Principal's Message
Dear Addams Families,
Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year at Jane Addams Junior High! August is here and it’s time to start thinking about “back to school”. We are excited for another highly successful year and cannot wait to see how our Addams community comes together to ACCEPT, ACHIEVE, and AMAZE. Our Addams Announcements memos are designed to keep you connected, informed, and ahead of the curve all year long with updates, important dates, and celebrations of student successes. We are honored to team up with you and cannot wait for the year ahead.
Regards,
Bill Musselman, Principal
Stefanie Veit, Assistant Principal
School News
Information Day
Information Day is Thursday, August 13th from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. If families choose to attend Information Day, students will receive a copy of their schedule, be given the opportunity to buy PTA spirit wear and can take self-guided tours of the building. New this year: we will be selling Addams student planners for $10 and calculators for $13. Students must be accompanied by a parent to attend Information Day.
Jane Addams Annual Block party
During Information Day, we will be holding our Annual Block Party from 4:00 p.m - 6 p.m. This will provide an opportunity for our Addams students and parents to mingle with some of the Addams staff. Old Town Pizza and Culvers on Wise Rd team up to generously donate pizza, water and custard. Bring a blanket and enjoy some DJ music and good friends. See the flyer for more information about the block party.
What happens if you cannot attend Information Day?
We realize that many families may be out of town or not available on August 13th. This is perfectly OK! As long as residency is up-to-date, you can log on to the Infinite Campus parent portal on August 10th to view your child’s schedule. Please ensure to view or print your child’s schedule prior to arriving for Information Day. Students will also be receiving tours and refreshers during their first days of school, so it is ok if you are unable to join us on the 13th.
Proof of Residency/Registration (REQUIRED for all families)
Prior to your arrival, please check your registration/residency to ensure that it is complete and update all email addresses and phone numbers. If you have not proven residency for the upcoming school year, please visit the Addams Main Office with the proper documentation to serve as proof of residency (lease, closing documents, in lieu of lease). Please know that if proof of residency is not current or registration is incomplete, then your child will not be able to obtain their class schedule until updated.
Student Schedules in Infinite Campus
On Monday, August 10, your student’s schedule will be visible on the Infinite Campus Portal. Please know that our priority when creating your student’s class schedule is ensuring that your student is placed in the appropriate core content subject classes (Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, and PE). Once those classes are scheduled, every effort is made to honor your student’s elective requests.
However, due to priority scheduling placed on core content class placement, we cannot guarantee that your student will get both of the electives they have requested. With over 700 students in our school, the task of ensuring that all students are placed into both of their requested electives is quite challenging. Thank you in advance for your continued support.
Parent Portal
Locker Assignments
Your student will be randomly assigned a hallway locker where they can keep their instructional materials and personal items. Their locker assignment and combination is unique to them and not to be shared. Please note that most 8th grade students will keep the same locker assignment and combination that they used during their 7th grade school year—only current 7th grade students will receive a new locker assignment. Each student’s locker assignment and combination will be typed on their class schedule that they can pick up at our Information Day event or during their first day of school.
To access your student’s locker assignment and combination on the Portal, please use the steps below:
Log in to the IC Portal, select “More” on the left-hand side and then “Lockers”.
This will show your student’s locker number and combination.
Note that the locker combination format will be all numbers with leading zeros (Example: 010232 would be 01-02-32)
First Day of School
The first full day of school is Monday, August 17 and will be for 7th grade students ONLY. This day is designated for seventh grade students to get acclimated and comfortable with Jane Addams Junior High by practicing opening their lockers, getting to know staff and walking through their schedules. The first day of school for both 7th and 8th grade students is Tuesday, August 18. On this day, all students are asked to bring a lunch to eat, their school supplies, and their class schedule. During the first days of school, we will be reviewing with the students a number of school policies. Please take a moment to talk with your child about key points found in our Family-Student Handbook linked below.
Parent-Student Handbook
Student Drop-off/Pick-up
The following procedures have been established because student safety is our primary concern. We understand that some arrival/dismissal procedures may be an inconvenience, but as stated above, safety is our top priority. A community map is attached, and I highlighted the two appropriate areas to drop off students. To ensure student safety, cars are not allowed in the Addams parking lot from 7:20 - 7:40.
There is no adult supervision prior to the 7:30 am bell. Therefore, students should arrive at school no earlier than 7:25 am. (unless coming early for morning math support or study hall)
All big bus riders will enter the building through Doors 1 and 5
All small bus riders should enter the building through the cafeteria doors
Students who walk or are dropped off from the Atcher Pool and Dartmouth Lane directions should enter the building through door 5 (YELLOW pathway on map)
Students who walk or are dropped off from the Norwell and Westover Lanes should enter the building through door 21 after utilizing the crosswalk in our parking lot (BLUE pathway on map)
Parking on Norwell Lane in front of Addams is prohibited
Dropping students off on Springinsguth Road is strictly prohibited
Supply Lists
Click here to find the 2026-27 school supply list. Teachers would like your student to bring all supplies with them on the first day of school. Remember to mark your student’s personal items with his/her name to avoid confusion if an item is misplaced. Addams will be selling custom student planners for $10 and calculators for $13. In addition, if any parent would like to donate extra boxes of Kleenex, it would be greatly appreciated. Kleenex can be dropped off when you come for Information Day.
