August 2022 Welcome Back to School
Banner. You belong here.
Welcome back!!
Welcome back to a new school year! And a BIG WELCOME to our new families who will be coming to Banner for the very first time! Our staff is very excited to see all of your faces again. I look forward to working with you and your children to create an experience where there is a love and excitement for learning! The first day of school is Wednesday, August 17. School will be dismissed at 2:15 PM that day.
~Mr. Fairchild
"YOU BELONG HERE!"
How do I find out who my teacher is?
Health Records Required
Before your child may attend the first day of school, a current physical and documentation that all immunizations are up to date must be turned into the Banner Office. Remember that a current dental exam and eye exam are due in the school office as well. All 2nd grade students need an updated dental exam form. If you have questions regarding this, please call the Banner office.
New Staff this year!
- Greg Urbanc - 2nd grade teacher
- Katie Norbutas - ESL teacher
- Angie Mitchell - Speech for ECE
- Hemma Esakki Muthu - Aide
- Kelsey Kral - Aide
- Renee Gruel - Aide
- Carol Larson - Aide
- Amy Matheny - Aide
- Angie Lamb - Aide
- Praveena Mokkapati - Aide
Our Banner Teachers for 2022-2023!
- Pre-K: Mrs. Uhl
- Kindergarten: Mrs. Conlee and Mrs. Winkelmann
- 1st grade: Miss Tracy, Mrs. Allen, and Mrs. Haley
- 2nd grade: Mrs. Baker, Mr. Urban, and Mrs. Winslow
- 3rd grade: Mrs. Blumer and Mrs. Williamson (Mrs. Stoller is covering her maternity leave)
- 4th grade: Mrs. Rocke and Mrs. Groves
- 5th grade: Mrs. Rynearson and Mrs. Young
- Life Skills K - 1: Mrs. Ruwe
- Life Skills 2- 3: Mr. Mayhew
- Life Skills 4 -5: Mrs. Voelker
- Resource K - 2: Mrs. King
- Resource 3 - 5: Mrs. Hannah
- E.S.L. - Mrs. Norbutas
- PE - Mr. Morrow
- Art - Mrs. Wright
- Music - Mrs. Frederickson
- World Language - Mrs. Rivera (on maternity leave and covered by Mrs. Whitman)
Kindergarten, Pre-K, AND NEW FAMILIES Orientation
Kindergarten, Pre-K, and New Families ONLY:
- Monday, August 15 from 5:30 - 6:30 PM.
- Kindergarten and New families report to the Banner gym
- Pre-K families report DIRECTLY to Ms Uhl's classroom
- Parents and students will meet their teachers
- Parents are encouraged to bring school supplies if they did not purchase them ahead of time.
- Students can step onto a bus as well to see what it looks like on the inside.
Open House for Grades 1st - 5th
- 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
During this evening, parents will have an opportunity to meet their child's teacher in a "meet and greet" format. Students are encouraged to bring their supplies if they had not purchased them online. Students may also step inside one of our buses that will be available.
School Hours
Wednesdays - 7:39 AM - 2:15 PM
Morning Arrival/Drop-Off Procedures
Every student has the opportunity to ride the bus to and from school. As a parent, if you choose to drive your child to school, please follow the map below that outlines the process for morning drop-off. Cars are NOT ALLOWED to drop off in the front of the building using the bus lanes. NO CHILD CAN BE DROPPED OFF AT SCHOOL BEFORE 7:25 AM.
Afternoon Dismissal/Pick-Up Procedures
- By bus
- By after care
- By car rider (*Note that car riders will be picked up in the FRONT of the building. Grade levels will have an assigned area for parents to pick up their child. Parents are to park in the parking lot and may wait outside. We will NOT allow a student to walk through the parking lot without a parent/guardian.)
Transportation
All students are assigned a bus. It is policy that students are only allowed to ride the bus to which they have been assigned. Our default is to send students home on their bus each day. If your student will be doing something other than taking their bus home at the end of each day as part of their regular schedule, (car rider, day care – including Right at School, etc.), parents will need to notify the office. Mrs. Barber will email a google form to all families to set up the after school transportation arrangements. You may email Mrs. Barber at lbarber@dunlapcusd.net in the case of an emergency that a schedule needs to be altered on a specific day.
