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Just a reminder that Friday, September 13 is an early release day for school improvement planning. Concord will be released at 11:15 a.m. and Cass at 12:00 p.m.

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Concord Curriculum Night September 12

The final curriculum night for Concord will be held on the evening of September 12. The scheduled times are kindergarten at 6:00, 1st Grade 6:30, and 2nd Grade at 7:00 p.m.

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Important Morning Concord Traffic Reminders

To assist in making certain all Concord Elementary children are safe during the morning drop off in particular, parents absolutely must follow these important procedures:

• Children are not allowed to exit cars until 7:45 a.m. This is when staff supervision begins and the school doors open.
• Parents may not get out of cars to unbuckle students in the car line. If that is necessary, then cars must be parked in the lot and children walked to the school entrance.
• Children must exit the vehicles from the passenger side by the curb. This allows them to step safely on the sidewalk and not in the area where cars are passing.

For parents who walk their children to school or allow older children to walk on their own, children must either be supervised by parents or not arrive until 7:45 when supervision from the staff begins. Parents of students left unsupervised outside of these hours before or after school may have their children added to the Ivy League Kids program and charged accordingly.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation with this important matter and additional details and guidelines for each school can be found at the bottom of the page under Bus Routes, Pick Up, and Drop Off.

On September 10, the Cass Warriors dusted the golf clubs off and showed up to swing away at Twin Lakes Golf Club for the annual Southeast DuPage Elementary Athletic Association golf meet. The students representing the Warriors were Eddy Kasprowicz, Beckett Kuntz, Rian Green, and Ethan Alavi. The boys competed against five other schools in the conference and were able to find their rhythm and shoot well. They had some great tee shots, fancy chips, and sinking putts to finish up the round with competitive scores. Congratulations, and go Warriors!

To celebrate our new lunch program partnership, Just A Dash Catering brought in fun balloons for our students to enjoy, which led to some great pictures. We are still working through details and building the program, but we truly appreciate the freshly prepared food and professionalism of our people at Just A Dash. They are still looking for help, so if you know of anyone interested in a part time job that corresponds to your child’s school schedule, here is more information on how to apply.

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F.A.C.T.S. Assembly

Last week, Concord students participated in the F.A.C.T.S. (Friendship, Art, Caring, Trust and Sharing) Assembly which focuses on the principle that effective communication and positive interactions are essential for building friendships. Students engaged in games specifically designed to encourage them to interact with one another, improve their communication skills, and foster the idea of friendship.

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Preschool Screening September 20
Cass School District 63 is holding a Preschool Screening on September 20 for children who live in our district and are 3-5 years old. Your child must be preregistered to participate. Please see under the link for more information and how to register.

Our 8th Grade Class will be traveling to Washington, DC from May 19 to 21, 2025. An informational meeting will be held via Zoom on September 25 at 6:30 p.m. Please contact Mr. Kondraschow at skondraschow@cassd63.org with any questions.

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Through our new school lunch program partner Just A Dash Catering, our new online lunch menus for both Concord and Cass are now available. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. To start the school year, there is one regular and one vegetarian option each day. If you click on a menu item, it pulls up the nutritional information, and if you scroll beneath that information you will see “How would you rate this item?”. Once you give the food a basic rating, it will open a window that allows for more feedback. At the junior high there will also be a la carte options offered soon and those are listed under the menu link along with the prices. Preschool snack menus can be found here.

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Concord Curriculum Nights
Our annual curriculum nights at Concord are scheduled for the following dates and times.

September 5, 2024
Prekindergarten Curriculum Night, Concord, 6:00 p.m.
3rd Grade Curriculum Night, Concord, 6:30 p.m.
4th Grade Curriculum Night, Concord, 7:00 p.m.

September 12, 2024
Kindergarten Curriculum Night, Concord, 6:00 p.m.
1st Grade Curriculum Night, Concord, 6:30 p.m.
2nd Grade Curriculum Night, Concord, 7:00 p.m.

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IDPH Safe Firearm Storage Guidelines

In light of another school tragedy this week in Georgia, it is imperative that households with guns practice safe firearm storage. Firearm safety is not only about the handling of a firearm, but that responsibility also extends to secure storage. Safe storage consists of keeping firearms locked and unloaded, and separating firearms and ammunition when not in use. It also involves making sure household members understand the safety guidelines concerning firearms. Here is more information on this critical and timely topic.

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Wear Red, White, and Blue on 9-11 and 9-13 at Concord

On 9-11 and 9-13, Concord Elementary students should wear red, white, and/or blue to school in honor of Patriot Day and for the Patriotic Assembly. If you have any questions, please contact the Concord school office.

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An important parent responsibility is to contact the school first thing in the morning when your child will be absent. This is important not only for safety, but also to limit the need for us to locate parents to find this information. Parents can either call the attendance line and leave the necessary information, or send it via email, whichever works best for you.

For Concord absence reporting, call 331-481-4000, choose option 1 and then option 5, or email concordattendance@cassd63.org.

For Cass absence reporting, call 331-481-4000, choose option 2 and then option 7, or email cassattendance@cassd63.org.

For both calls or emails, please leave your child's name, grade level (and teacher for Concord), date of absence, reason for absence, parent name, and phone number. Please note that should you email an absence, the email must come from a parent email that is noted in PowerSchool.

Annual Ice Cream Social September 6

CARE is hosting the annual Ice Cream Social beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, September 6 at Concord Elementary School. This is a great opportunity for our students and parents from the entire district to celebrate the beginning of a new school year. We hope to see everyone there!

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8th Grade DC Trip

Our 8th Grade Class will be traveling to Washington, DC from May 19 to 21, 2025. An informational meeting will be held via Zoom on September 25 at 6:30 p.m. Please contact Mr. Kondraschow at skondraschow@cassd63.org with any questions.

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7th Grade Springfield Trip

The 7th grade annual visit to Springfield, Illinois is scheduled for Friday, October 4. This is a one-day trip that includes visits to many historic sites, including Abraham Lincoln’s home and the Lincoln Presidential Museum. This trip coincides with the 7th grade social studies curriculum. Please see this flyer for registration information and contact Mrs. Gorzkowski at agorzkowski@cassd63.org with any questions.

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Junior High Baseball Season Underway

This is the inaugural year for Cass Junior High baseball and we couldn’t be prouder of our team! These young men come ready to work hard and improve their skills at each practice and every game. Thank you to Coach Craig Damrow on leading the team in our first season and we look forward to watching how much these players grow both individually and as a team.

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Concord Dot Week September 16-20

Get ready to make a mark and have a blast during Dot Week! Inspired by the book “The Dot” written by Peter H. Reynolds, we’re celebrating creativity and self-expression with a series of fun, dot-themed activities. From Art and Library to STEM, dot week will be filled with exciting projects and learning opportunities.

To add to the fun, we invite all students and staff to join in by wearing outfits in different colors each day:

Monday - Red
Tuesday - Orange
Wednesday - Yellow
Thursday - Green
Friday - Blue

Let’s fill our school with color and creativity as we explore the magic of making our mark! We can't wait to see all the vibrant outfits and dot-inspired projects.

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Concord Picture Day September 12

Picture day is coming to Concord on September 12. Order forms were sent home with your child or you may order online at www.mylifetouch.com using the specific Concord Picture Day ID: EVTCPTFMQ.

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Cass School District 63 is holding a Preschool Screening on September 20 for children who live in our district and are 3-5 years old. Your child must be preregistered to participate. Please see under the link for more information and how to register.

Vision and Hearing Screenings
Vision and hearing screenings will be conducted in September at Cass Junior High and Concord Elementary School. Please review this information for dates, times and which students will be participating in which screenings.

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Through our new school lunch program partner Just A Dash Catering, our new online lunch menus for both Concord and Cass are now available. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. To start the school year, there is one regular and one vegetarian option each day. If you click on a menu item, it pulls up the nutritional information, and if you scroll beneath that information you will see “How would you rate this item?”. Once you give the food a basic rating, it will open a window that allows for more feedback. At the junior high there will also be a la carte options offered soon and those are listed under the menu link along with the prices. Preschool snack menus can be found here.

