Mustang Minute

• Food Truck Extravaganza
• Jr. Miss Lindenhurst Park Party

• New to the District Orientation
• Homeroom Teacher Notification- August 11
• Supply Drop Off/Picture
• 23/24 Lunch Prices
• Plant-Based Lunch Options
• Welcome New MES Staff
• Arrival/ Dismissal Procedures
• Parent Pick-Up List
• New After School Activities
• Volunteering
• EPIC Back to School Park Meet Up
• Lindenfest Parade
• EPIC News

Each year we have new families that move into the district or families that will be sending their first child into Kindergarten. To help with their transition into a new school district, Millburn Elementary and Middle school offer orientation sessions for families. Topics of the orientation include:

• School Information
• Schedule
• Assessments
• Arrival/ Dismissal Procedures
• Lunch
• iPads
• Extra-Curricular activities
• Building Tour

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

MES Welcome- 5:00PM

MMS Welcome- 6:30PM

Wednesday August 9, 2023

MES Welcome- 9:00AM

MMS Welcome- 10:30AM

**This is designed for families that are NEW to the district

On Friday, August 11, we will be sending out an email to families to inform you of your child's homeroom teacher for next school year. If you do not get an email after Friday, please contact our office on Monday, August 14.

Only families that have completed their registration and have no outstanding fees will be notified. We have notified families that have outstanding fees. Fees must be resolved by August 11.

Supply Drop Off Night will be Monday August 21 from 3:00-6:00. This is an opportunity for families to come in to drop off materials, introduce yourself to the teacher, and for students to take their school photo. Come anytime during that time frame.

Pictures will taken place in both of our gyms. You child's last name will dictate which gym they will take their photo. Tables with student ID stickers will be out with your child's name on it. Find your child name and then stand in line at any photographer station.

To assure accurate ordering of these food items, parents are required to sign-up for the program. Please complete the form below to register your child(ren).

My name is Kayly Hogan, and I am absolutely thrilled to join the Millburn staff! I grew up in Spring Grove, Illinois. I spent many days helping in my mom’s classroom. Seeing the impact of the relationships and positive environment she had created with her students, instilled the desire to be a teacher just like her. I graduated from the University of Iowa (Go Hawks!) with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a reading endorsement. In my free time, I enjoy reading, spending time with family, and watching sports. Though I have taught summer school in Libertyville this is my first year teaching! I have had the opportunity to meet with my 4th grade team and I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the staff!

It is with much excitement and gratitude that I get to return to the classroom this year here at Millburn! I began my career in 2001 teaching both kindergarten and first grade throughout the years. For a time I stepped out of this role to focus on raising our children. My husband, Mick, and I have three growing kiddos. We moved to the district in 2020 and Theo, Matilda and Conrad have consistently received an amazing education within the Millburn Elementary and Middle School community. I myself have enjoyed the people here as a substitute and am thrilled to be teaching first grade again! As a family we enjoy taking in nature together walking, biking, swimming or kayaking. There is a LOT of music in our home as our children have embraced the whole range of musical theater, performance, band and choir! Mick and I had no idea this would be the sound of our home! In my free time you may find me walking with my husband, grabbing coffee with a friend, soaking in quiet time with a good book and when I’m feeling really ambitious, creating beautiful quilts. It will be wonderful to stretch and grow with the students this year!

Hi there, my name is Haley Seidel and I am very excited to be joining the fourth grade team at Millburn Elementary for my first year of teaching. I earned my BA in History and Elementary Education, as well as my Masters in the Art of Teaching, from Lake Forest College. During that time I completed an internship teaching 2nd grade literacy at Whittier Elementary School in Waukegan, student taught 8th grade Social Studies at Big Hollow Middle School last Fall - and you might have seen me around Millburn last Spring as a student teacher in the fourth grade hallway. I have worked at the Gurnee Park District as a camp director and after school care lead for the past 6 years, but am ready to start my full time career in education. Outside of school and teaching I love gardening, painting, hiking, and traveling anywhere and everywhere I can! I can’t wait to start my teaching journey at Millburn and am excited to see everyone soon!

