Labor Day: A friendly reminder that due to Labor Day there will be NO SCHOOL on Monday, September 1st. We will return for a full day on Tuesday, September 2nd. 

Attendance Matters: As we celebrate a great start to the school year, we also want to highlight the importance of being in school every day. Did you know that missing just 2 days of school each month adds up to nearly 10% of the school year? Consistent attendance makes a big difference for both academic growth and social connections.

Fall Athletics:  All basketball and soccer practices will be from 3:30-5:00pm, Monday through Thursday each week. Please refer to our building website's calendar for a schedule of all of our games for the season. 

Curriculum Night: Below are the Slide Decks that were presented during Curriculum Night. Review them at your convenience and feel free to reach out to your student's teachers if you have any questions. 

• 6th Grade 

• 7th Grade

• 8th Grade

• Encore

Drive Carefully: With students back in school, please remember to drive carefully through our neighborhoods. Many children are walking to school or waiting at bus stops in the mornings and afternoons. Your caution, patience, and attentiveness help keep every child safe as they travel to and from school. Thank you for doing your part to protect our students!

SMILE Dentist: The SMILE dentist is coming to West Oak Campus on September 17th. Please complete the form (English/Spanish) to register, or contact Nurse Julie Marchese at 847-388-2599 for more information. 

MHS Tutoring: Mundelein High School students are offering a Peer Tutor Club at no charge on certain evenings at the Fremont Library for ages K-8th grade. These tutors are amazing students who enjoy working with students to help them find success. Here are the flyers in English/Spanish for more information. 

Character Strong: Character Strong is a social-emotional learning and character development program designed to build empathy, strengthen relationships, and promote positive school culture. Starting this year, it will be implemented once a week during the Band/Choir/Advisory period for each grade level, giving students a consistent space to grow in leadership, emotional intelligence, and community connection. Please review this letter English/Spanish for more information. 

Calm Corners: Through our FSCS grant, we are excited to offer calm corner supplies in every classroom in our district. Calm Corners are being introduced in classrooms to give students a safe space to pause, reset, and manage their emotions when they feel overwhelmed. These areas help children practice self-regulation strategies so they can return to learning more focused and ready to participate. Our goal is to support both emotional well-being and academic success by fostering a positive, supportive classroom environment.

Diamond Awards: New to this year, we ask families to complete this nomination Form if they would like to recognize a staff member they feel are going above and beyond with what they do in the classroom, school, or district. Please consider spreading the positivity bys highlighting the great work that staff our doing in our district. 

Hand, Foot, and Mouth: Please review this document from the Lake County Department of Public Health as there has been an increase of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in this area. 

Standards-Based Grading: Once again this year, Standards-Based Grading will be provided in order to give students and parents a clearer, more accurate, reflection of student learning and mastery of specific skills needed for each course. This approach focuses on individual standards rather than overall grades, allowing students to understand their strengths and better identify what they need to improve and achieve. Please refer to this page on our district’s website and this Slide Deck for more information. 

Google Classroom and PowerSchool: As a reminder, students should charge their Chromebooks each night and bring their Chromebook and charger to school every day.  Teachers will be using Google Classroom to share assignments and due dates with students.  Additionally, we encourage parents to get involved with how their child is doing in their classes by setting up an account through our PowerSchool Parent Portal.  Here are links to set up both PowerSchool (English/Spanish) and Google Classroom. (English/Spanish)

Back to School Bash: The annual Back to School Bash will be on September 5th, from 5:30-7:30. Pre-registration is now open.  Flyers are being sent home or register now when you pay via Zelle.

Spirit Wear: The Spirit Wear store is open now until Sept 14th. This will be the only spirit wear sale this year! Order here.

September Dine-Out: The first D76 PTO sponsored dine-out event will be on September 16th at Taco and Burrito Express! Please view the full invite here. 

Next PTO Meeting- Tuesday September 16th, 2025 6:00-7:00pm Diamond Lake Elementary School Library.