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In observance of Labor Day, there is no school on Monday, September 2. Enjoy your holiday weekend!

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Our annual curriculum nights will be held beginning next week. Please mark your calendars for the following evenings and times for each grade level.

September 4, 2024
Cass Junior High Curriculum Night, 6:30 p.m.

September 5, 2024
Prekindergarten Curriculum Night, Concord, 6:00 p.m.
3rd Grade Curriculum Night, Concord, 6:30 p.m.
4th Grade Curriculum Night, Concord, 7:00 p.m.

September 12, 2024
Kindergarten Curriculum Night, Concord, 6:00 p.m.
1st Grade Curriculum Night, Concord, 6:30 p.m.
2nd Grade Curriculum Night, Concord, 7:00 p.m.

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Reporting Student Absences

An important parent responsibility is to contact the school first thing in the morning when your child will be absent. This is important not only for safety, but also to limit the need for us to locate parents to find this information. Parents can either call the attendance line and leave the necessary information, or send it via email, whichever works best for you.

For Concord absence reporting, call 331-481-4000, choose option 1 and then option 5, or email concordattendance@cassd63.org.

For Cass absence reporting, call 331-481-4000, choose option 2 and then option 7, or email cassattendance@cassd63.org.

For both calls or emails, please leave your child's name, grade level (and teacher for Concord), date of absence, reason for absence, parent name, and phone number. Please note that should you email an absence, the email must come from a parent email that is noted in PowerSchool.

Important Pick Up and Drop Off Reminders
To assist in making certain your children are safe during drop off times, children at Concord will not be allowed to exit cars until 7:45 a.m. when staff supervision begins and the doors open. Please do not have students arrive unsupervised before this time. At Concord, the school day starts at 8:00 and ends at 2:45, while direct staff supervision is from 7:45 to 3:00. Parents of students left unsupervised outside of these hours before or after school may have their children added to the Ivy League Kids program and charged accordingly. 

At Cass Junior High School, students cannot exit cars until 8:30 a.m. when the school doors open and staff supervision begins. With the exception of Encore, which starts earlier, the Cass school day starts at 8:45 a.m. and dismissal is at 3:30 p.m. Junior high parents are not able to use the Carmelite Spiritual Center and St. Therese National Shrine parking lot to pick up or drop off your children at school. This is private property and their parking lot should not be used for this purpose. Please use the traffic line for pick up and drop off at school.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation with this important matter. Additional details on drop off and pick up procedures and times is available under Bus Routes, Pick Up, and Drop Off.

Bus Route Updates Posted August 30

With a couple of exceptions that will be corrected, our bus routes ran very well on the first day of school. The district will post updates to several routes no later than the end of the day on Friday, August 30. This update will include the preschool midday routes, for the first day of preschool which begins on September 3.

As a reminder, parents should contact Sunrise Transportation dispatch directly at 630-541-3414 should your child’s bus be late, appears to have missed your stop, or if your child did not arrive home on the bus. Please contact transportation director Keith Monaco at kmonaco@cassd63.org should you have any questions about your child’s bus stop. We ask that parents and students carefully review our Bus Procedures and Guidelines. We appreciate your assistance and cooperation in keeping our kids safe!

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D63 Family Directory Opens August 30
Our school district partners with DirectorySpot, an app that houses a directory to help our families to connect. The online directory of families can be sorted by classroom or grade, and unless parents opt out, the directory will include names, addresses, emails and phone numbers for parents and students. Emails will be sent informing families that the app is open and available to families on Friday, August 30.

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7th Grade Springfield Trip

The 7th grade annual visit to Springfield, Illinois is scheduled for Friday, October 4. This is a one-day trip that includes visits to many historic sites, including Abraham Lincoln’s home and the Lincoln Presidential Museum. This trip coincides with the 7th grade social studies curriculum. Please see this flyer for registration information and contact Mrs. Gorzkowski at agorzkowski@cassd63.org with any questions.

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Cass School District 63 is holding a Preschool Screening on September 20 for children who live in our district and are 3-5 years old. Your child must be preregistered to participate. Please see under the link for more information and how to register.

Vision and Hearing Screenings
Vision and hearing screenings will be conducted in September at Cass Junior High and Concord Elementary School. Please review this information for dates, times and which students will be participating in which screenings.

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Through our new school lunch program partner Just A Dash Catering, our new online lunch menus for both Concord and Cass are now available. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. To start the school year, there is one regular and one vegetarian option each day. If you click on a menu item, it pulls up the nutritional information, and if you scroll beneath that information you will see “How would you rate this item?”. Once you give the food a basic rating, it will open a window that allows for more feedback. At the junior high there will also be a la carte options offered soon and those are listed under the menu link along with the prices. Preschool snack menus can be found here.

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Welcome New D63 Staff!

We are excited to welcome 15 new staff members to our faculty and staff! The district recently held orientation and training and all new teachers are part of our mentoring program with an experienced D63 teacher and mentor. Following are our new employees, some of whom started the latter half of last school year.

Front Row, from left:
Megan Newton, Cass Science Teacher
Jenny Kirkpatrick, Concord Special Education Teacher
Lauren Slomski, Concord Teacher Assistant
Sally Oakes, Concord Permanent Substitute Teacher
Alex Gula, 4th Grade Teacher
Jeanne Erickson, Cass Language Arts & Social Studies Teacher
Sarah Acitelli, Cass Junior High Nurse
Sharon Chacko, Cass Speech Pathologist
Bryan Koh, Cass Teacher Assistant

Back Row, from left:
Kali Sheldon, Concord Music Teacher
Claire Monroe, Cass Math Teacher
Julia Holbert, Concord Special Education Teacher
Monica Rothbard, Kindergarten Teacher
Bridget Berger, 4th Grade Teacher
Cathy Fisher, Director of Student Services

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Back to school is right around the corner and we look forward to welcoming our students back! Following are some important dates for the start of the school year:

August 24              Popsicles in the Park – Kindergarten Meet and Greet
August 27              Parent Student Orientation Day*
                               *Please check for the suggested time you and your children should plan to attend. Registration must be completed and fees paid prior to participation in orientation.
August 29              First Day of School (Kindergarten-8th Grade)
September 3         First Day of Preschool
September 4         Cass Junior High Curriculum Night
September 5         Preschool, 3rd Grade and 4th Grade Curriculum Night
September 6         CARE Ice Cream Social
September 12       Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 2nd Grade Curriculum Night

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Through our new school lunch program partner Just A Dash Catering, our new online lunch menus for both Concord and Cass are now available. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. To start the school year, there is one regular and one vegetarian option each day. If you click on a menu item, it pulls up the nutritional information, and if you scroll beneath that information you will see “How would you rate this item?”. Once you give the food a basic rating, it will open a window that allows for more feedback. At the junior high there will also be a la carte options offered and we will have a list of those available soon.

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Back to school is right around the corner and we look forward to welcoming our students back! Following are some important dates for the start of the school year:

August 24              Popsicles in the Park – Kindergarten Meet and Greet

August 27              Parent Student Orientation Day*
                               *Please check for the suggested time you and your children should plan to attend. Registration must be completed and fees paid prior to participation in orientation.

August 29              First Day of School (Kindergarten-8th Grade)

September 3         First Day of Preschool

September 4         Cass Junior High Curriculum Night

September 5         Preschool, 3rd Grade and 4th Grade Curriculum Night

September 6         CARE Ice Cream Social

September 12       Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 2nd Grade Curriculum Night

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Cass Junior High Picture Day August 27

Cass Junior High will hold their picture day on Orientation Day, including our 8^th grade students. There will be a more formal 8th grade picture day later in the school year, but all students need to have their pictures taken at the beginning of the school year. Here is more information on how to order your child’s pictures.

