January 9, 2025

Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

Earlier this week, we received a communication from PowerSchool about a recent data breach within the PowerSchool Student Information System. While we are working to learn as much as we can as quickly as we can, we are working under the assumption that some of our school district data was included in the breach.

According to PowerSchool, they learned in late December that compromised credentials at PowerSchool allowed an unauthorized party to access student data. We were informed that the actor was identified, and they have assured us that the incident is contained. PowerSchool also indicated that there is no evidence of malware or continued unauthorized activity. They do not anticipate the data being shared or made public, and they believe it has been deleted without any further replication or dissemination.

Although PowerSchool has shared this information, we are taking nothing for granted and will monitor this situation very carefully and ensure that our student and staff data remains protected. While PowerSchool continues a review of impacted customers, we have put together a PowerSchool Data Breach Information page that we will update as we learn more about this incident, and any impact on our student data as we learn more.

As an additional note, we have already made the decision prior to this incident to end our relationship with PowerSchool at the end of the current school year. Data breaches of this nature are unacceptable, and we are glad we had already made the decision to make this change.

In the meantime, we will share any updates as they become available, but I wanted to make you aware of the situation with as much accurate information as we can provide as soon as we reasonably could. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, and thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to stay on top of this.

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Cass students enjoying spirit week before the holiday break!

Concord Holiday Celebrations

Concord held its annual holiday celebrations on December 20 and kids had a fun day. Thank you to our amazing staff and volunteers for making a great day for our kids!

Sign Up for February 7 Trivia Night

Trivia Night is on Friday, February 7, at 6:00 p.m. at the Chateau Orleans. We are only four weeks out, so grab your table before they are all gone! Come dressed as your favorite decade for a fun night of trivia, dinner and fun. Early bird pricing has been extended until January 20. Check out the flyer for more details and purchase individual tickets or a table on the CARE website!

Storm Science Presentation

Our 5th and 6th graders at Cass Junior High recently had an amazing assembly presented by Storm Science. They learned about different aspects of weather with an engaging and entertaining presentation. The students were mesmerized throughout the assembly as they learned about severe weather and weather preparedness. Storm Science’s Nick Bartholomew, a storm chaser, presented a cumulus cloud simulation and explained the entire process to the students. Please enjoy these pictures from the presentation, and thank you to CARE for funding this fun learning experience.

Come Visit the Cass Junior High Wax Museum
Students in Ms. Musil and Mr. Kondraschow’s English Language Arts classes have created a wax museum, which will be open for parents to visit on January 31 from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. Here is more information on parking and building access.

8th Grade Transition Meetings
On January 14, high school transition meetings will be held for 8th grade students to set class schedules for the 2025-26 school year. Students and parents will be meeting with Hinsdale South High School counselors via Zoom. Students will be joining the meeting from school and parents will be sent a Zoom link from the high school prior to the meeting date. Should you have any questions, please contact Hinsdale South High School.

Hinsdale South IEP and 504 High School Transition Night
Hinsdale South is hosting a meeting for parents of 8th grade students with either a 504 or an IEP and who will be attending Hinsdale South in the fall. Here is more information for parents who are interested.

CARE Playground Fundraising Effort

CARE has prioritized fundraising for a new Concord playground, and would love your support! This playground will provide a safe, fun space for kids to play, grow, and build lasting memories. All donations are tax-deductible, making it not only a meaningful gift to the community but also a great opportunity to give back. Every contribution, big or small, brings us closer to creating a space where our children can thrive and our community can come together. For more information and to learn how to help, please see this page. Thank you for helping us make this dream a reality!

Cass School District 63 is seeking an assistant principal at Concord Elementary School for the 2025-26 school year, and a social worker and teacher assistant for at least the remainder of the 2024-25 school year. For more information or to apply for current vacancies, here is the application and information.

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program. Lunch menus are updated regularly and payment information, preschool snacks and other details are available under the lunch program. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. If you choose to provide feedback on a menu item through the menu program on the District’s website, please be sure to reference the school your child attends. 

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Following are resources and opportunities outside of the district that are available to our parents and families in or around our school community. Please be aware that the district does not endorse any outside organizations or activities, but is sharing this information as a courtesy to interested families.

GPS Parent Series: What Happened to You; A Shift from “What is Wrong with You?”

GPS Parent Series: The Adverse Childhood Experiences

Darien Woman's Club Thank You

Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

On behalf of the faculty, staff, administration, and Board of Education, I wish you and your family and loved ones a wonderful holiday season and school break. However you may spend your time together as a family, be sure to enjoy every minute with your kids because they grow up way too quickly.

Many of us also take time off over the break, so the school offices will mostly be closed. Should you need us for anything during this time, email is your best bet. Our weekly communications will also take a holiday break for the next two weeks, and we will resume regular district communications on January 9. A reminder on our winter break dates are provided below.

One additional note…please take a look below at the fundraising announcement for the new Concord playground! This is a wonderful collaborative effort between CARE and D63, contributions are tax deductible, and we couldn’t be more excited to make this project happen for our kids.

Have a wonderful holiday, and we will see you in 2025!

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Early Release Day and Winter Break

Winter Break is here and there is an early release day on Friday, December 20. Concord will be released at 11:15 a.m. and Cass at 12:00 p.m. There is no school from Monday, December 23 until students return on Tuesday, January 7. We wish you and your family a wonderful break and a happy holiday season!

CARE Announces Playground Fundraising Effort

CARE is excited to announce that we’ve started fundraising for a new Concord playground, and we’d love your support! This playground will provide a safe, fun space for kids to play, grow, and build lasting memories. All donations are tax-deductible, making it not only a meaningful gift to the community but also a great opportunity to give back. Every contribution, big or small, brings us closer to creating a space where our children can thrive and our community can come together. Thank you for helping us make this dream a reality!

CARE is offering three tiers of giving to support our playground project, each with special recognition on our donor wall:

• Champions - Supporters who contribute $1,000+ will be prominently displayed at the top of the wall as key leaders of this initiative.
• Sustainers - Supporters who contribute $500+ will be recognized in a central position, highlighting their vital role in keeping this project moving forward.
• Builders - Supporters who contribute $250+ will be honored as foundational contributors helping to bring this vision to life.

To become a supporters, please visit the CARE site or email CARE@cassd63.org. As a special thank you, all donors - regardless of the amount - will be invited to join us for a ribbon-cutting ceremony once the playground is complete. This event will be a celebration of your generosity and the incredible impact you’ve made on our community. We can’t wait to celebrate this milestone together!

At the December 17 Board of Education meeting, the Board approved the 2024 Tax Levy, adopted a Resolution in Support of Illinois Vision 2030 and discussed 2025 facility planning. For more detailed information on the board meeting, please take a look at the Board Briefs.

We love to share the good news about our incredible staff, and this week we are recognizing three of our teachers who most recently completed huge professional growth milestones.

Jessica Cahill - Master’s Degree in Teacher Leadership
Jennifer Kirkpatrick - Director of Special Education Licensure
Kristyn McElligott - Master’s Degree in Teacher Leadership

Their dedication and desire to be the best possible teachers they can be is highlighted by recognizing the tremendous undertaking it is to pursue this level of coursework while working full time. We are extremely proud of these three individuals, and all of our amazing teachers!

Attention 8th Grade Parents

8th Grade Picture Day is on Thursday, January 9. Students should come to school dressed up and ready for pictures. They may bring clothes to change into after pictures have been taken. No money is due at this time. Proofs will be sent to the school and sent home to parents for an opportunity to order pictures. If you have any questions, please contact the Cass Junior High office at 331-481-4000, extension 2.

Please mark your calendars for January 14 for 8th grade high school transition meetings to set class schedules for the 2025-26 school year. Students and parents will be meeting with Hinsdale South High School counselors via Zoom. Students will be joining the meeting from school. Parents will be sent a Zoom link from the high school prior to the meeting date. Should you have any questions, please contact Hinsdale South High School.

Second Grade Students Learn About La Befana

Concord teacher Mrs. DeChiara visits our second graders every year to teach the students about the Italian Christmas tradition of La Befana. The second graders love this annual presentation and enjoy learning a bit of the Italian language. Thank you, Mrs. DeChiara!

Cass Junior High Band Concert

Cass Junior High held its Winter Band Concert on December 12 and featured performances from the 5th Grade Beginning Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band and the Combined Band. Thank you to band teacher Daniel Murphy and all of our gifted musicians for a wonderful evening of music!

4th Grade Clothes Hanger Book Reports

Students in Ms. Isaacson’s 4th grade class created a “Clothes Hanger Book Report” after reading a novel. Each clothing piece has information about their book's plot, setting, characters, theme, and a personal review. They turned out great! Please enjoy some pictures of their projects.

Cass Junior High Cheer

From cheer clinics with high school cheerleaders to cheering on our Warrior’s sports teams, our cheerleaders have been working hard this year. Thank you to coaches Amy Gorzkowski and Stacie Gray for all their hard work in coaching our cheerleaders and helping them to improve both individually and as a squad.

Holiday Fun at Concord

Our Junior Chorus gave a fabulous holiday performance lead by chorus teacher Kali Sheldon. Additionally, our Concord staff got in on the holiday fun and participated in a festive sweater contest. Enjoy these pictures from the concert and the contest. 

Holiday Fun at Cass

Cass Advanced Ensemble members treated our students and staff to some great holiday music mixed with some classic tunes. Thank you to choral teacher Becky Kriz and to our advanced ensemble for giving us this festive send off into the holidays! Here are pictures of our carolers, as well as other fun from our Cass Spirit Week.

Save the Date - Trivia Night February 7

Save the Date! Get ready for a night of fun and friendly competition at the CARE Trivia Night Fundraiser is on Friday, February 7! Mark your calendars and gather your teams for an evening filled with brain-teasing questions, laughter, and community spirit! Which decade is your favorite?!

