LTHS Parents/Guardians and Students,

I hope you had a great weekend. We are down to the final four weeks of the semester, so I wanted to include information on social emotional and academic supports at LTHS as well as reshare information regarding the end of the semester final exam schedule which was previously shared on April 2. 

We know that the end of the semester can be stressful. We wanted to share that, as always, counselors and social workers are a great resource for students. Counselor contact information can be found here.

It is very important that students maintain positive attendance behaviors during the final weeks of the school year. Finishing strong with respect to attendance is an important part of closing out the semester strong academically. 

Additionally, we know that some students may need academic support as the semester is coming to a close and students are preparing for final exams.

Our Drop-In centers are open and available to students seeking additional academic support in Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and/or World Languages. Drop-In Centers are open and can be accessed during students' lunch study hall time. Attendance will be taken in Drop-In Centers where students will have the opportunity to get additional help from staff or student tutors.  

Locations of North Campus Drop-In Centers:

• Language Arts - 225
• Math/Science - 203
• Social Studies - 328 (4a); 340 (4b); 119 (5a); 345 (5b)
• World Languages - 318 during 5a and 5b

Locations of South Campus Drop-In Centers:

• Language Arts - B102
• Math/Science - C228
• Social Studies - C130
• World Languages - C221 during 4A and 5A

I am also including important end-of-the-semester information:

• Senior students are exempt from taking second semester final exams. This means that second semester senior students will not take finals.
• Exception: Please note that senior students enrolled in dual credit courses will need to take final exams in order to meet requirements of colleges/universities.
• The last day of senior student attendance will be Thursday, May 23. Finals for students in grades 9-11 will take place the following week. 
• LTHS will implement a special final exam bell schedule for the final three days (May 28-30) of the semester.   
• There is no Late Start on the Wednesday of the last week of the semester (Wednesday, May 29). The 7th period exam period starts at 7:45am on May 29.
• While final exams will be mandatory, course teams will have four options for administering the exams. Regardless of the option the course team chooses, students are expected to be on campus and in class for each final exam period. 
• Please note that the syllabus for each course outlines the teacher’s plan with relation to final exams.  All courses will have a final exam.  The following are the options that teacher teams have with relation to final exams (Dual credit classes are exempt from these options as each college/university dictates the form of the final exam): 
• Cumulative Final Exam 
• Summative Final Exam 
• Final Project or Performance 
• Retake, Revision, or Reflection 

Please note: There are no retake/revision opportunities for any of the final exam options.

Specific information about the final exam that will be implemented within each course has been communicated by individual teachers previously. 

I also would like to share some congratulatory messages:

• Congratulations to our student dancers, choreographers, stage crew, hosts and directors of this year's "Flourish" by LT's Eurythmic Dance Company. It was a great show!
• This past Saturday, our LTHS Wind Ensemble had a chance to perform at SuperState in Champaign. Congratulations to Directors Mark Dahl and Paul Meiste and all of our musicians on this outstanding accomplishment.  
• Congratulations to the following Special Olympics Track & Field athletes on qualifying for the State Meet after a successful Region C Special Olympics Spring Games.  These athletes will be traveling to Illinois State University in Bloomington to compete at State on June 7 & 8:
• Stanley Hides: 100 M Run
• Alexandra McKirchy: 100 M Run
• Josiah Santana: Shot Put
• Nathaniel Schaefer: 200 M Run
• Liz Schmidt: Shot Put & 200 M Run
• Brandon Villanueva: Shot Put & 1500 M Run
• David Frehner: 1500 M Run 
• Congratulations to Head Coach Sam Zeman and the Boys Gymnastics on winning last week's Sectional.  Good luck at the upcoming State competition this weekend.
• Congratulations to Badminton Doubles Team Mia Graziano and Simone Brown on qualifying for this weekend’s IHSA State Meet.    

Advanced Placement Testing 

AP Testing will be taking place over the course of the next two weeks (May 6-17).  Here is the link to the full AP Testing Schedule. 