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Through our new school lunch program partner Just A Dash Catering, our new online lunch menus for both Concord and Cass are now available. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. To start the school year, there is one regular and one vegetarian option each day. If you click on a menu item, it pulls up the nutritional information, and if you scroll beneath that information you will see “How would you rate this item?”. Once you give the food a basic rating, it will open a window that allows for more feedback. At the junior high there will also be a la carte options offered and we will have a list of those available soon.

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Fall sports season is coming at Cass Junior High School, and the seasons commence before the official start of the school year. All students who wish to tryout and participate in any of the sports, must have a sports physical on file dated no more than 12 months prior to the first day of practice. Please reach out to the coach of the sport you are interested in with any questions.

Boys and Girls Cross Country – August 19 is the first day of practice at Cass Junior High

Boys Baseball – August 15 and 16 are tryouts at the Eisenhower Pony Field

Girls Softball – August 19 and 20 are tryouts at the Cass Junior High Softball Field

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Junior High Band Camp Starts Monday!

Cass Junior High Band Camp is next week and here is the schedule and details! For those unfamiliar with Band Camp, it is essentially a few practices before the school year starts. It gives the beginners a chance to get a head start on learning their instruments and for the returning band students to dust them off. Band Camp is not required, but if you are in town it is strongly recommended that you attend. Please contact Mr. Murphy at dmurphy@cassd63.org with any questions. We hope to see all of our band students there!

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The Board of Education held its monthly meeting on August and reviewed the tentative fiscal year 2025 budget, and Superintendent Mark Cross reviewed progress with the final details of the geothermal HVAC, safety, and security project. More meeting details and action can be found in the most recent Board Briefs. 

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Cass School District 63 is holding a Preschool Screening on Tuesday, September 20 for children who live in our district and are 3-5 years old. Your child must be preregistered to participate. Please see under the link for information and how to register.

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Fee Waiver and Free and Reduced Lunch
If you believe your family may qualify for fee waivers and/or free or reduced lunch and you have not already been notified that your family was approved for these benefits, please complete the following forms. Please note that if you wish to apply for both benefits, you must complete both forms in their entirety. Once completed, contact Amy Underhill at aunderhill@cassd63.org to arrange a time, or drop the forms off in the drop box at the main entrance of Concord Elementary School.

2024-25 Fee Waiver Application

2024-25 Free and Reduced Lunch Application

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Vision and hearing screenings will be conducted in September at Cass Junior High and Concord Elementary School. Please review this information for dates, times and which students will be participating in which screenings.

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Cass School District 63 is seeking a preschool teacher assistant for the 2024-25 school year. For more information or to apply for this or other current vacancies, here is the application and information. Also, our new lunch program partner Just a Dash Catering is also looking for potential food service workers right here in District 63. Here is more information on the positions and how to apply.

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Our school district partners with DirectorySpot, an app that houses a directory to help our families to connect. The online directory of families can be sorted by classroom or grade, and unless parents opt out, the directory will include names, addresses, emails and phone numbers for parents and students.

The deadline to fully opt out of the initial roll out is Friday, August 16. If you plan to have your family information included in the initial rollout of the 2024-25 directory (including if you are already in the current one), there is nothing you need to do. However, if you wish to opt all of your family information out of inclusion in the initial roll out of the directory, then please respond under the link above by August 16.

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Back to school is right around the corner and we look forward to welcoming our students back! Following are some important dates for the start of the school year:

August 27             Parent Student Orientation Day*
                               *Please check for the suggested time you and your children should plan to attend. Registration must be completed and fees paid prior to participation in orientation.

August 29              First Day of School (Kindergarten-8th Grade)

September 3         First Day of Preschool

September 4         Cass Junior High Curriculum Night

September 5         Preschool, 3rd Grade and 4th Grade Curriculum Night

September 6         CARE Ice Cream Social

September 12       Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 2nd Grade Curriculum Night

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Cass Junior High Picture Day August 27

Cass Junior High will hold their picture day on Orientation Day, including our 8^th grade students. There will be a more formal 8th grade picture day later in the school year, but all students need to have their pictures taken at the beginning of the school year. Here is more information on how to order your child’s pictures.

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Fall sports season is coming at Cass Junior High School, and the seasons commence before the official start of the school year. All students who wish to tryout and participate in any of the sports, must have a sports physical on file dated no more than 12 months prior to the first day of practice. Please reach out to the coach of the sport you are interested in with any questions.

Boys and Girls Cross Country – August 19 is the first day of practice at Cass Junior High

Boys Baseball – August 15 and 16 are tryouts at the Eisenhower Pony Field

Girls Softball – August 19 and 20 are tryouts at the Cass Junior High Softball Field

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Cass Junior High Band Camp is coming soon! For those of unfamiliar with Band Camp, it is essentially a few practices before the school year starts. It gives the beginners a chance to get a head start on learning their instruments and for the returning band students to dust them off. Exact times and procedures for Band Camp will be shared in the coming weeks, but the dates are noted below so you can plan accordingly. Band Camp is not required, but if you are in town it is strongly recommended that you attend. Please contact Mr. Murphy at dmurphy@cassd63.org with any questions.

Beginning Band (5th Graders)
Mon Aug 19 & Tues Aug 20 - 1 hour sectional (time TBD)
Weds Aug 21 & Thurs Aug 22 - 2 hour morning rehearsal

Concert Band (6th Graders)
Weds Aug 21 & Thurs Aug 22 - 2 hour afternoon rehearsal

Symphonic Band (7th & 8th Graders)
Weds Aug 21 - 2 hour afternoon rehearsal

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Cass School District 63 is seeking a preschool teacher assistant for the 2024-25 school year. For more information or to apply for this or other current vacancies, here is the application and information. Also, our new lunch program partner Just a Dash Catering is also looking for potential food service workers right here in District 63. Here is more information on the positions and how to apply.

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August Board Meeting Location
Due to the construction project, the Board of Education meeting scheduled for Tuesday, August 13, at 7:00 p.m. will be held at the Indian Prairie Public Library, located at 401 Plainfield Road in Darien. The meeting will take place in the board room on the 2nd floor.

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Upcoming CARE Events

CARE is our parent organization that does wonderful work to help support our students and staff through fundraising, and by organizing some great events throughout the year for our families to enjoy. We hope you will consider supporting CARE by volunteering, supporting a fundraiser, or simply by enjoying the many events they offer. To start off the school year, CARE is hosting Popsicles in the Park for our incoming kindergarten families on August 24, the annual Ice Cream Social on September 6, and the Cass63 Dash on October 11. We hope to see you at these awesome events!

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Fee Waiver and Free and Reduced Lunch
If you believe your family may qualify for fee waivers and/or free or reduced lunch and you have not already been notified that your family was approved for these benefits, please complete the following forms. Please note that if you wish to apply for both benefits, you must complete both forms in their entirety. Once completed, contact Amy Underhill at aunderhill@cassd63.org to arrange a time, or drop the forms off in the drop box at the main entrance of Concord Elementary School.

2024-25 Fee Waiver Application

2024-25 Free and Reduced Lunch Application

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August 27             Parent Student Orientation Day*
                               *Please check for the suggested time you and your children should plan to attend. Registration must be completed and
                               fees paid prior to participation in orientation.

August 29              First Day of School (Kindergarten-8th Grade)

September 3         First Day of Preschool

September 4         Cass Junior High Curriculum Night

September 5         Preschool, 3rd Grade and 4th Grade Curriculum Night

September 6         CARE Ice Cream Social

September 12       Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 2nd Grade Curriculum Night

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Fall sports season is coming at Cass Junior High School, and the seasons commence before the official start of the school year. All students who wish to tryout and participate in any of the sports, must have a sports physical on file dated no more than 12 months prior to the first day of practice. Please reach out to the coach of the sport you are interested in with any questions.