Follow CARE on Social Media

Follow CARE on socials to keep up with all the latest activities and learn how to get involved! Cass Resources for Enrichment / Facebook and @d63care / Instagram.

Cass School District 63 is seeking an assistant principal at Concord Elementary School for the 2025-26 school year, and a teacher assistant for at least the remainder of the 2024-25 school year. For more information or to apply for current vacancies, here is the application and information.

Alumni Accolades

Congratulations to Hinsdale South High School student of the quarter award recipients, Amanda Esposito, Amanda Chen, Anna Wilcox, Devin Casey, Katie Joseph, Erick Martinez, Casey Johnson, Rayyan Qureshi.

Kudos to Hinsdale South Art Honor Society members Amanda Esposito, Elliot Davis, Janina Kremper and Gracie Linarez who were tasked with creating and painting the art gallery entry way at Hinsdale South High School.  

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program. Lunch menus are updated regularly and payment information, preschool snacks and other details are available under the lunch program. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. If you choose to provide feedback on a menu item through the menu program on the District’s website, please be sure to reference the school your child attends. 

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

We talk here about the impact of smartphones and social media, and this week I wanted to share another recent Pew research study. According to this one, 72 percent of teens say they often or sometimes feel peaceful when they don’t have their smartphone, while 44 percent say it makes them feel anxious. It is incredibly telling that almost three-fourths of kids admit that they feel more peaceful without their phones! This study is interesting and worth a look for parents.

Common Sense Media research shows that teens spend an average of 4.5 hours per day on their phones, and some spend over 16 hours a day. That’s insane, and we aren’t even talking about young children and preteens, many of whom also spend considerable amounts of time on their phones. Of course, there are recommendations out there about when kids should have phones, as well as access to social media. Safety aside, there is absolutely no question that the heavy use of smartphones and social media is having a major impact on kids today.

Along those lines, I love a good book recommendation and wanted to pass this along to you. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt addresses this critical topic, and I look forward to reading it soon. If any of you have read it, please let me know your thoughts. If not, it might be worth a look. The book description is very compelling, and it is a top seller on Amazon.

As always, please reach out anytime with any questions, concerns, or comments. We are all here for you. Thank you!

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Cheering on the Warriors!

With winter weather comes the possibility of the need to cancel school and hold an e-learning day. This is a decision that is not taken lightly. Not only are the weather and road conditions taken into consideration, but also the conditions of the buildings and parking lots, the operability and availability of buses and drivers, the ability of staff to make the commute, as well as the air temperature and wind chill.

For more details, please visit our School Closing Information page, which includes details on our District e-Learning Plan and schedule for virtual instruction. Please review the plan in advance to understand what the expectations are for our staff and your child. Thank you for your understanding as we head into winter, and please contact the school office or your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

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.

Girls Basketball Season Comes to an End

The girls' basketball season ended strong! In the playoffs, the team made it past the first round beating higher seed Gower to advance to play the number two seed Old Quarry where their season ended. The girls learned a lot of skills and strategies throughout the season, most importantly, coming together as a team. Congrats to coaches Landon Mitchell and Bryan Koh and all the players on a successful season!

Cass Junior High has three 5th graders, two 6th graders, and five 7th graders participate in the Noetic Learning Fall Math Contest. Chi Vu was the 5th grade team winner and also earned Honorable Mention for her score. Angus Woodbury was the 6th grade team winner. Jimmy Hetue was the 7th grade team winner and also earned a National Honor Roll award for his score. A.J. Akin Akintayo, Calvin Tanouye, Matteo Vitagliano, and Ryan Gallagher all earned an Honorable Mention award. Congratulations to all of our participants!

District 86 Seeks Parent Teacher Advisory Committee Members

Hinsdale Township High School District 86 is seeking parents/guardians of students in Grades 6-8 to serve as representatives on the District's Parent Teacher Advisory Committee (PTAC). The committee is charged with helping to develop student behavior policy/procedures, and provides the D86 Board of Education with information and recommendations as needed. If interested, please use the following link to submit an application by Thursday, December 19 at 4:00 PM.

8th Grade Picture Day January 9

8th Grade Picture Day is on Thursday, January 9. Students should come to school dressed up and ready for pictures. They may bring clothes to change into after pictures have been taken. No money is due at this time. Proofs will be sent to the school and sent home to parents for an opportunity to order pictures. If you have any questions, please contact the Cass Junior High office at 331-481-4000, extension 2.

Dinner Tonight at Culvers!

This month's Dine to Donate is at Culvers on Thursday, December 12. Stop by for dinner and dessert after the Band concert.

Enter to Win Front Row Seats

Enter to win front row seats at next week’s junior chorus concert, and other upcoming music concerts as well! 

Alumni Accolades

Congratulations to Vishnu Chakroborty for being chosen to this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his startup Glide.

Congratulations to Hinsdale South student Collin Caldwell for being named Best Delegate – Russian Federation National Security Council at this year’s Model UN Conference.

Congratulations to Hinsdale South students Jacob Borowski, Antonio Bosiljanov, Eva Joseph, Rayyan Qureshi, Cash Hipskind, Eli Carder and Shahmeer Ali on earning medals at the Neuqua Valley Invitations Science Olympiad.  

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program. Lunch menus are updated regularly and payment information, preschool snacks and other details are available under the lunch program. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. If you choose to provide feedback on a menu item through the menu program on the District’s website, please be sure to reference the school your child attends. 

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

Normally I enjoy sharing positive comments with you here, but this week the tone is going to reflect a harsh reality that is quite different. Unfortunately, racism is that reality, and sometimes issues come up in which we also see it among our own students. While we have wonderful and supportive families and as a district we have absolutely no tolerance for bigotry, hatred, or racism, I am not going to sugarcoat it or pretend that it can't or doesn't happen.

I don't care how young or old a child may be, there are hateful behaviors and disgusting terms that will never be tolerated if used about or toward our students, staff, or families in District 63. This is particularly true when what amounts to severe bullying or harassment targets a particular child in our schools, regardless of whether the actual bullying or harassment takes place at school or not. If it ultimately impacts them at school, we will take action to protect that child from this kind of behavior.

How we respond to any incident will obviously depend on the specifics of the situation, the age of the students involved, and any other facts of the case. That said, the important thing for everyone to understand is that we can and will deal with this type of behavior in the most serious terms, particularly when it impacts a child's mental or physical health, or is a threat to any student.

Again, just to make sure everyone hears this loud and clear, the actual behavior does not have to manifest itself at school and in today's world it often doesn't. In fact, in our experience, that is almost always the case since so much of this kind of behavior takes place via messaging, social media, and other means. But sometimes, kids actually do just come right out and say it directly to a person. Either way, it is absolutely unacceptable.

So let me be very clear. If your child engages in this kind of behavior and it impacts one or more of our students, just know that it is going to be dealt with and handled fairly, but very seriously. We have an absolute duty to protect every one of our students and keep them safe at all times, including and especially blatant bigotry, hatred, and racism. This is true for every individual from our Board of Education to our administrators, teachers, and staff in D63.

On behalf of all our students, families, and staff, I greatly appreciate your support in joining the effort to combat racism both here in our community and beyond. Thank you.

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Cass Junior High students hard at work.

Cass Junior High Perfect Attendance

Being at school every day is one of the most important ways to ensure a student’s success and with this in mind, we want to congratulate the following students on their perfect attendance during the first trimester at Cass Junior High: Jakylah Adams, Naya Alraghib, Matthew Archaga, Annosha Arif, Geno Arnold, Madison Bailey, Brady Bobinski, Manoela Bosiljanova, Ian Chavez, Ibrahim Diab, Lucas Duggan, Violet Duggan, Daniella Faye, Julianna Gonzalez, Alicia Huang, Chris Huang, Madelyn Jason, Jyoti Kapur, Sarina Kapur, Victoria Kirov, Lucy Krenn, Nikolas Leon, Shinaika Lewen, Mariano Mantucca, Athena Monroe, Zara Monroe, Abby Nunez, Veyden Patel, Angela Perez, Riyashree Ravikumar, Hannah Rouw, Emilia Straczek, Calvin Tanouye, Maya Thompson, Ana Vujovic, and Jay Vyas.

Congratulations to our perfect attendance students!

5th Grade Visits Field Museum

As a culminating activity to the study of Ancient Egypt, our 5th grade students enjoyed a field trip to the Field Museum yesterday. The students participated in an Ancient Egypt artifact class as well as a guided tour.

Bowling Night December 7 - Live Auction is Open!

Hey team! CARE’s Bowling Night fundraiser is this Saturday, December 7! Register here as a team player, an individual standout, or a cheerleader! Can’t attend but still want to support CARE? The on-line auction link is live! You do not have to be present to win!

Click here to check out and bid on tickets to Ravinia, Legoland, Drury Lane, and more! Help us make this event a home run!

Other Important CARE Events!

In addition to the Bowling Night this coming weekend, CARE has a lot of great things coming our way. Please check out all the great opportunities.

• Chess is coming back to Concord this year for our 2nd through 4th grade students through a partnership with Elite Chess! Here are more details and registration information for winter sessions.
• Enter to win front row seats at next week’s junior high band concert, and other upcoming concerts! 
• This month's Dine to Donate is at Culvers on Thursday, December 12. Stop by for dinner and dessert after the Band concert.

Concord students are learning to help others through service and donations. This year, the service project is to hold a Sports Equipment Drive, which is November 25 through December 12. Please see this flyer for information on what items are being collected. Thank for your helping others, while teaching our students the importance of service.

Chess Team Tryouts December 9 and 10

Cass Junior High Chess Team will be holding tryouts on December 9 and 10. Please see this flyer for more information.

