• At the top right of the newsletter, you will find a button to translate this message into your preferred language.

• En la parte superior derecha del boletín, encontrarás un botón que te permitirá traducir este mensaje a tu idioma preferido.

• Newsletter pan khaan tang ah, na duh mi holh ah na thu thuhna kong a sim khawh ding i button pakhat na hawng khia a si.

• في أعلى يمين النشرة الإخبارية، ستجد زرًا يتيح لك ترجمة هذه الرسالة إلى لغتك المفضلة.

Exciting news! This year it is Hawthorne’s turn to get new chromebooks to replace those we have been using for the past 4 years.Over the next week or two, please be on the lookout for communication that your student’s day to trade is coming up. Second through fifth grade students will need to bring the chromebook that was assigned to them along with the Dell power cord. Please see this document for important information from our Department of Innovation and Technology about the use and care of student chromebooks. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ashley Young (ashley.young@cusd200.org).

During the 2025-2026 school year CUSD200 will be offering interested staff members training on a new 1:1 teacher-parent communication tool called Rooms.  This feature is part of our CUSD200 mobile app.  Currently, only HS athletics and activities are fully implemented in its use for communication.  Please know that your student’s teacher(s) will communicate their preferred method of communication until Rooms is fully implemented districtwide.  In the meantime, please keep up to date with all CUSD200 news and future messaging features by downloading the latest version of our District app.  More information on this and upcoming features of our district mobile app can be found at this link. Thank you.

If the link doesn't paste well it's on our district website under parents and is included here  https://www.cusd200.org/page/cusd200mobile

General Reminders:

1. We are glad students are excited to come to school, but students should not arrive before 8:55a.m. Supervision begins at 8:55a.m. Students enter school at 9:00a.m.

2. The tardy bell rings & all doors close at 9:05a.m. If you arrive after 9:05 a.m. you should walk your child to Door 1 (main entrance by the sign/flag pole) and our front office will support your child getting to class. Our supervisors begin class immediately and must close all doors promptly at 9:05 a.m. Please do not knock on classroom doors after 9:05 a.m., as teachers are beginning their instruction. Our front office at door 1 is happy to support your child in getting to class after 9:05 a.m. Please do not make tardiness a habit.

3. Cell phone use while driving is strictly prohibited in school zones per state law.

Arrival Doors:

1. All Day Kindergarten, AM Kindergarten, and First grade classes will line up at Door 7.

2. 2L will line up at their classroom door, Door 3.

3. 2M will line up at their classroom door, Door 4.

4. 3rd and 4th grade will line up at Door 14 (at the stairs).

5. 5th grade will line up at Door 9 (near the playground).

6. SAIL & PISA will line up at Door 1.

7. See map below for a visual

Car Drop Off Reminders:

1. Please keep Wakeman Ave one way west to east from 8:50 a.m.-9:15 a.m. and again from 3:30 p.m. - 3:45p.m. NO U-TURNS.

2. You will notice staff at Door 14 helping to direct traffic and support students arriving from cars between 8:55 a.m. and 9:05 a.m. Please DO NOT exit the car with your child.

3. Door #14 is the car drop off spot between 8:55 a.m. and 9:05 a.m.

4. Most parents of kindergarten, first, and second grade students start the year by parking their car on Washington or Scott and walking their child to their line.

5. Do not drop off or pick up behind parked cars. This is dangerous.

6. Only let children out of the car at Door 14 on the passenger side.

7. NO U-Turns or turning around in driveways are permitted on Scott, Wakeman, or Washington. Please respect our neighbors, our children, and our community.

8. It is illegal to pass a bus when it is loading/unloading. Please be patient. We have 4 buses. We want all of our children, families, and staff to be safe.

Walkers, Bikers, & Scooter Reminders:

1. All students that ride their bikes or scooters to school must wear a helmet and should lock their bike securely to the bike rack.

2. Once on school property, please walk your bike/scooter.

3. Crossing guards are available at Scott & Wakeman from 8:50a.m. until 9:05 a.m. & in the afternoon until 3:40 p.m.

4. Crossing guards are available at Washington & Wakeman from 8:50 a.m. until 9:05 a.m. & in the afternoon until 3:40 p.m.

Parking:

1. There is NO PARKING along Wakeman Ave. Unattended cars delay pick up and drop off and will be ticketed by the Wheaton Police Department.

2. Parking is available along Scott and along Washington.

Dismissal:

1. Students in grades Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd must be picked up by a parent, caregiver, or older sibling.

2. 2nd grade students are dismissed from their classroom doors.

3. Kindergarten and 1st grade students are dismissed from Door 7.

4. 3rd & 4th grade students are dismissed from Door 14.

5. 5th grade students are dismissed from Door 9.

6. It is helpful to come up with a common meeting place for your family.

7. If plans change, please always inform the front office AND classroom teachers. Communication is KEY. When in doubt, give us a call. We would prefer over communication.

8. There is NO PARKING along Wakeman Ave. Unattended cars delay pick up and drop off and will be ticketed by the Wheaton Police Department.

