Cass School District 63

St. Patrick’s Day Green Out Results at Cass are in! ☘️💚

Our 5th grade students took the win with an impressive 51 students wearing green! 7th grade came in a close second with 48 students showing their spirit.

Way to go, 5th grade! 🎉 They were rewarded with shamrock necklaces from Student Council for their winning effort.

Thank you to everyone at Cass who participated and made our St. Patrick’s Day celebration so fun! 💚☘️

Ms. Poskonka’s first grade class made their leprechaun traps… and walked into quite a surprise this morning! ☘️✨

After proudly presenting their creative designs and doing a classroom gallery walk yesterday, students came in eager to check their traps—and let’s just say, it looks like some sneaky leprechauns paid us a visit! 👀🍀

There may not have been any leprechauns caught, but there were definitely some mischievous signs and a little magic left behind! ✨

Huge congratulations to the Cass Electric Car Team! ⚡🚗

On Saturday, March 14th, Alfred Park, Ryan Gallagher, and Matteo Vitagliano represented Cass while competing against middle schools from across the Chicagoland area at Argonne National Laboratory. The team designed and built their very own electric car—and brought home 2nd place in Design! 🏆

The car and trophy will be on display by the music room, so be sure to check it out! As an added bonus, the team also got the incredible opportunity to tour Argonne’s supercomputer in Aurora. Way to go, team! 👏⚡

Fractions are more fun on the floor! Mrs. McElligott’s class took learning off their desks and onto the rug, working together to break down fractions and share their thinking. When students can move, talk it out, and learn side-by-side, math really starts to click!

Students across our district will soon begin state testing as part of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR). This assessment measures student progress toward the Illinois Learning Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics, while the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) measures science progress for 5th and 8th grade students.

During testing days, students cannot arrive late or leave early, so please review the schedule and plan appointments accordingly. We also ask that students bring earbuds or headphones each day of testing.

Testing Schedule

Concord Elementary School
• March 11–12: 3rd & 4th Grade Reading
• March 16, 18 & 19: 3rd & 4th Grade Math

Cass Junior High School
• March 16–17: 5th–8th Grade Reading
• April 8–10: 5th–8th Grade Math
• April 20–22: 5th & 8th Grade Science

If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher or Principals Christine Marcinkewicz or Katie Doyle.

Thank you for helping our students arrive prepared and ready to do their best! 📚✏️

Proposals for the 2nd Annual Multicultural Celebration are due this Friday! Families are invited to share their culture, heritage, and traditions.

Countries represented so far include China, Cuba, India, Ireland, Japan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Syria, and the United States—but we welcome more and multiple submissions from the same background.

The celebration will be held Friday, April 17, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. in the Cass Junior High School gym. Even if you’re not presenting, we hope you’ll join us!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4WFJNZVqo3SWfyv3FRRJ9ZluhU32p9aIEDMcZlDiUIX9khw/viewform

Happy International Women’s Day! 💜

Today we celebrate the incredible women and girls who make up our school community. Your strength, kindness, and leadership help make our district a place where everyone can learn, grow, and thrive.

📚☔ A little rain couldn’t stop the fun today!

Our librarian, Mrs. Dooley, and principal, Mrs. Doyle, helped bring the annual Green Eggs and Ham re-enactment to life with Mrs. Blatt’s Pre-K class. The forecast did call for a chance of rain… and sure enough, the story came to life right in the library! 🌧️

The students loved watching the story unfold and seeing their librarian and principal jump right into the fun. Moments like these make reading extra memorable! 💚🥚

Lab coats on and curiosity activated 🧪 Our 8th grade scientists were busy testing compounds to uncover the mystery of alkali and alkaline earth metals. Lots of color changes, careful observations, and big “aha!” moments!

With temps in the upper 50s, today’s outdoor recess felt extra special — the kids loved the fresh air! 🌥️

Glow Dance and Crazy Hair Day photo dump! 💕

Our preschoolers and families had a great time participating in the Snowman Reading Challenge! Families read books together at home and sent in “snowballs” with their child’s name and book titles, which were added to a growing classroom snowman.

Students were excited to see their snowballs displayed and enjoyed writing their names and cutting them out, great fine-motor practice. Most importantly, the activity encouraged families to spend time reading, talking about stories, and building strong early literacy skills together.

The challenge wrapped up with a fun Pajama Reading Party at school, celebrating our students’ love of books and the wonderful family involvement that made this activity a success.