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program. Lunch menus are updated regularly and payment information, preschool snacks and other details are available under the lunch program. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. If you choose to provide feedback on a menu item through the menu program on the District’s website, please be sure to reference the school your child attends. 

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Alumni Accolades
Congratulations to Hinsdale South student and D63 graduate Andrea Crisp for earning a role in this year's All State Theatre Festival! 

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District 86 Seeks Parent Teacher Advisory Committee Members

Hinsdale Township High School District 86 is seeking parents/guardians of students in Grades 6-8 to serve as representatives on the District's Parent Teacher Advisory Committee (PTAC). The committee is charged with helping to develop student behavior policy/procedures, and provides the D86 Board of Education with information and recommendations as needed. If interested, please use the following link to submit an application by Thursday, December 19 at 4:00 PM.

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

We had an important Board of Education meeting earlier this week, with the presentation of the local tax levy, the appointment of Katie Doyle as the next Concord principal, and taking the next steps with our Phase II Facilities Plan. More information on our facility planning is provided in the Board Briefs below, and I will also share more on this in the coming weeks.

However, a very exciting component to this planning is the potential replacement of the Concord playground. This is long overdue, but top notch playgrounds are costly and will require some fundraising so the district can focus our resources on the infrastructure and facility needs that are most critical to resolve.

Fortunately for our kids and school district, our wonderful CARE parent organization is stepping up big time, and has already pledged $50,000 toward making this happen! This is absolutely awesome, but CARE does not want to stop there as they are also working on ideas for potential higher level fundraising, including recognizing large donors for their contributions.

This is also a good time to remind everyone that CARE is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and donations are therefore subject to federal tax deductions. More details will be provided regarding both the playground project and corresponding fundraising effort, but I wanted to share the great news!

There will be no Connections next week as we celebrate Thanksgiving! Our weekly communications will resume on December 5. On behalf of all of us in Cass School District 63, travel safely and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Concord students working on a book project.

No School Next Week!

Due to Parent Teacher Conferences on November 25 and 26 and the Thanksgiving holiday, there is no school for students the week of November 25. School will resume on Monday, December 2. We wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!

1st Trimester Progress in PowerSchool November 22

The end of the first trimester is November 22 and parents will be able to view a complete summary of your child’s progress through the trimester. Please remember that you can review your child’s academic progress and other information in PowerSchool at any time by following these instructions. Please contact the school office with any questions.

At the November 19 meeting, the Board of Education approved the tentative tax levy for fiscal year 2024, approved a three-year contract for Katie Doyle as the next principal at Concord, and reviewed the proposed Phase II Facilities Plan items that were recently reviewed and reprioritized by the Facilities Committee with the school district architects.

As a result of the committee’s work, the Board agreed to move forward with the updated Phase II Facilities Plan for work expected to be completed in the summer of 2025. Mr. Cross also reviewed potential plans for updating the Concord playground through a partnership and fundraising with CARE. For more information on the meeting, please see the Board Briefs.

Indian Prairie Library Writing Competition

Three Cass Junior High students swept the entire fourth through sixth grade poetry category of the annual Indian Prairie Write-On Competition. The winners were treated to a dinner with award-winning young adult author Misa Siguera (Momo Arashima series and It's Not Like It's a Secret) where they spoke with her one-on-one about the writing process. This was followed up by a presentation where Siguera spoke about writing and her path to becoming a published author followed by the announcement of the contest winners. Our Cass winners were fifth graders Dexter Gawel and Ada Shields and sixth grader Hridhan Jasrotia. They were each given a signed copy of the author's latest book and a cash prize. Congratulations, students!

Recognizing Our Staff - Sharon Chacko

We love to share the good news about our incredible D63 staff, and this week we are recognizing Sharon Chacko. Ms. Chacko is a speech pathologist in D63, and we share her services two days a week with our neighbors in Center Cass School District 66. As a result, Ms. Chacko works at four different schools in two districts, requiring far more than usual planning, scheduling, preparation, and communication to ensure that all student needs are being met.

Ms. Chacko shared that her teams in both school districts make her job easier by always offering to lend a hand. “They make teamwork and collaboration very easy because everyone shares the same goal and is so welcoming.” The leadership and student services teams in both districts greatly appreciate Ms. Chacko’s professionalism, communication, and teamwork. Congratulations and thank you, Ms. Chacko!

Bowling Night December 7 - Don't Miss Out on the Fun!

Calling all Superfans, Cheeseheads, and Bleacher Creatures! Join us Saturday, December 7 for CARE’s Bowling Night Fundraiser. There will be darts, billiards, raffles, a caricature artist, an on-line auction, and more! This year’s theme is Sports Legends. Join us for an evening of fun, fandom, and friendly competition to help CARE reach its fundraising gooooooooooal!

Concord Underground Spirit Week

Concord Teachers had some secret fun last week by participating in a staff-only Underground Spirit Week! Throughout the week teachers secretly dressed in all black, wore flannel and holiday wear along with partaking in crazy hair day and anything-but-a-cup day! It was so exciting to see the students use their quick observation skills to catch our teachers participating in such an engaging and clever activity.

Concord is holding a Sports Equipment Drive November 25 through December 12. Please see this flyer for information on what items are being collected.

Chess Team Tryouts December 9 and 10

Cass Junior High Chess Team will be holding tryouts on December 9 and 10. Please see this flyer for more information.

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Last Chance to Claim Lost and Found

The lost and found at Concord Elementary and Cass Junior High are getting full. If your child is missing anything, please have them come and check to see if it is in the lost and found. Any unclaimed items will be donated at the end of the school day on November 22. 

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program. Lunch menus are updated regularly and payment information, preschool snacks and other details are available under the lunch program. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. If you choose to provide feedback on a menu item through the menu program on the District’s website, please be sure to reference the school your child attends. 

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Alumni Accolades
Congratulations to Hinsdale South student Ryder McMurray for being named to the Red Grange All DuPage County Football team! 

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

Earlier this week, we celebrated Veterans Day with an assembly at Cass Junior High School. It is always an honor having some of our veterans visit for this special day, and of course it doubles as a great learning experience for our students. To all the veterans in our community, thank you for your service to our country.

On November 15, we celebrate School Board Members Day. Board members are volunteers who serve a critical role in our community, not only with their commitment to education and our children, but to our taxpayers as well. I’ve had a school board as my boss for well over 20 years, and ours is the best. We are so fortunate to have these seven outstanding people serve in this role.

Also, next week is American Education Week and we always use this occasion to recognize and thank our teachers and staff for their professionalism and commitment to the education of our students. Our dedicated and child-centered people in District 63 are second to none, and we could not be any more grateful for their great work with the children in our community.

Concord parents, don’t forget the Book Fair next week, including family shopping night on November 20. We hope to see you there!

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Thank you to our D63 faculty and staff for all that you do!

Cass Students Honor Our Veterans

In observation of Veterans Day, our 7th grade students hosted an assembly this week for some of our local family and friends who are veterans. The assembly was held to honor these true heroes, recognize their invaluable contributions, their courage, and their dedication, and show our deep appreciation for their sacrifices. The 7th grade students wrote and recited heartfelt letters of appreciation to the veterans in attendance with help from the symphonic band, advanced ensemble, and the advanced art class. With the addition of the Darien VFW Color Guard 2838 and our local Boy Scouts, the assembly was truly a group effort to show appreciation for the individuals who have fiercely defended our freedoms and secured our democracy.

Celebrating Our School Board Members

November 15 is School Board Members Day and in honor of this, we want to recognize our Board of Education members Lana Johnson, Rinku Patel, Urszula Tanouye, Steve Wyent, Chris Green, Katie Marinelli, and Liz Mitha. Please join us in thanking this incredible group of people for their leadership and dedication to the students, staff, and community of Cass School District 63.

Concord Book Fair is approaching! Students can shop November 18-22. Parents can shop online or at the family shopping night on Wednesday, November 20 from 4:30-7:00 p.m. Please see this flyer for more information.

CARE Bowling Night December 7

Calling all Superfans, Cheeseheads, and Bleacher Creatures! Join us Saturday, December 7 for CARE’s Bowling Night Fundraiser. There will be darts, billiards, raffles, a caricature artist, an on-line auction, and more! This year’s theme is Sports Legends. Join us for an evening of fun, fandom, and friendly competition to help CARE reach its fundraising gooooooooooal!

Concord Students Visit with an Author

Last week, Concord welcomed local resident, author, and illustrator Laura Smetana to share one of her published books, Little Squiggle's Lake Adventure, with students and to discuss the book making process and how she finds inspiration for her stories. During the visits she also taught the students how to draw Little Squiggle. Some students completed their drawings and hung them on their lockers.

Concord is holding a Sports Equipment Drive November 25 through December 12. Please see this flyer for information on what items are being collected.

Chess Team Tryouts December 9 and 10

Cass Junior High Chess Team will be holding tryouts on December 9 and 10. Please see this flyer for more information.

Boys Basketball Tryouts November 20 and 21

Boys Basketball tryouts are November 20 and 21. Please see the flyer for times as the tryouts will be before school on both days. Students must have a current sports physical on file to try out.

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With winter weather comes the possibility of the need to cancel school and move to e-learning due to severe weather conditions. This is a decision that is not taken lightly. Not only are the weather and road conditions taken into consideration, but also the conditions of the buildings and parking lots, the operability and availability of buses and drivers, the ability of staff to make the commute, as well as the air temperature and wind chill.

Timing of Announcements – A decision to cancel will be announced to the school community either the day prior or the morning of the cancellation. If the decision is made in the morning, it will be announced no later than 6:00 a.m. whenever possible.

Communication – The district does not utilize the media for these announcements and instead messages information directly to parents and staff. Once the decision is made, the school community will be notified through email, text messaging, and through a posting on the district's website and Facebook page.

