers

If your child rides the bus and shows up as absent in the morning, don’t worry! This usually just means the bus is running a few minutes late and attendance was taken before they arrived. Jessica updates attendance as soon as students get to school.

Our bus drivers are doing their best to get everyone here safely and on time, but sometimes traffic or other small delays happen. Thanks so much for your understanding and patience!

Purchasing Milk At School 

If you are sending money with your child to purchase milk, just a friendly reminder that milk is $.55 a carton this year. If you are interested in purchasing milk for the 2nd semester. More information will come out around December. 

USAgain Clothing Donation Bin at KST

Did you know that your unwanted clothes can benefit our school? We've partnered with USAgain to host a collection bin, allowing us to earn cash for every pound of textiles collected, year-round. 

Our USAgain bin is a no-cost, no-work fundraiser that also helps the environment by keeping textiles out of landfills. We earn cash for every pound collected, and you help the planet by giving your items a second life! Simply drop off your items anytime in the green-and-white bin located on the west side of the school building. 

What you can donate:    Gently used clothes, shoes & accessories, Bedding, towels, and household linens

Ways to Stay Connected

Kaneland High School Athletics Website Visit this site to look for upcoming Kaneland events. 

Stay Connected to the District by visiting Kaneland.org 

Stay Connected to the PTN by visiting their Website

Parking Lot Reminders from the Email 

To ensure the safety of all students and the efficiency of our drop-off and pick-up process, it is critical that all families follow these procedures:

  No Left Turns into the parent parking lot.
 Pull all the way forward in the parent drop-off lane. Students should exit from the  RIGHT side door ONLY.
  Use your turn signal when exiting the lot.
 If you park in the north parking spots, you must exit by driving around the lot-do  not drive out through the entrance.
  Do not pull through parking spaces to exit the lot.
 Parents of 3rd-5th-grade students, we encourage you to use the  parent pick-up line rather than parking and getting out of the vehicle. This helps reduce congestion.
 If someone else is picking up your child, please make sure they know and follow these procedures. 

Please be courteous to staff members assisting outside. These rules are in place for everyone's safety.

Important: Buses have priority when leaving the lot. Cars may be held temporarily to allow buses to exit safely.

Kaneland School Abbreviations

KST - Kaneland John Stewart Elementary (Elburn)

KBK - Kaneland Blackberry Creek Elementary (Elburn)

KSS - Kaneland John Shields Elementary (Sugar Grove)

KME - Kaneland McDole Elementary (Montgomery)

KHMS - Kaneland Harter Middle School (Sugar Grove)

KHS - Kaneland High School (Maple Park)

FVCC - Fox Valley Career Center (Maple Park)

Welcome Back Newsletter

August
4 New Teacher Training	5 New Teacher Training	6 New Teacher Training	7 Kindergarten Curriculum & Supply Drop Off 4-6pm Sign-Up Opens for PTN FUN LUNCH	8
11 Teacher Institute  1st-5th Supply Drop Off & Curriculum Night 4-6pm	12 Teacher Institute	13 A ⭐First Day of School⭐	14 B	15 C Elburn Days Parade 6pm
18 D	19 E	20 A	21 B	22 C Fun Lunch Orders CLOSE!
25 D Board Mtg 6pm @KHMS	26 E	27 A	28 B	29 C

IMPORTANT 2025-2026 INFO 

District Calendar 
Stewart Community Google Calendar 

Visit the NEW Kaneland Website

CURRICULUM NIGHT & SUPPLY DROP OFF

Kindergarten Families - Thursday, August 7 (4-6pm)
- Please bring your child's supplies
- Parents will listen to a presentation from the Principal and Kinder Teachers

- Kindergarten students will have the opportunity to play on the playground
- Families can take self-guided tours to get familiar with the school 
- PTN (Parent Teacher Network) information will be available 

- Please, no siblings, just kinder students and guardians

1st - 5th Grade Families - Monday, August 11 (4-6pm) 

- Please bring your child's supplies

- Meet your teacher

- Tour the school

- Check out PTN information and spiritwear

- And mingle with other families

* Curriculum presentations will be emailed to families at 3pm from their teacher

* Please feel free to come and go on your own time 

We look forward to seeing you all again soon!!

TEACHER ASSIGNMENTS - TODAY
For all students, teacher assignments will be available on your child's Infinite Campus portal by the end of the day on Friday, August 1st.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 
On the first day of school WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13th, all of our students meet in front of the school at their assigned door. 

