Graham Elementary

06/10/2026

Graham LOST & FOUND!
Parents are welcome to collect their children’s items today from 2pm-4pm al items left will be donated to our local community organization or our Graham Care’s Closet!

Have a great Summer All Stars!

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

📚✏️ Registration for the 2026-2027 school year is NOW OPEN!

Every student must complete registration before the start of the new school year. We encourage families to register as soon as possible to ensure a smooth start this fall. Click here to register - https://186.springfield.k12.il.us/IS3/Registration/Main.php

Now is also a great time to schedule your student's required physicals and immunizations. Getting these appointments completed early can help avoid the back-to-school rush!

For information about health requirements, physicals, and immunizations, visit:
https://www.sps186.org/o/sps/page/health-services

06/09/2026

📢 F.A.C.E. Updates

Basic Needs Resources
We have added several new resources to our Family and Community Engagement webpage.

Food Pantry & Warm Meals: New listings are available, including locations for micropantries, community pantries, and District 186 community breakfast/lunch times and locations.
Feed the Streetz: Provides a warm meal every first and third Sunday of the month from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM at Dream Park.
Grace’s Clothes Closet: Now listed under the Basic Needs section. They are open from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM on Mondays and Wednesdays, as well as the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month.

🗓️ Upcoming Community Events
Kids Fare Garden Club: Hosted by the Enos Park Neighborhood Gardens, this free program teaches children about gardening. The club meets on various dates from June 11th through August 13th (please see the flyer for specific dates).

CWLP Open House: City Water, Light & Power is holding an Open House on Monday, June 15th from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM.

Unplug Illinois Day: Join us on Saturday, July 11th! The Nelson Center pool and ice rink, along with the Henson Robinson Zoo, will offer free admission for community members.

Levitt AMP Free Concerts: Held downtown Springfield at 4th and Jackson Street every Thursday from 6:00 PM – 9:15 PM. Food vendors will be available on-site for purchases.

Juneteenth Celebrations: Mid-month celebrations are coming up!
- Unity Parade: Saturday, June 13th at 10:00 AM, featuring vendors and family activities.
- Praise in the Park: Sunday, June 14th starting at 10:00 AM.
- Additional Events: Scheduled from June 15th – June 19th. Full details are available on the flyer.

Food Not Bombs: Hosting multiple events throughout June, including a Rock Painting Party, karaoke night, warm meals, and fresh produce events.

Community Baby Shower: Taking place on Saturday June 20th, offering free food, a complimentary gift, maternal education, and community support.

Car Seat Checks: Every first and third Thursday of the month, SIUE and Green Toyota on Dirksen are partnering to provide free car seat checks and distribute car seats to families in need (while resources last).

✏️ Academic & Home Resources
We have uploaded new summer programming resources alongside academic materials you can download, print, and use at home to help prevent summer learning loss.
Painting & Planning Night Recap: Read updates from our May 21st event, including the progress made on revising our Home and School Compact for the 2026-2027 school year.
Home & School Compact: You can view this under the "Graham 2026-2027 Home and School Compact" tab on our website. Please review it and sign digitally using this Google Form.
Social Contract Guidelines: Learn how to create a "Social Contract" at home. This bridges the language used in our classrooms to the home environment—helping build a welcoming, safe, and cooperative space by setting clear expectations for behavior and communication.

06/09/2026

🎨 Painting & Planning Night 🎨

Thank you to all the amazing families, staff, community stakeholders, and students who joined us for our Painting & Planning event on May 21st! It was a fantastic evening filled with great food, creative expression, and meaningful collaboration.

What the Event Entailed

We kicked off the night with a warm meal donated by Chick-fil-A and walked through some exciting new updates to our F.A.C.E. webpage, including new community resources and upcoming summer programs.

The heart of our evening was a collaborative workshop dedicated to reviewing and updating our Home and School Compact for the 2026–2027 school year. Families, staff, and students teamed up in small groups to read the current compact, share insights, and propose collective edits to ensure everyone—staff, parents, community stakeholders, and students—is working together seamlessly for academic success.

To wrap up the night, everyone got to decompress and let their creativity shine by painting ceramic sculptures and rocks!

The Outcome

Thanks to your valuable feedback and diverse perspectives, we achieved incredible results:

A Refined Home-School Compact: We successfully updated the compact with less rigid language, better organization of social-emotional (SEL) and academic goals, and clearer definitions of school-wide goals.
Capturing Kids’ Hearts at Home: Following a deep discussion on our classroom restorative practices, families suggested extending these concepts outside of school. We have since drafted a sample "Home Social Contract" and instructions so you can bring these relationship-building practices into your own household. These materials can be found under the Social Contracts At Home tab on this webpage.
New Community Partnerships: We laid out a process for integrating new community stakeholders to support our school through nutritional aid, material resources, and holistic development partnerships.
According to our event evaluations, families loved the welcoming environment, the opportunity to connect with staff, and the chance to have their voices directly shape the upcoming school year.

Thank you for partnering with us to make Graham Elementary feel like a family!

06/03/2026

Our students had an amazing time roller skating at Skateland yesterday! 🛼✨ There were lots of smiles, laughter, and fun as students enjoyed time with their friends both on and off the rink.

A huge shout-out to Skateland South for welcoming our students and providing such a fun and memorable experience. Thank you for helping create a day filled with excitement and great memories! 💙

5 More Days until Schools out!

05/13/2026

🚨 LAST CHANCE TO RSVP! 🚨

Don't miss out on our Painting & Planning F.A.C.E. event! Today is the absolute final day to secure your spot for next Thursday, May 21st.

We have 50 delicious Chick-fil-A sandwiches donated and ready for those who sign up—make sure your name is on the list before the link closes tonight! 🥪🎨

👇 RSVP NOW: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdVZXhGsCaQzKhvrWDpP-q12-ME5rtGRWJZ99keajVFOa2Vww/viewform

05/11/2026

Scholastic Book Fair!

05/08/2026

04/29/2026

🎨 Painting & Planning: Shape Our Future!
Join us for an evening of creativity and collaboration at Graham Elementary! We are bringing families, teachers, and community partners together to get creative with fun painting kits while helping us shape the 2026–2027 school year.

Your voice is vital! We’ll be reviewing and updating our Home and School Compact—the partnership agreement that supports our students' success.

📅 Event Details:
When: Thursday, May 21, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: Graham Elementary Cafeteria (900 W Edwards St.)

🍽️ Dinner & RSVP:
We are currently working to arrange a donated warm meal for all attendees!

Important: Please RSVP by Monday, May 18th. Meals will only be available for those who confirm their attendance by the deadline.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP TODAY: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdVZXhGsCaQzKhvrWDpP-q12-ME5rtGRWJZ99keajVFOa2Vww/viewform?usp=header

📞 Questions?
Contact Hope Pitts at (217) 525-3220 or email [email protected].

We can’t wait to see your masterpieces and hear your ideas! 🖌️✨