District e-Learning Plan – While in person learning may be cancelled, the district will follow our e-Learning Plan for virtual instruction. Please review the plan in advance to understand what the expectations are for our staff and your child.

Early Dismissals and Late Starts – While some districts may choose to do so, District 63 does not plan to utilize early dismissals or late starts. Both can be a moving target with a very narrow window for decision making, which can result in much greater disruption to parents and families, as well as teaching and learning. In the event either would ever be necessary, announcements will be made immediately after a decision to do so.

Thank you for your understanding as we head into winter, and please contact the district or school office or your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

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Junior High Yearbook Orders Due December 1

If you did not order your Cass Junior High yearbook when you registered your child for the 2024-25 school year, now is your last chance to do so. All orders must be submitted by December 1 in order to receive a yearbook at the end of the school year. If you are interested in ordering a yearbook, please pay through MySchoolBucks or send a check in the amount of $28 made payable to Cass Junior High, put ”yearbook” on the memo line, and send it to the Cass Junior High office. Please contact the school office with any questions.

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The lost and found at Concord Elementary and Cass Junior High are getting full. If your child is missing anything, please have them come and check to see if it is in the lost and found. Any unclaimed items will be donated at the end of the school day on November 22. 

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program. Lunch menus are updated regularly and payment information, preschool snacks and other details are available under the lunch program. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75.

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Alumni Accolades
Congratulations to Kaydence Burton, Teona Gavatski and Floriano Garro for being name Hinsdale South social studies students of the month.

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

In District 63, we stress the importance of excellent attendance because we know that students as a whole perform better when they are at school. A colleague recently passed along some excellent data on the impact of student attendance, and I thought it was worth sharing with our parents and staff.

• Kindergarten and 1st grade students who are chronically absent have an 81 percent chance of reading below grade level in 3rd grade.
• In 4th grade, chronically absent students score an average of 12 points lower on the NAEP assessments than students who demonstrated good attendance.
• By 8th grade, the gap between the chronically absent students and those with good attendance widens to 18 points on the NAEP.
• By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
• By high school, a chronically absent student is 7.4 times more likely to drop out.

By definition for the above research data, “chronic absence” means missing an average of two days per month, which is a total of 18 days, or 10 percent of the school year. “Good attendance” is missing nine days or less, or no more than five percent. The test data referenced above is based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Is this true for every child? No, of course there are exceptions and this data does not control for other factors. However, this clearly demonstrates the importance of school attendance. Not only is it important for their learning and academic growth, but it also teaches good habits and a strong work ethic.

Thank you for doing your best to make sure your children are here at school! 

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Our 8th grade students put on a great science fair!

Parent-teacher conferences are November 25 and 26 and registration is open. The conference schedule is from 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 25, and from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26. Concord teachers sent out emails to parents with instructions on how to sign up for a conference, and here is a letter from Principal Christine Marcinkewicz with the details and links for registration which is open through November 15. If you have not already signed up, please be sure to do so as soon as possible.

Cass Junior High Yearbooks

If you did not order your Cass Junior High yearbook when you registered your child for the 2024-25 school year, now is your last chance to do so. All orders must be submitted by December 1 in order to receive a yearbook at the end of the school year. If you are interested in ordering a yearbook, please pay through MySchoolBucks or send a check in the amount of $28 made payable to Cass Junior High, put ”yearbook” on the memo line, and send it to the Cass Junior High office. Please contact the school office with any questions.

Cass Students Participate in Mock Election

Students in Ms. Pollitz’s 6th grade civics classes have been learning about the election process since the start of the school year. To help connect their learning to the real world, a mock presidential election was held at Cass Junior High on November 4, in which all students participated in their social studies classes. Student voters were required to have a registered district email to vote. Students voted in an individual booth and received an “I Voted” sticker to commemorate the occasion.

8th Grade Science Fair

From studying how music affects mood to how smells affect taste to testing reaction time and so many projects in between, our 8th grade students did a tremendous job at the recent science fair! Thank you to our 8th graders for their hard work and to our parents and students for visiting the science fair.

Recognizing Our Staff – Sara Zimmerman and Kristyn McElligott

We love to share the good news about our incredible D63 staff, and this week we are recognizing Sara Zimmerman and Kristyn McElligott.

This coming week is School Psychology Awareness Week, and Sara Zimmerman is our dedicated, hardworking, and professional school psychologist. Her plate is very full as she is involved in so many aspects of student services, and meeting the needs of our students. Much of Sara’s work is behind the scenes, but all that she does is greatly appreciated respected by all of us, as well as our parents in D63!

Concord 2nd grade teacher Kristyn McElligott was nominated by teacher Katy Modglin for her dedication as well. Mrs. Modglin said, “Kristyn is an exemplary teacher and even a more exemplary team member. She goes above and beyond for not only her students but also her fellow staff members. She is inclusive of all students and staff and works hard to make Concord an enjoyable place to work. She is AMAZING in all aspects!”

Thank you to both Sara Zimmerman and Kristyn McElligott!

Boys Basketball Tryouts November 20 and 21

Boys Basketball tryouts are November 20 and 21. Please see the flyer for times as the tryouts will be before school on both days. Students must have a current sports physical on file to try out.

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Midwest Sheltor for Homeless Veterans Donations

   

In honor of the brave veterans who served our country, Cass Junior High students completed a donation drive for The Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans (MSHV) in Wheaton. Between the students and staff, we collected over 500 basic necessities of need and donated them to MSHV. The staff at MSHV was extremely grateful as their shelves were relatively bare, and they were in great need of many items. Kudos to the students in Ms. Musil’s, Mrs. Vaci’s, Mrs. Callahan’s, and Mr. Grand’s classes for meeting the goal of one item per student.

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Cass Junior High Spirit Week

Thank you to Cass Junior School student council for planning a fabulous Spirit Week! From TV Show/Movie Day to PJ Day and everything in between, the students and staff had a great time showing their school spirit.

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CARE Bowling Night December 7

Calling all Superfans, Cheeseheads, and Bleacher Creatures! Join us Saturday, December 7 for CARE’s Bowling Night Fundraiser. There will be darts, billiards, raffles, a caricature artist, an on-line auction, and more! This year’s theme is Sports Legends. Join us for an evening of fun, fandom, and friendly competition to help CARE reach its fundraising gooooooooooal!

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Front Row Ticket Raffle - Cass Fall Choral Concert

Would you like front row seats to your student’s fine arts events? CARE is raffling off front row seats to select band, choir and grade level music performances. Purchase at any time on the CARE website. The next event is the Cass Fall Choral Concert on November 14. Tickets are $1 and will be available until November 11.

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November Dine to Donate at Wayback Burger - November 12

Save the Date for this month's Dine to Donate at Wayback Burgers on Tuesday, November 12th!

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Alumni Accolades

Congratulations to Hinsdale South cross country runners Wojtek Gilarski and Anna Wilcox for qualifying to compete at the IHSA cross country state meet. We wish them the best of luck!

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program. Lunch menus are updated regularly and payment information, preschool snacks and other details are available under the lunch program. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75.

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The lost and founds at Concord Elementary and Cass Junior High are getting full. If your child is missing anything, please have them come and check to see if it is in the lost and found. Any unclaimed items remaining at the end of the school day on November 22 will be donated to a local charity.

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

It was a fun week for the kids and staff with the Halloween dance, festivities, and parties. Not all schools do so anymore, but we love celebrating and sharing the joy of Halloween with our kids in D63.

Incredibly, it is already November, which means parent-teacher conferences are around the corner. Concord teachers have already emailed registration information, and the conference registration portal for Cass Junior High opens at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, November 1. More details on conferences are provided below.

As a reminder, since election day is a mandated state holiday this year, there is no school on Tuesday, November 5. Also, don’t forget to set your clocks back this weekend and get that extra hour of sleep.

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Cass students ready for the Halloween dance and Concord staff ready for Halloween!

Sunday, November 3, ends Daylight Savings Time. Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour!

No School on Election Day

Tuesday, November 5, 2024 is Election Day and there is no school.

Recognizing Our Staff – Sarah Leganski and Amy Gorzkowski

We love to share the good news about our incredible D63 staff, and nominations are always welcome! This week we are recognizing Sarah Leganski and Amy Gorzkowski.

It was recently World Occupational Therapy Day, and Sarah Leganski plays a key role providing excellent services as an occupational therapist. She is so professional with our students, staff, and parents at both schools. Ms. Leganski is also a graduate of District 63 and is one of our awesome cross country and soccer coaches!

Cass Junior High English Language Arts teacher Amy Gorzkowski was recently nominated by fellow teacher Matt Etherington for her outstanding job in organizing the recent 7th grade field trip to Springfield. “Everything was seamless, from the logistics to the activities. The students had a fantastic time, and it was clear how much effort she put into making the trip both educational and fun,” Mr. Etherington shared. Thank you to Mrs. Gorzkowski for her part in giving our students an awesome experience! 

Parent-teacher conferences are November 25 and 26 and the schedule is from 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 25, and from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26. We want to provide conferences in a format that allows for maximizing the time available, is appropriate for the grade level served, and is as parent-friendly as possible. Following are the details and registration procedures for each school.

Concord Elementary - All grade levels at Concord have both virtual and in-person conferences. Virtual conferences are available as a convenience to parents if that is your preference, but we also have an in-person option at Concord. Teachers from preschool through 4th grade sent out a conference registration email to all parents on October 24. Please contact the Concord school office if you did not receive an email.

Cass Junior High School - Due to the number of conferences and tighter schedule for each teacher as well as the age levels of the students, conferences for parents of students in 5th through 8th grades are virtual. Beginning on November 1, junior high conferences will be scheduled online through the Meet the Teacher platform. Here is a letter from Principal Christine Marcinkewicz with the details and links for registration for when the portal opens.

