Dear Diamond Lake School Families,

What a fantastic Halloween celebration we had at Diamond Lake! Our Halloween parties were filled with smiles, creativity, and fun, and we are so grateful to our parent volunteers who helped make the day so special. We also want to thank our PTO for providing snacks and crafts for our parties. We are grateful for all of the support! Our Halloween parade was wonderfully attended—we loved seeing so many families come out to cheer and celebrate with us. Thank you for helping make this tradition such a joyful community event!

👩‍🏫 Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences are an important opportunity to connect and celebrate your child’s progress while discussing ways to continue supporting their growth. Research shows that when families and teachers work together, students attend school more regularly, show stronger motivation, and perform better academically.

Conference sign-ups will open on Monday, November 3, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. via ParentSquare. Please sign up for a time with your child’s teacher through that portal. We look forward to partnering with you in these important conversations about your child’s learning and success.

Attendance Update: Our first graders led this month with 95.73% average daily attendance for the month of October. I am excited to see if we can reach over 95% for each grade level for the month of November. Please be sure to get to school each and every day! The rest of the grade levels are below and we are working to increase these each month. Let's go CUBS! 

Average Daily Attendance by Grade Level

• • Pre-K- 93.5%

  • Kindergarten- 91.75%

  • 1st Grade- 95.73%

  • 2nd Grade- 94.6%

Thank you again for your continued support and involvement—you make Diamond Lake such a special place to learn and grow!

Reminder: Monday, November 3, 2025 is a late start and we start school at 9:00 am. Have fun celebrating Halloween and see you on Monday!

Every day at DLS matters! 

Keep shining and #SparkleOn,

Mrs. Sunny Morley

Principal, Diamond Lake School

smorley@dist76.org

Illinois Report Card

The 2025 Illinois Report Card for Diamond Lake District 76 is being released today.  This summer Illinois adjusted student proficiency levels on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) test taken in the spring of 2025 by students in grades 3-8 to reflect college and career readiness.  According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois has had the toughest benchmarks in the country for math and English language arts — meaning, many students who were doing well in school were somehow not “proficient” on state assessments. In science, the bar was too low, so many students looked “proficient” on paper, even if they hadn’t fully mastered the material.  With this adjustment now in place, the reading and math proficiency levels of nearly all districts has risen and science slightly lowered.  Additionally, the levels of student proficiency were moved from 5 levels to 4 levels to match the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) and the ACT.  For more information on the changes, please click here.  

We are pleased to report that all District 76 schools have been given ‘Commendable’ status for 2025!  Highlights include very strong growth in reading and math.  We will use this data to further evaluate the effectiveness of our District and school improvement plans to ensure we Embrace, Empower, Excel Each Child Each Day.  Further information about the District 76 Illinois Report Card results will be shared at the November Board of Education meeting.

Recognize a staff member HERE. This is where we will recognize a Diamond Award winner from your nominations.

Dear Families,

In accordance with Erin’s Law, all Illinois public schools are required to provide age-appropriate lessons each year to help students recognize unsafe situations, understand personal body safety, and know how to seek help from trusted adults. We will be presenting the lesson during the weeks of November 10, 2025 through November 21, 2025.

These lessons are designed to empower students with knowledge and skills to protect themselves. They focus on:

• Understanding the difference between safe and unsafe touches

• Identifying trusted adults at home and school

• Learning how to say “no” and get help when feeling unsafe

• Recognizing personal boundaries and respect for others
  
  

The lessons are presented in a sensitive, age-appropriate manner by our trained staff and/or approved curriculum resources. Our goal is to ensure students feel safe, supported, and informed.

If you have questions about the content of these lessons, wish to review the materials before they are presented, or do not want your student to participate in this lesson please contact your school social worker by Friday, November 7, 2025:

Diamond Lake School: Deborah Wargaski 847-566-6601

West Oak Intermediate School: Lisa Brickert 847-970-3544

West Oak Middle School: Lindsay Harmon 847-566-9220

Thank you for your partnership in helping us keep all students safe and informed.

D76 CARES: At D76, the well-being of our students and families is our top priority. Understanding the critical role mental health plays in student success, we have launched D76 CARES - a comprehensive initiative aimed at improving access to quality mental health services across our community. D76 CARES stands for Community, Advocacy, Resilience, Engagement, and Support. Treatment services are initially provided free of charge to district families for up to 8 sessions. Click HERE for treatment request.

• Winter Clothing Drive- Our Winter Clothing Drive is running through November 7. We are collecting new hats, gloves and scarves.  Additionally, we are accepting gently used coats, snow pants, boots or Hoodies.  Donation boxes will be available at each school office. 

• SAVE THE DATE- Ice Cream day is coming Tuesday November 11th.  We will need volunteers for DLS and WOIS.  Look for flyers and sign ups soon.  

• Next DINE OUT- Thursday November 13th from 5:00-8:00 pm at Portillos

• Next PTO Meeting- Tuesday Nov 18th, 2025 6:00-7:00pm Diamond Lake Elementary School Library.