Junior High & High School
News & Notes
January 16, 2025

Junior High Spirit Week – January 20-24

The junior high boys basketball team has their basketball tournament next week! Encourage your junior high students to support their classmates by participating in dress up days! Regular dress code applies to all who are not properly dressed for the designated dress up day. Face painting and hair coloring are not permitted.

  • Monday, January 20 – No School – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Tuesday, January 21 – Pajama Day
  • Wednesday, January 22 – Jersey Day
  • Thursday, January 23 – Dress Like a Teacher Day
  • Friday, January 24 – Charger Day

Junior High Pep Rally – January 24

The junior high pep rally will be held at the elementary campus (448 Cass Street) on Friday, January 24 at 2:00 PM, and we’re hosting an exciting Black Light Blowout! Friday is Charger Day, so please send your child in Charger gear, and keep in mind that it should be black light-friendly. If they have any white or neon party gear, feel free to add it to their outfit for the day to make them stand out under the lights.

Parents are welcome to join us for the pep rally. Let’s pack the gym and cheer loud for our Chargers!

School Closed on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Monday

Campuses will be closed and students will have no school on Monday, January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Spelling Bee – January 22

The 5th – 8th grade Spelling Bee will be held on Wednesday, January 22 at 1:00 PM in the high school gym. Teachers will be having classroom bees to determine four spellers from each room to participate in the schoolwide bee. We will let you know if your child is in the competition so that you may come and watch if you’d like.

Early Release Day – Tuesday, January 28

Tuesday, January 28 will be an early release day for Teacher In-Service.

  • JH/HS students will be released at 11:30 AM
  • Grade school students will be released at 11:15 AM
  • Preschool students will be released at 11:30 AM

Family Skate Party – February 8

Attention all Charger Families! The Charger Boosters Association will be hosting a Family Skate Party at the Lynwood Sports Center on February 8 from 4:45 – 7:15 PM. All students, preschool through 12th grade, are invited to attend, along with their immediate families. Skate rental and admission will be covered by the CBA, concessions will be available for purchase. It will be a great opportunity to get to know your fellow Charger families better, and we hope to see you there! Questions? Contact Kyle Wallace at kylewallace85@gmail.com.

Save the Date

  • Monday, January 20 – NO SCHOOL for both campuses – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Tuesday, January 28 – Early Release @ 11:30 AM
  • Tuesday, January 28, Thursday, January 30 & Wednesday, February 5 – Junior High MAP Growth tests
  • Saturday, February 8 – ILS Family Skate Party @ 4:45 – 7:15 PM @ Lynwood Sports Center

MAP Growth Testing – Junior High

Students in grades 7 & 8 will participate in their second MAP Growth testing on January 28 and 30, and February 5 (January 28 is a half day). These tests are in the areas of math, reading, and English and will be completed on your child’s Chromebook. MAP Growth tests are taken three times a year, and they provide valuable data to help student learning. You can help your children do their best by getting them to bed on time, providing a nutritious breakfast, and reminding them to charge their Chromebook the night before. Your child’s results will be shared with you near the end of the first quarter. Questions? Contact Mrs. Katty Van Arnold at kvanarnold@ilhs.org or 708.672.3262, ext. 122.

Call News

Mr. Phil Adickes, our Dean of Students and teacher at the junior high/high school campus, has a accepted a call to serve as the vice principal and teach mostly eighth graders at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran School in Menasha, WI starting with the 2025-2026 school year. Please keep Mr. Adickes and his family in your prayers.

1st Semester Honor Roll

Congratulations to the junior high and high school students who earned honor roll in the first semester of the 24-25 school year!

Please Welcome

Recruitment Director

Colleen Webb joined Illinois Lutheran in 2025 as the Recruitment Director. She graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a bachelor’s in journalism and has worked as a newspaper reporter and assistant editor, and in office administration and project management roles in the construction and environmental consulting sector. In 2020 she joined Faith Unleashed Consulting as a marketing and communications coordinator. She is now excited to promote and share the benefits of a Christian education with other families.

Born and raised in Crete, Colleen is a life-long member of Trinity Lutheran Church and an Illinois Lutheran alum who married her high school sweet-heart. She has three children, Amelia, Everett and Annalise and is thankful for the opportunity to now send them to ILS where they get to be nurtured daily with God’s word and grow in their talents and knowledge. In her free time, Colleen enjoys gardening, trying new food and soap recipes, hiking, traveling and exploring the off-beaten path with her family.