Please contact your child’s school office with any questions. Thank you!

Multicultural Celebration Survey Deadline November 1

Cass School District 63 will be hosting a multicultural celebration and we are looking for feedback from our families and assembling volunteers to help organize the event. To assist in our planning, we are asking parents to complete this survey. If you think you might be able to participate or even if you just have ideas to share, please respond by November 1.

8th Grade Parents - Hinsdale South Enrollment Open

8th grade parents, the enrollment website is now open in District 86 for Hinsdale South High School. Submitting information through this website is required for every incoming student planning to attend Hinsdale South in the Fall of 2025. Please submit initial registration information soon to District 86 via their registration website to avoid missing important information about high school course selection. Registration closes on November 8.

Boys Basketball Tryouts November 20 and 21

Boys Basketball tryouts are November 20 and 21. Please see the flyer for times as the tryouts will be before school on both days. Students must have a current sports physical on file to try out.

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Celebrating Halloween in D63!

We celebrate the fun of Halloween in our schools, with Cass students dressing up during the school day on Wednesday to be ready for their after school dance, and Concord kids dressed up for an assembly and class parties on Thursday. Please enjoy the pictures from these fun events!

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CARE Bowling Night December 7

Calling all Superfans, Cheeseheads, and Bleacher Creatures! Join us Saturday, December 7 for CARE’s Bowling Night Fundraiser. There will be darts, billiards, raffles, a caricature artist, an on-line auction, and more! This year’s theme is Sports Legends. Join us for an evening of fun, fandom, and friendly competition to help CARE reach its fundraising gooooooooooal!

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November Dine to Donate at Wayback Burger

Save the Date for this month's Dine to Donate at Wayback Burgers on Tuesday, November 12th!

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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.

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The lost and founds at Concord Elementary and Cass Junior High are getting full. If your child is missing anything, please have them come and check to see if it is in the lost and found. Any unclaimed items remaining at the end of the school day on November 22 will be donated to a local charity. 

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program. Lunch menus are updated regularly and payment information, preschool snacks and other details are available under the lunch program. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75.

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

As most of you know, our parent organization CARE takes an active role in supporting our students, teachers, and school district. This is something that we all greatly appreciate, especially the volunteer parents who make so many good things happen!

This includes the recent DASH Fun Run at Concord, which was a huge success and raised approximately $7,500. Thank you to our students, parents, teachers, and especially our organizers! This was a great event and a beautiful day. Our Cass book fair in September was also a success, and we look forward to the Concord book fair coming up in November. Along those lines, there are a couple of CARE events coming up, including the annual Bowling Night Fundraiser on December 7. Registration details for bowling night are coming soon, and our annual Trivia Night is scheduled for February 7. Mark your calendars for both events!

Sometimes I get asked about fundraising and we all agree that it is important to connect fundraising efforts to good outcomes. CARE funds many great opportunities for our students and teachers. Sometimes these are smaller things that are impactful at a particular classroom or grade level, but we also look at larger things opportunities that might be funded in the future. It is always exciting when we can align fundraising to larger goals that can be so impactful for our kids.

If any group can make it happen, it is our CARE volunteers, and we thank them and all of you for your support of our kids, teachers, and schools!

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Dodgeball fun at Cass Junior High!

Halloween Early Dismissal, Parties, and Costumes

Thursday, October 31 is an early release day for school improvement activities, as well as an early start on the costumes and Halloween activities for our families! Concord students will be released at 11:15 a.m. and Cass students at 12:00 p.m.

Concord Halloween and fall festival parties are being held on October 31. In order to assist in your planning, here are Concord Elementary’s guidelines. Cass Junior High is holding a Halloween Dance on October 30. Please review Cass Junior High’s guidelines for the dance and costumes.

Happy Halloween!

Cass School District 63 will be hosting a multicultural celebration and we are looking for feedback from our families and assembling volunteers to help organize the event. To assist in our planning, we are asking parents to complete this survey. If you think you might be able to participate or even if you just have ideas to share, please respond by November 1.

Parent-teacher conferences are November 25 and 26 and registration for conferences is coming very soon. The general conference schedule is from 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 25, and from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26. We want to provide conferences in a format that allows for maximizing the time available, is appropriate for the grade level served, and is as parent-friendly as possible. Following are the details and registration procedures for each school.

Concord Elementary - All grade levels at Concord have both virtual and in-person conferences. Virtual conferences are available as a convenience to parents if that is your preference, but we also have an in-person option at Concord. On October 24, teachers from preschool through 4th grade will be sending parents the registration instructions and a link to the Google Calendar Scheduler. When you select your time with your child’s teacher, there will also be an opportunity to choose an in-person or virtual conference via Google Meet.

Cass Junior High School - Due to the number of conferences and tighter schedule for each teacher as well as the age levels of the students, conferences for parents of students in 5th through 8th grades will be all virtual. Beginning on November 1, junior high conferences will be scheduled online through the Meet the Teacher platform. Here is a letter from Principal Christine Marcinkewicz with the details and links for registration for when the portal opens. Reminders will be sent prior to registration opening.

We will continue to provide reminders, but please contact your child’s school office with any questions. Thank you!

Cass Junior High Spirit Week October 28-31

Cass Junior High spirit week is next week with different opportunities every day for students to participate. Please take a look to see how Cass students can join in the fun!

Parents Invited! 8th Grade Science Fair October 31

The 8th Grade Science Fair is October 31 and 8th grade parents are invited to attend. Please see this invitation for information on time, location and parking.

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5th Grade Studies Ancient Egypt

Our 5th grade students recently had an amazing time kicking off their study of Ancient Egypt. This hands-on project combined knowledge, creativity, and teamwork. Many of our student-created sarcophagi are displayed throughout the school for all grades to admire and enjoy.

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Recognizing Our Staff – Principals, Custodians, and IT Professionals 

We love to recognize our wonderful staff in D63, and this week we will catch up on some special people and days that we let slip past earlier this year!

IT Professionals Day – This day was September 17 and we think our information technology staff Mike Van De North of SinglePath Technology Support who keeps our network and systems running smoothly, and Technology Assistant Mark Pragides who supports our staff and students with day to day technology and support needs at Concord.

National Custodian Day – This special day is held on October 2 every year, and we appreciate the hard work and dedication of Pete Alt, Dan Farias, and Tina Milutinovic at Concord Elementary, and Donna Gerren, Steve Boutet, and Pete Pauley at Cass Junior High. Additionally, while they are not custodians, we are grateful for Director of Buildings, Grounds, and Transportation Keith Monaco who works nonstop, as well as Wayne Ostrowski who is our jack of all trades.

Principal Appreciation Day – Dr. Laura Anderson and Mrs. Christine Marcinkewicz are two dedicated and experienced principals who we recognize for Illinois Principal Appreciation Day, which is October 25 this year. The job of a principal is always challenging and both Dr. Anderson and Mrs. Marcinkewicz maintain high standards and a strong commitment to student growth and academic excellence at Concord and Cass.

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Homeless Veteran Donations Deadline October 28

One way we honor our veterans is by coordinating donations to the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans Freedom Commissary. The MSHV accepts your donations and provides to veterans and their families in need. Please see this flyer for information on what and where to donate.

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Cass School District 63 is seeking a teacher assistant at Cass Junior High School, as well as drivers and substitute custodians. For more information or to apply for current vacancies, here is the application and information.

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Alumni Accolades
Congratulations to Hinsdale South High School class of 2025 students Collin Caldwell, Elias Carder, Andrea Crisp, Amanda Esposito, Jeremy Fung, Jane Gallagher, Eva Gurklys, Katherine Joseph, Hailey Linarez, Langston Love, and Elizabeth Martin on being named National Merit College Board Scholars. This is a very impressive achievement and we are proud that eleven of our D63 graduates have attained this honor.

Also, congratulations to Hinsdale South students of the quarter Sam Rallo, Jeremy Fung, Emma Glashin, and Molly Severus.

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program. Lunch menus are updated regularly and payment information, preschool snacks and other details are available under the lunch program. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75.

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

As a school district, we want to celebrate our families and their diverse backgrounds and cultures. As part of our Vision 2025 Strategic Plan, Cass School District 63 is hosting a Multicultural Celebration the evening of April 11, 2025. This is something we have talked about for some time, and we are excited to make it happen.

We are assembling volunteers to help organize the event, but first we would like to gauge interest and get some ideas. To assist in our planning, we are asking parents to complete this survey and respond to the questions, each as they apply to you. If you think you might be able to participate or even if you just have ideas to share, please respond by Friday, November 1st. If you have any questions, please email me at mcross@cassd63.org.

Your responses will help us develop this into something meaningful for our students, families, and community. Thank you!

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Concord students having a great time during the DASH Fun Run.

Parent-teacher conferences are November 25 and 26 and registration for conferences is coming very soon. The general conference schedule is from 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 25, and from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26. We want to provide conferences in a format that allows for maximizing the time available, is appropriate for the grade level served, and is as parent-friendly as possible. Following are the details and registration procedures for each school.

Concord Elementary - All grade levels at Concord have both virtual and in-person conferences. Virtual conferences are available as a convenience to parents if that is your preference, but we also have an in-person option at Concord. On October 24, teachers from preschool through 4th grade will be sending parents the registration instructions and a link to the Google Calendar Scheduler. When you select your time with your child’s teacher, there will also be an opportunity to choose an in-person or virtual conference via Google Meet.

Cass Junior High School - Due to the number of conferences and tighter schedule for each teacher as well as the age levels of the students, conferences for parents of students in 5th through 8th grades will be all virtual. Beginning on November 1, junior high conferences will be scheduled online through the Meet the Teacher platform. Here is a letter from Principal Christine Marcinkewicz with the details and links for registration for when the portal opens. Reminders will be sent prior to registration opening.

