News

Dear Addams Community:

We ended the week with a bang! Our students took part in a variety of activities this morning in support of our building goals. The students began the day in Inspire for an Addams FLEX session. Students who had missing assignments were able to work on completing them (the trimester ends next Friday), while teachers pulled small groups for to reteach and enrich. The students then completed the Illinois 5Essentials survey and took part in a trivia review game. Then, the real fun began as we held our newest installment of the world famous, Addams Accept, Achieve, Amaze Assemblies. The assemblies were really celebration extravaganzas as we featured performances from the Addams Chorus, a brief staff versus the girls’ volleyball team game, a wrestling demonstration, a ping pong ball giveaway and a presentation in honor of Black History Month from our Multicultural Club. Finally, 46 students earned a pass on the Addams Energy Bus to go on a special field trip. These students received the most nominations from staff members for exuding the tenets of the Energy Bus on a regular basis. The assemblies were the perfect way to head out for the three-day weekend!
 
As always, we are grateful for our partnership with our families! Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Regards,

Chris Bingen         Bill Musselman 

Principal               Assistant Principal

 Important Dates to Remember: 

• Feb. 20: No school, Presidents Day
• Feb. 23: Family Bingo Night, 6 to 7:30 pm (new date)
• March 7, 9 and 10: IAR Assessment testing 
• March 27-31: Spring Break 

Family Bingo Night

On Thursday, February 23 from 6 to 7:30 pm, we will be holding a Family Bingo Night at Addams in our cafeteria. There will be opportunities to win gift cards and other prizes. In addition, we will sell food, play music and ask trivia questions, “would you rather” questions, etc. between each round of Bingo. Please talk to your child and consider signing up for the event.

Click here to sign up.

IAR (Illinois Assessment of Readiness) 
 Each spring, students in District 54 take federally mandated assessments (IAR) designed to help school districts understand how our students are growing academically.  This year, the English Language Arts and Math Assessment for grades 3-8 will be given at school starting March 6th.  At Addams, students will test on March 7, 9 and 10.  

Dartmouth Lane and Atcher Park Car Drop-off
For parents that drop your child off in the morning at Atcher Park, we need your support! Please do not stop and let students off until you are closer to the entrance of Atcher Park. It is very dangerous when students are getting out of cars in the middle of the same path as where the buses are trying to exit the lot. In addition, parents that drop your students off on Dartmouth Lane, please have a conversation with your child about being careful as they are crossing over the parking lot. We have had some close calls lately and the last thing we want is a student to get injured.

Graduation Gowns and Medallions
The 8th grade graduation date will not be finalized by the school district until March. The School Board and administration wait until the threat of inclement weather/snow days are over before settling on a date. However, we have already begun preparations for graduation. We have gathered student sizes for graduation gowns. As part of our ceremony, all students will wear a gown and receive a keepsake medallion. Payment for gowns and medallions can be made in one of three ways:

1. Log on to the school store on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal and purchase the gown/medallion. The cost is $22 (with a $2 processing fee).
2. Make a check out to Addams Junior High for $22 and drop it off at the Addams office. 
3. Send your student with $22 cash in an envelope with their name on it, labeled “graduation fee”.

All payment is requested by no later than February 24. 

Yearbook 
Yearbook orders will close February 24, 2023 and can be purchased online only. No yearbooks will be available to purchase in person.
To place an order, go to www.jostens.com.

• Click on “Order Yearbook”.
• Type “Jane Addams Junior High School, Schaumburg, IL” in the search bar.
• Click on the “Jane Addams Junior High School” crusader icon.
• Click “Buy Now”.
• Complete the online order form. Be sure the order goes through and you receive a confirmation
•  number. Please keep your confirmation number!
• Yearbook distribution procedure will be announced in May.

5Essentials

Once again we are reaching out to our families and asking you to participate in the annual Illinois 5Essentials Survey to provide us with your perspective and help guide our school improvement efforts. The parent survey will be available online through March 31, 2023, at survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois. 

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and is available in English and Spanish. Note: the survey will time out and you will need to start over if you don’t finish in one sitting.