Social Media Coordinator

Nicole Perry will join our staff as the first ILS Social Media Coordinator. Nicole lives in Crete. In 2010, she graduated from Kankakee Community College with an associate’s degree and is currently attending Western Governors University to obtain her bachelor’s in early childhood education. Nicole and her husband Shaun have three amazing children together. Peyton is a senior at ILHS, Blake is in sixth grade at ILES and their daughter Khloe will be starting kindergarten in the fall at ILES. Nicole enjoys making memories with her family, watching movies, raising chickens and a good cup of coffee.

Winter Sports – Parent Volunteers:

An important reminder that parents in the following sports are required to volunteer for concessions at least ONE time for winter sports:

  • High School Boys Basketball
  • High School Girls Basketball
  • High School Cheerleading
  • 5th – 8th Grade Boys Basketball
  • 5th – 8th Grade Cheerleading

CLICK HERE to sign up for your volunteer spot. There will be many spots available to volunteer. Families that do not fulfill their volunteer obligation will be charged a fee at the end of the season ($75 for 5th-8th grade families and $150 for high school families). We appreciate your support!

Emergency School Closings

Please note that for school closings due to bad weather, you will be contacted with the information that is on file. Please be sure that your information is up to date. You can click HERE to check the Emergency Closing Center for school closings.

Sport Schedule – January 20-25

Monday, January 20:

  • NO practices or games

Tuesday, January 21:

  • SSLAL tournament at our school – Our teams don’t play this day, games start at 4:30
  • 3:15- 5:00 – B girls cheerleading practice at ILES gym
  • 3:30 – 5:15 – A girls cheerleading practice at ILES gym
  • 3:30 – 4:30 – High school boys basketball practice
  • 3:30 – 5:00 – Junior high drama practice
  • 5:00 – 7:00 – High school drama practice at ILES gym
  • 7:00 – High school girls basketball HOME vs. Momence

Wednesday, January 22:

  • 3:15 – 4:45 – B boys basketball practice at ILES gym
  • 3:30 – 5:00 – A girls cheerleading practice at ILHS gym
  • 3:30 – 5:00 – Junior high drama practice
  • 3:30 – 5:00 – A boys basketball practice
  • 3:30 – 5:00 – High school girls basketball practice
  • 5:00 – 7:00 – High school drama practice
  • 5:30, 7:00 – High school boys basketball HOME vs. Unity Christian

Thursday, January 23:

  • 3:30 – 4:30 – High school boys basketball practice
  • 3:30 – 4:30 – softball open gym at ILES gym
  • 3:30 – 5:00 – Junior high drama practice
  • 5:00 – 7:00 – High school drama practice
  • 5:30 – B boys basketbal vs. St. Paul’s Bourbonnais – SSLAL tournament
  • 6:30 – A boys basketballl vs. TBD – SSLAL tournament
  • 7:00 – High school girls basketball at Donovan

Friday, January 24:

  • 3:30 – 5:00 – A and B volleyball practice
  • 3:30 – 5:00 – High school girls basketball practice at ILES gym
  • 3:30 – 5:00 – High school cheerleading practice
  • 3:30 – 5:00 – Junior high drama practice
  • 5:30, 7:00 – High school boys basketball HOME vs. GSW

Saturday, January 25:

  • 10:00 – 11:30 – A and B volleyball practice
  • TBD – 7th grade IESA regionals
  • TBD – SSLAL tournament finals – Games will start after 12:00

Bookstore Items & Fees

Do you need to order milk, a PE uniform, Bible, etc? Please submit your electronic bookstore order and your fees will be added to your FACTS account. Questions? Contact Mrs. Jessica Bushey at jbushey@ilhs.org.

Hot Lunch Program

Illinois Lutheran Schools works with School Eatery to provide hot lunch to our students. School Eatery works with local restaurants to offer several options every day for your child. To set up your account, please click on these links and refer to the following instructions:

  • Once you set up your account and place your child’s hot lunch order, you will make your payment directly to School Eatery.
  • If you have any questions about ordering or the payment process, please contact School Eatery directly at 800.570.6755 or support@schooleatery.com.
  • If you have children in both buildings, you will need to set up a separate account and login.

Family Devotions

A routine family devotion is essential for the Christian family. This could include reading the Bible, singing, and praying together. Do you need help creating a meaningful family devotional time? HERE is a link to daily devotion ideas.