We will continue to provide reminders, but please contact your child’s school office with any questions. Thank you!

At the Board meeting held on October 15, the Board welcomed students Skylar Herbert and Decker Kuntz to recognize their outstanding performance during the cross country season. The Board also recognized the preschool team, Pam Worth, Lauren Grochowski, and Kara Blatt for achieving Gold Circle recognition. The Board also reviewed the fiscal year 2024 financial audit and discussed phase two facility planning. For more information on the October 15 meeting, please see the Board Briefs.

Red Ribbon and Spirit Week is October 21-25 at Concord Elementary, and many fun activities have been planned. Here is the schedule of events as well as all the spirit themed days for students and staff.

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Supporting Our Veterans

One way we honor our veterans is by coordinating donations to the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans Freedom Commissary. The MSHV accepts your donations and provides to veterans and their families in need. Please see this flyer for information on what and where to donate.  

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CARE DASH Fun Run Success

CARE, our parent-teacher organization, coordinated and hosted the DASH Fun Run at Concord last week. This is a walking and running event that promotes school spirit, physical fitness, and healthy living, all while raising money to support our schools! The Concord students had an amazing time participating in all of the activities on such a beautiful fall morning. Thank you to CARE and our parents and families for supporting this fantastic event!

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Dodgeball Fun at Cass Junior High

We had a great turnout for the first-ever dodgeball tournament at Cass Junior High last week! With 24 teams and over 140 students participating, the students showed team spirit and outstanding sportsmanship.

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Cass Junior High Math Team is starting on Monday, October 21 and is open to all interested students. Please see this flyer for more information. Contact Ms. Mosquera with questions at kmosquera@cassd63.org.

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Halloween Festivities and Guidelines

Concord Halloween and fall festival parties are coming up at the end of October and we know that parents want to know what Halloween costumes may be worn. In order to assist in your planning, here are Concord Elementary’s guidelines, particularly as it relates to events taking place at school the morning of October 31. 

Cass Junior High is holding a Halloween Dance on October 30. Please review Cass Junior High’s guidelines for the dance and costumes.

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CARE Bowling Night

CARE is hosting its annual Bowling Night Fundraiser on Saturday, December 7. This year’s theme is Sports Legends! Be like Mike and save the date! Registration details coming are soon.

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program and lunch menus and other information are available under the link. The menus include nutritional and allergen information, as well as a detailed listing of ingredients and an option for rating food items. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. Preschool snack menus can be found here.

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

Earlier today I spoke with a few junior high students and was quickly reminded how kind and friendly so many of our kids are in District 63. Of course, this totally starts at home with you as parents because while some people are naturally friendly, it can also be taught. It might take some years to stick, but I think this is important, particularly when today it is so easy to allow a child to have their eyes on a device without ever having to acknowledge another person.

Personally, I was an old school parent who taught my kids to look people in the eye, be respectful, and always acknowledge another person's kindness. It wasn't always easy, especially when they were at an awkward age, but that was all the more reason to teach them the importance of this. I knew if they could do it as kids, these habits would carry over into adulthood.

Clearly, so many of you teach these same values, and it shows here at school. Not only do I see it, but our teachers, staff, and administrators do as well and we all talk about it. Kids are kids and they aren't always perfect, but we appreciate their good manners, kindness, and respect, and will do whatever we can to reinforce those habits and teach them the same thing here at school.

Thank you for sharing your awesome kids with us, and we will do whatever we can to help them reach their potential not only academically, but as good human beings as well!

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Cass 7th grade students exploring Springfield, Illinois.

Friday, October 11 is an early release day for school improvement activities. Concord students will be released at 11:15 a.m. and Cass students at 12:00 p.m. Additionally, there is no school on Monday in honor of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day. Enjoy your long weekend!

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Help Us Honor Our Veterans

Veterans Day is approaching and our 7th grade students are participating in a special letter writing project and this is your last chance to include your family and friends who are military veterans or on active duty. Please see this letter for more information on helping us honor the veterans you care most about.

Another way to honor our veterans is by making a donation to the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans Freedom Commissary (MSHV) who take your donations and gives them to veterans and their families in need. Please see this flyer for information on what and where to donate. 

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Social Emotional Learning at Cass Junior High School
We are working hard to meet the needs of our students both academically, as well as socially and emotionally. As part of that work, we use the MySAEBRS assessment in grades 5 through 8. The purpose of this brief, norm-referenced screener is to be proactive and work with parents and students to address any concerns as we prepare your children for high school. Here is more information on the SEL Screener and Opt Out Form that must be returned to the school office by October 15 if you do not want your child to participate. If you are fine with your child participating, there is nothing you need to do. Please contact Principal Marcinkewicz at cmarcinkewicz@cassd63.org with any questions.

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Preschool Playground Closed Temporarily
The Concord Preschool playground will be closed for no more than two weeks beginning on October 14. Concord successfully applied for and received a grant that will lead to some great improvements for our youngest students. Our kids will still be outdoors for play and recess, and we look forward to offering a great new play space for our students.

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Cass Junior High Math Team is starting on Monday, October 21 and is open to all interested students. Please see this flyer for more information. Contact Ms. Mosquera with questions at kmosquera@cassd63.org.

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Concord and Cass Halloween Festivities and Guidelines
Concord Halloween and fall festival parties are coming up at the end of October and we know that parents want to know what Halloween costumes may be worn. In order to assist in your planning, here are Concord Elementary’s guidelines, particularly as it relates to events taking place at school the morning of October 31. 

Cass Junior High is holding a Halloween Dance on October 30. Please review Cass Junior High’s guidelines for the dance and costumes.

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Concord Picture Retake Day October 16

Concord picture retake day is October 16. Students who did not have their pictures taken already or who would like to have their pictures retaken may participate. Order forms are available in the Concord Elementary Office or you may order online at www.mylifetouch.com using the Picture ID code EVTCPTFMQ. Students who are retaking their pictures must return the original photos on picture retake day so that new photos may be taken.

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7th Grade Springfield Trip

Last Friday, our 7th grade students enjoyed a full day of authentic learning in Springfield. This field trip brought the social studies curriculum to life as students explored the Illinois State Capitol, President Lincoln’s home, the Lincoln Museum, and other historical attractions. Please enjoy these pictures from this annual trip.

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Congratulations to Kaleia Pang

Congratulations to Cass Junior High student Kaleia Pang and her teammate who took 6th place overall in the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) held this past summer in Puerto Rico. Awesome!

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Music Concert Front Row Raffle

Would you like front row seats to your student’s fine arts events? CARE is raffling off front row seats to select band, choir and grade level music performances. Purchase at any time on the CARE website. The first event is the Cass Junior High Jazz Band & Advanced Vocal Ensemble Performance on October 17. Raffle tickets are $1 and will be available until October 11. 

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program and lunch menus and other information are available under the link. The menus include nutritional and allergen information, as well as a detailed listing of ingredients and an option for rating food items. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. Preschool snack menus can be found here.

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

There is nothing more important or sacred than doing whatever we can to help keep our students safe and healthy. The Healthy Kids, Safe Schools section of our website includes information that could potentially be helpful to our parents and kids. This includes people you can contact at school if you need help. There are links to resources for talking to kids about a variety of topics, references for counseling, as well as information on bullying, sex abuse prevention, suicide prevention, and crisis support.

We also include resources for keeping kids safe online, something we talk about here from time to time. Smart phones and devices in the hands of kids are very powerful tools that need to be monitored carefully by parents, with full awareness of the risks of certain social media tools in particular. Under the Social Media Safety Tips section below, we highlight some things parents should be aware of regarding Snapchat. I welcome any suggestions on other resources that we can share.

Changing topics, CARE is planning some awesome activities this year, including the Concord DASH Fun Run on our early dismissal morning of October 11. The goal this year is to raise $5,500, with 100 percent of the donations directly benefiting students. At Cass, kids have the opportunity to have fun in a dodgeball tournament that same morning as part of their activities. No fundraiser, just fun!

Lastly, I would like to thank our fall athletic coaches who put in many hours for our student-athletes at Cass Junior High School. We are very grateful to have baseball coach Craig Damrow, softball coach Danielle Hosman, and cross country coaches Scott Kondraschow and Sarah Leganski coaching our kids and running these programs. Not only are they extremely knowledgeable and excellent coaches, but they are just great human beings and amazing role models for our kids. They also teach the importance of teamwork, sacrifice, and the value of putting in the time and effort to improve.

Thank you to our coaches, and congratulations to our kids on their successful seasons so far!

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Concord students performing at a recent school assembly.

Bus Route Updates Effective October 7

The district posted updates to several bus routes that will go into effect on Monday, October 7 with the morning routes. Please be sure to check your child’s route to be sure that you have the correct stop and time. 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.

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Veterans Day is approaching and our 7th grade students are once again participating in a special letter writing project. We need your help in finding family and friends who are military veterans or on active duty. Please see this letter for more information on helping us honor the veterans you care most about. We will honor veterans on November 12, and we ask that names are submitted by October 11 on the form.

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Preschool Playground Closed Temporarily

The Concord Preschool playground will be closed for no more than two weeks beginning on October 14. Concord successfully applied for and received a grant that will lead to some great improvements for our youngest students. Our kids will still be outdoors for play and recess, and we look forward to offering a great new play space for our students.

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The DASH Fun Run is October 11, and all Concord students are invited to help raise funds for CARE. Concord students will participate in running or walking laps and enjoying outdoor activities, regardless of dollars contributed. Our goal this year is to raise $5,500, with 100 percent of the donations directly benefiting students. See the flyer for more details, and pledge sheets will be sent home on September 30.