Hello my name is Jecni Marasovich. As a Millburn parent, I am excited to join the team as a paraprofessional.

I love spending time with my 2 daughters and husband. In my free time I enjoy reading, sewing, and watching soccer games. I look forward to an amazing school year.

My name is Kyle Burza and this will be my fifth year teaching physical education. My previous experiences come from the Neal Math and Science Academy Middle School (6th - 8th). I received my teaching license from Northeastern Illinois University and I am in the process of obtaining my master's degree. I live in Gurnee with my significant other and our two dogs. My hobbies consist of mostly sports and staying active: volleyball, badminton, golf, hockey, working out. Prior to getting into teaching, I was a certified mixologist for a few years. I still have that passion, so I work part-time at Coopershawk in Gurnee. I am looking forward to getting started and being apart of the Millburn family.

My name is Lindsey, but my colleagues call me by my last name Kaar, and I am your new Music teacher! I have been teaching for 11 years, received my Undergraduate degree in Music Education from Western Illinois University in 2012 and my Master’s degree in Language Learners from American College of Education in March of 2023. My family consists of my incredibly supportive husband of 9 years Andrew, our inquisitive and opinionated 6 year old ball of energy Evalyn, and our very friendly Maincoon mix Sorin the cat. I am incredibly passionate about the work we do, in love with cross-curricular collaboration and incredibly excited to continue my teaching journey with the MES team.

My name is Shari Scovill and I’m very excited to be returning back to Millburn Elementary as the new K-2 SLP Special Education Teacher for the 2023-24 School Year. For the past 3 years I have been with SEDOL as a LASSO 2 Teacher in one of their Sector classrooms here at MIllburn. I have both an LBS-1 and an Elementary PEL endorsement as well as a Master’s Degree in Special Education from the University of Massachusetts Global. I completed my Student Teaching/Internship in California before moving to Illinois in August 2020. Also living here in Illinois are my two adult daughters and sister. My interests include anything ocean-related (I was born in Maine and lived in California), reading, serving at church, spending time with my 2 year old cat Petunia, figure skating (both watching and doing), as well as watching baseball and football. If there’s anything else that you would like to know about me, please feel free to ask.

My name is Heather Sanders and I’m excited to be teaching Kindergarten at Millburn. I have a bachelor’s in Early Childhood and a masters in EPOL with emphasis in Diversity and Equity. I have taught 17 years with most of the time spent in kindergarten and first grade. I most recently taught kindergarten in Beach Park, IL. I am a very new empty nester with a son who is attending UW Oshkosh as a junior this year and my daughter going to Northern Michigan University as a freshman. I won’t get too used to it in case they come back!! Outside of school, I love football, fall, decorating and relaxing with friends and family. Looking forward to a great year!

Over the last couple of years, we have adjusted our arrival and dismissal procedures to be more efficient and safe for our students. The back of the school allowed for this increase in traffic. For arrival, busses have been dropping off in the front of the school while parent drop off has been in the back of the school. When the pandemic hit, we saw an increase in parent drop off and pick up of students and we needed to provide more space for traffic, which the back of the school provided. Although this has been smooth, we found that it takes close to ten minutes to release all students off the busses since we unloaded three busses at a time to alleviate hundreds of students entering one entrance. This has caused a delayed in our school start time and we want to maximize our time we have with students.

Due to this, we are going to have busses drop off in the back of the school starting this coming school year. This will allow all busses to release students at the same time once the bell rings at 7:50. Students will then be able to enter at three different locations in the back of the school.

Parent drop off will now be in the front of the school.We will continue to have a drop off lane with staff along the sidewalk assisting students out of cars. If any parents need to assist with their child getting out of vehicles (such as out of booster seats), visitor parking will be available to park into. We do have a crossing lane that will be available for parents to walk across and a staff member will continue to be the present to stop traffic to allow students to cross. We hope this will not create a traffic jam on Crawford Rd and Millburn Rd with cars coming in. We are encouraging parents to use our buses to reduce the number of parent drop offs that we have due to traffic.

Yet, these changes only apply to arrival. Dismissal will continue with our current practice (busses in the front and parent pick up in the back). In August we will send out a parent pick up form so we know who will be picking up their child. Staff will continue to use our procedures of checking IDs in order to have a safe "hand off" of students.