Upcoming Athletics/Fine Arts Events 

May 7-8: FFA Club at Envirothon State Competition (Monticello, IL)

May 8: Jazz Concert (North Campus Reber Center at 7:30pm)

May 9: Girls Track IHSA Sectional (Bennett at 4:30pm)

May 9: Spring Madrigal Concert (Western Springs Baptist Church at 7:30pm)

May 10 & 11: BPA National Competition (Chicago) 

May 10 & 11: Badminton at Dekalb HS for IHSA State 

May 10 & 11: Boys and Girls Water Polo in the IHSA Sectional (South Campus Pool) 

May 11: Boys Gymnastics competes at the State Meet at Hoffman Estates High School

May 11 - Softball Pink Out 

Post Prom Chaperones

Our LTHS PTC is looking for volunteers to help with the post prom event.  Please see this flier for details and use this link to sign up. We really appreciate the support of PTC and volunteers which makes the post prom boat experience possible. 

South Campus Construction Update 

We are very excited for upcoming construction projects at South Campus which include the following:

• Building a new cafeteria/common space which includes moving the cafeteria to a more central location near exit 25 (bus entrance)
• Music classroom renovations which includes moving the music classrooms to the location of the current cafeterias
• Restroom renovations

In preparation for construction at South Campus, we wanted to share an update with our community.  The preliminary staging does not have a solidified start date but could begin as early as Thursday, May 9th, and as late as Tuesday, May 21st, pending confirmation from the Village of Western Springs. The initial staging includes the installation of fencing in the parking lots and the closure of Exit 25.

It is important to note that the construction is anticipated to last for the entire 2024-25 school year. Understandably, this will cause disruptions and inconvenience for both students, staff, families, and the community. We recognize the challenges this may pose, but also wanted to share that we are working diligently to minimize the adverse effects on our daily operations. 

Here are some details on how construction will impact students and families at South Campus:

• Parking Disruption: The construction will affect both the north and south parking lots, leading to a reduction in available parking spaces. In the north parking lot the construction site will take up much of the area outside of Exit 25 including the first row of parking spaces and will include the installation of fencing, safety barriers, equipment, and materials. In the south parking lot the construction site will take up the parking located on the west end of the lot. It is important to adhere to all safety precautions and avoid restricted areas for your own well-being.  Please note that the parking disruption will impact parking for large scale events that take place at South Campus.  It is extremely important that students stay away from construction equipment and stay away from fenced-off construction areas.  
• Closure of Exit 25: Exit 25, a familiar access point for many of us, will be closed throughout the construction period. This closure will directly affect the junction between B-Wing and G-Wing, making it inaccessible for students and staff. 
• In some cases students will have to adjust the routes they take when navigating the building because of hall closures.
• We are updating evacuation maps to reflect the changes in exit points. Classes previously using Exit 25 in the B-Wing will now be directed at Exit 26 in the case of evacuation. Similarly, G-Wing classrooms will be rerouted to the pool entrance in the event of evacuation.
• Bus Drop-off and Pick-up: All bus drop-offs and pick-ups will be directed to the pool entrance and the area directly outside this entrance. Our Student Assistants and Administration will continue to provide supervision and information for students as they await their buses. Our Grand Prairie buses will utilize the turnaround area outside of Exit 4 for drop-off and pick-up.
• Noise and Dust: The demolition process for Exit 25, and the work in the courtyard, will undoubtedly generate noise and dust, which may affect nearby classrooms. We will continuously work to minimize the impact on learning environments. Classrooms that are situated near the construction site, particularly those facing the courtyard, will be keeping windows closed during construction hours. 
• Air Quality Measures: To further mitigate the effects of dust, District 204 is taking proactive measures by installing heavier filters in the unit vents of affected classrooms. These upgraded filters are designed to capture and reduce airborne particles, thereby improving air quality within the classrooms and enhancing the overall learning environment.

We appreciate our community’s patience as we begin these exciting construction projects at South Campus.

Questions regarding South Campus construction should be directed to Associate Principal, Greg Gardner, at ggardner@d204.lths.net. 

College and Career Center Update

SENIORS: All invites for Senior Scholarship Night (May 21) will be mailed out by Monday May 6th. The mailing will include tickets for 2 guests. This event is invite only. If you receive an invite, it is because you are the recipient of at least one local scholarship. 

Garden Market Fence Installation 

We wanted to share a short update with our community regarding an upcoming project at the Garden Market Shopping Center which is located adjacent to South Campus.  They will begin installing a fence along the perimeter between South Campus and the Garden Market and plan to continue work on this project this month.   While this was a decision that was made by the Garden Market Property Management Team, I wanted to share this with our community because we understand that this will be an inconvenience to members of the LT community that regularly access the shopping center.

Thank you and have a great week!

Jen Tyrrell

Principal