District 54’s parent conferences will be held on Jan. 17 and 18. This is a great opportunity for your children to share their accomplishments. Your children may also share their personal, academic goals with you.

It is important that the teacher knows how an individual is doing in school, and it is important that parents are aware as well. However, it is most important that the child has a sense of how things are going and is involved in the goal-setting process.

If you have something you would like to discuss with the teacher without your child present, please make an appointment for another time. These conferences are designed to focus on the child and the child’s goals and accomplishments. The children enjoy sharing their world with their parents.

Junior high students will be dismissed at 10:40 a.m.; elementary students at 11:40 a.m. and Lincoln Prairie students at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday for conferences. No early childhood or kindergarten classes meet on Thursday, Jan. 17. No District 54 students at any grade level attend school on Friday, Jan. 18. Schools are also closed on Monday, Jan. 21 in observation of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

The Schaumburg Township Council of PTA’s is helping Heartland sponsor a blood drive on Tuesday, Oct. 23. It will be held from 1:30-6:30 p.m. in the board room at the School District 54 Administration Center, 524 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg.

Anyone between the ages of 17 and 75 who weighs at least 110 pounds can participate.

A minimum of 500 pints of blood is needed every day for patients in area hospitals, according to Heartland. The Council of PTA’s hosts blood drives each year to help meet these needs.

To make an appointment, visit www.heartlandbc.org and click on Schedule an Appointment. Walk-ins are also acceptable.

For more information about this blood drive or to sign up to be a donor, please contact Laurie Fetterman, Health and Safety Chairperson of the PTA Council, (630) 855-3366 or by email at LJFetterman@yahoo.com.

The Schaumburg Township Council of PTAs invites all community members to a Candidates’ Forum on Oct. 10 at Addams Junior High School, 700 S. Springinsguth Road in Schaumburg.

The candidates from the following state races have been invited to answer questions related to children, education and the future of Illinois. Written questions from the audience will be moderated by the PTA Council.

• Illinois House District 44 – Rep. Fred Crespo (Democrat) and Ramiro Juarez (Republican)
• Illinois House District 56 – Rep. Michelle Mussman (Democrat) and John Lawson (Republican)
• Illinois Senate District 22 – Sen. Michael Noland (Democrat) and Cary Collins (Republican)
• Illinois Senate District 28 – Sen. Dan Kotowski (Democrat) and Jim O’Donnell (Republican)

This evening will also include the PTA General Meeting, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. followed by the Candidates’ Forum at 7 p.m.

For more information, contact PTA Second Vice President Lori Filby at ptalori@filby.net.

District 54’s parent conferences will be held on Oct. 4 and 5. This is a great opportunity for your children to share their accomplishments. Your children may also share their personal, academic goals with you.

It is important that the teacher knows how an individual is doing in school, and it is important that parents are aware as well. However, it is most important that the child has a sense of how things are going and is involved in the goal-setting process.

If you have something you would like to discuss with the teacher without your child present, please make an appointment for another time. These conferences are designed to focus on the child and the child’s goals and accomplishments. The children enjoy sharing their world with their parents.

Junior high students will be dismissed at 10:40 a.m.; elementary students at 11:40 a.m. and Lincoln Prairie students at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday for conferences. No early childhood or kindergarten classes meet on Thursday, Oct. 4. No District 54 students at any grade level attend school on Friday, Oct. 5.

School District 54 will highlight its fine arts program during the annual Schaumburg Septemberfest celebration on Labor Day weekend. District 54 student musicians will perform on the Daily Herald Stage Saturday through Monday.

Saturday, Sept. 1

• Combined Eighth-Grade Orchestra:  2:30 p.m.
• KellerJunior High SchoolEighth-Grade Band:  3:15 p.m.
• MeadJunior High SchoolEighth-Grade:  4 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 2

• AddamsJunior High SchoolEighth-Grade Band:  1:30 p.m.
• Frost Junior High School Eighth-Grade:  2:15 p.m.
• Eisenhower Junior High School Eighth-Grade Band: 3:00p

Monday, Sept. 3

• Dooley’s Early Instrumental Music students:  2:30 p.m.

Also the District 54 School Board and Special Olympics team will participate in the Septemberfest parade, which starts at 10 a.m. Monday on Summit Drive.

District 54 is hosting a day of races on Sunday, Sept. 23, to support literacy in School District 54. Our goal is to collect 1,000 children’s books for every classroom in District 54 and to encourage families to exercise together.

The event begins at 8 a.m. with a 100-yard dash for children in first grade and younger; followed by a 400-yard dash for children in sixth grade and younger. Both races take place at DirksenSchool,116 W. Beech Drive in Schaumburg.

The day of races also includes a 5K race at 8:30 a.m. and a one mile family fun walk at 8:45 a.m. Awards will be presented to the top male and female winner and the top age group winners in the 5K. An awards ceremony will take place at about 9:40 a.m. All children participating in the 100- and 400-yard dashes will also receive a medal.