Boys and Girls Cross Country – August 19 is the first day of practice at Cass Junior High

Boys Baseball – August 15 and 16 are tryouts at the Eisenhower Pony Field

Girls Softball – August 19 and 20 are tryouts at the Cass Junior High Softball Field

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We are less than one month away from the Cass Junior High Band Camp! For those of you unfamiliar with Band Camp, it is essentially a few practices before the school year starts. It gives the beginners a chance to get a head start on learning their instruments and for the returning band students to dust them off. Exact times and procedures for Band Camp will be shared in the coming weeks, but the dates are noted below so you can plan accordingly. Band Camp is not required, but if you are in town it is strongly recommended that you attend. Please contact Mr. Murphy at dmurphy@cassd63.org with any questions.

Beginning Band (5th Graders)
Mon Aug 19 & Tues Aug 20 - 1 hour sectional (time TBD)
Weds Aug 21 & Thurs Aug 22 - 2 hour morning rehearsal

Concert Band (6th Graders)
Weds Aug 21 & Thurs Aug 22 - 2 hour afternoon rehearsal

Symphonic Band (7th & 8th Graders)
Weds Aug 21 - 2 hour afternoon rehearsal

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August Board Meeting Location
Due to the construction project, the Board of Education meeting scheduled for Tuesday, August 13, at 7:00 p.m. will be held at the Indian Prairie Public Library, located at 401 Plainfield Road in Darien. The meeting will take place in the board room on the 2nd floor.

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Upcoming CARE Events

CARE is our parent organization that does wonderful work to help support our students and staff through fundraising, and by organizing some great events throughout the year for our families to enjoy. We hope you will consider supporting CARE by volunteering, supporting a fundraiser, or simply by enjoying the many events they offer. To start off the school year, CARE is hosting Popsicles in the Park for our incoming kindergarten families on August 24, the annual Ice Cream Social on September 6, and the Cass63 Dash on October 11. We hope to see you at these awesome events!

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Accessing Your Child’s Report Card
We have had requests over this summer for parents needing access to their child’s report card for their sports teams. Here are instructions on how to access your these reports for your student. Please note that there is a “Standards Grades” tab and the top line is the overall grade for that class. There is also a spot where you can expand the class to see the individual assignments. Please double-check the school year on the top right of your PowerSchool page to make certain it references 2023-24 to access reports from last year.

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New Lunch Program Partnership

We are pleased to announce that Just A Dash Catering will be our new lunch program partner beginning with the 2024-25 school year. Just A Dash offers a different approach including allowing our students and families an opportunity to provide feedback on the food options that will be available to them, as well as online menu that is updated automatically with any changes and which provides nutritional information for our families. We hope the focus on increasing quality and nutritional value will be a positive improvement for our students.

Just a Dash is also looking for potential food service workers, cooks, and drivers in D63. Here is more information on the positions and how to apply.

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Fee Waiver and Free and Reduced Lunch
If you believe your family may qualify for fee waivers and/or free or reduced lunch and you have not already been notified that your family was approved for these benefits, please complete the following forms. Please note that if you wish to apply for both benefits, you must complete both forms in their entirety. Once completed, contact Amy Underhill at aunderhill@cassd63.org to arrange a time, or drop the forms off in the drop box at the main entrance of Concord Elementary School.

2024-25 Fee Waiver Application

2024-25 Free and Reduced Lunch Application

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Summer Office Staff Access
Both of our buildings and offices will be closed to the public, and administrators and 12- month office staff will mostly be working remotely during the project. However, to ensure we can take care of our families that need in person assistance, we will have a workspace and pre-arranged business hours for all school and district offices in the Ivy League Kids room at Concord. Please arrange any visits in advance by emailing the person you wish to contact, or calling 331-481-4000. Office staff will return any calls if you leave a voicemail, but we recommend that you reach out to us by email to ensure the quickest response time.

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June Board Meeting Location
Due to the summer HVAC project, the Board of Education meeting scheduled for Tuesday, June 11, at 7:00 p.m. will be held at the Indian Prairie Public Library located at 401 Plainfield Road in Darien. The meeting will take place in meeting room two on the 2nd floor.

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For your convenience, here is a one-page calendar for the 2024-25 school year. To be sure you have the most current information as the school year gets closer, please be sure to double-check this month-by-month calendar that is updated in real time if there are any necessary changes. Both calendars are always available on the District website.

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End of the Year Activities

 

Leading up to and including the last day of school, there were so many fun activities for all of our students including 4th grade clap out, Cass all school field trips and Cass field days. Please enjoy these pictures from a perfect end to the school year.

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Spring Sports Success

   

The Spring sports season came to an end shortly before our last day of school. Our students participating in soccer, volleyball, and track & field showed great improvement both individually and as teams. Thank you to soccer coaches Ken Kohnke and Sarah Leganski, volleyball coaches Landon Mitchell and AJ Petigo and track & field coaches Matt Etherington, Danielle Hosman, and Scott Kondraschow for their great leadership and coaching. Most of all, congratulations to our student athletes on a job well done!

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Academic Recognition Night

The culmination of the year at Cass Junior High School is Recognition Night and 8th Grade Graduation. On Recognition Night select students from all four grade levels and their families are invited to be recognized for their varying achievements throughout the year. 8th grade graduation follows the next night to celebrate all of the hard work our graduating students have done to get to this important moment. Congratulations to all of these students and best of luck to our 8th graders as they take this next step in their academic journey.

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Goodbye and Thank You D63 Staff!

Thank you and best wishes to our staff members who are retiring or leaving District 63 this spring. This includes our congratulations to retiring teachers Ken Kohnke, Anya Schlottmann and Angela Zurawski. We also want to thank outgoing staff members Tim Stangarone, Danielle Christiano, Courtney Mathis, Isa Sagat, and Maison Tollas who are moving on to new opportunities as well. We wish all of you the very best! 

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Please be sure to mark your calendar for the start dates for any fall sports your child may be interested in. These sports all start before the official start of the school year. Please reach out to the coach of the sport you are interested in with any questions. All students who wish to tryout and participate in any of the sports, must have a sports physical on file dated no more than 12 months prior to the first day of practice. 

Boys Baseball – August 15 and 16 are tryouts at the Eisenhower Pony Field

Girls Softball – August 19 and 20 are tryouts at the Cass Junior High Softball Field

Boys and Girls Cross Country – August 19 is the first day of practice at Cass Junior High

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Kindergarten Popsicles in the Park August 24

CARE invites all of our incoming Kindergarten students and their families to enjoy Popsicles in the Park on Saturday, August 24!

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Chess is Coming to Concord

Thank you CARE for helping bring Chess to Concord this fall for our 2nd through 4th grade students through a partnership with Elite Chess! Here are more details and registration information for fall sessions.

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Friday, May 24 is the last day of school and it is also an early release day. Concord students will be released for the summer at 11:15 a.m. and Cass students at 12:00 p.m. Have a wonderful summer with your families!

Summer Office Staff Access
Both of our buildings and offices will be closed to the public, and administrators and 12- month office staff will mostly be working remotely during the project. However, to ensure we can take care of our families that need in person assistance, we will have a workspace and pre-arranged business hours for all school and district offices in the Ivy League Kids room at Concord. Please arrange any visits in advance by emailing the person you wish to contact, or calling 331-481-4000. Office staff will return any calls if you leave a voicemail, but we recommend that you reach out to us by email to ensure the quickest response time.

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June Board Meeting Location
Due to the summer HVAC project, the Board of Education meeting scheduled for Tuesday, June 11, at 7:00 p.m. will be held at the Indian Prairie Public Library located at 401 Plainfield Road in Darien. The meeting will take place in meeting room two on the 2nd floor.

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Spring Choral Concert

 

At the Annual Spring Choral Concert at Cass Junior High, our students did an amazing job putting on a performance worthy of Broadway. Countless highlights from the greatest show tunes in musical history were performed. Some of these songs are extremely challenging, but under the direction of teacher Becky Kriz, our talented students did an amazing job!

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Concord Field Days

Concord Elementary students enjoyed their field days this week. The weather cooperated on both days and the kids had an awesome time!

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8th Grade Trip and Activities

The Cass Junior High School Class of 2024 has been enjoying some great activities outside of the classroom. Some were just fun, but things like the Washington, DC trip provide an incredible educational experience as well. Among many other things, this included the laying of the wreath at Arlington National Cemetery, a somber but incredible experience for our students.