If you have more than one child, you may complete the survey for each child. You will be asked to select your county and then your child’s school. Be aware that there are other “Jane Addams” schools in Illinois so make sure you are picking the one in Schaumburg. 

Windy City Bulls Game – March 21
The Windy City Bulls will host a District 54 takeover night on Tuesday, March 21, at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, and a portion of the proceeds from each $20 ticket purchased will be donated to the District 54 Education Foundation Crisis Fund to support families in our community.
 
Click here for more information or to purchase tickets!
 
The District 54 takeover night will feature District 54 students participating in performances and other on-court experiences before and during breaks in the game, as well as a District 54 Special Olympics basketball match at halftime.
 

District 54 Personal Assessment of Core Competency Survey 
 District 54 is committed to ensuring not only the academic success of each child, but also their social-emotional wellbeing. Your insight as a parent/guardian is essential in creating the most well-rounded picture of your student’s strengths and opportunities for growth. To gather your perspective, District 54 will send families of students in grades 3-8 an email link for each child to the District 54 Personal Assessment of Core Competency Survey on Monday, January 9th.  Thank you in advance for participating in this survey, as we believe the home-school collaboration is critical to best support your child’s overall well-being.
 

Residency for 2023-24
District 54 will hold kindergarten/new student registration for the 2023-24 school year by appointment only. Starting Wednesday, January 25, 2023, families that have a student currently enrolled in District 54 can register incoming kindergarten students through their Parent Portal account. Families new to District 54 can register through the link on our website (http://sd54.org/registration ).

Once your online registration is complete, please contact your school to schedule your in-person appointment to complete your student’s registration and provide documentation. If you have any questions, please contact our office.

Registration Assistance
 Do you have a child who will be starting school in August 2023? If you do and would like support with registering, we are here to help! You are invited to join us at any of the sites listed below. Staff will be available to help you complete the form and answer any questions you may have.

• Blackwell Elementary School – 6-8 p.m. Feb. 16 at 345 N. Walnut in Schaumburg. Translators available for Spanish.
• Lakeview Elementary School – 6-8 p.m. Feb. 16 at 615 Lakeview Lane in Hoffman Estates. Translators available for Spanish.
• John Muir Elementary School – 6-8 p.m. Feb. 23 at 1973 N. Kensington Lane in Hoffman Estates. Translators available for Spanish and Ukrainian.
• Stevenson Elementary School – 6-8 p.m. Feb. 23 at 1414 Armstrong Lane in Elk Grove Village. Translators available for Spanish and Polish.
• Aldrin Elementary School – 6-8 p.m. Feb. 28 at 617 Boxwood Drive in Schaumburg. Translators available for Spanish.

Now available!  Become a District 54 Paraprofessional Using a Short-Term Paraprofessional License.
 Have you always wanted to work full-time in District 54?  Have you always liked the idea of assisting a teacher or helping a student reach their full potential?  If you hold a high school diploma (or the equivalent) you are now qualified to become a District 54 Paraprofessional through the short-term paraprofessional license.  It is simple to apply for this license and the information is available here.  Be sure to visit the District 54 website and click on the Careers button to apply! 

English Learner Kindergarten Information Night – Feb. 22
Does your soon-to-be kindergarten student also need support learning English? If you answered yes, please attend the District 54 English Learner Kindergarten Information Night to learn more about dual language and English resource programs in District 54. The event will be held from 6-7 p.m. Feb. 22 at the District 54 Professional Learning Center, 522 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg. Information will be shared about how students who need help with learning English are identified and supported in our schools. Spanish, Ukrainian and Japanese translators will be available.
  

District 54 Severe Weather Response Plan
 In order to help parents better prepare for the severe cold weather and snow we often get during winters in our community, please review the District 54 Severe Weather Response Plan.

District 54 Virtual Backpack
 District 54 shares information about community events with our students and families through our Virtual Backpack.  We know that parents are interested in extracurricular activities. At the same time, we don’t want the homework, letters from the teachers, school news and other important district information to get lost among the countless other pieces of paper in our students’ backpacks.  Please click here for additional information.