Flossmoor School District 161

Calling all incoming kindergarteners! It's almost time to register for the 2023-24 school year. Kindergarten registration and residency verification will be held at our four elementary schools on Thursday, March 16, 2023, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Visit www.sd161.org to learn more about kindergarten registration.

The March to May Million Pages Challenge has begun! At the kickoff event, the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra Brass featured storytime and music based on the book Milo Imagines the World. After the performance, the brass trio shared interesting facts and information about each of their instruments and answered questions from the audience. What a marvelous way to start our challenge! Make sure you are reading and logging those pages!

All Flossmoor School District 161 buildings will be closed on Friday, March 3, 2023, due to inclement weather and the anticipated bus transportation issues. Students will participate in their learning activities from home. Tomorrow is a scheduled School Improvement Day in the afternoon, so there is an early dismissal for students. As a reminder, there is no school on Monday, March 6, 2023, in observance of Casimir Pulaski Day. If you have any questions regarding the schedule for the day, please contact your child’s teacher or building principal for assistance.

As a reminder to all families, Friday, March 3 is a School Improvement Day and there is an early dismissal for all students. The District is closed on Monday, March 6 in observance of Casimir Pulaski Day.

On Wednesday, March 1, 2023, Julie Lythcott-Haims will share her profound insight into parenting with Flossmoor School District 161. Julie Lythcott-Haims is the New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult and Real American. She holds a BA from Stanford, a JD from Harvard Law School, and an MFA from California College of the Arts. The event will occur at Parker Junior High from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Registration is required. Visit www.sd161.org or scan the QR code in the image to register.

We can't wait for you all to join us for a great diversity dinner tomorrow, Thursday, February 9! Fajitas will be served at 6:30 p.m. and guests can enjoy a variety of toppings and delicious desserts, but more importantly, an incredible presentation from DeEtta Jones, a go-to strategist on equity, diversity, inclusion and workplace transformation! We'll see you there!

District 161 kicked off Black History Month with some special guests as the Homewood Flossmoor Step Team performed for students at Flossmoor Hills School! The kids had a great time and the steppers gave a spectacular performance!

We had a wonderful Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service across Flossmoor School District 161 with projects at each of our schools! Our students, families and community always impress us with their volunteerism, especially on a day off from school. Thank you for supporting our District 161 projects!

The 5th graders at Serena Hills took some time yesterday giving to those in need as they helped assemble “Manna Packs” for Feed My Starving Children. During their session, the students helped pack 70 boxes, or 2,520 pouches, of food; enough to feed 41 children for an entire year! Amazing work done by our Serena Stars!

It was a special morning at the District Office as we were treated to a holiday performance from the Flossmoor Hills choir! Great job by Mrs. Sumner and all the talented carolers at Flossmoor Hills!

Enjoy Flossmoor's newest tradition, the Holiday Lights Parade! Starting at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, December 15, the Flossmoor Public Works, Police and Fire Departments will travel through the neighborhoods of Flossmoor with their vehicles adorned with holiday light displays. New this year, Downtown Flossmoor, starting just north of Flossmoor Public Library and through the Flossmoor Road viaduct, will be a dedicated quiet zone designed for attendees with sound sensitivities. There will also be two viewing stations, one at Flossmoor Park and the other at Heather Hill School for those who are not on the parade route or for groups looking to gather for a fun evening!

Flossmoor School District 161 is thrilled to be more than 61,000 officially registered participants that participated in the international #HourofCode campaign this December. Our students love coding and this initiative is a huge proponent of computer science education! #D161Learns

We had some special visitors in District 161 today! Thank you so much to Bernie's Book Bank for bringing us a literal truck load of books to give to our students. Each student received eight new or gently used books thanks to this incredible partnership, so there is plenty to read during your winter break! #D161Reads #D161Learns

A huge thank you goes out to all of our community readers for helping us celebrate American Education Week! Our students loved having you! #AEW2022

We were honored to welcome some very special guests across District 161 today in celebration of Veterans Day. Thank you to our visitors for sharing your stories, inspiration and hopes for the future with all of us. Thank you for your service.

Thank you to all of our staff, students, parents and PTO volunteers for helping us celebrate Halloween in District 161! We had pumpkin patches, a special visit from J.J. from CoComelon, classroom parties and of course, treats upon treats! Thank you for helping us make special memories in District 161! #D161Learns

Happy Halloween District 161! Our staff have the spooky spirit, do you? Enjoy trick-or-treating from 3 to 7 p.m. tonight and have a safe and happy Halloween!

It's Principal Appreciation Day, so please join us in celebrating our incredible leaders and everything they do to make our schools, our students and our staff better everyday. District 161 would not be the same without you!

Who said you can't have a little fun at work? Dr. Eric Melnyczenko, Director of Human Resources, enjoyed a few minutes of down time to join a group of 4th graders in a quick game of touch football at Flossmoor Hills!

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and we are so proud of all of the students and staff who participated in Unity Day by wearing orange. Unity Day is a day to show unity for kindness, acceptance and inclusion, and we wear orange to send a visible message that no child should ever experience bullying. Way to go District 161!