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Preschool Family Day and DASH Run

Preschool families are invited to come to Concord Elementary on Friday, October 11, from 8:15 - 9:00 a.m. to participate in the DASH Fun Run! All preschoolers will be able to participate with their families and friends in this CARE sponsored activity, and fundraising is not necessary to attend. To make the event more age appropriate, we will participate in playground games and activities in lieu of running laps. Make sure to wear gym shoes so everyone can enjoy playing on our playground! This family day will be tons of fun and helps to support our parent organization. A google form was recently sent to all preschool families.

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Girls Softball Finishes Strong

The softball team had a great season, finishing as the 5th seed going into the conference tournament. The girls grew together and played together as a team all season, improving each and every game. There was great leadership and each player showed a lot of heart and effort throughout the season. They played each opponent tough and made them work for their wins. It was a memorable season that we will be looking to grow upon moving into next year, but we will definitely miss our three 8th graders! Congratulations on a great season to Coach Hosman and the team!

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Congratulations to Vincent Chen

Cass Junior High student Vincent Chen competed in the XXXII Pan Am Junior Badminton Championships this past summer in Mexico taking 2nd place for U15 singles and 3rd place for U15 doubles! Congratulations and great job Vincent!

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As a school district, we share information from time to time regarding social media with parents to help keep our children safe. Please always remember no child under the age of 13 should be on any form of social media, including and especially Snapchat. Snapchat is popular with young people and while the premise behind the app seems innocent, it can lead to serious problems if used inappropriately.

Snapchat offers extra protections for 13 to 17 year olds, including requiring teens to be mutually connected or in their respective phone contacts before they can start communicating. Snap has a set of in-app parental tools called Family Center to help parents get insight into how their teens are using Snapchat, including who they are communicating with and what public content they are viewing. Kids and parents can easily report concerning accounts to Snap’s 24/7 Trust and Safety Team.

Here is a list of important actions to help protect your teens on Snapchat:

• Family and Friends Only – Tell your teen to only invite and accept Friends on Snapchat if they are friends in real life or family members. Encourage them to check their Friends List regularly to make sure they still want to be in touch with each friend.
• Location and Privacy Settings – Talk to your teen about their location and privacy settings. At Snapchat, privacy settings are turned on by default, so people can only see the things you want to share, for as long as you want to share them.
• In-App Reporting – Make sure your teen knows how to use the in-app reporting tools, and Snapchatters do not know who reported them. These reports go directly to the 24/7 Trust and Safety team to investigate and take appropriate action. There are also reporting tools for those who don’t use Snapchat, which any parent can easily use.
• Think Before You Send – Remind your teen that, as with sharing anything online, it’s important to be really careful about sending anyone – even a partner or close friend – personal or sensitive images and information. Snaps and Chats may delete by default, but there are ways to capture images from a phone or other device without a person’s consent. This is true despite Snapchat sending a notification in some instances when a screenshot is taken.
• Join Family Center – Make sure you and your teen are signed up for Snapchat’s Family Center.

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Girls Cheer Tryouts October 7-9

Cass Junior High cheer clinic and tryouts are October 7, 8 and 10. Please see this flyer for more important information. Please contact Mrs. Gorzkowski at agorzkowski@cassd63.org or Mrs. Gray at agray@cassd63.org with questions.

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Girls Basketball Tryouts October 7 and 8

Girls basketball tryouts are on October 7 and 8 in the Cass Junior High gym from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Students must have an IHSA Pre-participation Examination dated within the last year on file in order to try out. Please contact Coach Landon Mitchell at lmitchell@cassd63.org with questions.

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Concord Picture Retake Day October 16

Concord picture retake day is October 16. Students who did not have their pictures taken already or who would like to have their pictures retaken may participate. Order forms are available in the Concord Elementary Office or you may order online at www.mylifetouch.com using the Picture ID code EVTCPTFMQ. Students who are retaking their pictures must return the original photos on picture retake day so that new photos may be taken.

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Music Concert Front Row Raffle

Would you like front row seats to your student’s fine arts events? CARE is raffling off front row seats to select band, choir and grade level music performances. Purchase at any time on the CARE website. The first event is the Cass Junior High Jazz Band & Advanced Vocal Ensemble Performance on October 17. Raffle tickets are $1 and will be available until October 11. 

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Cass School District 63 is seeking a permanent substitute teacher and teacher assistants for the 2024-25 school year. For more information or to apply for current vacancies, here is the application and information. 

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program and lunch menus and other information are available under the link. The menus include nutritional and allergen information, as well as a detailed listing of ingredients and an option for rating food items. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. Preschool snack menus can be found here.

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

This week, I just want to express our gratitude for the support you as parents show our children, teachers, staff, and schools. I believe that a great partnership between home and school is a very important piece of providing our kids with a great education, and your assistance and support is an essential component of that partnership.

Over this past week as part of my professional work, I have spoken with school superintendents from different parts of Illinois, and across the country as well. To put it kindly, some of them have some very “interesting” stories that would demonstrate quite the opposite of anything resembling parental support.

While we are far from perfect and no parent is either, by communicating and working together we can achieve so many great outcomes for our kids. They are totally worth that effort, as they are why we are all here. Thank you!

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Concord students excited about Dot Day activities.

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Honoring Our Veteran Family and Friends

Veterans Day is approaching and our 7th grade students are once again participating in a special letter writing project. We need your help in finding family and friends who are military veterans or on active duty. Please see this letter for more information on helping us honor the veterans you care most about. We will honor veterans on November 12, and we ask that names are submitted by October 11 on the form.

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Concord Fun Run T-Shirt Orders Due September 30

The DASH Fun Run is October 11, and all Concord students are invited to help raise funds for CARE. Concord students will participate in running or walking laps and enjoying outdoor activities, regardless of dollars contributed. Our goal this year is to raise $5,500, with 100 percent of the donations directly benefiting students. See the flyer for more details, and pledge sheets will be sent home on September 30.

Also, if you have not already purchased a DASH t-shirt for your child and wish to do so, you can send in your DASH t-shirt order form or purchase online by Monday, September 30. Students will be welcome to wear their shirts on the day of the event.

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Preschool Family Day and DASH Run

Preschool families are invited to come to Concord Elementary on Friday, October 11, from 8:15 - 9:00 a.m. to participate in the DASH Fun Run! All preschoolers will be able to participate with their families and friends in this CARE sponsored activity, and fundraising is not necessary to attend. To make the event more age appropriate, we will participate in playground games and activities in lieu of running laps. Make sure to wear gym shoes so everyone can enjoy playing on our playground! This family day will be tons of fun and helps to support our parent organization. A google form was recently sent to all preschool families.

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Junior High Picture Retake Day October 3

Cass Junior High Picture retake Day is Thursday, October 3. Students who did not have pictures taken on Orientation Day or who would like to have their pictures retaken may participate. Order forms are available in the Cass Junior High Office or you may order online at mylifetouch.com using the Picture ID Code EVT7KF9CF. Students who are retaking their pictures must return the original photos on picture retake day so that new photos may be taken.

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Cass Junior High Elects Leadership Team

Congratulations to our newly elected Cass Junior High Student Council Leadership Team! We look forward to Maya H., Rhett H., Grace T., and Addison W. leading our student leaders this year. Student Council as a whole meets once a month after school until 5:00 p.m. Meeting dates are shown on the district calendar and the next general assembly meeting will be October 8. Student Council sponsors this year are Amy Pollitz, Marie Musil, and Susan Paszkowski.

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Concord Celebrates Dot Day

Last week, students and teachers at Concord School recently celebrated International Dot Day by designing dots for a collaborative mural and creating other pieces of art, as well as completing dot themed STEM activities and learning growth mindset in Skills For Learning. Dot Week celebrates creativity, art, and recognizes the ability to “connect the dots” to celebrate community and human potential. Dot Day is inspired by Peter Reynolds' picture book, The Dot.

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6th Grade MAP Students Study Architecture

   

Our 6th grade MAP students recently completed their study of architecture with a field trip to the Chicago Architecture Center. The walking tour challenged our students to view our beautiful city through the lens of architecture and history. In addition, parent Chris Jackson, spoke to our class about his career as an architect. We thank him for his time in explaining the education required and responsibilities of an architect.

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Girls Basketball Tryouts October 7 and 8

Girls basketball tryouts are on October 7 and 8 in the Cass Junior High gym from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Students must have an IHSA Pre-participation Examination dated within the last year on file in order to try out. Please contact Coach Landon Mitchell at lmitchell@cassd63.org with questions.

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Concord Fall Festival and Halloween Costume Guidelines

Concord Halloween and fall festival parties are coming up at the end of October and we know that parents want to know what Halloween costumes may be worn. In order to assist in your planning, Dr. Anderson is sharing our school guidelines, particularly as it relates to events taking place at school the morning of October 31. 

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Music Concert Front Row Raffle

Would you like front row seats to your student’s fine arts events? CARE is raffling off front row seats to select band, choir and grade level music performances. Purchase at any time on the CARE website. The first event is the Cass Junior High Jazz Band & Advanced Vocal Ensemble Performance on October 17. Raffle tickets are $1 and will be available until October 11. 

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Cass School District 63 is seeking a permanent substitute teacher and teacher assistants for the 2024-25 school year. For more information or to apply for current vacancies, here is the application and information. 

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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program and lunch menus and other information are available under the link. The menus include nutritional and allergen information, as well as a detailed listing of ingredients and an option for rating food items. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. Preschool snack menus can be found here.

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

Last Friday, there was an incident at Hinsdale South High School that involved social media posts similar to others that have recently been spread, resulting in the district taking cautionary action to ensure the safety of students and staff. The district handled the situation quickly, worked closely with the police department, enacted their safety procedures, and determined that it was not a credible threat.

Unfortunately, these kinds of threats have become way too common. The one bit of good news is law enforcement is holding both children and their parents accountable for these posts, threats, and also in other extreme cases, the actual acts of violence.