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Rotary Literacy Project

 

Last week our preschool students were presented with literacy bags that contain books and manipulatives to help keep them learning in their academic journey. Thank you to the Darien Rotary Club who partnered with Cass District 63, Center Cass 66 and Darien District 61 to create and distribute these bags to our youngest learners, as well as Mr. Cross for coordinating the project as both our superintendent and a Rotarian.

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This fall, we will be offering three sports for interested students at Cass Junior High School. All students who wish to tryout and participate in any of the sports, must have a sports physical on file dated no more than 12 months prior to the first day of practice. Please see link for each sport for specific information on times and dates of tryouts and practices as well as the coaches contact information.

Boys Baseball – August 15 and 16 are tryouts at the Eisenhower Pony Field

Girls Softball – August 19 and 20 are tryouts at the Cass Junior High Softball Field

Boys and Girls Cross Country – August 19 is the first day of practice at Cass Junior High

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Dine to Donate the Last Day of School!

CARE is hosting is last Dine to Donate for the 2023-24 school year and they saved the sweetest for last! Take your kids for a last day of school treat at the Willowbrook Dairy Queen and be sure to present this flyer and 15 percent sales go back to our schools.

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Incoming Kindergarten Get Together

CARE invites all of our incoming Kindergarten students and their families to enjoy Popsicles in the Park on Saturday, August 24!

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Chess is Coming to Concord

Thank you CARE for helping bring Chess to Concord this fall for our 2nd through 4th grade students through a partnership with Elite Chess! Here are more details and registration information for fall sessions.

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Alumni Accolades

Congratulations to Hinsdale South student Parth Joshi on being awarded the Fermilab Science Award!

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At the Board of Education meeting held on May 14, the Board recognized our retiring staff members, 4th grade teacher Anya Schlottmann after 36 years, Concord music teacher Angela Zurawski after 32 years, and junior high social studies and STEM teacher Ken Kohnke after 20 years of service in the district. The Board also recognized staff reaching milestone years of service.

The Board also heard a presentation on the new STEAM program coming to Cass Junior High School. A full list of those recognized, more details on the STEAM program, and other items discussed at the meeting can be found in the Board Briefs.

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Students Excel at Noetic Learning Math Contest

Some of our 6th grade students participated in the Noetic Learning Math Contest this school year. We are proud to announce that Jimmy Hetue scored 90 percent, which was a top four score for 6th grade in Illinois and also the team winner. Calvin Tanouye, Matteo Vittagliano and Ryan Gallagher all earned honorable mentions. Congratulations to these talented students!

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This fall, we will be offering three sports for interested students at Cass Junior High School. All students who wish to tryout and participate in any of the sports, must have a sports physical on file dated no more than 12 months prior to the first day of practice. Please see link for each sport for specific information on times and dates of tryouts and practices as well as the coaches contact information.

Boys Baseball – August 15 and 16 are tryouts at the Eisenhower Pony Field

Girls Softball – August 19 and 20 are tryouts at the Cass Junior High Softball Field

Boys and Girls Cross Country – August 19 is the first day of practice at Cass Junior High

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4th Grade Music Program

For the last music performance of the year at Concord Elementary and music teacher Angela Zurawski’s last production, our 4th grade students put on an outstanding show with a jazz and blues theme, as well as reliving their kindergarten concert from 2020 that never was. Thank you to Mrs. Zurawski for working to highlight the many talents of our children and helping to instill a love of music in generations of students!

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8th Grade Celebrates with Annual Dance

Our Cass 8th grade students enjoyed an amazing Friday night last week at the annual 8th grade dance. Congratulations to the Class of 2024!

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8th Grade Graduation Seat Raffle

CARE is raffling off four sets of eight seats for graduation in the 1st and 2nd rows! If you are interested, please see this flyer for information on how to enter. Good luck!

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Some Important Spring Dates

The end of the school year brings a lot of activities and following are dates that may be important for your family. Some of these dates and events are as follows:

          May 17         Last Day of Preschool
          May 20         3rd and 4th Grade Field Day
          May 20         8th Grade Bowling Trip
          May 21         Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade Field Day
          May 21         Cass Junior High Recognition Night (invitation only)
          May 22         4th Grade Step Up Day at Cass Junior High School
          May 22         8th Grade Graduation Practice (students will be released at approximately 10:00 a.m.) 
          May 22         8th Grade Graduation, 7:00 p.m.
          May 23         All School Field Trip at Cass Junior High
          May 24         4th Grade Clap Out, Early Dismissal, and Last Day of school

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Ivy League Kids Ends Morning of May 24
Please be aware that the Ivy League Kids program will not be available after school on the last day for students on Friday, May 24. Ivy League Kids will be available that morning as usual, but will not be offered in the afternoon due to the immediate need to move equipment and shut down our schools in preparation for summer construction. This is a half day of school, so please arrange to have your children picked up at the end of the school day. Dismissal is at 11:15 a.m. at Concord Elementary and 12:00 p.m. at Cass Junior High. Thank you for your understanding!

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If your child is missing any items that you think may have been left behind in school, please be sure to have them check the lost and found prior to Thursday, May 23. All items still unclaimed by the end of the school day on May 23 will be donated. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school office.

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Alumni Accolades

Congratulations to Hinsdale South student Eli Carder for taking 2nd place in the nation for Python Programming at the Business Professionals America Nationals! 

We partner with Aramark to provide our school lunches. Lunches are $3.60 and milk is $0.75, and here are the menus and more details.

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Early Dismissal May 10

Just a reminder that Friday, May 10, is a school improvement day and students will be released early. Concord will be released at 11:15 a.m. and Cass at 12:00 p.m.

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2024-25 Registration Closes May 10

Registration for the 2024-25 school year closes Friday, May 10. Here are the registration instructions and we appreciate getting your children registered so that we can assign teachers and establish bus routes for this fall. Please contact your child’s school office or email us at cassd63registration@cassd63.org if you have any questions.

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Swim Team Success

The Cass Junior High swim team competed at Downers Grove South last week and did very well. Our girls’ team ended in 4th place and the boys ended in 9th place. We had some great swims and the kids competed well against their friends from other schools. Thank you to Coach Landon Mitchell for putting together a great addition to our athletic program and to Coach Mitchell and Kristen Kaplan for coaching our kids. Go Warriors!

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Kindergartners Learn to Grow Plants

 

Every year Kindergarten does three different planting projects with the students. They plant lima bean plants in five different planting conditions to see what the plants need to grow. The five conditions are too much water, soil only, no water, no sunlight, and sunlight, soil, and water. Students created a hypothesis about which plant they thought would grow the best. The second experiment was planting onions, radishes, and carrots. This experiment was in a special container so the kids can see how the roots grow and how the seeds germinate. Students also kept a science journal, in which they wrote down what was happening each time there was a new development in our vegetable garden. The third experiment is a secret surprise in honor of a very special day coming up this weekend. Shhh!

Kindergarten received a grant from CARE to access a new set of grow lights for our spring projects. Thank you to CARE for supporting our students, which allowed our Kindergarten teachers the opportunity to create this wonderful learning experience for our kids!

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5th Grade Celebrates Arbor Day

Our 5th grade students enjoyed taking part in Darien’s 25th Arbor Day celebration. Our students joined children from area schools and participated by raising and then releasing butterflies at the event. The annual event is special to our 5th graders as it brings together so many different members of our community each year.