• 4th/5th Grade - Door 12
• Kinder/3rd Grade - Door 1
• 1st/2nd Grade - Door 2

*See Map Below* We have adults who will help your child find your teacher. All students walk in together. The PTN will have a Card My Yard Sign that you could use to get a picture of your child’s first day. We ask that parents remain in the parent waiting area and not wait at the front of the building.

SCHOOL HOURS

• First Bell 8:45
• Tardy Bell 8:50 - If your child is Tardy, you must walk them into the front office
• AM Kindergarten Dismissal 11:30
• Walker/Car Rider Dismissal 3:25
• Busser Dismissal 3:30

Main Office Hours 7:45 am - 4:00 pm
*Students cannot be dropped off any earlier than 8:40 am as there is no supervision. Parents or guardians are welcome to stay with their child until supervision arrives. 

PARENT WAVE/WAITING ZONE

To maintain the safety of our students and staff, we are asking parents not to walk up to the entrance doors with their children. Please stop at the sidewalk where the sign "Students Only Beyond This Point" is located and say your goodbyes there. Think of it like the “kiss and ride or fly zones” you would see at train stations and airports. This minimizes unknown adults from being around children or entering the building. It gives staff and students a clear path to their entrance destination 

DROP-OFF & PICK-UP PROCEDURES

1. DO NOT use your Cell phone in the school zone
2. REFRAIN from entering/exiting the main parking lot when buses are present, including from approximately 8:35-8:50 am and 3:15-3:35 pm. 
3. All drop-offs/pickups should occur in the west lot.
4. Students are not allowed to walk through the front parking lot when buses are present
5. EVERYONE should cross the crosswalk with the crossing guard.
6. You can NOT turn left into either parking lot during student arrival and dismissal
7. When using the drop-off/pick up line: Pull all the way forward before allowing your child to exit or enter the car, and remain in your car. Children should enter/exit on the curbside only
8. If you would like to walk your child up, park in a designated spot  
9. Model respectful, patient, and positive interactions for students and allow extra time to get to your destination when using the crowded lot
10. Follow the route in the picture BELOW

                                     

Prepaid Milk
It is time to order prepaid milk for the 2025-2026 school year. Prepaid milk may be purchased for the entire school year or by semester. Milk may be purchased online through your parent portal on Infinite Campus.

Costs: ($.55)/Milk ($48.00-1st sem., $48.00-2nd sem., $96.00-year) 

(You will have an opportunity to purchase milk for the 2nd semester at a later date)

All orders are due on or before Friday, August 15, 2025. No later orders will be accepted. Milk service will begin on the first day of school. As always, milk is available for purchase daily for 55 cents.

                                              

Free/Reduced Lunch Application
Free/Reduced Lunch Applications for the 2025/2026 school year are now available at www.kaneland.org to those students who qualify based on their Income, SNAP, TANF, or income-eligible Medicaid Status.

If you qualified for one of these during the 2024/2025 school year, your lunch benefits will carry over for 30 school days.

Chromebook Insurance

This insurance is for students in grades 2 - 12 for parents to purchase.  Use THIS LINK to secure your insurance today! 

Enrollment Deadline: August 31, 2025 - Coverage Start Date: August 1, 2025

Help Wanted!

We have an opening for substitute Lunch Monitors. Work Hours would be from 10:30-1:15.

If you are interested or would like to gain more information, please get in touch with Mrs. Aversa at 10017@kaneland.org. 

You can also complete an online application via the link below.

Kaneland Employment Online Application

Summer Newsletter

 

July 28 - August 15
28 Regular Hours Resume Aversa Out for Admin Mtg	29	30	31 Aversa Out for Admin mtg	1 Teacher Assignments LIVE in Infinite Campus 4pm
4 New Teacher Training	5 New Teacher Training	6 New Teacher Training	7 Kindergarten Curriculum & Supply Drop Off 4-6pm	8
11 Teacher Institute  1st-5th Supply Drop Off & Curriculum Night 4-6pm	12 Teacher Institute	13	14	15

Summer Office Hours

The office will continue to be open over the summer, Monday-Thursday, 8:00am - 3:00pm. The office is closed on Fridays. If these times do not work for you, please call the office to make a personalized appointment with Ms. Jaeger. Ms. Jaeger, Principal Secretary. I, Mrs. Aversa, return to work on July 28th. If you need assistance from us, please feel free to call or email. (630) 365-8170