The events also lead to rumors and questions about how and when the school districts communicate. I will be sharing more on this soon, but what I want you to know is that in the event we would have such an emergency, our first priorities are (1) the immediate safety and security of our students and staff; (2) investigating the issue and making certain we have all of the necessary information; and (3) communicating to parents and the school community.

We will always communicate, but it may not be the minute that it happens or in real time. If we are in a full lockdown, that also means you will not be able to come to the school, as we cannot and will not open any doors. In this highly unlikely scenario, our focus will always be on the safety of everyone here first, and you can be certain we will communicate with you as soon as possible.

But first, let’s do what we can to make sure that is never necessary. Keep an eye on your kids and their social media, and please share with us immediately if you have any concerns at all. Students and families can also confidentially contact the Safe2Help tip line by calling (844) 4-SAFE-IL, which is (844) 472-3345, texting SAFE2 which is 72332 or by emailing Help@Safe2HelpIL.com. By all means, if you see something, definitely say something. We will always take it seriously. Our kids and their safety is worth it.

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns and I will continue to share more on this topic. Thank you! 

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

Our students recently celebrated Patriot Day at Concord.

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Preschool Program Achieves Gold Circle Status

We are excited to announce that our Concord preschool program has achieved Gold Circle of Quality Status through ExcelRate Illinois. The Gold Circle of Quality recognizes programs which have demonstrated quality on a set of standards that focus on early learning and development and places a high priority on instructional excellence, family services, staff qualifications, professional development, and program administration.

We appreciate the hard work of our preschool team and coordinator Pam Worth, teachers Kara Blatt and Lauren Grochowski, speech pathologist Jane York, and all of our dedicated preschool teacher assistants, as well as the support of Principal Laura Anderson and Assistant Principal Katie Doyle. Their hard work and commitment to providing the best possible education to our youngest learners is the reason we have once again earned this honor. We are very proud of this achievement!

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Concord Honors Patriot Day

Concord Elementary School recently honored the United States of America and our many heroes in various ways, including a whole school patriotic assembly. This program of beautiful patriotic music from our students was led by music teacher Kali Sheldon. Please enjoy these pictures from the week.

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We Need Our Veteran Family and Friends

Veterans Day is approaching and our 7th grade students are once again participating in a special letter writing project, and we need your help in finding family and friends who are military veterans or on active duty. Please see this letter for more information on helping us honor the veterans you care most about.

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At the meeting held on September 17, the Board of Education met our new staff, held a hearing on the fiscal year 2025 budget, and reviewed updates related to the facility improvement projects. The Board Briefs include more details about the meeting.

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Fast Start to Cross Country

   

Our cross country team got off to a fast start, kicking off the season with a weeklong summer training before the start of the school year. We had a strong showing at our first meet, where Sky Herbert took 1st place overall in the girls race, a first at Jefferson in a long time. Sky is one of six 8th grade girls on our team, which means that we have a deep lineup of leadership this season. 

Decker Kuntz has been leading the way for our boys team as a 6th grader with a strong start to the season, taking 3rd place and 4th place overall in his first two races. Our boys team is young with a lot of room to grow, but we are learning how to work together and motivate each other to make the most out of practices, meets, and invitationals.

The Cross Country teams are coached by Scott Kondraschow and Sarah Leganski. Go Warriors!

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Girls Basketball Tryouts October 7 and 8

Girls basketball tryouts are on October 7 and 8 in the Cass Junior High gym from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Students must have an IHSA Pre-participation Examination dated within the last year on file in order to try out. Please contact Coach Landon Mitchell at lmitchell@cassd63.org with questions.

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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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Save the Date 10-11-24 for our DASH Fun Run! CARE is still looking for sponsors or any type of donation. Be a DASH sponsor for $300 and CARE will advertise your business on our social media. Click the link to learn more!

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The next CARE meeting is this Monday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the District Community Room located at Cass Junior High. We hope to see you there!

Cass Junior High book fair is coming up next week from September 24-26. Please see the link for more information.

You have one more week to get your spirit wear! Make sure your kids are decked out in Concord and Cass spirit wear during the 2024-25 school year. The spirit wear store is open from September 12 through September 27. Don’t miss out!

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Cass School District 63 is seeking a permanent substitute teacher and teacher assistants for the 2024-25 school year. For more information or to apply for 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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Just A Dash Catering is our partner for the school lunch program and lunch menus and other information are available under the link. The menus include nutritional and allergen information, as well as a detailed listing of ingredients and an option for rating food items. Lunches are $4.00 and milk is $0.75. Preschool snack menus can be found here.

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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

This week I would like to address two important safety matters, the first on a more national scale and the second right here close to home and school.

Last week I shared with you the Safe Firearm Storage Guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health. This is timely not only as good reminders for parents and citizens who are responsible gun owners, but also in light of last week’s tragedy at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Tragedies such as this always bring stark reminders to the surface, and gun safety includes not only handling, but safe storage as well.

Related to this, I will always remind parents to be very mindful of what your children are watching, hearing, and talking about on social media. You can never be sure, and you can never be too safe. As with guns, with smartphones and social media come great responsibility.

Bringing this much closer to home in terms of the safety of our littles ones in particular, we need the assistance and cooperation of our parents to make certain that it is safe at drop off time, particularly at Concord. The information below under “important notice” is outlined very clearly.

Also, if you are in the car line, you have to go through it just like everyone else. No U-turns in school traffic, or we will involve the police. Please exercise patience and care at all times, and pay attention to your surroundings and not your phone. This is the law in school traffic zones.

We appreciate your assistance and cooperation with these important matters. Your questions are welcome at any time. Thank you!

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

All of our Cass students coming together on the first day of school.

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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.

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Cass Junior High Remembers September 11

 

On Patriot Day, Mrs. Jemin’s class at Cass Junior High School released balloons in honor of those lost on September 11, 2001. On September 13, each grade level will participate in a different activity surrounding 9/11. Grade 5 will view a photo essay which demonstrates the basics around what took place. Students discuss a video called ‘what would you do’ which commemorates a person who led people to safety during the attacks. Grade 6 reads and discusses a prologue that Mayor Guiliani wrote for a book produced by Life Magazine about 9/11. 6th graders also learn about Gander, Canada and its significance during 9/11. Grade 7 views and discusses a timeline activity from the 9-11 Memorial Museum, which includes many photos and video clips that the class discusses as a group. Grade 8 will view a video entitled “9/11 Heroes: Surviving the Biggest Attack on US Soil.” Students will then participate in a “Days of Infamy” activity which compares and contrasts the speeches from President Roosevelt after Pearl Harbor and President Bush after the respective attacks. Teachers and students read both of the speeches, watch videos of both speeches, discuss in groups and complete a related activity.

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Cass Conference Golf Match

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!

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Just A Dash Lunch Program

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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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, including red on Monday, orange on Tuesday, yellow on Wednesday, green on Thursday, and blue on Friday.

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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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.

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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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Cass School District 63 is seeking a permanent substitute teacher and teacher assistants for the 2024-25 school year. For more information or to apply for current vacancies, here is the application and information.

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CARE Updates
CARE Dine to Donate is back and to kick things off is Melt n Dip in Willowbrook on September 18. Enjoy a wonderful after dinner treat and bring this flyer with you to ensure that 15 percent of your purchases are donated back to our schools.

Make sure your kids are decked out in Concord and Cass spirit wear during the 2024-25 school year. The spirit wear store is open from September 12 through September 27. Don’t miss out!

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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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Dear Cass School District 63 Parents,

Politics is a topic we rarely address here, but I think it is important to share some thoughts so that our parents are aware of where we come from and how we handle related discussions. This is particularly important with the presidential campaigns leading up to the election exactly two months from today.

On the evening of September 10, the debate between Vice President Harris and former President Trump will be broadcast live. I started watching these debates many years ago as a kid at home with my parents. I won’t age myself as to which elections those were, but it was certainly a different era in terms of the discourse surrounding elections. Today we live in times that are much more politically divided.

What I want you to know is that what our district, teachers, and staff will never intentionally do is contribute to that divide. If a teacher has a curriculum-based reason for discussing the presidential election at an age-appropriate level, they will do so as they should. Teaching civics, history, social studies, and discussing current events is as important as ever, particularly as we get into the upper grade levels of the students we are preparing for high school and beyond.

What we don’t do is teach political views, as we believe that parents should decide what you discuss as a family. Our guidance for teachers is that they should be able to facilitate an age-appropriate discussion with their students and at the end of that discussion, the kids don’t really know where the teacher stands. Teachers are human and of course have their own individual opinions, but the kids in any classroom reflect a wide range of beliefs and opinions, which is something we respect.

Obviously this isn’t going to be an issue at school for our younger ones, but if appropriate to the curriculum and the age level of the students involved, teachers will handle any related discussions with sensitivity and common sense. We are not here to teach your child what to think, but we will certainly teach them to think critically, and elections are a great opportunity to do just that.

That said, some kids may express views or political speech as part of a greater discussion, or in other ways at school. This is fine, so long as opinions are expressed appropriately, free of insults or inappropriate language, and are not disruptive to the teaching and learning environment. We are not here to get involved with or facilitate political debates, but simply want to teach our students what they need to know to be informed citizens.

I hope this approach comes across as reasonable and common sense as it is intended. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, and thank you for your incredible support of our students, teachers, and schools in District 63!

Mark R. Cross, Superintendent

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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.

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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.

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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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Part-Time Kitchen Help Needed at Concord

Just a Dash Catering is looking for part-time kitchen help during the school day, right here in District 63. Here is more information on how to apply, or contact Superintendent Mark Cross at mcross@cassd63.org with any questions. The school district is also seeking a permanent substitute teacher and teacher assistants. For more information or to apply for this or other current vacancies, here is the application and information. 

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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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