General Information

General Information

• Official School Hours
• General Guidelines for Student Supervision
• Middle School Activity Period
• Registration and Eligibility for School
• Field Trips
• Class Parties
• Lost and Found
• Communications Sent Home
• Approval of Flyers from Outside Organizations
• Solicitation of Funds or Donations
• Recess
• Telecommunication Device Possession and Use by Students
• General Rules for School Safety
• Dogs on Campus
• Inappropriate Materials
• Loss or Damage to Property
• Payments to School
• Lunch Program

Official School Hours

Willow Grove

Country Meadows, Ivy Hall, Kildeer Countryside, and Prairie Elementary Schools

Twin Groves and Woodlawn Middle Schools

General Guidelines for Student Supervision
Supervision is provided fifteen (15) minutes before the official start of the school day (see table above for student supervision times). If students need to arrive at school before the time when supervision is available, their parents are encouraged to enroll them in one of the before-school care programs that are available for students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade through the park district.  Students who arrive early and are not enrolled in the before-school program will be expected to remain outside until the doors are opened. No supervision is provided in this circumstance.

Middle School Activity Period
An activity period will be offered from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. at the middle school level. A variety of interest-based clubs, study halls and rehearsals for the band, orchestra, and chorus will be held during this time. Interscholastic sports will begin after the conclusion of the activity period at 3:15 p.m. Limited bus service will be available after the activity period. No bus service is available after interscholastic sports. Parents will be responsible for transporting their student home from those activities.

Registration and Eligibility for School
Students whose fifth birthday occurs on or before September 1 may enter the District’s kindergarten program. Students whose sixth birthday occurs on or before September 1 may enter first grade. The student’s birth certificate and proof of residency must be presented at the time of registration.

Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, delayed enrollment will not be permitted, including in Kindergarten.

Any child being registered in District 96:

• who is five years old on or before September 1st of a given school year will be enrolled in Kindergarten.
• who is six years old on or before September 1st of a given school year will be enrolled in first grade.

Early Entrance: District 96 parents requesting that early entrance to Kindergarten or to Grade 1 be considered for their student must request it by April 1 in the calendar year in which August enrollment would occur. To be eligible for consideration for Early Entrance, a student must be turning 5 years old (for Kindergarten) or 6 years old (for Grade 1) after September 1 and no later than December 1(between September 2 and December 1).

Who will qualify for early entrance?

Students who meet the age requirements stated above and whose parents have requested consideration for early entrance will be assessed by District 96 staff to determine eligibility for early entrance.  Assessment by District 96 faculty and staff must reflect no concerns with the student’s social emotional functioning. Further, his or her academic achievement must be significantly above average (in the 99th percentile) for the student’s chronological age in all content areas assessed.

Registration is completed online annually. Proof of residency may be required for registration. All students shall be placed by administration in the grade level to which they are best suited academically, socially, and emotionally. The Board of Education believes that most students function best with peers of their own age.

Field Trips

Field trips are a privilege for students. Students must abide by all school policies during transportation and during field trip activities and shall treat all field trip locations as though they are school grounds. Failure to abide by school rules and/or location rules during a field trip may subject the student to discipline. All students who wish to attend a field trip must receive written permission from a parent or guardian with authority to give permission. Students may be prohibited from attending field trips for any of the following reasons:

• Failure to receive appropriate permission from parent/guardian or teacher;
• Failure to complete appropriate coursework;
• Behavioral or safety concerns;
• Denial of permission from administration;
• Other reasons as determined by the school.

Class Parties
Class parties can be valuable social experiences for students. We encourage teachers and students to look at them as such.

Details of Class Parties. Class parties will be 30–40 minutes in length. Typically, all Willow Grove and elementary students may have one party on the last school day before winter vacation, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day. Costumes may be worn at the Halloween party. Masks and/or facsimiles of a weapon are not permitted in school, on school grounds, or on the bus.

Distribution of Party Invitations. Out of courtesy to others, please do not send out-of-school party invitations for distribution at school unless inviting the whole class.

Birthday Treats. To celebrate birthdays at the elementary level, we only allow non-disruptive, safe, non-edible treats, such as pencils, stickers, bookmarks, or a book donated to the class library. Please check your item of choice with the classroom teacher for school appropriateness.

Lost and Found
Clothing, snow boots, shoes, and other personal articles should be labeled with the student’s full name. Lost articles may be reclaimed by identifying them in the school office. Unclaimed items will be donated to charity periodically throughout the school year.

Communications Sent Home
Notes, announcements, and non-school communications will be posted on the district website and/or sent via the district's selected notification system.

Approval of Flyers from Outside Organizations
Under limited circumstances, flyers, announcements, or advertisements from outside organizations may be distributed to students. No materials advertising or promoting the interests of any commercial or political agency, individual, or corporation shall be distributed. Approval for material distribution is completed by the Superintendent’s Office. In order to have permission to distribute information to school buildings, the organization must be a public service agency, such as a park district, a social service organization, or a not-for-profit organization. This information is distributed as a service to families, but District 96 does not sanction or attest to the quality of any program offered by an outside organization. The flyer, announcement, or advertisement must clearly state that the program being offered is in no way affiliated or associated with District 96.

Solicitation of Funds or Donations
There shall be no general collection of funds or donations from students in the school without the approval of the Superintendent of Schools or designee. The sale of any fundraising items must also be approved by the Superintendent of Schools or designee.

Recess
Students have outdoor recess each school day except in the most inclement weather; therefore, student outdoor clothing should be appropriate for the weather.

