Excellence In Academics
Grayslake • Since 1944
Stay Connected
Thursday Tidbits
August 7, 2025
Thursday Tidbits
Dear Families (Old & New),
The beginning of the 2025-26 school year is fast approaching, we hope you are as excited as we are to start a fresh new school year....this is the first “Thursday Tidbits.” For new families, I communicate each week with a blast called, “Thursday Tidbits” that pulls from the contact information in PowerSchool and is set to enter your inbox around 2:15 every Thursday. If you are not receiving this please check your spam settings and/or contact the school so we can advise you.
Homeroom assignments will be sent out on Monday, August 11th. Throughout the school year your homeroom teacher will also be communicating information that pertains to your child’s specific class and grade. Some use weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly newsletters. Some send out email communications. Once class assignments are sent out, please do not call to ask for changes, there are too many registrations in a variety of electronic resources that need to be changed to accommodate change requests. Per the handbook, any requests needed to be submitted to the Principal by the end of March, requests are not guaranteed to be honored. Past year teachers, current year teachers, and myself create the lists for classes before teachers leave in June for summer break. We focus on balancing class numbers, equal number of boys and girls, and balance students with IEP/504 plans or other special learning needs as we create the new class groupings. We are confident that each student will receive an excellent education in a loving and supportive environment.
Please utilize our school website stgilbertschool.org for any questions: it is updated and has tons of information. Recently, I opened up boys & girls basketball for registration since the scheduling meeting is September 19th. I need accurate numbers to determine if I will have a team, need (2) teams, or have to combine grades. SGS Sports participation starts with 5th grade. Fall sports that will begin playing in September are; Girls Volleyball, Cross Country, and Boys Soccer. If you are new and in grades 5-8 interested in a fall sport please register using https://www.stgilbertschool.org/athletics-registration.
Note: The STEM Lab is looking for shoe box donations for a special project, send those in through the school office.
We are also looking for used uniforms; if your child has outgrown items please drop these off at the school office before August 17th!
Upcoming Start of School Events:
Thursday, August 14th: PK Virtual Parent Night 5:00 pm, K Virtual Parent Night 6:00 PM PK & K Parent Night
Saturday, August 16th : Grayslake Summerfest Parade 4:00 Grayslake Parade
Sunday, August 17th: Used Uniform Sale 9:00-12:00 in the gym, Preschool & Kindergarten family welcome event-”Popsicles on the
Playground” 1:00-2:30 Popsicles on the Playground (PK & K)
Wednesday, August 20th: Supply Drop Off 3:00-5:00
Thursday, August 21st: First Day of School
Saturday, August 23rd: Welcome Back Movie Night 6:00
Thursday, September 4th: Grades 1-8 Curriculum Night 6:00-8:00 (parents only, no children please)
Friday, September 5th: School Picture Day, Dress Up!
Teacher Feature:
We are very excited to announce the beginning of our new Terrific Twos Program. The teacher that has been hired is Mrs. Barb Dolan, who comes to us with years of experience running her own Preschool: Mrs. Dolan Bio
We are looking for a few more little ones to fill out this Tues/Thurs morning classroom. The hours are 9:00-11:30. Children may wear pull-ups and are not expected to be fully potty trained. We are also offering flexibility with this program on a quarterly basis. You can choose an entire school year, or Sept-Nov, Dec-Feb, March-May. Contact Mrs. Buckley for pricing arrangements for the quarterly sessions.
Other Bits:
Cub Scouts Information : Join Scouting Info. Sheet
July 22, 2025
Summer Announcements
Spirit Wear Shop Summer Opening:
We’re opening our Spirit wear Shop EARLY this year so you can kick off the school year in style! This is our BIGGEST spirit wear launch yet – packed with brand new items, including:
- A dedicated Preschool Shop.
- A full Sports Shop featuring gear for ALL SGS sports.
- Cool new accessories: baseball hats, blankets, family backpack, and dog gear.
Don’t miss your chance to grab these awesome items before the year gets rolling. Deadline to order is August 5th with delivery of items to your child’s classroom the week of August 25th.
https://stgilbert25.itemorder.com/
*Please remember these items can be worn on spirit wear days (which occur the 1st & 3rd Fridays of every month) They are not part of the St. Gilbert School daily uniform.
School Uniform Back to School Discount Sale:
Parents,
School Uniforms by Tommy Hilfiger, our school uniform provider, is having an extra 10% back-to-school promotion on school uniforms next week (July 28 - August 4) in case you missed their earlier back-to-school promotion! The promo code will be WK7WHTEN25. Please note that that promo code will ONLY work during those dates July 28 - August 4.
