Back-to-School Guide
Welcome to the 2025–26 school year! This Back-to-School Guide is designed to help you and your child feel prepared and confident as we head into the new year. Here, you’ll find important dates, school supply lists, transportation details, and more—all in one convenient place.
Helpful Links
General Information
The first day of school for grades 1-8 is Monday, August 18, 2025. Please note this is a FULL DAY and NOT an early release. The first day of school for PreK and Kindergarten is Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Please see below for arrival and dismissal times and the early release schedule.
- School Hours and Early Release Schedule
- Teacher Assignments, Class Schedules, and Bus Routes
- Breakfast/Lunch Menus
- Community Resources
- Middle School Athletics
- Student Absences
- School Contact Information
School Hours and Early Release Schedule
PreK Hours
Morning Session: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Afternoon Session: 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Office Hours: 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Elementary Hours
School Hours: 8:50 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Office Hours: 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Middle School Hours
School Hours: 7:40 a.m. to 2:14 p.m.
Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Early Release Schedule
There is no attendance for PreK on early release days. Elementary students are dismissed at 2:00 p.m. and middle school students are dismissed at 1:00 p.m.
Early Release Dates
- 8/27/25
- 9/24/25
- 10/22/25
- 11/12/25
- 12/10/25
- 1/28/26
- 2/25/26
- 3/18/26
- 4/22/26
- 5/13/26
Teacher Assignments, Class Schedules, and Bus Routes
Teacher assignments, class schedules, and bus routes will all be available to view on ParentVUE on Monday, August 11 at 2 p.m.
Breakfast/Lunch Menus
Community Resources
District 47 has compiled a comprehensive list of local and regional resources for families seeking various forms of assistance. Families are encouraged to reach out to these resources for more information and the latest updates.
Middle School Athletics
Student Absences
If a child will be absent from school, parents/guardians must log into ParentVUE to report the absence before the start of the school day—by 8:50 a.m. (preK and elementary) and by 7:30 a.m. (middle school). Once logged into ParentVUE, click the Report Absence button to complete the quick, two-step process.
School Contact Information
Important Dates & Calendars
Back-to-School Events
Wondering when locker setup, school supply drop-off, or Meet the Teacher is happening? Each school’s calendar is the place to go. Stay up to date on important back-to-school events like Parent Night, locker setup, and more by visiting your school’s website and checking the calendar.
- Canterbury
- Coventry
- Glacier Ridge
- Husmann
- Indian Prairie
- North
- South
- West
- Woods Creek
- Bernotas
- Hannah Beardsley
- Lundahl
Canterbury
Coventry
Glacier Ridge
Husmann
Indian Prairie
North
South
West
Woods Creek
Bernotas
Hannah Beardsley
Lundahl
Search Calendars
Filter Calendars
Calendars
Stay up to date with important events, holidays, and activities! Visit our Calendar page to view and filter events by school or see districtwide happenings all in one place.
Communication
- District & School Newsletters
- Emergency Alerts & Closings
- ParentSquare
- PTO/PTA & CLFOGE
- Social Media
District & School Newsletters
Stay informed and connected all year long! District 47 and each of our schools will be sharing regular newsletters through ParentSquare—our unified communication platform for families. These newsletters include important updates, upcoming events, and highlights from your child’s school. To access your school’s past newsletters, go to the school’s website, open the menu, click Families, then click Newsletters.
Emergency Alerts & Closings
ParentSquare
District 47 and all of our schools use ParentSquare as the primary communication platform to keep families informed and connected. Through ParentSquare, you’ll receive school and district newsletters, event updates, weather alerts, and other important messages via email, text, push notification, and in-app posts—all in one convenient place. Download the free ParentSquare app and customize your notification settings to receive messages how and when you prefer!
Learn more and get support by visiting our parentsquare page
To ensure you’re receiving messages, please make sure your contact information is current. If updates are needed, contact your school office. Building secretaries will update your information in both ParentVUE and ParentSquare.
PTO/PTA & CLFOGE
All District 47 schools have their own PTO/PTA. The PTO/PTA is a volunteer-based non-profit organization committed to supporting the school community. The PTO/PTA organizes events throughout the year, like classroom parties, speakers and assemblies, book fairs, celebrations, and fundraisers, to bring together families, faculty, and staff in a fun and engaging way.
