August 4, 2021
On Friday, August 6, all CCSD 89 families will be receiving an emailed invoice from MySchoolBucks requesting that they pay school fees for the 2021-22 school year. The invoice will come from the email address: “[email protected]”.
 
As a reminder, school fees were not paid during registration this year. Families can pay the school fees by logging into PowerSchool and using the MySchoolBucks button. If you need instructions on creating a PowerSchool account or linking your PowerSchool and MySchoolBucks accounts, they are included below.
 
PowerSchool is the account that is used to see bus routes, grades, and teacher assignments. MySchoolBucks is used for school payments, such as fees and lunches. Families that used MySchoolBucks last year may have already linked their accounts.
 
Please note: the MySchoolBucks invoice will be for required items only. Families can pay for optional items (such as gym clothes, lockers, and recorders) through the MySchoolBucks school store. That store is also accessible through PowerSchool.
 
If you do not receive an invoice from MySchoolBucks by Friday, August 6, please check your junk mail or spam folder. You may also need to confirm that the school has an accurate, current email address for your family.
 
In this email
Setting up a PowerSchool account
Linking your PowerSchool and MySchoolBucks accounts
Free/reduced lunch
Fee waivers
 
 
Setting up a PowerSchool account
Most returning CCSD 89 families will have already created their free PowerSchool account. This is the account that is used to see bus routes, grades, and teacher assignments.
 
On Friday, July 30, the district sent a letter in the U.S. Mail to all the families that have not created a PowerSchool account. The letter gives instructions on starting a PowerSchool account. The letter sent via U.S. mail includes an “Access ID” that is unique to you. This will allow you to log in the first time.
 
The letter to new families also includes instructions on linking PowerSchool to MySchoolBucks.
 
Linking your PowerSchool and MySchoolBucks accounts
This guide will help you link your PowerSchool account with your MySchoolBucks account. (This only needs to be done once.)
 
While you can log directly into MySchoolBucks, linking the account with PowerSchool provides a single sign-on that many users find convenient.
 
When your PowerSchool and MySchoolBucks accounts are linked, you will see a “MySchoolBucks” icon in the bottom left corner of your account. When you click on that icon you will see a “Go to MSB” button in the upper right corner.
 
Free/reduced lunch
All students will be able to receive a free lunch and breakfast throughout the 2021-22 school year. Elementary and middle-school students will be able to receive the pre-assigned free lunch at school. Glen Crest students who want additional or different food from the cafeteria will need to pay for those individual items.
 
Although lunches are free, families who qualify for free/reduced lunch or fee waivers, should still complete the forms. The federal government uses the free/reduced lunch forms as one of the qualifying items for other forms of assistance, including the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer.
 
The application and guidelines used to determine if your family qualifies for free or reduced lunch prices have been posted on the district website at www.ccsd89.org/freeandreduced

The district follows national guidelines to determine eligibility for free or reduced lunches.
 
The forms can be filled out and submitted to your child's school office or directly to the district office, attention Lauren Parker. 

A printed application can be supplied by your school secretary or at the district office during regular business hours. Approval or denial letters will be mailed to your home address. Students approved for free or reduced pricing must still scan their ID card and take a complete meal to qualify. If your child is approved for free or reduced lunch pricing and they do not take a complete qualifying lunch, they will be charged for the cost of the items they do select.
 
Fee waivers
The district uses a second, separate process to determine eligibility for waiver of school fees. The district's fee waiver application is available on the district’s website under the Board of Education tab, policy 300.140-E1 "Application for Fee Waiver" or by going to www.ccsd89.org/feewaiver. This application can be sent directly to the district office (22W600 Butterfield Road, Glen Ellyn), attention Lauren Parker. 

Families that have multiple children in the district only need to submit one application for free/reduced lunch and one application for waiver of fees. Both applications can be submitted at the same time with the necessary documentation to avoid any delay. If you have already received a Direct Certification approval letter from the district for the 2021-22 school year, you do not need to complete a fee waiver application.
 
If you have any questions in regards to the National School Lunch Program application or fee waiver application, please contact Lauren Parker at (630) 469-8900.