Temperature, wind chill, and weather conditions will be monitored throughout the morning. These factors along with playground conditions will be monitored to determine if weather conditions are appropriate for outdoor recess in the judgment of the principal or designee.

Any request for prolonged indoor recess MUST come from a student’s doctor.

Indoor Recess. Students are aware of the activities and rules during indoor recess as directed by teachers and supervisors. Students engage in low-impact activities (draw, play board games, puzzles, read).Activities are supervised by lunch/recess supervisors. In the event that a supervisor is absent, students are regrouped to be clearly supervised.

Telecommunication Device Possession and Use by Students
Students are allowed to possess cellular, radio, and/or other telecommunication devices at school, on school property, or at school-sponsored activities, but the use of these devices is restricted to areas designated by the building principal and during before- and after-school hours. During the school day and/or while participating in school-sponsored activities, students will be expected to leave these devices in their lockers or cubbies in the off position. Cellular, radio, and/or other telecommunication devices found in a student's possession during the school day, while participating in school-sponsored activities or outside the principal’s designated areas, may be confiscated, and the student may be subject to additional discipline. Parents are required to pick up confiscated items.

The school district also restricts parents' and/or visitors' use of cellular, radio, and/or other telecommunication devices to appropriate areas. Devices are to be used only in instances of emergency or when the use of the device is not disruptive to the ongoing activity.  Parents or visitors who violate this policy may be asked to leave the school building.

Students will not be allowed to make phone calls during the school day except as permitted by a faculty member. Students generally are not called to the telephone from classes except for emergencies.

General Rules for School Safety
Rules of safety are taught and encouraged by staff members. Fire, disaster, and other safety drills are held, consistent with state requirements. 

Fire, Disaster, and Lockdown Drills. Drills for various emergencies are carried out periodically during the school year, consistent with state requirements. These drills are designed to acquaint students with procedures to cope with emergencies within the building that can possibly arise during school.

Transportation. School buses are an extension of the school property; as such, everyone must comply with district behavior expectations on the bus. In addition, parents are not allowed to board a bus at any time during its route.

Animals on Campus
In order to assure student health and safety, animals are not allowed on school property, except in the case of a service animal accompanying a student or other individual with a documented disability. This rule may be temporarily waived by the building principal in the case of an educational opportunity for students, provided that (a) the animal is appropriately housed, humanely cared for, and properly handled, and (b) students will not be exposed to a dangerous animal or an unhealthy environment.

Inappropriate Materials
Occasionally, problems arise when children bring things to school that are dangerous to others and/or that interfere with school procedures in some way. Please help your child understand that items including but not limited to guns, explosives, paintball guns, caps, bean shooters, knives, matches, lighters, league-type baseballs, and other similar items must not be brought to school. If they are brought to school, they will be confiscated and appropriate measures will be taken. This list is not exhaustive. Parents and students should use common sense when determining whether an item should be brought to school.

Administrative authority to confiscate an item is not limited to those items listed above. Any item brought by a student to school that is considered to pose a threat to any person, property, or the orderly operation of the school may be confiscated.

Loss or Damage to Property
Valuable items, including–but not limited to–collectibles, electronics, or other personal items, should not be brought to school. The school is not responsible for the safekeeping or replacement of personal items such as these.

Charges for Lost or Damaged Property. Students are given many items on a loan or rental basis. These become the responsibility of the student. The student will be charged for any items that he or she loses, damages, or destroys.

Bicycles. The school is not responsible for damaged bicycles or lost equipment. Bicycle locks are strongly recommended, and bicycles should be parked in the racks provided.

Student Damage of Curricular Materials. While normal wear is expected, if any curricular materials are unnecessarily damaged or lost, students must pay a fee for replacement or repair. 

Student Damage of iPad and Accessories. Students will have two covered incidents of damage to the iPad and two covered incidents of damage for accessories (charging cable, charging brick, case, pencil). After those two incidents, students and parents will be responsible for the cost of repair or full device/accessory replacement. The district reserves the right to NOT cover the cost of any intentional damage to these items, regardless of the number of incidents of damage to the device/accessory.

If a student's device needs to be repaired, a new device will be issued to the student, and his or her original device will be sent for repair. The original iPad will not be returned to the student after the repairs are completed. Refer to the iPad Handbook for additional information.

Payments to School
Unless specifically requested, checks for any school payments should be made payable to Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96 and not to individuals.

Instructional Materials Fee. There are a great deal of consumable materials and textbooks used at all grade levels. To help defray the cost of these materials, a fee may be determined annually by the Board of Education and assessed each student.

Lunch Program
If your student brings a bag lunch, please pack foods they can reasonably eat in the allotted time. Please contact your school principal if your student needs more time to eat or has an allergy to specific foods and requires special arrangements.

In elementary schools, a computerized "debit card" system is used for the purchase of hot lunches. At both Twin Groves and Woodlawn Middle Schools, meals and snacks may be purchased. For all schools, parents must fund their student’s school lunch account for purchases to be made. At all schools, other menu items and snack options also are available. Students who bring lunch may purchase juice and/or milk. Contact the building school administrative assistant for details of the lunch program for that school.

Free or reduced-price meals are available for qualifying students. For an application, contact the school office. 

Students Leaving School at Lunch. Parents wishing to take their students out of school for lunch must follow the sign-out procedures established at each school. 

Parents Delivering Lunch for Students. If a parent is bringing a student their lunch, it must be dropped off in the office and labeled with the student’s name and grade. Parents may bring food only for their own students. School offices cannot accept lunch deliveries from restaurants or delivery services for students.