Superintendent Communication

August 12, 2024

Welcome back to a new and exciting school year!  The first day of school is always such a joyful one and today was no exception.  It was great to see our students’ bright smiles and eager faces once again - filling classrooms and hallways with energy and enthusiasm.  We are looking forward to a wonderful school year, full of opportunities for our students to grow and learn.  High school years do go by quickly, so we encourage students to be engaged and take advantage of the many opportunities available to explore their interests and develop new skills.

For those new to Grant this school year and as a reminder to our returning families, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) made the decision last spring to transition the required state assessment for all Illinois high schools from SAT to ACT, effective this school year.  You can read the initial announcement here.  ISBE communicated that a transition support plan would be made available to schools by July 15, but we are still awaiting those details.  As such, I wanted to let you know very early on that there will not be a fall testing day for students.  The October date that was previously dedicated to testing has been shifted to a normal day of student attendance.  We will continue to offer the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) on October 22 for interested students.  The District calendar will be updated with spring ACT testing details, once those details are known.  Thanks for your cooperation and understanding as we await further details from ISBE.   

We look forward to a strong connection between school and home this upcoming school year!  Your involvement and support are crucial to the success of our students.  We encourage you to communicate, be involved, and reach out if you have questions or concerns.  We are here to support you and your student throughout the school year.  You are especially encouraged to participate in Parent University, a program designed specifically to support YOU!  We also hope to see you on Tuesday, August 27, for Back to School Night.    

Please be on the lookout for details from Dr. Schmidt regarding next week’s safety drills.  School safety will always be a top priority for us and we go to great efforts to maintain a safe and secure campus.  That includes maintaining a safety planning team that meets regularly to evaluate and refine our safety plans.  Please encourage your students to take these drills seriously so we are well prepared.  We will be testing the Skylert emergency alert system, our method of communicating in the event of a potential emergency, on Wednesday, August 14, at approximately 5:00 p.m.  

I invite you to follow the wonderful things happening this year on the school website, Facebook, X, or Instagram.  On to day two!  Let’s make this school year a memorable and successful one!

Sincerely,

Dr. Christy Sefcik
Superintendent

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August 6, 2024

Welcome again to the 2024/25 school year!  You are cordially invited to attend Grant Community High School’s Back to School Night on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.  We hope you will make every effort to attend this important event.  During your classroom visits, teachers will discuss ways that you can support your student this school year, share student expectations and highlight key information about the course curriculum.  Please remember, teachers are only provided ten short minutes to share information with you each class period, so this time is not intended to discuss individual students.

Student schedules may be obtained in advance by printing copies from the Skyward Family Access link on the District website, www.grantbulldogs.org.  Copies will also be available in the auditorium lobby between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.  Parents will proceed directly to their student’s first period class which begins promptly at 7:00 p.m.

The schedule for the evening is as follows:

Period	Time
1	7:00-7:10 PM
TEAM	7:15-7:25 PM
3	7:30-7:40 PM
4	7:45-7:55 PM
5/6/7	8:00-8:10 PM
7/8/9	8:15-8:25 PM
10	8:30-8:40 PM
11	8:45-8:55 PM

If your student attends the Lake County High Schools Technology Campus, please report to the auditorium.  Mr. Eric Taubery will be in attendance to highlight Technology Campus programs, review policies and procedures, and answer questions.

Counselors and deans will be available in their offices beginning at 7:00 p.m. 

If your student has a study hall in their schedule, you are encouraged to do any of the following:

• Stop by to visit with Student Services Red Team members in their individual offices. 
• Join representatives from the Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) Team in the Commons for refreshments and cookies. 
• Learn more about Schoology and Skyward Family Access in the Senior Cafe.  Technology staff will be on hand to provide you a login, password, and highlight the main features of both programs.

We look forward to seeing you on August 27^th at 7:00 p.m. 

Sincerely,

Christine A. Sefcik, Ed.D.
Superintendent