September Stewart Scoop

 

SHIELD Testing

KST will be SHIELD Testing every Tuesday from 10:30 - 11:00am with a designated grade level schedule.  Students who have opted in have done a fabulous job and are really getting the hang of the routine.  We are working on having the students do the process independently and all are learning very quickly.  

If you have not Opted In and would like to do so, please visit our SHIELD Illinois Information page and complete the Consent Form.

Moving forward, please know that all test results are negative, unless you receive a call from Kaneland administration.  We will report the weekly SHIELD testing results on our COVID-19 Weekly Dashboard, which is updated each week (by Sunday evening) for the prior week.  

Water Bottles

A reminder to send water bottles with your student(s) daily as we are still not using the water fountains to drink directly from.  Students have access to the water bottle filling station to refill their bottles as needed throughout the day. 

Parking Lot Reminders

Please remember to use your TURN SIGNAL when entering and exiting the parking lot.  This really helps our wonderful crossing guard, Mrs. Fair. 

Also, please remind your child(ren) to use the crosswalk with the crossing graud to ensure all safely cross to the other side. 

Flip Flops/Slides

Please refrain from having students wear flip flops or slides while at school as they are unsafe when they are playing outside at recess.  Sandles should have a back strap on them to ensure they stay on the child's foot. 

SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Supports For Home

All KST students are now enrolled in a Canvas Course called,  KST SEL. 

This course includes: 

Grade level specific opportunities to explore Social and Emotional topics and activities
Virtual Coping Strategy ideas for both  K-2 and 3-5  students
Contact information for the Social Worker- Mrs. Gabrielson
You can find the course by logging into Canvas or this link: https://kaneland.instructure.com/courses/12680 

Desperate Need In Lunch/Recess Monitors!!

Are you someone who enjoys making sure kids have fun while staying safe? Do you enjoy spending time outside? Are you interested in supporting Kaneland elementary students during lunch and recess times? We are looking for YOU! Come join our team as a Monitor!

We still need 2 more monitors at KST.  If you are interested, please CLICK HERE to apply! If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Aversa (10017@Kaneland.org) or Ms. Waller (58992@Kaneland.org)

Nurse Information 

If you have any test results or information for our new school nurse, please don't hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Danielle Hines via email at Danielle.Hines@Kaneland.org 

Upcoming Dates

Monday, September 6th:   No School, Labor Day 

Wednesday, September 8th:  School Pictures

Thursday, September 9th:   5th Grade Outdoor Ed

Friday, September 10th:  Run for Fund

Tuesday, September 21st:  PTN Meeting 6pm KST Library 

Wednesday, September 29th:  Fun Lunch (more info to come)

First Day Reminders!!

School Hours: Please do not drop students off any earlier than 8:35 as there will be no supervision available. 

First Bell - 8:40 AM 

Tardy Bell - 8:50 AM (If your child is tardy, please walk them in the front office to sign them in)

Walker Bell - 3:25 PM

Busser Bell - 3:30 PM

Lunch: Remember to pack a lunch as we are a cold lunch school.

Snacks: Remember to pack a healthy snack, avoiding peanuts in all peanut-free classes.

Water Bottles: Can be refilled at the water fountain station

Masks: Required to be worn while inside the building, except for lunch and snack time. You may want to pack an extra mask in your child's backpack as a backup.

Entrance and Exit procedure:  To limit the number of students entering the building at any one location, grade levels will have separate entrances and exits from the building. There will be staff at each location to monitor students as well as around the building to ensure student safety. Please see John Stewart Elementary Map for the entrances of specific grade levels. 

Parent Zone For Waving: In the past, parents liked to walk their students to the main entrance of the building to send them off for the day. In order 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. 

Parking Lot Procedure: All parents dropping off or picking up their child(ren) should use the West parking lot only. The main lot is reserved for buses during arrival and dismissal times. No cars should enter the main lot during arrival and dismissal. Please Click Here for a Map. When in the parent drop-off line please have students only exit the car on the right side by the sidewalk. Parents, please remain in your car. If you need to get out for any reason, please find a parking spot to assist your child(ren). The traffic should continue to move along.