Fall Sports
Girls basketball tryouts and Cross Country will begin on August 24. In order to participate in these or any sport, an approved physical examination must be on file with the school. With fall sports starting so soon, I wanted to remind families that District 54 will be charging an athletic participation fee this year to students participating in sports to cover a portion of the costs of uniforms, transportation, officials, supplies and equipment and coach stipends. The fee would be $50 for one sport, $40 for a second sport and $30 if a student were to participate in a third sport this school year. The fee will appear in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal after a student has been rostered to a team. Please click below to follow step-by-step instructions on how to register your child for a fall sport.
If your child plans to try out for one of our athletic teams and/or participate in intramurals, per School Board Policy, current physicals are required of all students to be on file prior to try-outs and/or participation in any inter-scholastic or intramural sport. All new students entering our district must present proof of immunizations and a health examination prior to the first day of attendance. Please note that physical examinations are good for 13 months from the date of the exam. If you have any additional questions about your child’s physical, please contact our school nurse.
Sports Registration Tutorial
School Hours & Office Hours
School hours are 7:30 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. with first period beginning at 7:40 am. Please note: beginning Wednesday, August 19, every Wednesday is designated for staff development. Students are dismissed 30 minutes early at 1:45 p.m.
Addams office hours are Monday - Friday from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Please note that our student absence line (847-357-5902) is available 24 hours a day. If your child will be absent from school, please call before 7:30 AM to report an absence.
Bus Passes
If your child is eligible to ride a bus to school, then the D54 Transportation Department will mail your child’s bus pass to your home before school begins. If your child rides the bus to and from school, please note the following:
All students riding a bus are required to show their bus pass upon boarding the bus. If a student loses their bus pass, a replacement bus pass may be acquired in the main office.
If your child is assigned a bus, please encourage them to take the bus home after school for safety reasons.
For students who are eligible for busing and choose to stay after school hours for sports and/or clubs, an activity bus is available to take your child home once after school activities begin on Monday, August 24. The after school buses begin loading students at 3:50 PM and depart Addams at 4:00 PM. Please encourage your child to take advantage of the activity bus and stay at Addams for our great extra-curricular offerings.
Curriculum Night
Addams Curriculum Night will take place on Thursday, August 20 from 6:00-8:00 PM. This event will begin with a brief presentation from families in the Addams Gym @ 6:00 PM, followed by an opportunity to visit your child’s classes and meet their teachers! More information will be sent in the coming weeks regarding this event.
PTA News
Join the PTA!
We are excited to announce our PTA Executive Board for the 26-27 School Year:
President - Amanda Whelan
1st V.P. - Ranzie Wilson
2nd V.P. - Sophia Arikenbi
Treasurer - Zara Ajdari
Secretary - Michelle Tunquist
During Information Day, you will also have the opportunity to sign up for our PTA. We have an absolutely amazing and dedicated PTA that works diligently to support our students. Please stop by the PTA tables to receive hot lunch forms and learn more about how you can help this organization that provides meaningful learning opportunities for your children.
PTA Fun Lunch
We work with Marlas Lunch to offer:
Fun Lunch options available every Friday, starting September
Fresh, daily deliveries from both national and local restaurants
Great vendor rotation and a wide menu variety
Convenient online ordering, making it easy to shop, order, and pay
Flexibility to order weekly, monthly, or for the entire session
Registration and ordering for the upcoming session will open in early August. For more information, please visit our website
District 54 News
Motorized Bikes, Scooters, etc. Prohibited
Electric bikes, scooters and skateboards are not permitted on District 54 property, due to safety concerns including the potential for accidents and the possibility of fire associated with such devices. This applies to students, as well as to family members and friends who may be picking up or dropping off students at school.
No Food Deliveries Allowed
With a focus on student and staff safety, District 54 will not allow food delivery services (including, but not limited to, GrubHub, DoorDash, and local restaurants) to our schools. We will continue to have hot lunch days, which are planned events, organized and supervised by school or PTA volunteers. However, we will no longer accept other outside food deliveries to keep our schools secure.
Save the Dates:
August 13: Information Day (3:30 to 6:30 pm)
August 13: Block Party (4:00 to 6 pm)
August 17: 1st Day of school for 7th grade Crusaders ONLY
August 18: 1st Day for 7th and 8th grade Crusaders
August 20: Addams Curriculum Night @ 6 pm (Parents Only)
September 7: No school - Labor Day
September 14: Picture Day
September 16: Half-Day - Early dismissal at 10:45