August 14, 2023

Dear Vikings, 

We are thrilled to start the 2023-24 school year in just a few weeks. This summer, we have been working as a team to plan for the best year yet! Albright will continue our commitment to building a positive community for ALL students! This year, our theme is “Albright Vikings Sail Together.” Our Vikings have made many academic gains over the past two years, and we plan to continue to do so. We also want to further develop our peer-to-peer community amongst our students. We understand the natural consequences that the pandemic had on our students, and we want to support them as they continue to gain deeper empathy and stronger social-emotional skills. Part of this work includes adopting an “Anchor” (advisory) period where students will start their day with an SEL lesson from our new curriculum, The Positivity Project. We will also continue offering as many, if not more, opportunities for our Vikings as large schools can. Last year, we increased student after-school participation from 72% in 2022 to 91.5%. We hope to get 100% of our students involved in a club or sport this school year! Albright is a special place because of our small and connected community. We are lucky to have you and your students as part of our Viking team and value open communication with our families. 

I would like to take a minute to introduce you to our office team. My name is Ms. Gerrie Aulisa, and this is my fifth year as the principal of Albright. I was the principal at Salt Creek & Swartz previously, so it has been exciting to watch your children grow up and work with them again as middle schoolers. I started my career in District 48 as a teacher and then as an assistant principal at Albright. Prior to this, I taught at Addison Trail High School, which is also part of District 88, our feeder district. I have been very lucky to work with students of all ages in the same community, but for me, middle school is where it’s at! 

Mrs. Heidi Hummel is Albright’s assistant principal. She comes to us with 13 years of experience teaching science and Spanish. This will be her second year serving as Albright’s assistant principal. She is passionate about working with middle school students and leads our committee work around behavior and community building.

Albright’s administrative assistant, Mrs. Kate Beckwith, is the friendly and familiar voice you will likely hear when you call us. She truly helps keep everything running and is always a phone call away if you need anything. She has two D48 children of her own and can help you with anything you need. 

Albright’s Nurse, Mrs. Markita Simmons, has worked with us for ten years now. She always keeps your children’s safety and care at the forefront of her work. Mrs. Simmons has been with our students since they were at Salt Creek School and knows them extremely well. 

Mr. Grayson Breen, our new school social worker, is passionate about working with children and adolescents. He comes to us from Indian Trail Junior High School in Addison and has great experience. He will be a leader in our social-emotional learning work and is a resource for all students. Fun fact…. He recently competed as an American Ninja Warrior.

Mr. Benny is Albright’s Therapy Dog. He started working here last year, and the students love spending time with him. He greets students as they arrive at school and visits many locations throughout the day. If your child fears dogs, please let us know.

5th - 8th Grade Meet the Teachers & Supply Drop Off: Tuesday, August 22, 2023  1:00 - 2:00pm
Please come meet your child’s teachers and drop off their supplies in their lockers. 5th Graders will have a specific scheduled time that Mrs. Pastore scheduled with you. This is a new event for our 6th - 8th Graders, and we are excited to make this happen. You can drop in any time between 1:00 and 2:00pm to visit and drop off supplies to your child(ren)’s locker. If you are unable to attend supply drop-off, your child(ren) can just bring their supplies with them on the first day of school.

First Day of School: Wednesday, August 23, 2023  7:45am - 2:28pm (Arrival Between 7:35 - 7:43am)

Lockers, Uniforms, and Locks
Students will use hallway lockers and the PE locker room. We no longer charge students for individual locks as long as they are returned to us at the end of the year. Students change for PE, and uniforms can be purchased through our PE teachers once school starts. They will share this information then. Students often do not use their locker; please take a moment to speak with your student regarding the benefits of using their locker during the day.

Daily Attendance
If your child will be absent from school, please call the attendance line at: 630-279-6160 ext. 5000, at any time of day and before 7:45 am. 

Breakfast & Lunch
You can add money to your child’s meal account using RevTrack and can see balances through Skyward. Breakfast costs $1.80 per meal, and lunch is $3.40 per meal. If you feel like you may qualify for the standard free/reduced meal program, please ask for a form from our office. 

Breakfast will be available in the cafeteria each morning. If your child would like to have breakfast, please have them enter the cafeteria doors any time between 7:30 and 7:38am. We stop serving breakfast at 7:38am, so students have time to eat and get to class on time. 

Lunch is available through our hot food line, and students have daily choices. Our menus are posted on our website and in our Salt Creek 48 app. Please remind your children only to take meals and milk you approve of, as we do not want any surprise balances growing. 

Skyward
Skyward is the online program used for registration, but it does so much more. You can check meal balances, and it will send an email when a meal balance falls below $10. This is also where you can see your child’s grades, schedule, attendance, and more. You will sign our district handbook annually here as well. You can find the Skyward link on our website, and you can even download their app!

Salt Creek 48 App
Another app worth your time is our Salt Creek District 48 app. This is a great place to get school news and photos. We will be using this app for all communication, and it’s directly tied to our website, Twitter, Facebook, and even Instagram. We highly suggest downloading this app and following us on social media. Search “Salt Creek 48” in your App Store today.

We look forward to working with you and your Viking(s) this school year. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us throughout the year, and we will all work together to make the 2023-24 school year a positive and successful experience for your child(ren).

Go Vikings!
Gerrie Aulisa    gaulisa@saltcreek48.org        
630-279-6160 EXT. 2004