We kindly ask for your patience and compassion toward the staff members working to keep our parking lot safe for everyone during student arrival and dismissal. We recognize pulling all the way forward or waiting a few moments to pull away after picking up your child is not always convenient, but these simple actions support the greater goal of student safety. Please remember, the professional training and experience of the staff on "parking lot duty" is in the education field, not traffic control. They do their best each day and greatly appreciate positive feedback and demonstrations of grace. The hecticness of the parking lot during student arrival and dismissal is a perfect place to model kindness for our children.

We are going to have a great school year!!!

Welcome To The 2021-22 School Year!!

 

Dear John Stewart Families,

We are all so excited to start this school year!  We look forward to all the learning, laughs, and experiences that we will have together.  We hope you all enjoyed your summer and will see you very soon!   

Supply Drop-Off Night for Grades 1-5:

Use this link to see information regarding this night. We are doing staggered times based on last name to try and limit the number of people in the building at one time. We also know how busy everyone’s schedules are. I encourage you to try and attend at your scheduled time, but if that doesn't work, the drop-off runs from 4:00 - 6:00 pm.

New John Stewart Families:

Welcome!! Feel free to stop on by on Thursday, August 5th from 6:30 - 7:30 for a self-guided building tour.

Recess/Lunch Monitors:

We are still in need of 3 outdoor monitors and 1 lunch monitor. PLEASE visit this link if you are interested in helping your school. 

School Calendar:  Please click HERE to view the 2021-22 Kaneland School Calendar

Changes This Year:

• Students will attend school five days a week and will resume pre-pandemic hours of operation. 

• No Remote Learning Options (medical or choice) for the 2021-22 School Year

• No Daily Self-Certification Needed for Students or Staff

• Students may not enter the school building if they are experiencing any noted symptoms.  Families, please check signage with listed symptoms daily

• Fever (100.4 degrees or higher)

• New onset of moderate to severe headache

• Shortness of breath

• New cough

• Sore throat

• Vomiting or diarrhea

• New loss of sense of taste or smell

• Fatigue from unknown cause

• Muscle or body aches from unknown cause

• COVID Vaccinations are not required for students and staff to return to school

• All students will be in person unless they are ordered to quarantine by the local Health Department

• Families reporting student absences will need to provide symptom-specific information. Please call the school’s main office 

Teacher Assignment: 

Teacher assignments are still under construction and will go live on the morning of August 6th on your Tyler account.

2021 - 2022 Kaneland John Stewart Teachers 

Kindergarten                1st Grade                          2nd Grade                 3rd Grade 

Mrs. Doll                        Miss Eubanks                    Mrs. Gilkey                Mrs. Salzam

Mrs. Druwe                    Miss Nachriener                Ms. Hay                Mrs. Hartkopp

Ms. Paulsen                    Miss Primrose                   Miss ImHof              Ms. Zollers

Ms. Curry                       Miss Modaff

4th/5th Grade - KPASS Teachers                                         Exploratory  

Miss Conquest - STEM        Mr. Ahearn - ELA                       Mr. Biddle/Mr. Mansour - PE                     

Ms. Pyfer - STEM                Miss Cantrell - ELA                   Mrs. Gregg - Art
Mr. Rutter - STEM               Mr. Williams - ELA                    Mrs. Kuntsman - Music

                                                                                                  Ms. Maz - Critical Thinking 

                                                                                                  Ms. Svihlik - Technology

RTI                                        Instructional Coaches             Special Education/Related Services

Mr. Argabright - Math             Mrs. Orman                                    Ms. Jackson

Mrs. Griffith - Math                Mrs. Walker                                   Mrs. Kneopke

Mrs. Purnell - Reading                                                                Mrs. Kilgore

Mr. Boyle - Behavior Interventionist                                          Mrs. Meadows - Speech

Mrs. Sears - Coordinator                                                             Mrs. Gabrielson - Social Work

                                                                              Mr. Warrington - Psychologist

  Mid-Valley                                                                              Mrs. Duffy - OT

Mrs. Tredup                                                                                    Mrs. Novay - ESL 

Lunch:

Lunch Operations will return to pre-pandemic operations. 

