Hello Kipling Families,

I am incredibly excited for my second year as your principal and I am eagerly awaiting for this school year to begin! If you are new to Kipling, I am thrilled you are joining our community and I am so happy your family is now a part of ours. I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer break even as we may be counting down the days to the new school year. Our staff have been busy preparing for your kiddos and we cannot wait to welcome our students back to school on Monday, August 21st. As a reminder, August 21st is an early dismissal at 11:40am. Look for an email from me on Monday, August 14th with Drop-off and Pick-up procedures for this year.

We are going to have an incredible year and I look forward to working together with you and your children. See you soon!

Respectfully,

Mr. Matthew O. Lombardo, NBCT

Principal

Kipling Elementary School

Welcome back from the PTO! We are so ready for a fun and exciting year. Please visit https://kiplingpto.membershiptoolkit.com/home for all things PTO. Please also note these important upcoming dates:

8/11: Fee Day-sign up for the PTO

8/17: Kindy Play Date 3pm-4:30pm

8/18: New Family Tours of Kipling, 1pm-2pm

8/31: Sweets and Treats 5pm-6:30pm @ Kipling

9/1: 1st PTO Meeting @9:30am in the teacher’s lounge

Please feel free to email ptokipling@gmail.com for any questions!

Official class placements will be available in Family Access on Friday, August 11th. Developing class lists is a complex process. A significant amount of time has been put into creating balanced classes that meet student needs. The teacher listed represents the final class placement for your child. Changes to class placements will not be made. Our teachers are very excited about their new classes and have been working hard to prepare for the new school year.

1st grade students and their families can come to Kipling on Thursday, August 17th between 1:00-2:00 to drop off their supplies (if you did not order from the PTO), see their classroom, and briefly meet their teacher. Just like for Kindergarten families, please keep in mind this time is not meant for conferring with your child’s teacher and there will be no formal presentation given.

All Kindergarten students are invited to come to Kipling on Thursday, August 17th between 2:00-3:00 to drop off supplies (if you did not order through the PTO), see their classroom, and briefly meet their teacher. Please keep in mind this time is not meant for conferring with your child’s teacher and there will be no formal presentation given. Instead, it is a time for your children to gain some comfort and confidence about what their classroom looks like and who their teacher will be.

Immediately following the Meet the Teacher timeframe, our incredible PTO is hosting a Kindergarten playdate on our playground from 3-4:30pm. Kindergarten students and their families can come play on the playground, have a popsicle, and parents can ask other PTO members any questions they have before school starts.

If you are a new family to Kipling, our PTO will be giving tours of our school on Friday, August 18th from 1:00-2:00. These tours are for our new families only.

Monday, August 21st - Friday, August 25th, students will line up on their recess lines and teachers will meet them there and walk them into the building at 8:35am. Your teachers will let you know which line number their students should use. There is no outside supervision provided before 8:35am.

-Kindy and 1st Grade line up in the back of the school by Door 11

-2nd and 3rd Grade line up by the SW corner of the building by Door 12

-4th and 5th Grade line up by the NW corner of the building by Door 15

Our Back to School Night will be Thursday, August 24th, from 5-6:30pm. All parents are welcome to attend, but due to spacing issues, we ask that our students and younger siblings do not attend. Speaking of enough space, we ask all parents who are able to walk to please consider walking to school that night so we don’t run out of parking spaces. Carpooling is another great option if you can make those arrangements.

Doors will open at 5pm and classroom presentations will begin promptly at 5:10pm. Details are linked here. Please note, if you have one child, you can choose which of the two classroom presentations you attend.

-Doors open at 8:35am (After the 1st week of school, students enter the building on their own and can enter via any door.)

-Announcements begin at 8:45am

-Classes begin at 8:50am

-Dismissal begins at 3:25pm (M, T, Th, F) and 2:25pm on Wednesdays

-K and 2nd will eat at 11:25

-1st and 4th will eat at 11:55

-3rd and 5th will eat at 12:25

This year, each grade level will determine an optional “working-snack” time at some point during the day. During this optional snack time students will still be engaged in an academic activity. In compliance with our district allergy management plan, snacks can only consist of fruit, veggies, or hard cheese.

Kipling is composting! We are excited to be rolling out a lunchtime recycling and composting program during the Kindergarten and 2nd grade lunch period.

We are looking for daily parent volunteers from 11:25-11:55 am to help Kindergarten and second grade students as they learn our new routine. Parents can sign up for a once a week, once every other week, or monthly slot. If you aren't familiar with composting, we promise it's easy. We will provide training and the kids will catch on quickly. This is a great chance to help the planet and see your Kipling kids in action. Please email Sandra Merrill at SandraKMerrill@gmail.com or Jessica Lorber at Jzindell@gmail.com for more information about volunteering.

The Deerfield Park District runs all of our before and after school programs. Registration information for After School Enrichment is linked here. For more information on Before and After School Club and registration information, contact Kathleen Muellner: kathleen@deerfieldparks.org or 847-572-2623. Click here for their brochure. Again, this program is NOT run by DPS109 and all questions should be directed at the park district.

-Thurs 8/17: 1st Grade Meet the Teacher, 1:00-2:00

-Thurs 8/17: Kindergarten Meet the Teacher, 2:00-3:00; Kindy Play Date 3:00-4:30

-Fri 8/18: New Family Tours Given by the PTO, 1:00-2:00

-Mon 8/21: First Day of School! 11:40 student dismissal

-Thurs 8/24: Back to School Night, 5:00-6:30

-Thurs 8/31: PTO Ice Cream Social, 5:00-6:30