2025-2026 Supply Lists

Kindergarten

1st - 5th Grade 

School Toolbox - Reasons to get School Toolbox

• Name brand supplies
• It's local 
• Get quality items from brands you trust 
• Pre-packaged in the exact quantities students need
• Supplies guaranteed all school year
• No shoddy folders or dead pens — if it doesn't last, we'll replace it
• Ordering takes about 5 minutes

Summer's fleeting — spend it somewhere other than the checkout line. Packed from your school's list. Start the first day with just what their teachers requested — no guesswork required

School Toolbox - visit www.schooltoolbox.com to order your supplies right to your door!

Teacher Assignments Released - Friday, August 1st

For all students, teacher assignments will be available on your child's Infinite Campus portal by the end of the day on Friday, August 1st.

If you have yet to receive communication outlining the steps to creating and accessing your child's Infinite Campus portal, please get in touch with the main office at 630-365-8170

Ways to Stay Connected

• Facebook - Please like and follow for exciting news, pictures, and videos
• Stewart Scoop Newsletter - Please bookmark this blog - these are bi-monthly newsletters
• PTN Emails - email stewartptn@gmail.com to get on that list
• Kaneland Website - Direct Page for John Stewart → https://kst.kaneland.org/

Before & After School CARE

If you require before/after school childcare, we partner with the Sugar Grove Park District to provide these services at John Stewart.  For information, please visit www.sgparks.org/care 

*Planned Landscaping Changes*

In the next few weeks, you may notice some tree work happening at the front of the school. A few trees are being removed due to illness, and this is part of a planned process in coordination with an arborist. Healthy new trees will be planted in phases to refresh and maintain the landscape. Just a heads-up in case you notice some changes out front—everything is well in hand!

Special Kindergarten Newsletter Edition

 

Dear Kindergarten Parent(s) and Guardians,

Welcome to Kaneland John Stewart Elementary!  What an exciting time for you and your child!  The staff and I look forward to working with you throughout this school year to ensure that your child has a positive and rewarding school experience.

Front Office Staff
Mrs. Samantha Aversa - Principal 
Ms. Ashley Jeager - Principal Secretary 
Mrs. Jessica Bottorff - Attendance Secretary 

For the upcoming school year, Kaneland John Stewart will run three extended-day kindergarten classrooms, with half-day students throughout all three classrooms. Mrs. Lori Doll, Mrs. Lisa Druwe, and Mrs. Alicia Hardy are our fabulous kindergarten teachers this year.  The core and half-day classes will run in the AM from 8:45 - 11:30 am.  Extension and enrichment activities for extended-day students will take place in the afternoon. 

Specific classroom assignments are made based on the desire to keep classroom characteristics equitable, current enrollment information, specific needs of individual students, and registration in extended-day programming.  You can find out who your child's teacher is on August 1st in the Infinite Campus App

Infinite Campus

If you have not downloaded the Infinite Campus app, please do, but you can also access the IC system at www.Kaneland.org. This is an extremely important tool for parents to see all of their child’s school information, payments, fees, emergency contact information, etc.  

Kindergarten Orientation/Supply Drop Off 

Kindergarten orientation/supply drop off for you and your child will take place on Thursday, August 7th from 4-6pm at John Stewart Elementary.  Please enter the main doors - door 1 

4:00-4:45 pm Principal chat in MPR with guardians to review important information regarding starting school.  Kindergarten students play outside on the playground with teacher support

4:45-5:30 pm Supply drop-off in the classroom with guardians and kindergarteners. Teachers will share the curriculum and important classroom information.

5:30-6:00 pm Self-guided school tour of the rest of the building (Optional for families to complete)

*Please do NOT bring other siblings. We want to make this a special event for our kindergarten students

Kindergarten Supply List 

At orientation, you will receive an identification tag for your child to wear on his or her backpack to school for the first few weeks. The color and information on the tag will enable staff to guide your child to the appropriate destinations throughout the school, including which bus to board at the end of the day.  Transportation information can be found on the Infinite Campus App in early August. If the transportation information is incorrect or needs to be changed, please let your teacher or the front office know.  If your child takes a bus, ALL Kindergarten bus stops require an adult when be present at drop-off to release the student.  In the event that you will not be able to attend orientation, please contact the school office to arrange the pickup of your child's identification tag. 