For Kindergarten Parents only – a parent must be at the stop before the driver will allow the Kindergarten student off the bus. If there is no parent at the bus stop in the afternoon, your child will be brought back to school for safety reasons. Kindergarten parents can designate other persons you deem responsible to pick up your child at the bus stop. Forms that indicate any parties other than parents/guardians to whom Kindergarten students may be released are available in the office or the evening of August 15 during Kindergarten Orientation. Contact Mrs. Barber at lbarber@dunlapcusd.net if you have questions.
Aftercare Programs
Birthday Treat Guidelines
What is new at Banner this year?
- A new sidewalk was poured in the front of the building.
- All classrooms had brand new SmartBoards installed.
Enhanced security has been put in place including exterior door sensors and an upgraded notification platform to keep our kids safe.
- PTO purchased four new tables for our playground.
- The front entrance was newly landscaped in May and is looking beautiful! Thank you to our PTO for driving this project!
- Laminate flooring was extended in the office.
Playground Update
Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO)
- PTO Ice Cream Social (at Banner) - Saturday, August 20 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM (tentative)
- Our next PTO Monthly meeting is on Tuesday, August 30 at 6:30 PM VIRTUALLY. All parents are invited to attend virtually!
School Security, Visitors, and Volunteers
In an effort to maintain the safest environment possible for our children, security measures have been implemented in all buildings throughout the district. All school doors, including the front entrance, will be locked during school hours. Visitors to the school will need to press the buzzer located to the right of the main entrance and wait to be let in by office staff (you will hear a "clicking" sound to signify the door is unlocked). A drop area will be located in the foyer outside the main office for items that need to be dropped off or picked up. Please call to alert office staff (309-243-7774) ahead of time if you have an item to drop off and be sure to clearly label the item with your child's name and their teacher. Upon entering the building, visitors will be asked to present a US government issued ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into our electronic sign in system. Once entry is approved, a badge will be issued that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of the visit. Upon exiting the school, visitors will be asked to give their visitors badge to the office staff when checking out. Meetings with teachers should be pre-arranged with the classroom teacher ahead of time. We hope our families understand and appreciate our efforts in maintaining a safe school environment.
School volunteers are important to the success of our school district. If you are interested in volunteering for our school and working with the students, please complete the volunteer approval process. This process involves completing the online application, being fingerprinted, and providing fingerprinting confirmation. While the process from start to finish does take some time, volunteers will only need to complete this process once.
Step 1: Complete the online application. After application completion, an email will be sent regarding the fingerprinting process. This email comes from Dunlap District office staff, not Banner office staff.
Step 2: Get fingerprinted. Follow instructions found in the previously mentioned email.
Step 3: Provide fingerprinting confirmation to either the Dunlap District office staff or the Banner office staff.
How do I know what is going on at Banner?
Make sure you are keeping up with the weekly video announcements – it’s the best way to stay on top of what is happening at Banner! It's also a great way for you and your student to have a conversation at the dinner table!
Is your child going to be absent?
Please either call the office (309-243-7774) OR email Mrs. Barber at lbarber@dunlapcusd.net by 8:15 AM if your child is going to be absent. This eliminates the need for a phone call to your family checking on the child. Thank you for your help with this.
Picture Day
Our Picture Day has been scheduled for Monday, September 12!
**Classroom Composites will also be available for order.
August Lunch Menu
School lunches cost $2.40. Students can choose between a "hot lunch" (ie. single meal), OR a Chef Salad. Students who bring a lunch from home can purchase a milk for $0.45. Students may purchase water bottles for $0.60.
Lunch Times
K - 10:40 AM - 11:10 AM
2nd - 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM
1st - 11:25 AM - 11:55 AM
3rd - 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
4th - 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM
5th - 12:45 PM - 1:15 PM
*With the early and late lunch times offered, we encourage parents to send their child with a snack (peanut free, please) as well as a refillable water bottle.
Dunlap Elementary Handbook
How to connect with us!
Email: gfairchild@dunlapcusd.net
Website: www.dunlapcusd.net/banner
Location: 12610 North Allen Road, Dunlap, IL, United States
Phone: 309-243-7774
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BannerElementary
Twitter: @BESBobcats323