Snacks: 

Are allowed in classrooms again this year. 

Masks:

• Required to wear a mask on the Bus
• Fully vaccinated students and staff do not need to wear masks while at school
• All unvaccinated students and staff are strongly recommended to wear masks in school, but it will not be required
• Mask will not be required to wear a mask on the playground or outside. 

School Visitors:

Volunteers and visitors are welcome and we are excited to see you back into the building! Please make sure when you visit you are following all school guidelines.

Milk:

You are able to prepay milk for the year or by each semester. This is available on the Kaneland Webstore. The last day to purchase milk on the Webstore will be August 11th. If you elect to pay for the entire school year, the fee is $68 and the first semester is $34.

 

Your child can also bring 40 cents daily to purchase milk when they would like if you do not want to prepay milk for the semester.

Immunization and Health Records:

All incoming kindergarten students need to have immunization records, health forms, dental forms, and eye exams submitted by the first day of school, August 11.

 

All incoming 2nd-grade students need to have an updated dental form submitted by the first day of school.

Bus Routes:

Routes will be finalized on August 6th please check your Tyler account.  Buses will hold passengers in accordance with pre-pandemic capacities. Bus passengers will be required to wear a face mask.

EC-5th grade Supply List Information:

Here is a link to the school supply lists. Teachers will determine the supplies that are needed for learning at school and at home. The “at home” application supplies will be returned to the students to take back home. Please individually label all student items.

Canvas:

This resource will help parents navigate through Canvas - Canvas Information.  Canvas is being used to provide 

Entrance and Exit procedure: 

To limit the number of students entering the building at any one location, grade levels will have separate entrances and exits from the building. There will be staff at each location to monitor students as well as around the building to ensure student safety. Please see John Stewart Elementary Map to show the entrances for your specific grade level. 

Parent Zone For Waving: 

In the past, parents liked to walk their students to the main entrance of the building to send them off for the day. In order 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. 

Parking Lot Procedure:

All parents dropping off or picking up their child(ren) should use the West parking lot only. The main lot is reserved for buses during arrival and dismissal times. No cars should enter the main lot during arrival and dismissal. Please Click Here for a Map. When in the parent drop-off line please have students only exit the car on the right side by the sidewalk. Parents, please remain in your car. If you need to get out for any reason, please find a parking spot to assist your child(ren). The traffic should continue to move along.

We kindly ask for your patience and compassion toward the staff members working to keep our parking lot safe for everyone during student arrival and dismissal. We recognize pulling all the way forward or waiting a few moments to pull away after picking up your child is not always convenient, but these simple actions support the greater goal of student safety. Please remember, the professional training and experience of the staff on "parking lot duty" is in the education field, not traffic control. They do their best each day and greatly appreciate positive feedback and demonstrations of grace. The hecticness of the parking lot during student arrival and dismissal is a perfect place to model kindness for our children.

Important Dates:

Thursday, August 5th      -    Kindergarten Supply Drop-Off Curriculum Night (4:00 - 6:00 pm)                                                        -     New Student Self-Guided Building Tour (6:30 - 7:30 pm) 

Monday, August 9th             -     1st - 5th Grade Supply Drop-Off (4:00-6:00)

Wednesday, August 11th     -     First Day of School (K-12th)

End of the Year Newsletter

Good Morning KST Families -

Thank you for being such AMAZING families this year!! I will never forget my first year as a Principal. Our school year was successful because of supportive parents, outstanding staff members, and amazing students. THANK YOU! I hope you all enjoy your summer and have many FUN adventures!

Stay Safe and Well,

Mrs. Aversa

Here are some reminders as we close out the school year:

• Asynchronous Learning TOMORROW (5/19) for In-Person and Remote Students. Students will need to check their Canvas for work to complete.