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Some Important Spring Dates

The end of the school year brings a lot of activities and following are dates that may be important for your family. Some of these dates and events are as follows:

          May 10         Early dismissal and 8th Grade Dance
          May 13-15    8th Grade Washington D.C. Trip
          May 17         Last Day of Preschool
          May 20         3rd and 4th Grade Field Day
          May 20         8th Grade Bowling Trip
          May 21         Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade Field Day
          May 21         Cass Junior High Recognition Night (invitation only)
          May 22         4th Grade Step Up Day at Cass Junior High School
          May 22         8th Grade Graduation
          May 23         All School Field Trip at Cass Junior High
          May 24         Early dismissal and last day of school

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8th Grade Graduation and Celebrations

The time for our students in 8th grade is coming to a close and we are celebrating our soon to be graduates, culminating with graduation ceremonies on Wednesday, May 22, at 7:00 p.m. Here is a newsletter outlining all information our 8th grade families need to know for the end of their time in Cass School District 63. Also for any families interested, here is information on how to order a graduation video or an individual graduation photo.

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8th Grade Graduation Seat Raffle

CARE is raffling off four sets of eight seats for graduation in the 1st and 2nd rows! If you are interested, please see this flyer for information on how to enter. Good luck!

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This fall, we will be offering three sports for interested students at Cass Junior High School. All students who wish to tryout and participate in any of the sports, must have a sports physical on file dated no more than 12 months prior to the first day of practice. Please see link for each sport for specific information on times and dates of tryouts and practices as well as the coaches contact information.

Boys and Girls Cross Country – August 19 is the first day of practice at Cass Junior High

Boys Baseball – August 15 and 16 are tryouts at the Eisenhower Pony Field

Girls Softball – August 19 and 20 are tryouts at the Cass Junior High Softball Field

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Ivy League Kids Ends Morning of May 24

Please be aware that the Ivy League Kids program will not be available after school on the last day for students on Friday, May 24. Ivy League Kids will be available that morning as usual, but will not be offered in the afternoon due to the immediate need to move equipment and shut down our schools in preparation for summer construction. This is a half day of school, so please arrange to have your children picked up at the end of the school day. Dismissal is at 11:15 a.m. at Concord Elementary and 12:00 p.m. at Cass Junior High. Thank you for your understanding!

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If your child is missing any items that you think may have been left behind in school, please be sure to have them check the lost and found prior to Thursday, May 23. All items still unclaimed by the end of the school day on May 23 will be donated. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school office.

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Concord Book Fair Thank You!
CARE announced that with just over $11,200 in sales, they will receive $2,123.89 in Scholastic dollars for Concord Elementary and $2,400 for CARE to go toward their fundraising goal. We want to thank super volunteer Julie Ghrist who leads the organization of our book fairs, as well as our other parent volunteers, and of course all of you for supporting our students and staff in District 63!

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Cass School District 63 is seeking a school nurse and teacher assistants for the 2024-25 school year, and evening shift substitute custodians immediately. For more information or if you are interested in applying, here is the application and information.

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Does Your Family Need Summer Food Options?

If you are looking for available options to help feed your family this summer, there are several possibilities to help you. Free Summer Meals are available for children 18 and under. Click under the link for more information and where to find the meals.

For families, Find Food Illinois is a community food map where eligible families interested in food assistance may locate local food pantries, identify locations that accept SNAP and/or WIC, senior food resources etc. during the summer months. The Northern Illinois Food Bank also has great resources to help your family find food banks, summer lunch options, as well as assistance and resources.

In addition to these programs, the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), or SUN Bucks, is a new nutrition program to help families buy food for their school-aged children during the summer. SUN Bucks 2024 will provide a $120 annual benefit to eligible children via an EBT issuance by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) later this summer. More basic information on the new federal program is available on the USDA website. Your children are automatically eligible if they have been directly certified or approved through application for free meals during the 2023-24 school year. If your family is not currently receiving free lunch, but you believe you would be eligible, please compete and return this application to the District office no later than May 23. Beginning on May 24 this application is no longer applicable and a state application will be released. We will share that application when it becomes available.

Please be aware that this application is not for the 2024-25 school year. It is specific to the summer 2024 EBT program only. Applications for the 2024-25 school year will be released around August 1. Please contact Amy Underhill at aunderhill@cassd63.org or Gayle Wilson at gwilson@cassd63.org with any questions.

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Alumni Accolades

Congratulations to Hinsdale South senior Adrian Folfas for being accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)!

Congratulations to Hinsdale South students Affan Haque and Mason Griskell for their top 5 showing in the Special Olympics softball throw!

We partner with Aramark to provide our school lunches. Lunches are $3.60 and milk is $0.75, and here are the menus and more details.

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Important Reminder! Registration Closes May 10

Registration for the 2024-25 school year is open through May 10, and here are the registration details and instructions. We appreciate your taking a few minutes to register your child so that we can assign teachers and establish bus routes for this fall. Please contact your child's school office or email  cassd63registration@cassd63.org if you have any questions.

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Some Important Spring Dates

The end of the school year brings a lot of activities and following are dates that may be important for your family. Some of these dates and events are as follows:

          May 2           Washington D.C. Parent Meeting directly following Choral Concert
          May 10         Early dismissal and 8th Grade Dance
          May 13-15    8th Grade Washington D.C. Trip
          May 20         3rd and 4th Grade Field Day
          May 20         8th Grade Bowling Trip
          May 21         Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade Field Day
          May 21         Cass Junior High Recognition Night (invitation only)
          May 22         4th Grade Step Up Day at Cass Junior High School
          May 22         8th Grade Graduation
          May 23         All School Field Trip at Cass Junior High
          May 24         Early dismissal and last day of school

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Want to Help with Teacher Appreciation Week?
Teacher Appreciation Week is approaching quickly and we are in need of supplies and volunteers.  Please consider donating for Teacher Appreciation Day by signing up on the Sign Up Genius. Please contact CARE@cassd63.org with any questions.

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Concord Book Fair This Week!

The Concord Elementary book fair is Monday, April 29 through Friday, May 3. There is a family shopping night on May 1 from 4:30-7:00 p.m. or you can even shop from home. Please see the flyer under the link for more information.

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Advanced Vocal Ensemble Auditions
Any student who will be in 7th or 8th grade next year, and is planning on being in the choir, is eligible to audition for a place in the Advanced Vocal Ensemble. Auditions for the 2024-25 school year are as follows:

          Incoming 8th (current 7th) Grade Students –May 6 at 7:30 a.m.
          Incoming 7th (current 6th) Grade Students –May 7 and May 9 at 7:30 a.m.

Please contact Ms. Kriz at rkriz@cassd63.org if you have any questions.

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Cass Junior High Scholastic Bowl

   

The Cass Scholastic Bowl team entered the SDEAA Conference Tournament this year as the defending champions and in first place in the regular season. After beating Eisenhower, we faced a strong Westview Hills team and narrowly lost at the very end. The entire team of Warriors showed grit, determination, and epic team support throughout the season, and will return next year to show our skills again. Congratulations to all team members on a great season!

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F is for Flashlight

   

Our kindergarten students in Mrs. Jamrose’s class did a heart word hunt on their F is for Flashlight day!

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DuPage ROE Stem Squad

Thank you to the DuPage ROE Stem Squad, who worked with our 7^th and 8^th grade students in a competition to build catapults with PVC pipes. Take a look at how our students displayed their keen creativity and engineering aptitude in creating the catapults.

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8th Grade Science Class Project

     

While working on an 8th grade science class unit, students recently used the chemical reaction process to make chalk. Hands-on learning at its best!

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8th Grade Graduation and Celebrations

The time for our students in 8th grade is coming to a close and we are celebrating our soon to be graduates, culminating with graduation ceremonies on Wednesday, May 22, at 7:00 p.m. Here is a newsletter outlining all information our 8th grade families need to know for the end of their time in Cass School District 63. Also for any families interested, here is information on how to order a graduation video or an individual graduation photo.

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Summer Food Options
If you are looking for available options to help feed your family this summer, there are some great possibilities to help you. Free Summer Meals are available for children 18 and under. Click under the link for more information and where to find the meals.

For families, Find Food Illinois is a community food map where eligible families interested in food assistance may locate local food pantries, identify locations that accept SNAP and/or WIC, senior food resources etc. during the summer months. And the Northern Illinois Food Bank has great resources to help your family find food banks, summer lunch options as well as assistance and resources.

