The Franklin Flyer

Dear Franklin Families,

We hope you are having a wonderful summer! We look forward to welcoming back our Franklin Falcons on Wednesday, August 24, 2022.

Included in this letter is information that we hope will make the return to school a smooth one and will set you and your student up for a positive start to the year.

Mark Your Calendars:

August 16: Class Placement Emailed Home

August 18: New Family Orientation - 9:00 am

August 23: Supply Drop-off - 8:15 - 9:00 am

August 24: First Day of School - 8:50 am - 2:40 pm

August 26 - 31: FAST Assessment (Grades K-1)

August 29 - September 9: MAP Testing (Grades 2-5)

September 1: Curriculum Night

September 5: Labor Day - No School

Class Placement

Class placement assignments will be sent home via email on August 16th.

Complete Registration

If you have not already done so, please complete your child’s school registration as soon as possible. Students who do not have complete registration on August 16th will not receive a class placement letter until registration is complete.

Parent Portal

Please take a moment to sign into your Parent Portal to make sure your student contact tab is up to date with the most current phone number and email address for each child. This will help ensure that we can communicate quickly and efficiently with you.

Supply Drop-off/Meet the Teacher

Families can come to drop off school supplies on Tuesday, August 23rd, from 8:15 - 9:00 am. This is to allow your students to meet their teacher before the first day of school. Please note classrooms will be in various stages of preparation during this time. Following supply drop-off, teachers will continue to prepare learning spaces to welcome students on the first day of school.

Student Supplies
School supply lists are available on the Franklin website. If you are unable to participate in the Supply Drop-off, students are welcome to bring their school supplies with them on the first day of school.

First Day of School

The school doors are open to students at 8:45 am each day, and students should use the grade-specific entrances to enter the building at the beginning of the day and exit for dismissal. Please note that the first day of school follows a WEDNESDAY early release schedule. School ends at 2:40 pm. A school map to help aid in arrival and dismissal procedures will be forthcoming.

Curriculum Night

We are excited to welcome our Franklin parents to curriculum night at Franklin on September 1st. The presentation schedule is listed below. Should you be unable to attend, classroom teachers can send information to you after the event.

6:00 - 6:30 pm - Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade presentations

6:40 - 7:10 pm - 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade presentations

Transportation/Busing

In the next few weeks, parents will receive communication from the D64 Transportation Department regarding busing information. This information will include bus stop location and pick-up/drop-off times.

Bus Registration

Free bus transportation is available for students (grades K-8) if they live 1.5 miles or more from school or who live in an area that is declared to be hazardous by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

• For new students, please contact the District office at 847-318-4308 or via e-mail to determine your student's eligibility for services. Please include the student's name, school, and home address in your message.

• Paid bus service is offered for students, if space is available, for those who live between 0.5 miles - 1.5 miles away from school. Paid riders must use an existing bus stop; no new stops will be added. The cost for paid transportation is $510.00 per student for a full year.

Franklin Website and Calendar

The website and Franklin’s school calendar are valuable resources to keep informed of important updates and events throughout the year. Also, the District 64 Overview Calendar can be found here to view the year at a glance.

School Hours

School hours are from 8:50 AM - 3:30 PM. Please note that each Wednesday, students are dismissed at 2:40 PM for staff professional development activities. The doors to the school open for students each morning at 8:45 AM.

School Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 3:30 pm

Wednesday School Hours: 8:50 am - 2:40 pm

For those participating in half-day Kindergarten, the school hours for half-day Kindergarten students are below:

Kindergarten Hours (M, T, Th, F): A.M. - 8:50 a.m. - 11:35 a.m.

Kindergarten Wednesday: A.M. - 8:50 a.m. - 11:05 a.m.

Franklin Office Hours
School office hours are from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Remember that our student absence line (847) 318-4390 (ext 1) is available 24 hours a day.

Lunch Hours

At all elementary schools starting this school year, we will observe a new lunch schedule.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 11:35 am - 12:30 pm

Wednesday: 11:05 am - 12:00 pm

Drop-off of Student Items/Lunches

If students forget something at home, items may be dropped off at the Franklin’s Office. Our front office staff will call into the classroom for your student to pick up these items during a break in student instruction. The classroom teacher will send the student to the office during an instructional break time to pick up their items.

Lunch Reminders

Quest, our food service company, serves pre-order meals and beverages to our students who have placed orders. Students must use their My Meal Order account to purchase any food. Please see this flyer for more information from Quest.

Though we have Quest food choices during lunch, most Franklin students bring their lunch to school. We highly encourage waste-free lunches. To reduce waste, please consider the following as you pack your child’s lunch:

Please pack your child’s lunch in a reusable lunch box or bag (not paper or plastic bags).

Use reusable containers for sandwiches rather than foil, plastic wrap, etc.

Buy snacks in quantity (it’s usually less expensive) and transfer them to a reusable container.

Put drinks in a child-friendly thermos rather than sending throw-away juice boxes, etc.

Chromebooks
As a reminder, each Franklin student will be issued an iPad (grades K-1) or a Chromebook computer (grades 2-5) as part of the District’s one-to-one digital learning program. Students will receive their devices during the first week of school. Your child will also be assigned a Google account to access Google Apps for Education and other digital resources at school and to explore further concepts introduced in class at home. The devices and their applications are technology tools that provide all students with access to digital content and higher levels of individualized instruction.

You can find more information about the 1:1 Initiative, Chromebooks, and the other technologies available to our students here.

Visiting Franklin

All visitors to Franklin must have a valid state ID or driver’s license. These will be entered into the Raptor identification system. This process only takes a short time to complete. Once you have clearance, a visitor pass will be printed and attached to a lanyard that you must wear throughout the building. The office will hold your ID until you return to the office and return the lanyard that was given to you. We request that you please be patient with staff as we proceed with this district-mandated safety procedure.

Student-Parent Handbook
Franklin Elementary School, along with all District 64 schools, operates following policies and practices that have been reviewed and implemented by the District 64 Board of Education. Please review the D64 Student-Parent Handbook before the start of the school year.

Finally, I want to share some additional back-to-school tips with all families. Please find helpful advice here. The National Association of School Psychologists provides these.

Franklin cannot wait for the return of students starting on August 24th! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Your partner in education,

Mrs. Kristin Williams

Principal

Franklin Elementary School