Dear Diamond Lake Families,

I Hope to See You at the Parade!

This afternoon at 3:30 p.m., I hope to see everyone at the parade! I will be watching from Hawley Street and will be looking for all of our DLS Cubs in the crowd or if they are participating. I can't wait to see everyone and celebrate together!

⏰ Reminder: Late Start on Monday, October 5

Please remember that Monday, October 5 is a late start day.

• Doors open: 8:55 a.m.

• School begins: 9:10 a.m.

Please plan your arrival accordingly. We appreciate your help in making our late-start morning run smoothly!

🚌 Arrival & Dismissal Reminders

A few important reminders to help keep our students safe during arrival and dismissal:

Never pass a school bus when the stop sign is extended. This applies even when we are in our school parking lot. When a bus has its stop sign out, it means students are getting on or off the bus. Please wait patiently until the bus has completed the process and the stop sign is no longer extended.

During morning drop-off, please drive all the way forward in the drop-off lane. Moving forward each time a vehicle unloads helps us keep the line moving and allows more families to safely drop off their students.

A staff member will come to your vehicle and open the door for your child. Please remain in your vehicle throughout the drop-off process. If you need to exit your vehicle, please park and walk your child to the front entrance.

Thank you for helping us keep arrival safe and efficient for everyone!

📚 Attendance Matters!

Attendance continues to be a focus at Diamond Lake School this year. Last year, we saw improvement in our attendance, with 13% of our students having 17 or more days absent. While we were encouraged by the progress we made, we want to continue working together to decrease that number this school year.

Our goal is to help students be at school, ready to learn, as often as possible. Every school day provides opportunities for students to learn, build relationships, practice skills, and be part of our school community.

Please help us continue to improve our attendance by avoiding unnecessary days off from school whenever possible and planning family vacations during scheduled school breaks.

Every day matters. Every student matters. Every day of learning counts!

🧮 Math Day at DLS 

Please be on the lookout in ParentSquare for an invitation to Math Day at DLS! We are excited to welcome families into the building to learn and work alongside our students. Please complete the RSVP so we know who will be attending. This is especially important because all visitors must have their ID cleared through our visitor system before entering the building. If you would like to complete this process ahead of the event, please reach out to the DLS office, and we will be happy to help you get it taken care of before Math Day!

Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to Embrace, Empower, and Excel!

🐾 Have a wonderful weekend, DLS families!

Keep shining and #SparkleOn,

Mrs. Sunny Morley

Principal, Diamond Lake School

smorley@dist76.org

Health Physical and Immunization Requirements – Exclusion Date October 15, 2026

As a reminder, all students entering Preschool, Kindergarten, 6th grade, and any student new to Illinois schools are required by Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/27-8.1) to have a current physical examination (must be completed within one year prior to the first day of school) and up-to-date immunization records on file.

• Deadline: October 15, 2026

Important: Students who do not submit a completed physical and proof of required immunizations by this date will be excluded from school. They will not be allowed to attend classes or participate in school activities until the required forms are received.

Please schedule any needed appointments as soon as possible and submit forms to the school office. If your child has an upcoming appointment, please provide written confirmation from your healthcare provider to the school nurse prior to October 15.

 If you have questions or need assistance accessing health services, please contact the school nurse or main office.

Thank you for helping us keep all students healthy, safe, and ready to learn!

Thank You! A huge thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, or donated to the Back-to-School Bash. We had a great time and hope you did, too! Check out our website for a photo gallery from the night.

Lunchtime Volunteers – Our food service company is providing monthly tastings of new menu items. If you would like to volunteer to help pass out samples during lunch, please sign up below. Please note that each school will have a different tasting day, and volunteers will be needed throughout all lunch periods.

Volunteer during food tasting lunches

Next PTO Meeting – You are invited to join us for our monthly PTO meeting on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, from 6:00–7:00 p.m. in the Diamond Lake Elementary School Library. All are welcome to attend!

Save the Date!

October 20 | 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Dine out at Luke’s! Mention Diamond Lake School District 76 or show the flyer, and 20% of the proceeds will be donated to the D76 PTO.

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.