Dear Palombi families:
Trimester two begins on Monday, November 13th, which means students will be experiencing new exploratory classes and starting off fresh with grades for the term. We can not stress enough how important it is to be to school on time and be in attendance. If one student is two minutes late to school each day, they are missing 6 hours of school throughout the year. It adds up and interferes with their learning. Please make sure your student is coming to school on time!
On Friday, November 17th we will be releasing our first-trimester grades via PowerSchool. Your awareness of your child’s progress is vital to their success and will assist them in reaching their Wildly Important Goals.
In two weeks, November 20th and 21st, we are holding our Parent Teacher Conferences. On Monday, November 20th they will be in person, and on Tuesday, November 21st they will be virtual. Here is the information for conferences: Conference Information/Signup Links. We are looking forward to these conferences and hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Your partner in education,
Angela Sisi
Principal
PROCEDURES/POLICIES
Snack Policy Please remind your students that Lake Villa 41 has a snack policy to protect students with allergies and limit the amount of cleanup in our classrooms. Students should adhere to the following list if teachers permit a snack in the classroom: Lake Villa 41 Approved Snack List
Outside Beverages Please remind students that no fast food drinks are allowed in school during school hours (Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, McDonald’s, etc.). Reusable water bottles are encouraged.
ACTIVITIES
School Dance
Student Dances Action Team is hosting our " Under the Stars" Fall Dance this Friday!
Ticket cost is $5 per student and will be on sale Wednesday- Friday during lunch periods. Limited tickets will be sold at the door, so please have your student buy their ticket ahead of time! Food will be sold at the dance for an additional cost of $1-$5.
The sixth-grade dance will be from 5-6:30 p.m.
Drop-off will start at 4:50 at the bus lot parking lot. The last dance will be approximately at 6:15 pm. Parent pickup can begin at 6 p.m. by the activity door entrance/ staff parking lot and all students must be picked up by 6:45 p.m.
The seventh and eighth-grade dance will be from 7-8:30 pm. Drop-off will begin at 6:45 p.m. in the bus parking lot. The last dance will be approximately at 8:15 pm. Parent pickup can begin at 8 p.m. and all students must be picked up by 8:45 p.m. The pickup for the 7/8 grade dance is also at the bus parking lot.
Please note to attend the dance students must be in attendance the whole day of school. All sales are final and there will be no refunds.
Please reach out with any questions to Amanda Foy amanda.scheltensfoy@district41.org or Cecily Sarcinelli cecily.sarcinelli@district41.org
Leader in Me
We are looking to grow our community involvement at Palombi. We are starting Leaders Who Brunch on November 3rd! Leaders Who Brunch is for any parents or community members to meet with some of our students to discuss their careers and goals for the future. Students who are interested in your field will be invited when you sign up. Please use the following link to sign up- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D4AABAC2EA1FB6-44812833-palombi
If you have any ideas about growing community involvement and participation, please email Kelsey Delahunty at kelsey.delahunty@district41.org.
Take a look at some ideas to incorporate the 7 Habits at home:
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Ways for Students to be Proactive
Advocate for yourself
Email teachers about classwork (if you don’t understand an assignment or when you want to redo a quiz or test)
Ask for help from peers who understand what is expected
Check PowerSchool weekly
Connect your interests to assignments when possible to increase engagement with the task.
Ways for Families to Help Students Be Proactive
Check PowerSchool weekly
Have a discussion with your child about their grades and effort.
Ask questions that promote an open ended conversation about their day.
This encourages reflection from the students about their school day
Student Resources
Staff at Palombi
Student Planner (for keeping track of assignments/due dates)
Friday Focus
PowerSchool/Google Classroom
After School Enrichments
Session 2 of After School Enrichments begins the week of November 6th and ends the week of December 18th! Each enrichment meets six times per session unless otherwise noted on the sign-up form.
The volleyball clinic takes place on December 19th, 20th, and 21st. Students may still be signed up for this. A current sports physical must be on file in the nurse’s office in order to participate!
National Junior Honor Society Toy Drive
Every year Palombi's Lancer Chapter of National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) participates in donating toys to the Lake Villa Township toy drive. Thanks to all of you, last year our toy donation drive was WILDLY successful!
We want to make this year even better with more donations reaching more people! This year we are collecting monetary donations for toys for those in need. This is where you come in! Please join NJHS in brightening the holiday season for folks in our own community by making a donation online Lake Villa Toy Drive Donation.100% of the donations will be used to purchase toys for those in need in Lake Villa.