If you have forms to turn in, this is a great night to drop any forms to the office.

The opportunity to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences for the upcoming school year will also be available during your visit, so please make sure to bring your calendar.

Our classroom teachers will also be joined by a few other teachers who support our children. Your kindergartener might also talk about Ms. Gecek and Miss Razim who provide interventions and special education supports with our kindergarten team in addition to a few other teachers in the building.

Exploratory Classes
Each day your kindergartener will go to an exploratory class and your teacher will have a schedule for your information at orientation:

Music - Mrs. Kunstman
Art - Mrs. Gregg
PE - Mr. Biddle 
Critical Thinking - Ms. Maz (Mazurkiewicz)
Computer - Ms. Svihlik
Library - Mrs. Steers

I found that asking your child about what exploratory class they went to was a great way to begin talking about their day.


Records
Please have dental, vision, and physical forms turned in by the first day of school. If you have specific questions, you can reach out to our nurse, Ms. Barb Scott at 30555@kaneland.org OR Barbara.Scott@kaneland.org.


School Hours
First Bell 8:45
Tardy Bell 8:50 - If your child is Tardy, you must walk them into the front office
AM Kindergarten Dismissal 11:30
Walker/Car Rider Dismissal 3:25
Busser Dismissal 3:30

Main Office Hours 7:45 am - 4:00 pm

*Students cannot be dropped off any earlier than 8:40 am, as there is no supervision


Before and After School Child Care Options
We have the CARE program that is run through the Sugar Grove Park District. You can register through their website: https://www.sgparks.org/

This is offered to any student who attends full-day school and for half-day kindergarteners before school starts. SGPD also offers some day off activities during times when there is no school.


Lunch & Milk
If your child is enrolled in Extended Day Kindergarten, they will eat lunch at school. Parents will need to pack a lunch for their child each day. We are a cold lunch school. Milk is available for purchase and can be done by the semester or for the full year. Please go to Infinite Campus to make that purchase.


Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures

• Cell phone use in a school zone, including the parking lots, is prohibited by law
• Be sure to note the signage at the entrance to the main parking lot 
• Cars should refrain from entering/exiting the main parking lot when buses are present, including from approximately 8:30-8:50 am and 3:15-3:35 pm. All drop-offs/pickups should occur in the west lot.

Students are not allowed to walk through the front parking lot when buses are present. They should cross the crosswalk with the crossing guard.                           

When heading west on Prairie Valley Street, cars are prohibited from turning left into either parking lot during student arrival and dismissal. *This sign has been a bit obscured by an overgrown tree. The Village of Elburn is aware and ensures the trees are trimmed back   

Student Drop-Off/Pick-Up

• Use the West lot
• Follow the route in the picture BELOW
• Pull all the way forward before allowing your child to exit or enter the car
• Children should enter/exit on the curbside only
• Remain in your car if using the drop-off/pick-up lane
• If you would like to walk your child up, park in a designated spot and use the marked crosswalk
• Refrain from pulling around cars that are unloading children
• Model respectful, patient, and positive interactions for students
• Allow extra time to get to your destination when using the crowded lot

Parent Zone For Waving

In the past, parents would walk their students to the main entrance of the building to send them off for the day. To maintain the safety of our students and staff, we are asking parents not to walk up to the entrance with their children. Please stop at the sidewalk and say your goodbyes there. Think of it like the “kiss and ride or fly zones” you would see at train stations and airports.

First Day of School
On the first day of school, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13th, all of our students meet in front of the school (Door 1) with their teacher. We have adults who will help your child find your teacher. All students walk in together. The PTN will have a Card My Yard Sign that you could use to get a picture of your child’s first day. We ask that parents remain in the parent waiting area and not wait at the front of the building.


Ways to Stay Connected
Facebook - Please like and follow for exciting news, pictures, and videos
Stewart Scoop Newsletter - Please bookmark this blog - these are bi-monthly newsletters
PTN Emails - email stewartptn@gmail.com to get on that list

More information will be shared at the Kindergarten Orientation night but wanted to give you a little bit now. We look forward to seeing you all on Thursday, August 7th at 4pm

Sincerely,

Samantha Aversa

Principal

Kaneland John Stewart Elementary School