While many of us are hanging on to every last day of summer, school days are just around the corner. Whether you've packed the kids' backpacks with school supplies and posted school holidays to your fridge or you're dangling your feet in the pool and waiting as long as you can to face the coming school year, the following links and resources have all the info you need to make back-to-school easy.
ELMHURST SCHOOLS
Elmhurst Area Preschools
See the LW Reedy Preschool Guide
Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205
- Preschool - Madison Early Childhood Education Center
- Elementary - Edison • Emerson • Field • Fischer • Hawthorne • Jackson • Jefferson • Lincoln
- Middle - Bryan • Churchville • Sandburg
- High School - York Community High School
Elmhurst Private Schools
- IC Catholic Prep - grades 9 - 12
- Immaculate Conception Grade School - early childhood, grades K-8
- Immanuel Lutheran - early childhood, grades K-8
- Timothy Christian - early childhood, grades K-12
- Visitation School - early childhood, grades K-8
Many of the schools offer additional news and information on social media platforms. Facebook groups created by parent-teacher groups or families—like York Parents and Sandburg Families—also offer excellent insight and advice.
SCHOOL PHYSICALS
Keeping track of when physical and sports physical forms are due to the health office can be overwhelming, especially with the addition of vision and dental examination requirements in 2008 and 2019. It can also be difficult to filter out the important to do list items from the many digital communications received from schools. Prevent urgent calls to your pediatrician for a last-minute "emergency" physical by checking your school/school district website now to make sure you have all the school physical forms you need for the coming year. Remember to check when your child last had their sports physical as they usually expire after one year.
Visit the Elmhurst Community School District 205 Immunizations/Examination Requirements webpage for access to a helpful table listing when proof of vaccinations and of medical, dental, and vision examinations are due and for which grade levels.
If your pediatrician's office is booked and your child needs a physical or vaccination, many local pharmacies (Elmhurst CVS) and urgent care centers (Midwest Express Clinic opening soon in Elmhurst; Edward-Elmhurst Health Walk-In Clinic), offer physicals and vaccinations. If your eye doctor is booked, Costco, Target, and LensCrafters are often available for school screening appointments.
After School Activities
Many local groups offer extracurricular activities to help children stay active and discover their own unique interests and talents. A few organizations to check out while planning for fall activities include:
Art
- Michael Symber Studios
- Strauch Art School
Dance
General
Music
Sports
- Access Sports
- Elmhurst Park District-associated youth sports teams
Theatre
We'd love to share your organization's activities on our list as well. Let us know what we missed by commenting on our Facebook posts or sending us a message.
School Supplies
Unfortunately, the Illinois Sales Tax Holiday that offered relief to many parents shopping for school supplies and school clothes in early August of 2022 will not be provided to taxpayers this fall.
Parents can try these alternative tips to try to reduce the cost of school supplies this fall:
- School-sold supply kits are sometimes the best-cost option, but not always. Compare costs before committing to a school-sold kit.
- Office supply stores and thrift shops often have lower prices than Amazon, Target, and the local grocery store. Many thrift shops have unused, unopened school supplies at greatly reduced prices.
- Plan a School Supply Swap Party. Find a new home for the tiny scissors and barely-worn PE shoes. And while you're at it, pick up a graphing calculator and a set of gently used colored pencils that your neighbor's son doesn't need next year.
- Ask friends and neighbors for required books, as well, before buying new copies. Many are just sitting on shelves, waiting for a younger child to need them, and can be loaned out for a year. Many of the social media parent groups for schools also list books needed and books for sale, which can be helpful when searching for a lower price or a lifesaver when searching for a book that's been back-ordered. Just be sure to compare the ISBN on your child's reading list with the used book to be sure your child's school doesn't require a more recent edition.
That's enough school planning for now! Time to dip your feet back in the pool or head out for an outdoor music performance. For a list of all kinds of summer fun from the ZooBrew to outdoor movies to farmers markets, check out this month's View from 101 York.