The Crystal Lake Friends of Gifted Education (CLFOGE) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-staffed group of parents and educators who are dedicated to supporting gifted education in District 47. CLFOGE has been supporting the families and educators in District 47’s Extended Curriculum program since 2001 through advocacy, programming and fundraising.
Social Media
District 47
Instagram: @d47schools
Facebook: @D47schools
Podcast: Deep Dive with Dr. Hinz
LinkedIn: Crystal Lake Elementary District #47
YouTube: @Crystallakedistrict47
Canterbury
Instagram: @canterburyd47
Facebook: @CanterburyD47
Coventry
Instagram: @coventryd47
Facebook: @CoventryD47
Glacier Ridge
Instagram: @glacierridged47
Facebook: @GlacierRidgeD47
Husmann
Instagram: @husmannd47
Facebook: @husmannD47
Indian Prairie
Instagram: @indianprairied47
Facebook: @indianprairied47
North
Instagram: @northd47
Facebook: @starhuskiesD47
Woods Creek
Instagram: @woodscreekd47
Facebook: @woodscreekD47
HBMS
Instagram: @hannahbeardsleyd47
Facebook: @hbmbears
LMS
Instagram: @lundahllions
Facebook: @LundahlLions
RBMS
Instagram: @d47bernotas
Facebook: @BernotasVikings
Registration & Forms
- Free and Reduced Lunch Applications
- Heath Requirements & Medical Forms
- MyPaymentsPlus
- Registration
- Student Handbook
- Visitor/Volunteer Procedure
- Student Fees
Free and Reduced Lunch Applications
Heath Requirements & Medical Forms
Please visit our Health Services page, where you can find the following information:
MyPaymentsPlus
Parents can create a MyPaymentsPlus account to fund and manage their student's food service online. This system speeds up serving lines in the cafeteria, eliminates the need to send checks to school and concerns over lost or forgotten lunch money, and ensures a nutritious meal for students. All deposits are listed as 'General', which allows students to use their funds for milk, meals, and a la carte items. At no cost, MyPaymentsPlus allows any family to:
- Create a secure online account
- Check student account balances 24/7 online
- Monitor items purchased in the cafeteria
- Receive low balance alerts via email
For a small fee (3.99 percent), MyPaymentsPlus allows any family to:
- Make a prepayment into a student’s meal account using an e-check, credit card, or debit card via MyPaymentsPlus or by calling 877.237.0946. Funds deposited through MyPaymentsPlus are usually available for student use within a matter of minutes and are able to be distributed across multiple student accounts. Note: Fund balance surpluses at the end of the school year will carry over to the next school year as long as the student remains in the District.
- Automatically replenish a student’s account when it reaches a low balance
Even if you do not wish to make payments at this time, we encourage parents to create a free account. To sign up, simply visit www.MyPaymentsPlus.com and click on “Register a Free Account.” You will need your student’s ID number to complete registration. (If you don’t know your child’s student ID, please check ParentVue, contact your child’s school, or call MyPaymentsPlus customer support at 877.237.0946.) Once you finish registration, you may log in to begin managing your student’s account instantly. For those who choose to fund their student’s account online, please note that any surplus balance at the end of the year may be carried over to the next year or allocated to a sibling.
Registration
Student Handbook
The District 47 student handbook applies to students in preK-grade 8 and aligns with the Illinois Association of School Boards’ (IASB) PRESS Policy Service, which the District subscribes to for its policy review and revisions process. Feedback is sought from both the administration and parents on items that need to be added, deleted, and/or revised. The District 47 Board of Education reviews the handbooks and approves them annually at a Board meeting typically held in the spring.
Please use the links below to view and/or download the current student handbook. Questions or comments can be directed to your child's school administration.
Visitor/Volunteer Procedure
District 47 welcomes parents, families, and community members to our schools. Visitors and volunteers must identify themselves before being allowed to enter the building and present a driver's license or state ID upon entry. The ID is used to run a background check through a visitor management system called Raptor. For the health and safety of our staff and students, volunteers/visitors are required to complete a brief online application each school year. The application process includes a background check conducted by Raptor.
Click here to learn more about our volunteer and visitor procedure
Student Fees
Student fees are due by the first day of school and may be paid online via ParentVue or by cash or check.
Click here to view student fees for the past and current school years
This page contains links to documents that are in Adobe's PDF format. If you have accessibility needs that make it difficult for you to access and/or interpret information in PDF format, please call 815-788-5014 or email communications@d47.org, and we will be happy to assist you.