If you are not signed up for School Uniforms by Tommy Hilfiger's email and text alerts for promotions and sales, we recommend that
you do that, so you never miss a school uniform promotion. Click here to sign up:
Two Year Old Program Teacher Opening:
We are hoping to start a Two Year Old Program this coming school year. We have (5) potential students on a waiting list. The days would be T/Th from 9:00-11:30 for the program. The teacher would get an added hour per day of planning time. I am looking for any interested parents who might like to work part-time two mornings per week. The requirement would be a Bachelor's level degree in any field. You do not need teaching experience or a teaching license, just a love of young ones! Please contact me if you are interested: kris.buckley@stgilbertschool.org
Summer is flying by, one month until the start of school! See you all soon!
Mrs. Buckley, Principal
June 26, 2025
Summer is here, and you know what that means—golf season is in full swing! Join us Saturday, August 2 at Steeple Chase Golf Course for a day of fun, fairways, and fierce drives at the annual Roaring Rebel Golf Outing.
Date: August 2, 2025
Location: Steeple Chase Golf Course
Good vibes, great golf, and awesome company!
Spots are filling fast—sign up today and don’t miss your chance to hit the greens with the Rebels and support our athletics!
Register at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSey5nFvzfKUv1Lt8a_uTe8FRX2jW3fqXxuMOht6j-vS2ePYBg/viewform
June 4, 2025
Last Day of School Tidbit
Dear Parents/Guardians,
It has been at least 15 years since we have had to move Field Day inside the building due to weather-a huge thank you to our Gym Teacher, Heather Bocox for not only planning Field Day, but planning it TWICE due to the adaptations that had to be made to hold it inside! Thank you to all our parents who volunteered to lead classes and/or games, we could not do it without you!
If there are any questions or needs we are in the School Office M-Th during the hours of 9:00-12:00 during the summer. We also check the school office email daily at: school.office@stgilbertschool.org.
While construction is occurring we will be using the entry door in the front by the flag pole.
We will have a golf outing early in August, and would love to get all our families involved in supporting that! Get a foursome together; men, women, high school aged students are all welcome. Steeple Chase is the site, August 2nd is the date! SGS Golf Outing 2025
All the teachers and staff wish you all a safe, fun, and happy summer vacation!
Mrs. Kris Buckley, Principal
Calendar Items:
First Day of school 2025-2026 is August 21, 2025!
Other Bits:
New Garden Club; Summer Gardening (Service Hour Eligible)
School Supply Lists & Ordering; 2025-2026 School Supply Lists, 2025-2026 School Supply Ordering
SGS Summer Sports Camps 2025 (use link below to register-still open until camp starts, shirt not guaranteed for late registrants!)
May 29, 2025
Thursday Tidbits
Dear Parent/Guardians,
We are in the home stretch now.....four more school days! On our last day of school we will have “All-School Mass” at 8:00 am, the students will present their “good-bye gift” to both our priests who will be moving on to new parishes on July 1st. After the mass we will present our Awards for grades K-7. Parents are welcome to attend both mass and the awards. Field Day activities will start at 10:00 am. (Preschool 9:00) If you are a volunteer coming for Field Day please park in the East Lot.
It looks to be a hot day on Wednesday, so please be sure to have your child wear comfortable clothing, hats will be allowed outside on that day, they should have a water bottle, and wear sunscreen. We will have water stations available throughout the school grounds. If you ordered a t-shirt those will be coming home on Friday of this week along with our mascot “Flat Roary” the lion. To keep in touch over the summer please send us pictures of your family with our mascot at your vacation destinations! Thank you to Mr. Strachan, one of our board members, for supporting this idea and getting them printed (one per family).
Construction will begin on our front entrance to the school after school is over. We will be transitioning to using door #24 by the Preschool Entrance/Flag Pole for any drop offs or pick ups of items. We will be having a “Used Uniform Sale” the Sunday before the start of school in August. If you have uniforms that no longer fit your student(s) please donate them back for this sale.
This is the last chance to order the 2024-2025 Pre-K thru 8 Yearbook. The order deadline is tomorrow 5/30/25.
The magic of the school year lives forever in a yearbook. Order your yearbook to guarantee your copy!
Parents can choose between softcover and hardcover. With 100 colorful pages, everyone is sure to have their favorite memories from the year captured! Deadline to order is May 30, 2025. Yearbook distribution will be later in the summer to allow all events from this school year to be included.