All individuals participating in any run or walk must register in advance. The early-bird discounted cost to participate is $5 for junior high school age and younger, $15 for high school students and adults age 60 and older, and $25 for adults ages 19 to 59. All those prices rise by $5 after Sept. 6 ($10 for junior high school age and younger, $20 for high school students and adults age 60 and older, and $30 for adults ages 19 to 59). There is also a family rate of $50 for the walk only.

Registration continues until 8 a.m. on the morning of the event. Registration and packet pick-up will begin at 7 a.m. inside school gym. Anyone who registers by Sept.18 can also pick up their packets at Dick Pond Athletics, 927 S. Roselle Road in Schaumburg on Sept. 20-22.

No bicycles, skates, scooters or pets are allowed on the courses. Strollers are allowed on the walk only.

We are also still looking for sponsors for the event. Donations are also being accepted for both the goody bags and post-race raffle prizes.

If you are interested in attending or sponsoring the event, visit http://sd54.org/runtoread (online registration is available at this link). You may also contact Terri McHugh at (847) 357-5028 or TerriMcHugh@sd54.org.

Parents of children who are new to District 54 or those who have moved within District 54 can register during the summer at the District 54 Office, 524 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg. Registration will be held July 10 through August 2 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays. In addition the District Office will be open from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 7 through 15.

Parents will need to provide a child’s original birth certificate, passport or visa; proof of residency and a few other documents. Please see our registration website for more information: http://sd54.org/registration.

Parents are also required to pay a consumable materials fee at registration to cover the cost of workbooks, paper, art supplies and other items used by students.

Our consumable materials fees are $50 for all students from early childhood through junior high school for the 2012-13 school year.  Fees for students in the parent-paid preschool program are included in the tuition costs.

A late fee of $15 will be imposed on any payments received after Nov. 15. The late fee will be increased to $25 if no payment is made by Feb. 1 and to $35 if no payment is made by April 1. Children who qualify for the free lunch program will not be charged this fee.

Parents will also be asked to supply the phone numbers of people to be contacted in emergencies (other family members, neighbors and work phone numbers). Parents can also pay for their children’s transportation at this time (Transportation Department will be available during day hours only).

Parents wishing to register students new to School District 54 after August 5 should go to their neighborhood school. New student registration will resume at school buildings on August 9.

Call the District 54 summer registration office at (847) 357-5103 for information.

School District 54 is getting ready to host its single largest event of the year – the annual Partners Club/Young Athletes track meet on May 17.

The event will begin with opening ceremonies at 10 a.m. on the track behind Eisenhower Junior High  School, 800 W. Hassell Road in Hoffman Estates.

Events will take place until noon followed by lunch for all athletes, their partners and volunteers. The meet will be cancelled in case of inclement weather.

“The Young Athletes portion of the meet is going to be exciting. This is the biggest District 54 Young Athletes event held during the school year” said Lisa Liesz, District 54 Special Olympics, coordinator of Young Athletes. “The athletes have been training all year. There will be more than 1,000 District 54 students, staff and volunteers participating in this day.”

Partners Club is based at several District 54 schools and includes students with disabilities with their nondisabled peers. The purpose of the program is to combine athletes and their peers together to practice sports skills. However, Partners Club often accomplishes much more than that. A bond of respect is built between athlete and partner. The students participate in activities all year together, including this track meet each spring.

The Young Athletes program is an innovative sports play program for children ages 2-7 with intellectual disabilities, designed to introduce them to the world of sports. The benefits of the program include improvement not only physically and cognitively but also and socially. This program also serves as an introduction for families to the resources and support available within Special Olympics. Nearly 800 students participate in this program throughout the district.

School District 54 and the Schaumburg Park District present a multicultural fair from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, 2012, at the Community Recreation Center, 505 N. Springinsguth Road in Schaumburg. The event’s theme is A Garden of Diversity – Celebrating Our Community’s Cultures.

District 54 school groups will perform, as will professional groups hired by the Schaumburg Park District. Other activities will include multicultural crafts, a book walk, a puppet show, face painting, henna painting, balloon making, and other and games and activities for all ages.

When you’re tired of playing, sit down and sample food from around the world. Some of the food vendors will serve food from Japan, Italy, Mexico, China and other countries. One restaurant will even conduct a noodle-making demonstration.

For more information, please contact Julie Colgrove, director of the District 54 Department of Language and Culture, at (847) 357-5096.

The District 54 Sustainability Committee would like to share a reminder about this year’s Earth Hour.

Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund. Businesses, governments, organizations and individuals around the world are asked to turn off their lights for one hour, to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate a commitment to finding solutions. Some famous participants will include Mount Rushmore, the Empire State Building, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Great Pyramids of Giza, Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and Sydney’s Opera House. In 2011, Earth Hour became the biggest ever. A record 135 countries and territories joined the global display. People across the world from all walks of life turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of one thing we all have in common – our planet.

Participation is easy. Join District 54 by flipping off your lights for an hour on Saturday, March 31 at 8:30 p.m. In District 54 we will turn off all exterior building lights in support of Earth Hour!

Join us and make the switch to a cleaner nation. Follow this link for more information about Earth Hour:  http://www.earthhour.org/.