Principal's Message
Dear Addams Families,
We are very excited for our students to return to school on Monday. Thank you to all of our families and students who attended our Info Day and Block Party. It was so great to meet and welcome as many families as we could. It would not have been possible without our partnership with Culver’s Schaumburg and Old Town Pizza, as well as over 30 staff volunteers. As a reminder, Monday, August 17th is the first day of school for 6th & 7th graders ONLY. All students (including 8th graders) should attend on Tuesday, August 18th. Please see below for a helpful checklist for families of important tasks to go through for these upcoming first weeks of school.
Looking ahead, our entire staff is beyond excited to welcome everyone back! We are looking forward to meeting our underclassmen on Monday and welcoming back our 8th graders on Tuesday. We can't wait to have all of our Crusaders under one roof next week—it's going to be a fantastic year!
Regards,
Bill Musselman, Principal
Stefanie Veit, Assistant Principal
School News
Student Planners
First and foremost: students are required to have a planner, but it does NOT need to be our custom Addams JH planner that we sold out of last night. Any standard planner purchased from a local store or online retailer will work great!
For families who would still prefer to purchase our custom Addams JH planner:
New Order Placed: We sold out last night, but we have already ordered additional stock.
Timeline: We expect the new shipment to arrive in 2 to 3 weeks.
Waiting is OK: If your student prefers our custom planner, it is completely fine for them to wait until our shipment arrives. We will sell them directly out of the main office for $10 as soon as they get here.
Thank you for your patience, support, and flexibility as we get ready for a wonderful school year!
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.
Starting on Monday, students will begin each day with their Inspire class as part of our “First Fifteen” program. The “First Fifteen” allows our Crusaders to learn about the principles of positive psychology and develop a strong relationship with their Inspire teacher. Our students will also be participating in Digital Citizenship lessons in their language arts, social studies, science, and PE classes.
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 on the first day of school.
Fall Sports
Girls basketball tryouts and Cross Country will begin on August 24. In order to participate in these or any sport, all students must be registered through the Infinite Campus parent portal. Registration opens on August 17th.
Athletic Fee for the 2026-27 School Year
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.
Physicals
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.
Pizza Sales at Addams
Beginning on Thursday, September 3, cheese pizza will be served from Old Town Pizza every Tuesday and Thursday for interested students.
Pizza is $3 per slice and sold during all lunch periods. We accept cash and electronic payments. A convenience fee will be added to all electronic transactions.
Schaumburg Teen Center
If you are looking for after school programs for your teenage child, the Schaumburg Teen Center (The Club) is here to assist starting Monday, August 24th. Please see the following information for more details to get involved and call the office with any questions.
Learn more about The Club
PTA News
Join the PTA!
Save the Date for the Taste of Addams!
On November 4th, from 6-8pm, our Addams PTA is hosting the Taste of Addams. For $5, you gain entry to the event along with 10 food tickets to use at vendors. For additional information, please click the below.
Taste of Addams
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
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 or call our office.
Order Fun Lunch - Code: HMSA352
District 54 News
Run to Read
Join the District 54 Education Foundation and School District 54 at the 22nd annual Run to Read on Sunday, September 20, 2026 at Dirksen School. This event will include a 5K run/walk, a 1-mile walk and children’s races. All proceeds will support financially struggling District 54 families. Register for the 2026 Run to Read by August 28 to get early bird pricing.
Fall MAP Assessment
Starting Monday, August 24th, our students will begin their Math MAP testing during their math classes. Reading MAP testing will begin Monday, August 31st. The purpose of MAP Growth (K-8) is to inform teachers of the immediate instructional needs of students. MAP results equip educators with key data to help personalize instruction and pinpoint individual student needs. Please note that MAP has updated their national norms in 2025 so you may see some variance in your student’s national percentile rank compared to your student’s past MAP assessments.
District 54 NEST
We are excited to introduce the D54 NEST (Navigating Educational Supports Together), formerly known as the Autism Resource Center. The NEST is a central District 54 resource hub designed to connect families with the guidance, training, and community support needed to help their children succeed. The NEST brings together various district services, including Parent Liaison Services, Special Education Supports, Birth to Three Parent Educators, Parent Support Groups, Floortime Services, and Special Olympics family engagement opportunities. Located at Hale School, families can access educational materials, lending library resources, parent consultations, problem-solving assistance, and educational workshops throughout the school year. If you would like to receive updates from the NEST throughout the school year, please sign up at this link: Parent Square NEST Communication Sign Up
D54 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.
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 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