TWO WAYS TO ORDER:
1. You can order online.
To reserve a Softcover book: ($25)
https://link.entourageyearbooks.com/my/StGilbertSchool_SOFTCOVER_2025
To reserve a Hardcover book: ($40)
https://link.entourageyearbooks.com/my/StGilbertSchool_HARDCOVER_2025
2. You can fill out an Order Form – Print, fill out, and return to the office with a check made out to St. Gilbert School or send payment via Zelle at zelle@stgilbertschool.org. Be sure to include “Yearbook Payment” in the zelle description.
HAVE PHOTOS YOU’D LIKE INCLUDED IN THE YEARBOOK?
If you have any photos from class, school, or sporting events, or any other special moments from this school year you can email them to sgsrebelsyearbook@gmail.com. Please include a brief description such as class, team name, event name, etc.
Please reach out to Morgan Hamilton (sgsrebelsyearbook@gmail.com) with any questions.
Thank You!
SGS Sports Summer Camps:
This is also the last chance to get in on a t-shirt for the SGS Sports Summer Camps! If you are entering 5th-8th grade consider joining us for sports camps. Use the links to sign-up. Sign-up will be accepted up until camp start dates, but shirts are only guaranteed to those signed up by 5/30/25.
SGS Summer Sports Camps 2025 (use link below to register)
Early Bird Discount/Music Kids:
We are partnering with Music Kids again next year as our instrumental lessons provider, and wanted to extend to you a discount special they're running:
Early Bird Special!
20% off by signing up and paying by July 1!
10% off by signing up by July 1st and paying later!
All siblings automatically get 10% off!
Register at www.MusicKids.us
Summer Promotional Discount/Tommy Hilfiger School Uniforms (grades K-8)
School families will receive 10% off their orders placed between: July 7 - 13, 2025
All our Email subscribers will receive daily notifications during the promotion. If families have not yet subscribed to our Email updates, they can do so here:
https://www.globalschoolwear.com/GSWEmailSignUp/EmailSignUp
School Technology Device Turn In:
Parents - tomorrow, Friday May 30th is Device turn in day for K-2 and anyone who will not be returning to SGS for the 25-26 school year in grades 3-7.
Students in K-2 please put the charger and charging cord in a Ziplock bag with your students name written on it in sharpie marker. The iPad charger needs to be the school issued charger. If you have misplaced the charger, a fee of $40 will be added to your FACTS account or you can send in a check. Broken or non returned cost for the iPad is $400. All equipment is due to be returned tomorrow.
Students in 3rd - 7th Grade - Chromebooks and chargers for non-returning students will be collected tomorrow as well. Please contact Lisa Kleber to let her know to collect your students' device. A fee of $400 will be added to your FACTS account if the device and charging cable is not returned.
If your student is returning, they will be able to keep their Chromebook over the summer. We ask that you do not take it on trips with you, to the pool, on a boat, near a sprinkler, etc... If you do lose the device, the school issued insurance does not cover lost, it is repair only. If you did not purchase the device insurance through school, all repairs will be billed to your FACTS account depending on the cost of repair.
Students will bring their Chromebook back to school with them when they return in August. Students entering 3rd grade will get their device during STEM time the first week of school. Students in 6th grade will turn in their old Chromebook and it will be replaced with a new device.
Please contact Lisa Kleber with any questions.
Peace & prayers,
Mrs. Kris Buckley, Principal
Calendar Reminders:
Friday 5/30 - Last 80th Anniversary T-shirt Dress Down Day!
Monday 6/2 - HIgh School Graduate SGS Alumni Visit 9:00 am. (MPR)
Tuesday 6/3 - Kindergarten Graduation 12:30 (gym), No Woodland Buses (PM)
Wednesday 6/4 - Last Day of School! No Woodland or Grayslake Buses (AM & PM), 8:00 Mass & Awards, Field Day 10:00. Dress Down appropriate for playing outside in hot weather, wear your Field Day t-shirts if you ordered one!
SGS Sports Central:
Registration is now open for fall sports! Use this link to register: https://www.registermyathlete.com/
Fall sports scheduling will happen in early July, please register so that I know the number of teams I will have at each grade. You need not pay at this time! If you are interested in coaching please email me directly: kris.buckley@stgilbertschool.org.
St. Gilbert School is hosting their annual golf outing at Steeple Chase Golf Course on August 2, 2025. We would love to see everyone there! Use this link to sign up your foursome: