Building Leadership
Principal
Mr. Scott Kubelka
Ellis Elementary is a learning environment established on kindness, empathy, and understanding. Students at our school benefit from a quality education that fosters both academic growth and social-emotional development. The learning that your child will experience will be purposeful, engaging, and joyful.
The staff and I intend to continue fostering relationships with students and their families. Your past and future support of the staff is appreciated because the connection between school and home is important and makes a difference. Mr. Fred Rogers explained, “Our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has - or ever will have - something inside that is unique to all time. It is our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.”
There are many ways parents can support your child’s education, including finding time to read, play a game, assist with homework, as well as talk and listen about your child’s experiences at school. These simple activities will help develop both academic and social skills that are vital to their development and growth.
On behalf of the Ellis Elementary School staff, we look forward to cultivating your child’s curiosity, passion, and creativity in partnership with you.
On a final, but important note, a kind reminder that the diversity reflected in our school community is valued; every student, family, staff, and volunteer is important to us. We accept, appreciate, and love you.
Respectfully,
Scott Kubelka, Principal
Raymond Ellis Elementary School
Assistant Principal
Email: lryan@rlas-116.org
Mrs. Lisa Ryan
Welcome Ellis students, families and staff to the new school year! I am honored and excited to serve as your Assistant Principal. We are happy to be able to be together again and embrace the District theme “Forward Together.” Our entire staff and I look forward to seeing our Ellis Eagles back on campus and meeting our newest friends joining Ellis school for the first time!
We are excited to support Ellis students and will be focused on teaching the whole child, as we continue to build strong relationships with all of our students and families. We will support our students to be engaged and ready to learn while in the classroom. We can’t wait to celebrate all of their successes and accomplishments as they progress throughout this new school year.
As an educator and advocate for students for the past twenty years, my experience spans from early childhood through middle school. As a school administrator, I have served as a principal, an assistant principal, and dean in both the public and private sectors. I have been so fortunate to work with a wide diversity of students in my career including language learners in Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, Polish and Spanish as well as nonverbal learners who learn to communicate with their AAC device. There is such joy for students in their learning as they begin to communicate and build confidence in themselves in a new language.
Parents are a child’s first educator. As a parent of five children, I know from experience how important it is to have a strong family and school connection to benefit students’ learning and growth. We encourage you to participate in any way you can with your child this year as they are always so proud to share with their families what they have learned and experienced in school.
It is a privilege to know and work with all of our students, families, and staff at Ellis Elementary. Our goal is to have open and consistent communication with our students’ families. If you need any assistance with your child(ren), please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Lisa Ryan, Assistant Principal
Raymond Ellis Elementary School
Assistant Principal
Email: kcarden@rlas-116.org
Mrs. Katie Carden
Welcome to a new school year!
I am excited to begin my third year in the district and my first year at Ellis, working alongside Mr. Kubelka and Mrs. Ryan. I am honored to be joining the incredible, growing staff of Ellis Elementary as we work to inspire, empower, and engage students to thrive at school, in the community and in the world around us.
Your children are precious gifts, and we are grateful to you for sharing them with us. We recognize you as your child’s first and primary teacher, and we are excited to partner with you on this leg of their educational journey. I will strive each and every day to ensure that your child’s minds and hearts are ready to thrive wherever their future leads them. I will ensure that each precious child experiences a sense of belonging at Ellis. Every student has a home here, and we want to help each child discover and embrace his/her unique qualities while appreciating those of others.
I have spent the better part of my life in education, first as a teacher in public school, and then as a principal in private school. Additionally, my experience as a mother of six children drives my decision-making and desire for the best educational experience for your children. My own children have provided me with firsthand experience of a variety of needs including anxiety, ADHD, gifted and talented learning, reading disability, and intellectual disability. I look forward to supporting teachers and families of ALL learners and believe that ALL children can and will learn and succeed here at Ellis.
If I have not already met you, I look forward to doing so very soon. I have been extremely impressed with the dedication to excellence that I have seen in the Round Lake Area School District, and am excited about the changes and enhancements for this upcoming school year. I was drawn to this district because of the dedication to excellence that each staff member brings to our students, and I look forward to supporting the teachers, students, and families of Ellis in any way I can. If I can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Best,
Katie Carden, Assistant Principal
Raymond Ellis Elementary School