We partner with Aramark to provide our school lunches. Lunches are $3.60 and milk is $0.75, and here are the menus and more details.

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Early Dismissal Friday, April 26

There is an Early Dismissal on Friday for a staff institute day. Concord will be released at 11:15 a.m. and Cass at 12:00 p.m.

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Important Reminder! Registration Closes May 10

Registration for the 2024-25 school year is open through May 10, and here are the registration details and instructions. We appreciate your taking a few minutes to register your child so that we can assign teachers and establish bus routes for this fall. Please contact your child's school office or email  cassd63registration@cassd63.org if you have any questions.

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4th Grade Parent Night on May 1

There is a 4th grade parent night at Cass Junior High on May 1 at 6:30 p.m. to talk about the transition to Cass Junior High for the 2024-25 school year. For those interested, there is also a beginning band meeting immediately following. We hope to see all of our 4th grade parents there!

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3rd Annual Art & Jazz Show

     

Thank you to art teachers Matt Etherington and Belle Marien, along with band teacher Daniel Murphy for planning and presenting another successful event showcasing artwork and music from our students. Here are some samples of the amazing artwork from our talented students, and those present enjoyed great music from our Jazz Band.

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Junior Chorus Spring Concert

Concord Elementary held their Junior Chorus Spring Concert last week. Thank you to teacher Angela Zurawski for creating such a wonderful performance and congratulations to our talented students on a great evening. Here are some pictures from the evening.

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2nd Grade Biography Projects

Our Concord second grade students combined their reading, writing, and artistic talents to create incredible biography projects! From Albert Einstein to Dwyane Wade to Dolly Parton, and so many in between, the second graders truly shined with this amazing project.

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Rotary Literacy Project Begins

       

The Rotary Club of Darien has partnered with Cass School District 63, the Indian Prairie Public Library, as well as neighboring school districts Center Cass 66, and Darien 61 on a preschool literacy project to provide area children entering school for the first time with a head start in early literacy through a gift of books, manipulatives, and interactive resources.  The Rotary Literacy Project will impact approximately 250 children this spring, and going forward over 150 children annually.

Earlier this week, we hosted our local Rotarians as the first 250 literacy bags were put together to distribute to our youngest learners this spring. Superintendent Mark Cross helped lead the project, and expresses gratitude for the support of our local Rotary Club, the Indian Prairie Public Library, our friends in Districts 61 and 66, and especially some of our area preschool teachers and staff who were instrumental in developing the content that our youngest learners need most.

Specifically to District 63, thank you to Pam Worth, Gayle Wilson, Monique Bell, Deb Dolehide and volunteers Katie Marinelli, Urszula Tanouye, and Julie Ghrist for the time and effort in making this project happen!

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Some Important Spring Dates

The end of the school year brings a lot of activities and following are dates that may be important for your family. Some of these dates and events are as follows:

          May 1           4th Grade Parent Night at Cass Junior High School
          May 2           Washington D.C. Parent Meeting directly following Choral Concert
          May 10         Early dismissal and 8th Grade Dance
          May 13-15    8th Grade Washington D.C. Trip
          May 20         3rd and 4th Grade Field Day
          May 20         8th Grade Bowling Trip
          May 21         Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade Field Day
          May 21         Cass Junior High Recognition Night (invitation only)
          May 22         4th Grade Step Up Day at Cass Junior High School
          May 22         8th Grade Graduation
          May 23         All School Field Trip at Cass Junior High
          May 24         Early dismissal and last day of school

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8th Grade Graduation and Celebrations

The time for our students in 8th grade is coming to a close and we are celebrating our soon to be graduates, culminating with graduation ceremonies on Wednesday, May 22, at 7:00 p.m. Here is a newsletter outlining all information our 8th grade families need to know for the end of their time in Cass School District 63. Also for any families interested, here is information on how to order a graduation video or an individual graduation photo.

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Concord Book Fair

The Concord Elementary book fair is Monday, April 29 through Friday, May 3. There is a family shopping night on May 1 from 4:30-7:00 p.m. or you can even shop from home. Please see the flyer under the link for more information.

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Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is approaching quickly and we are in need of supplies and volunteers.  Please consider donating for Teacher Appreciation Day by signing up on the Sign Up Genius. Please contact CARE@cassd63.org with any questions.

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Cass School District 63 is seeking a school nurse and teacher assistants for the 2024-25 school year, and evening shift substitute custodians immediately. For more information or if you are interested in applying, here is the application and information.

Congratulations to Janelle Lewis for being named Hinsdale South athlete of the week for her stellar performances on the Track & Field team.

Congratulations to the following Hinsdale South students for placing in the top 10 in the state at the recent Science Olympiad:

          Rayyan Qureshi and Eva Louis, 3rd in Optics
          Ann Valiathara, 7th place in Experimental Design
          Rayyan Qureshi and Jacob Borowski, 9th in Wind Power

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We partner with Aramark to provide our school lunches. Lunches are $3.60 and milk is $0.75, and here are the menus and more details.

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The 3rd Annual Art & Jazz Show April 24

Cass School District 63 is proudly hosting our 3^rd Annual Art and Jazz Show on Wednesday, April 24, D63 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Cass Junior High. This show will feature works from both Concord and Cass students, and will be accompanied by a special performance from the Cass Junior High Jazz band. Submissions are due April 19. If you are interested in submitting artwork for this event, please contact Ms. Marien at bmarien@cassd63.org or Mr. Etherington at metherington@cassd63.org. We hope to see you there! 

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2024-25 Registration Closes May 10

Registration for the 2024-25 school year is open through May 10, and here are the registration details and instructions. We appreciate your taking a few minutes to register your child so that we can assign teachers and establish bus routes for this fall. Please contact your child's school office or email  cassd63registration@cassd63.org if you have any questions.

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At the April 16 meeting, the Board of Education approved social studies curriculum and resource material recommendations, discussed requests for proposals for the lunch program, and reviewed progress with the planning and coordination for the summer geothermal HVAC project, as well as hired four new staff members for the 2024-25 school year. More information on the most recent meeting is included in the Board Briefs.

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Jazz Band Performs at Rotary Club's 50th Celebration

Under the direction of Mr. Daniel Murphy, our Jazz Band students put on a great performance at the Darien Rotary Club’s 50^th Celebration. Our students sounded amazing and set the tone for a nice evening, while also giving them the chance to perform in a different venue at Ruth Lake Country Club. Compliments on their performance were shared all evening, including from special guest Gordon R. McInally of Scotland, the President of Rotary International.

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Advanced Art Students Visit the Art Institute

   

The Cass Junior High Advanced Art students had an incredible time bringing art to life at The Art Institute of Chicago earlier this week.

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The end of the school year brings a lot of activities and following are dates that may be important for your family. Some of these dates and events are as follows:

          May 1           4th Grade Parent Night at Cass Junior High School
          May 10         Early dismissal and 8th Grade Dance
          May 17         Last day of preschool
          May 20         3rd and 4th Grade Field Day
          May 20         8th Grade Bowling Trip
          May 21         Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade Field Day
          May 22         4th Grade Step Up Day at Cass Junior High School
          May 23         All School Field Trip at Cass Junior High
          May 24         Early dismissal and last day of school

Cass School District 63 is seeking a school nurse and teacher assistants for the 2024-25 school year, and evening shift substitute custodians immediately. For more information or if you are interested in applying, here is the application and information.

Remaining IAR Testing Schedule
The Illinois Assessment of Readiness testing is complete at Concord and is wrapping up next week at Cass. On April 22, 23, and 24 students in 5th through 8th grade will test in science. During IAR testing, students are not allowed to arrive late to class or to leave early, so please plan accordingly. We ask that students have earbuds or headphones each day of testing. Please contact Principal Christine Marcinkewicz with any questions. 