9. ANY changes in dismissal (bus changes, changes in who will pick your child up, if you are running late, etc) MUST be communicated to the office and they will pass on the information to the teacher. Typically teachers don't check email once lunch is over, so late changes must go through the office staff with a phone call. 630-682-2065. We are here for you and your family!
   

Welcome back to Hawthorne Elementary School!

Below is a list of school health requirements for kindergarten, second, sixth and ninth grade students for the upcoming school year. The required forms can be found on the district or school website under Health Services.

Physical Examination Requirements

The Illinois school code requires that students entering school for the first time (early childhood, kindergarten, or first grades), students entering kindergarten, sixth and ninth grades, and transfer students must submit evidence of a physical examination and a complete record of immunizations.

• The completed physical examination and record of immunization form is expected at the school health office upon enrollment/ registration and required by the first day of student attendance.

• Appointment dates for obtaining a physical exam do not meet the school requirement.

Immunization Requirements

Immunization records must show proof of immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, polio and chicken pox.

• Early childhood and sixth grade through high school students are also required to have the hepatitis B vaccine..

• Sixth grade through twelfth grade are required to have the Tdap vaccine.

• Sixth grade and twelfth grade are required to have the meningococcal vaccine.

Dental Examination Requirements

Students in kindergarten, second, sixth and ninth grades must submit evidence of a dental examination by May 15th of that school year.

Vision Examination Requirements

Students entering Illinois schools for the 1st time (kindergarten or transfer) must submit evidence of a vision exam.

**All required health forms are available at the school office or www.cusd200.org. The school nurse may be able to provide resources for obtaining health requirements.

Any questions or concerns please reach out to the health office at hawthornehealthoffice@cusd200.org 

Thank you! Looking forward to a fantastic healthy school year!

Jodi O'Connell RN, BSN, PEL-CSN
Certified School Nurse 
Lowell Elementary School 
Hawthorne Elementary School 
Jodi.Oconnell@cusd200.org

Click HERE to order your Hawthorne Elementary School Spiritwear today!

All District 200 schools have a library learning center (LLC) that contains books that students can check out. 

• At our school, students visit the LLC weekly to check out books with the assistance of the LLC Director and/or their classroom teacher.    

You can learn more about Hawthorne’s LLC by visiting our website

Destiny is the library management system used by all District 200 schools. This system is online and accessible to all parents and students through each school’s website. Destiny allows all parents and students to have access to the titles of books available in each school’s LLC.  You can access it by going directly to destiny.cusd200.org, clicking through the school website, or from a student’s classlink page. You do not need to be logged in to search the catalog, but students will need to log in for some of the more advanced features.  I want to highlight a few features of Destiny available to all students and families.

Students can log in to their Destiny accounts from any device with online access. From there, they can see all books that are checked out to them. They can also put holds on titles that are checked out. Each student can create their own Favorites List to keep track of books they would like to check out.

Steps for creating a favorite list:

1. Log in to your school’s Destiny catalog using your child’s District 200 login information.

2. Find and open the record for the book you wish to add to your favorites list.

3. Click on the three dots toward the right of the screen.

4. Select “Add to Favorites”

5. A student’s favorites list is accessible by choosing “My Stuff” at the top of the screen.

If there are particular titles in our school's collection you don't wish your child to read or are not sure they will make the distinction on their own, reach out to your child's teacher and Ms. Young, our LLC Director.

You can learn about Destiny and how to create a favorite list by viewing this video.

At the June 11 Board of Education meeting, a revised cell phone policy was approved for the 2025-26 school year. The revised policy was developed with collaborative input from staff, students, and members of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee. The goal of the policy exploration was to develop a plan that would create a learning environment with fewer distractions for students and staff across all grade levels, while still providing the flexibility and responsibility of cell phone possession where appropriate. 

While the revised cell phone policy can be viewed by clicking on this link, I want to provide you with a high-level overview of some of the changes at the elementary level that will impact our building.

Elementary School:

• The use of cell phones and wearable devices including, but not limited to, smartwatches that have the capability to provide voice, messaging or data communication between two or more people are prohibited in school.

• Any devices brought to school must remain powered off (not in “vibrate or “silent” mode) and stored in backpacks or designated areas (e.g., the office) throughout the day. 

• Students with documented medical needs requiring smart devices may use them with prior approval from the school administration.

I want to thank you in advance for your partnership and we implement the revised cell phone policy at the start of the 2025-26 school year. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. 

Kindergarten readiness is a key area of focus for the State of Illinois. School districts in Illinois will report on 14 readiness measures of the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) for each kindergartner this fall.  You can learn more by visiting the KIDS Families Toolkit at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/KIDS-Families.aspx

El estado de Illinois está interesado en asegurar que todos los estudiantes estén listos para el kindergarten. Todos los maestros de kindergarten en Illinois implementarán KIDS para analizar a los estudiantes en 14 aspectos en cuatro áreas de aprendizaje. Puede consultar recursos del estado de Illinois en https://www.isbe.net/Pages/KIDS-Families.aspx.