We will once again have students that are dropped off/ picked up by parents be in the back (north end) of the school this year. Key points when dropping off/picking up yoru child during arrival and dismissal:

• Parents are to stay in their cars at all times

• Students must exit vehicle on right side

• If you need to assist a child out of the car, park in designated parking spots in parking lot . A staff member with a stop sign will assist students crossing

To assure a safe "hand off" of students, please make sure you follow the steps below:

1. Make sure you are on our master pick-up list
2. Have Yoru ID Ready to show a staff member
3. Place a sign in your front dash with your child's name and grade level
4. Pull ALL THE WAY UP up in the Pick-Up Area
5. Students MUST enter car on the RIGHT SIDE of the vehicle
6. If you need to assist your child getting int he car, you will need to park in the parking lot

If you plan to pick up you child, please register by clicking the link below AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!

Click the link below to access our Early Childhood calendar for the 2023-2024 school year.

Millburn Elementary has partnered with Afterschool Enrichment Solutions to offer more after school activities for students. These activities will be done at MIllburn Elementary. Our activity bus will also be available to use. The following will be offer this fall:

Chess Scholars: K-5

Develop your child's intellect through the royal game of chess! Current research has shown a strong link between chess and academic performance in a variety of areas, including mathematics and language arts. Chess has been proven to enhance children's motivation, concentration, focus, social skills, and

creativity. Each class will consist of a fun, interactive teaching period and guided practice time. Both beginner and experienced players are welcome and will learn under the guidance of an experienced Chess Scholars coach.

Schedule: 9 Mondays, October 2nd – December 11th, 2:35-3:35 PM (No class: 10/9, 11/20)

Course Code: MLB10.2.23

Stage Stars: K-5

Dramarama- Does your child have a “dramatic side”? You might have a budding Stage Star in your family! Our drama class introduces students to the craft of stage acting with a skilled theater instructor. During this exciting class, students will learn theatrical skills, improv basics, and participate in interactive drama games. This class provides opportunities for students to have fun, express themselves, gain confidence, and interact with others, all within the context of theatre arts.

Schedule: 9 Tuesdays, September 26th – December 12th, 2:35-3:35 PM (No class: 10/10, 10/31, 11/21)

Course Code: MLB9.26.23

STEAM: K-5

Full STEAM Ahead- This exciting program from Afterschool Enrichment Solutions brings together elements of science, art and math in a hands-on, action- packed environment! Students will conduct experiments, play educational games, and unlock their creativity through building challenges and projects. No experience necessary!

Schedule: 9 Thursdays, October 5th - December 14th, 2:35-3:35 PM (No class: 11/9, 11/23)

Course Code: MLB10.5.23

You can begin to register for these right now through Afterschool Enrichment Solutions. Each class is $150. Click the link below to sign-up through them! Make sure you use the correct course code when signing up. Register early, limited number of participants.

Chess Scholars/AES is a private program provider, please direct all inquiries and communication regarding our programs directly. Contact us with inquiries or if you'd like assistance registering at 847-482-9999

We encourage parents/guardians and other members of the community to share their time, knowledge and abilities with our students. Community volunteers in our schools enrich the educational program and strengthen our school.

The education of today’s youth takes a whole community. Caring members of our community bring new energies and resources into our schools. All over the country schools are drawing support from their communities through the efforts of volunteers who work in our schools, contribute goods and supplies, and support our schools financially.

Volunteering includes:

• Mystery Readers
• Guest Speakers
• Lunch Help
• Chaperoning Field Trips
• Helping small groups
• Assisting teachers
• So much more!!!

In order to volunteer, you must complete the application and have a background check done through our Raptor system here at school.

A master list of approved volunteers will be kept in the main office for staff to access when volunteers are needed.

We encourage parents to start the process now so that you can join us next year in volunteering.

Click the link below to complete the application.

***We do ask you to do this each year, so if you did complete the process last year....you still need to do it for this school year.

See events below

Email: bwalshire@millburn24.net
Phone: 847-245-2800

Email: kgedville@millburn24.net