Congratulations to Hinsdale South student Collin Caldwell who recently attended the Northwestern University Model UN Conference and was awarded Best Delegate Nigerian Biafra War: Biafra

Congratulations to Cass School District 63 alumni who competed and earned medals in the Special Olympics Swimming: Nicholas Ebreo, 1st place in 25M backstroke and 3rd in 25M freestyle; Affan Haque, 2nd place in 25M freestyle and 3rd for 25M backstroke; and Charlie Nilles, 1st place in both 200M individual medley and 400M freestyle.

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We partner with Aramark to provide our school lunches. Lunches are $3.60 and milk is $0.75, and here are the menus and more details.

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Registration for the 2024-25 school year is open through May 10, and here are the registration details and instructions. We appreciate your taking a few minutes to register your child so that we can assign teachers and establish bus routes for this fall. Please contact your child's school office or email  cassd63registration@cassd63.org if you have any questions.

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5th Graders Demonstrate Their Skills

 

Our 5th grade students in Ms. Pollitz’s class showed off their skills and knowledge while presenting “how to” speeches this week. Our students proved to have a wide range of interests and expertise. It was a great project and a wonderful opportunity for our students to share some of their interests and talents outside of school.

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2024 Eclipse Viewing at Cass Junior High

Our Cass Junior High School students enjoyed observing the recent solar eclipse. The weather was perfect and our students learned how bright the day still was, despite the moon’s 94 percent coverage of the sun in our area. This authentic learning experience will not happen again until 2044, so it was a great opportunity to experience this celestial event.

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The 3rd Annual Art & Jazz Show April 24

On Wednesday, April 24, D63 is proudly hosting our 3^rd Annual Art and Jazz Show from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Cass Junior High. This show will feature works from both Concord and Cass students, and will be accompanied by a special performance from members of the Cass Junior High Jazz band. Submissions are due April 19. If you are interested in submitting artwork for this event, please contact Ms. Marien at bmarien@cassd63.org or Mr. Etherington at metherington@cassd63.org. We hope to see you there! 

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Advanced ELA for Incoming 7th Grade Students

Parents of 6th grade students who would like their child to be considered for advanced/accelerated English Language Arts class for 7th grade, please take a moment to read this letter for more information about the class, the criteria for consideration, and a registration link.

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High Math for Incoming 5th Grade Students

Parents of 4th grade students who would like their child to be considered for high math for 5th grade, please take a moment to read this letter for more information about the class, the criteria for consideration, and a registration link.

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Vincent Chen to Represent U.S.A. Badminton Team

Please join us in congratulating 7th Grade student Vincent Chen who recently qualified to represent the U.S.A. Badminton Team at the PanAm championship in Mexico this July. Congratulations and best of luck to Vincent!

D63 Superintendent Named Finalist for Leadership Recognition

Cass School District 63 Superintendent Mark Cross was recently named one of three finalists for the “Superintendent of Distinction” recognition for DuPage County. Nominations for this honor are made from superintendent colleagues, and Mr. Cross was recognized for his leadership in District 63 as well as among superintendents in DuPage County, and for his leadership as the Board of Directors chairperson for SASED, our special education cooperative made up of 18 school districts.

This year’s finalists were Indian Prairie School District 204 Superintendent Dr. Adrian Talley and Downers Grove School District 58 Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell, who was also this year’s DuPage County Superintendent of Distinction. Congratulations, Mr. Cross!

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Concord Yearbook Delivery and Raffle

Concord yearbooks were delivered to any students who had ordered and paid for them today. If your child did not receive a yearbook and you believe they should have, please contact Helen Park at hpark@cassd63.org no later than April 15. Please note that we cannot replace damaged yearbooks after they have been distributed.

If you did not order a yearbook for your child and wish you had, a few extra yearbooks were ordered and will be raffled off on Wednesday, April 17. If you are interested in participating in the raffle, please complete this form and return it with your money by Tuesday, April 16.

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8th Grade Yard Sign Orders Due April 14

CARE is now offering personalized yard signs to help you celebrate your Class of 2024 8th grade graduate. These 18" x 24" weatherproof plastic signs come with a metal stand for $20.00 per sign. (They can be personalized with your graduate's first name if you don't want to use your child's name, they will say "Graduate.") All orders are due by Sunday, April 14. Signs will be available for pick up at Cass Junior High on April 29 from 4 to 6 p.m. Place your order here! All proceeds will help fund the 8th grade dance, which is being held on Friday, May 10. Get your tickets for the dance in the CARE shop while you’re there!

Cass School District 63 is seeking a school nurse and teacher assistants for the 2024-25 school year, and evening shift substitute custodians immediately. For more information or if you are interested in applying, here is the application and information.

Dine to Donate April 17, 2024

CARE is partnering with Culver’s for the April Dine to Donate on April 17 from 5-9 p.m. Please be sure to show this flyer and mention CARE/D63 when ordering.

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We partner with Aramark to provide our school lunches. Lunches are $3.60 and milk is $0.75, and here are the menus and more details.

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Registration for the 2024-25 school year is open through May 10, and here are the registration details and instructions. We appreciate your taking a few minutes to register your child so that we can assign teachers and establish bus routes for this fall. Please contact your child's school office or email  cassd63registration@cassd63.org if you have any questions.

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Advanced ELA for Incoming 7th Grade Students

Parents of 6th grade students who would like their child to be considered for advanced/accelerated English Language Arts class for 7th grade, please take a moment to read this letter for more information about the class, the criteria for consideration, and a registration link.

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High Math for Incoming 5th Grade Students

Parents of 4th grade students who would like their child to be considered for high math for 5th grade, please take a moment to read this letter for more information about the class, the criteria for consideration, and a registration link.

Cass School District 63 is seeking a speech pathologist, school nurse, and teacher assistants for the 2024-25 school year, and evening shift substitute custodians immediately. For more information or if you are interested in applying, here is the application and information.

Remaining IAR Testing Schedule
Our students in grades 3 through 8 will continue with Illinois Assessment of Readiness testing. During IAR testing, students are not allowed to arrive late to class or to leave early, so please review the schedule below and plan accordingly. We ask that students have earbuds or headphones each day of testing. The remaining schedule for each school is as follows: 

Concord Elementary School
April 3, 4, and 5                4th Grade Math

Cass Junior High School
April 8, 9, and 10              5th-8th Grade Math
April 22, 23, and 24          5th and 8th Grade Science

Please contact your child’s teacher or Principals Christine Marcinkewicz or Laura Anderson with any questions. 

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Cass Junior High Swim Team Tryouts

Cass Warrior Swimming is coming up in April and is open to all Cass Junior High students to try out at the first practice on April 10. This is a very short “season”, with five practices and one meet. More information is under the link and parents can reach out to Coach Landon Mitchell at lmitchell@cassd63.org with any questions. If your child is interested in participating, please be sure that they have a current sports physical on file prior to the first day of practice.

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A Heartfelt Thank You!

Please take a moment to read this letter from the American Heart Association which was recently sent to teachers Greg Kirchen and Craig Damrow, who organize this event for our Concord students.

On behalf of the American Heart Association, thank you very much for raising $6,523.99 with your school's recent Kids Heart Challenge /American Heart Challenge program. Families and schools are critical links in providing the foundation for cardiovascular wellness in our country. Your support and participation in the Kids Heart Challenge/American Heart Challenge makes a tremendous impact in helping millions of Americans through increased awareness of cardiovascular disease, lifesaving scientific research and critically needed education efforts.

The American Heart Association’s grant program offers participating schools grants of $250 up to $2,500 for health and wellness initiatives including physical activity equipment. Eligibility requirements can be found here. Additionally, we offer monthly Learning Series webinars for educators, which may qualify for professional development hours. You can view all our school and teacher benefits that we offer.

Together, we are fierce — a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our mission.

Nancy Brown, Chief Executive Officer
American Heart Association

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Alumni Accolades

Congratulations to Hinsdale South students, Wesley Davis, Lily Levine, Quinn Isberg, and Annina Garro for being part of the cast that recently took 3rd place in the IHSA State Tournament with their Musical Theatre Review piece The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

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We partner with Aramark to provide our school lunches. Lunches are $3.60 and milk is $0.75, and here are the menus and more details.

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