If you donated last year, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your donation. We are asking that you please consider increasing your donation by one dollar (or more) this year, if you are able. Please donate as soon as you can! We will keep you updated on our progress.
Thank you for your generosity!
NJHS
National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) applications will be emailed out to all 7th and 8th grade students with a cumulative middle school GPA of 3.8 or higher on Monday, November 20th. All instructions regarding the application process will be included in the email. All NJHS applications are due by 2:40 p.m. on Monday, December 4th! All students who apply will be emailed on Friday, December 8th regarding whether or not they have been selected to join. Please note that applying to NJHS does not guarantee membership and no late applications will be accepted!
About NJHS - The purpose of the Lancer Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society at Palombi is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, stimulate a desire to render service, promote leadership, develop character, and encourage citizenship. This student-led organization is run by elected officers and overseen by faculty advisors. Meetings are typically held twice a month until 3:30 p.m. Members are required to complete community service hours, participate in fundraisers, maintain excellent grades, and be a positive role models at Palombi.
Volleyball Tryouts
Volleyball tryouts will be held January 8th and 9th for 6th-8th grade girls and January 10th and 11th for 6th-8th grade boys. Students MUST have a physical on file and have signed up for tryouts in order to participate. Tryout signup will be available on Tuesday, November 21st. Click here to sign up. The deadline to sign up is December 20th.
OTHER
Leader in Me Word of the Month: Proactive
This month the staff has been specifically modeling the use of the word proactive in the classrooms, specifically with charging Chromebooks. A student not having a charged Chromebook causes a disruption in learning for the student. Staff are encouraging students to use proactive language versus reactive language.
Example of proactive language: I can make a plan to charge my Chromebook.
Example of reactive language: I forgot to charge my Chromebook.
Pages 4 and 5 in the Leader and Me Parent Handbook have some great information for parents encouraging teenagers to be proactive.
Health Office
Friendly reminder to follow up and/or turn in any pending documentation for your student’s healthcare compliance! Documents can be faxed, emailed, or sent in with your student. If your student has a fever or is vomiting, they are required to stay home for 24 hours, free of fever/vomiting (without medication) before returning to school.
Please remember that if your child is not feeling well at school, the student should ask to go to the Health Office and speak with the nurse. Students should not be texting a parent/guardian to come pick them up when not feeling well. The nurse will call parents if the student is too sick to stay at school and must be picked up.
Washington, D.C!
7th Grade Families! If you would like to sign your current 7th grade student up for the 2025 Washington D.C trip, please enroll at this link here. Please reach out to Miss Koenig at kaitlin.koenig@district41.org for more information.
8th Grade Families! There is still time to sign your current 8th grade student up for the 2024 Washington D.C trip! If interested, please click here for more information. Please reach out to Miss Koenig at kaitlin.koenig@district41.org for more information.
Attendance
As we get into the colder season, we receive more calls on the attendance line. Please give the office staff time to listen to calls in the morning to update your child’s absence. Reminder, that you need to call each day your student is absent for sickness. Also, please make sure give the reason for the absence when leaving the message
Yearbook
The 2023 Yearbook is on sale for $35. Buy your yearbook now! Reserve your copy only online at jostensyearbooks.com or call 1-877-767-5217 to place your order. Don't delay, order today!
Any questions? Please contact Amanda Foy via email at amanda.scheltensfoy@district41.org
Band & Choir Updates:
Best of luck at your concerts this week!
Solo & Ensemble Festival sign-up is now! See Mrs. Brown & Mrs. Dahowski for more information.
JAZZ BAND: If you are interested in playing in our after-school jazz band, please contact Mrs. Brown for details.
LEAD Fun Day:
On Friday, November 17th, students will participate in the first LEAD Fun Day event of the year. The LEAD Day action team has been planning an afternoon of activities for classes to engage in for team-building and leadership development.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR ALL DATES (including sports) please visit our calendar here: Palombi Website Calendar
Nov. 7 Choir Concert
Nov. 8 Band Concert
Nov. 10 School Dance
Nov. 13 Picture Retakes
Nov. 17 Report Cards Viewable on PowerSchool
Nov. 20-21 Parent-Teacher Conferences
Nov. 22-24 Thanksgiving Break