• Attendance Matters: Below are our attendance rates for this week. We encourage all students to attend school everyday. Please contact the office if your child will be absent. 

  • Monday= 95%

  • Tuesday= 95%

  • Wednesday= 95%

  • Thursday= 96%

  • Friday= 94%

• MHS Parade: All D76 families are invited to attend the MHS Parade today, October 2nd. To help build school spirit, all students will be sent home with a West Oak Wolfpack pennants to wave proudly during the festivities.

• SAEBRS Screener: Next week, our school will complete the Social-Emotional Assets and Behavior Risk Screening (SAEBRS), which includes the student self-report version, mySAEBRS. This brief universal screening tool helps us proactively identify students’ strengths and areas where they may benefit from additional social, emotional, or behavioral support. This information is vital as it allows us to determine if students are on track with expected social-emotional skills and behaviors, or if any additional, evidence-based supports are needed. Our goal is to ensure every student has the skills they need to be successful in the classroom and beyond.

• Picture Day: All students completed their school pictures this week. Please review this document as a resource to answer some frequently asked questions and to place your picture order. 

• Student Needs: D76 is proud to have a Community Liaison on our staff, whose primary goals are to strengthen the home/school partnership and to provide needed educational wellness, resources and supports to students and families. In our efforts to continue creating an equitable education space, please complete this survey to help us support families for the 2026/27 school year. If you have more than one child enrolled in school, please answer these questions about your oldest child or complete the survey once for each child. 

• Incoming MHS Students: Welcome to Mundelein High School!  We are very excited to have you join the MHS family. On Thursday, November 12th, MHS will be hosting their Class of 2031 Night for both families and students. Students with last names A-L should arrive at the MHS auditorium by 6:00pm for a 40-minute presentation on our ninth-grade academic programs, student supports, and extracurricular opportunities. Students with last names M-Z should attend the 7:15pm  session. The presentation will also be offered in Spanish in the cafeteria during both sessions. The Activities and Athletics Fair will be hosted in the Main Gym immediately following the formal presentation. Please see this document for additional information.

•  STEM for Girls: The College of Lake County is excited to announce that their 13th Annual STEM for Girls event will be on Saturday, November 7th from 9-12:00pm. This is free for all girls in grades 6-12.  During registration, each participant chooses two hands-on specialty sessions in science, technology, engineering, healthcare or math. Parents are invited to stay for their own session covering scholarships, financial aid, college readiness and more. Registration is now open, at www.clcillinois.edu/stem. Space is limited, so early sign-up matters.

• 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 for more information. 

• ACCESS Testing: If your child took the ACCESS English language proficiency assessment last winter, their score report will be sent home soon, along with an annual notification letter about English Learner services and programming, if applicable. If you need help understanding either document, please contact the Director of Multilingual Learning, Yolanda Roldan yroldan@dist76.org.

• Health Physical and Immunization Requirements Due 10.15: 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. The deadline for this is October 15th and 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 15th. 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!

• Countryside Fire Open House: The Countryside Fire Protection District is excited to invite the community to our 2026 Open House & Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, October 4th, from 8-12:00pm at Station 2 in Vernon Hills. Here is a flyer for this event.  The Open House is a great opportunity for families to visit the fire station, meet our firefighters, and see live demonstrations, including vehicle extrication, a side-by-side burn demonstration, high-angle rescue, and more. A pancake breakfast will also be available during the event.

• Diamond Awards: To continue to spread the positivity around the building and district, here is the Diamond Award nomination Form to spotlight staff that are going above and beyond with what they do. This Form will be available at the bottom of each Parent Newsletter for easy access throughout the year. 

• 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.

• Thank You!: A huge thank you to all who attended, volunteered, or donated to the Back to School Bash.  We had a great time and hope you did as well. Check our website for a photo gallery from the night. 

• Lunch time Volunteers: Our food service company is providing monthly tastings for new menu items.  If you would like to volunteer to help pass out samples during lunch please sign up here.  Please note each school is on a different day for the duration of all the lunch periods. 

• Next PTO Meeting: You are invited to join us at our monthly PTO meeting, Tuesday, October 20th, from 6:00-7:00pm in the Diamond Lake Elementary School Library. All are welcome to attend.  

• Save the Date: Please save the date for our upcoming dine out at Luke’s on October 20th from 10:00am-9:00pm. Mention Diamond Lake School District 76 or show the flyer and 20% of proceeds will be donated to the D76 PTO. 

Your student's classroom teacher should be your first point of contact. For building-related information, please call the front office at 847-566-9220 or contact the following individuals via email: 

• Front Office Staff: Mrs. Mitzy Mondroy: mmonroy@dist76.org & Ms. Jennifer Sanjines: jsanjines@dist76.org 

• Principal: Brandon Pedersen bpedersen@dist76.org 

• School Nurse: Julie Marchese: jmarchese@dist76.org