Serena Hills Elementary -

Tonight’s Parent University focusing on Maintaining Strong Connections will now be taking place via Zoom. Please follow the link below to attend. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9583817339?pwd=ZnFmVXVkSE5vMVJzNmVQQUJWWGRydz09

Tonight’s Parent University focusing on Building Stress Awareness and Understanding Burnout will now be taking place via Zoom.  The session will take place from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.  Please follow the link below to attend. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9583817339?pwd=ZnFmVXVkSE5vMVJzNmVQQUJWWGRydz09#success

All Flossmoor District 161 buildings will be closed on Tuesday, January 16th, due to the extremely cold temperatures. Students will participate in their learning activities from home. The school day will begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude at 1:30 p.m. Teachers will share coursework and Zoom meeting links through the Canvas Learning Management System. Students in early childhood and kindergarten previously brought home packets and materials to complete. If you have any questions regarding the schedule for the day, please contact your child’s teacher or building principal. We anticipate returning to in-person learning on Wednesday, January 17.

All Flossmoor District 161 buildings will be closed on Friday, January 12th due to inclement weather. Students will participate in their learning activities from home. The school day will begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude at 1:30 p.m. Teachers will share coursework and Zoom meeting links through the Canvas Learning Management System. Students in early childhood and kindergarten previously brought home packets and materials to complete. If you have any questions regarding the schedule for the day, please contact your child’s teacher or building principal. As a reminder, there is no school on Monday, January 15th. We are also anticipating dangerously cold temperatures on Tuesday, January 16th, so please be on the lookout for additional information that will be emailed to all District 161 families and posted on all school websites as needed.

District 161 is hosting several Parent University Sessions over the next few weeks. Paula Davis, founder of the Stress and Resilience Institute, will present information for parents/guardians on topics such as building stress awareness and understanding burnout, maintaining strong connections, leveraging mental strength in parenting, and building parental efficacy and hope. The first session is Thursday, January 18 from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Normandy Villa. We hope that you will be able to attend. Follow the link below to register. https://forms.gle/QWhG6zK8m8uPfiSz8

Happy Halloween from the characters at Serena Hills!🎃👻💀

Homewood-Flossmoor High School Your VOICE Matters Survey: As Homewood-Flossmoor High School charts a course for the future through a strategic planning process, it is asking the community to share their thoughts on what is going well and what areas the school may want to rethink. The entire HF community is invited to take the Your VOICE Matters Survey. Results will be analyzed by the Strategic Planning Team. The survey closes on Friday, October 20, so please respond today! Click the link below to take the survey: https://www.hfhighschool.org/district_info/strategic_plan

We hope you can join us for the upcoming District 161 Parent University session on October 3, 2023. Christina Jontra, Educator and CEO of the Neptune Navigate Digital Citizenship Organization, will share Digital Citizenship information for parents. The session will take place at Parker Junior High School [2810 School Street / Flossmoor] from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Aurelio’s Pizza will be served from 6:30-7:00 p.m. Please RSVP using this link: https://shorturl.at/ekmY1 If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact Karen French at 708-647-7017.

District 161's Board of Education meeting has been cancelled for Tuesday, September 26, 2023. The next District 161 Board of Education will take place on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at 6:00 p.m.

We hope to see you at the annual Back to School party tomorrow [August 18] at Flossmoor Park. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. with fun family activities followed by the showing of "The Super Mario Bros." moving.

Skyward will not be accessible on Monday, July 24, 2023, due to system maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We anticipate that Skyward will be accessible again beginning on Tuesday, July 25, 2023.

There is a vacancy on the Flossmoor School District 161 Board of Education due to the recent resignation of Misha Blackman. In keeping with the legal requirements that the Board appoint a successor within a 60-day period of the resignation, the Board is seeking applicants who are interested in being appointed to the Board of Education and to serve until the next consolidated general election which will occur on April 1, 2025. The pending appointment is for the remaining balance of the term for Misha Blackman. The seat will be up for election in 2025. Residents interested in applying to become a member of the Flossmoor School District 161 Board of Education should submit a one-page letter of interest, along with a resume, to be received by the close of business [3:30 p.m.] on Monday, July 31, 2023. Submissions can be made by email, regular mail, fax, or hand delivery to Christina Vlietstra, Secretary to the Board of Education. Each submission will be acknowledged to verify receipt. The one-page letter of interest should address the following: Why are you interested in becoming a member of the Board of Education? What could you offer District 161? What prior experience/involvement have you had with the school district? All applicants need to meet the legal requirements to be a member of a Board of Education. A Board of Education member must be, on the date of appointment, a United States citizen of at least 18 years of age, a registered voter, and a resident of Illinois and District 161 for at least one year immediately preceding the appointment. Reasons making an individual ineligible for Board membership include holding an incompatible office and certain types of State or federal employment. A child sex offender, as defined in State law, is ineligible for Board of Education membership. Once letters of interest have been received, it is the Board’s intent to interview candidates on the evening of August 21, 2023. The goal of the Board of Education is to appoint the new member on August 28, 2023. Please direct all questions on this matter to Dr. Dana Smith, Superintendent of Schools. Submissions should be made to: Christina Vlietstra, Secretary to the Board of Education Normandy Villa School 41 East Elmwood Drive Chicago Heights, IL 60411 Email: cvlietstra@sd161.org Fax: (708) 754-2153 Phone: (708) 647-7030

Flossmoor School District 161's Community Engagement survey is open until June 23. Please take a few moments to fill out the survey and provide your input to help improve our practices and student outcomes. Surveys are available for current District 161 families as well as community members without children enrolled in the District. Please follow the links below: Community Engagement Survey: Current District 161 Families: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3YW5XSF Community Engagement Survey: District 161 Community Members [without children currently enrolled in District 161]: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RKJLLTN

What a great day to watch the 5th grade vs. Teachers kickball game!

Device Collection Days

The March to May Million Pages Challenge is winding down and we are so close to making our goal of reading one million pages! As of May 21, District 161 students, family members, and community members have logged a total of 935,080 pages. Don't forget to log your pages here: https://tinyurl.com/mryct2zn

Serena has been recognized by the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra as a "School for the Arts".The Orchestra hosted us for a presentation of "Once Upon A Symphony" at Trinity Christian College.We enjoyed the program and learned all about the instruments which make up the orchestra.

Flossmoor School District 161's annual Visual Arts Expo will be open for viewing on Thursday, May 11, and Friday May 12. Stop by the District Office between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to see the amazing art created by District 161 students.

Congratulations to Addie and Harper for being recognized at the Illinois Principals Association Student Recognition Breakfast today. They were nominated by their teachers for their hard work, positive attitudes, and the daily kindness they show to all.

Join Flossmoor School District 161 and UChicago Medicine Pediatric Services for a virtual parent university. This parent university will focus on identifying ADHD in children including initial diagnosis, support, and treatment options. The session will take place on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Register at: https://bit.ly/3GMhKtN