• Please pick up student medications in the nurse's office by May 25th 

• K-3 Families In-Person learners please return devices and chargers by May 25th. Remote students, please return devices by May 28th to the front office. 

• Lost and Found - Please remind your student(s) to take a look at the lost and found before the end of the year.

PLEASE Take This Equity Audit Survey

The Equity Audit involves a two-part process for each school community. To start, all stakeholders are being asked to complete the 10-minute questionnaire within the next two weeks. The survey will be open from Monday, May 17, 2021, to Friday, May 28, 2021. The link for each stakeholder group is below.

• Family member*: https://forms.gle/duVsNWA1uPZRu4ni6

Summer Hours

John Stewart Office Summer Hours  M-TH 8-11 / 12-3. Office Phone #(630) 365-8170. All District buildings are closed on Fridays.

Mrs. Johnson is Retiring!!!

"I can't believe how fast that 19 years have gone by, working at KST.  I have watched so many kids grow from Kindergarteners to moving on to Middle School.  I have been fortunate to have met so many amazing families during my time here.  Thanks to all of the people who have made my KST years the best!  I hope to see many of you around the community".  

Mrs. Johnson, Secretary

Other retirements:  Mrs. Dillion (5th Grade ELA) will also be retiring and we wish her all the very best in her next chapter of life.  

KST will miss both of these wonderful ladies!!

Registering Your Student For Next Year

All families need to log into Tyler (www.Kaneland.org) to register their student(s) for the upcoming school year. If you move, have a change of placement, or change of address, please notify the school as soon as possible. 

You may pay for milk and fees through the webstore at Kaneland.org OR through Tyler. 

2021 - 2022 School Calendar

Here is a link to the 2021 - 2022 School Calendar.  The first day of student attendance is Wednesday, August 11th. 

EC - 5th Grade Supply List

May News

We made it to May...Yay!! What a crazy year it has been but I am so proud of everyone doing the best they could, being flexible, supportive, and going above and beyond to make this year possible.  I'm grateful for the staff, students, and families. Thank you! 

Teacher Appreciation Week

To celebrate all of the hard work the teachers have done, let's show our support during Teacher Appreciation Week (May 3-7)

Reading Program Opportunity

If you are on Facebook, Scholastic is hosting a free Facebook Live Event for Parents called  Scholastic Parents Night: The Power of Summer Reading.  

Join us for a virtual panel of Scholastic authors, education experts, and the booksellers will give tips and book recommendations that will keep kids excited to read all summer long! We'll also have a book recommendation speed-round with an indie bookseller, and interviews with beloved authors! 

Here is the link to the event if you are interested:

https://fb.me/e/3BKLgoou2

Field Day(s)

Unfortunately, we are unable to have a typical Field Day but this year, students will participate in Field Day activities during their Exploratory Times Friday, May 21 - Tuesday, May 25th. Please be sure to send them with water bottles and clothes they can be active in. 

End of the Year Drills

Over the next two weeks, students will participate in a Bus Evacuation and a Fire Drill with the Elburn Fire Department.  

K-3 Device Collection

• All devices (Kindergarten - 3rd Grade) for In-Person Learners need to be returned May 25th

• All students K-3 students should bring back the devices on May 24 and 25

• Students should give all devices and charging cords to their homeroom teacher

• All devices (Kindergarten - 3rd Grade) for Full Remote Students need to be returned by May 28th

• Full remote families need to bring them to the office along with any hot spots and charging cords

Solar Panels at KST

Our Solar Panel Project at KST is coming along nicely. 

The project should be completed within the next month! 

Library Books

Please look around your house for any KST library books. All books and fines are due by May 7th.  The LRC has closed for inventory. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Kerry at 50107@kaneland.org

Important Dates

May 3-7             Teacher Appreciation Week

May 19              Asynchronous Learning EC-5 for Remote and In-Person Students

May 24 & 25     One hour early release at 2:25 pm

May 25              Last Day of School  - 3rd Trimester Report Cards go live at 4:00 pm