News

December 15, 2023

Hello ELC Families,

School District 54 is making it easier than ever for families to schedule conferences with teachers. We’ve partnered with “PTC Wizard” to provide a mobile-friendly and easy-to-use system that creates a simple and streamlined scheduling experience. To login and schedule a conference, please visit https://bit.ly/sd54parentconferences and enter your Infinite Campus Parent Portal Username and Password. The system will show you options for all the students in your household after you login. 

PLEASE NOTE: If you do not have a Parent Portal account, you will not be able to login. Please contact [email protected] 

PTC Wizard will be open to parents scheduling conferences beginning at 8 AM today (11/11) and ending on 11/21 at noon. Conferences are being held during daytime and evening hours on Monday, November 25th and some teachers may have limited availability in the morning on Tuesday, November 26th. Unless your child’s teacher has shared otherwise, each conference will be 15 minutes long. Students will not have school the week of November 25th due to conferences and Thanksgiving Break. 

Once you’re in the system, you’ll be able to select your child’s/children’s teacher(s) and your preferred dates and times. After you confirm the date and time, please select In-Person or Virtual conference. If you are having trouble finding the In-Person/Virtual selection button, please refer to the help guide below. If you select virtual, your conference will occur over Zoom.

To request a translator for your conference, please type in “translator” and the preferred language in the comment box during the confirmation step.

If you would like to change or delete any scheduled conferences, you can do so by logging in again with the same information. We encourage you to bookmark the website https://bit.ly/sd54parentconferences on your phone, tablet, or desktop to review and to make any changes if you should have any.

For more detailed information on how to login and navigate the site, please view our guide below.

SD54 PTC Wizard – Conference Scheduling

SD54 PTC Wizard – Conference Scheduling (SPANISH)

If you have any questions, please call 847-230-1700. 

Thank you,

Jenny Clark and Laura Kopstain

Additionally, please note the following important dates:

  • Monday, November 25 – No School (Parent-Teacher Conferences, details to come)
  • Tuesday, November 26 – No School (Parent-Teacher Conferences, details to come)
  • Wednesday, November 27-Friday, November 29 – No School (Thanksgiving Break)

 

School News:

ELC Toiletry Drive
Between now and Parent Teacher Conferences on November 25th and 26th, we will be collecting toiletries to benefit those in need. We are seeking donations of new, unopened items, including:

  • Toothbrushes
  • Toothpaste
  • Floss
  • Deodorant
  • Unscented bar soap

If your family is able to contribute, please consider sending the items in with your student or dropping them off in the main office. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to ELC Social Worker Caitlin Gallagher at [email protected].
Thank you in advance for your generosity!

 

New ELC Families

If your child is new to the ELC, we want to extend a warm welcome to your entire family! We are honored to be part of your child’s educational experience and are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you. For important information for families new to the ELC, please check out the “New Families” section of our website. 

 

PTA NEWS

PTA Meeting

Please save the date for our next PTA meeting on November 12 at 6:00 pm on Zoom. We look forward to seeing everyone at Fall Fest on October 8!

Join Our PTA

We encourage you to consider joining our PTA, which plays a vital role in supporting our school community. To learn more about how you can get involved, please visit our PTA website here. Your participation and support help us create a vibrant and engaging environment for all our students.

Art to Remember 
Have you heard about Art to Remember? This amazing program gives families the option to create keepsakes of their student’s artwork, allowing you to cherish these memories for a lifetime. Not only do these items make delightful year round gifts, the Art to Remember program also doubles as a fundraiser for the ELC PTA, which gives us the opportunity to bring more joy to our Sprouts throughout the year! To learn more about Art to Remember, please watch this short video, and thank you for always supporting our Sprouts!

 

dISTRICT NEWS

Adult ESL Classes

English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes for Adults: October 9 – November 20
District 54 is offering classes to learn how to speak English. These classes are for all parents who are interested in learning basic English conversation skills as well as beginning reading and writing skills in English. The Adult ESL class includes 7 sessions that last 2 hours each. The two class options are as follows:

  • 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays from October 9 through November 20 at Hoover Elementary School
  • 6 – 8 p.m. on Wednesdays from October 9 through November 20 at Stevenson Elementary School

 
Please select the option you are interested in attending by filling out this form: Adult ESL Registration Form for Fall 2024. Registration forms must be completed by October 11. For more information, visit sd54.org/languageandculture

McKinney-Vento Assistance Act

The U.S. McKinney-Vento Assistance Act defines homeless children as those who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime abode. In general, children or youth living in motels, transitional housing, shelters, the street, cars, parks, bus or train stations, abandoned buildings and other inadequate accommodations may be considered eligible for McKinney-Vento services.  Please visit our website for more information.

 

Parent Drop Off and Pick Up

If you are transporting your child to school each day, please follow the procedures below to ensure everyone’s safety:
  • When you pull into campus, make a left into the parking lot at the first opportunity (follow the signs for “ELC Parent Drop-Off & Pick Up Parking”).
  • Park your car in a parking space in the designated parking lot (see maps here).
  • Your child will line up by color team, and a staff member will bring your child to their classroom. We can assist if you do not know your child’s color team.
Drop Off and Pick Up Times:
  • AM Session: 7:40–7:45 AM
  • PM Session: 11:25–11:30 AM, Wednesday 11:10-11:15 AM
If you arrive after 7:45 AM for our AM session or after 11:30 AM for our PM session, please head to the second parking lot off Schaumburg Road, park in a parking space, and report to the front office (Door #1) to sign your child in. They will be marked tardy.
At dismissal, please follow the signs shared above, park in a parking space, and stand near the orange cones. Staff will bring your child out to you.
We ask every adult who is picking up a student to always have a valid ID on hand. This is important if your child has a substitute teacher or if you are sending another authorized adult to pick up your child. Only those family members and friends listed in Infinite Campus as emergency contacts will be allowed to pick up your child.
 

What our Sprouts are Learning

Curriculum 
We’re excited to share what’s happening in our classroom! Our Sprouts are learning all about buildings, and it’s been a fun and creative journey! From reading stories to constructing their own buildings, students are diving deep into learning all about buildings. Our sprouts are engaged in activities where they are learning about buildings while working on our academic objectives. In addition, students are learning to express their feelings, helping them navigate their emotions and those of others. Additionally, we continue to work with our sprouts as they discover how to make and nurture friendships and work together as part of a group, building a supportive and collaborative classroom community. 

PBIS
We have been focusing on our school expectations which include being a Super Sprout! Being a Super Sprout means being safe and kind. Our Sprouts have various versions of how we can be safe and kind while at school. We encourage you to use the below visual to support safe and kind behavior at home.  Check out more about PBIS here

Our 2024-2025 Teachers and Teams: