Good afternoon, Country Meadows Families!
It has been another busy week here at Country Meadows as we prepare to open our doors to families and students next week! Staff members have spent their last days of summer feverishly setting up their classrooms and offices to make sure everything is ready for students when they return. We are so excited to see everyone, and we hope you're ready for an incredible year of learning at Country Meadows.
Earlier this week, District 96 welcomed new families into our community at our New Family Night. Mrs. Kieser (Principal at Kildeer Elementary) and I facilitated a small group of families, and it was so nice to spend time with our newest Country Meadows community members. There was a lot of information shared with them to ensure they are ready for a great experience in District 96 (and at our amazing school)! We look forward to getting to know you this year!
NEW *Teacher Teams*
Class placement & bus information was sent electronically on Thursday afternoon. If you did not receive your information, please contact our administrative assistant Cheryl Kelly ([email protected]) to figure out why!
We are bound to have a great school year with these amazing teams. Everyone is ready to collaborate to best meet the needs of each child. Here are our teacher teams this year:
Kindergarten Biliteracy: Mrs. Casas-Maya
1st Grade: Mrs. Larson, Mrs. Fey, Mrs. Kulbeda, & Mrs. Perales (Biliteracy)
2nd Grade: Mrs. Kiefer, Ms. Rushenberg, Ms. Thompson, & Ms. Gonzalez-Sanchez (Biliteracy)
3rd Grade: Ms. Matulef, Mrs. Mason, Mrs. Humphries, & Mrs. Zimmerman (Biliteracy) **Please note that Mrs. Humphries is out on maternity leave until November, and Ms. Alimissis will be covering her maternity leave until she returns.**
4th Grade: Ms. Wishnew, Ms. Sabath, Ms. Tlapek, & Mrs. Bolz (Biliteracy)
5th Grade: Mrs. Niedermayer, Mrs. Abad, Mrs. Márquez, & Mrs. Deeter (Biliteracy)
Specials: Mrs. Grossman, Mrs. Lockhart, Mr. Loessl, Mr. Curtis, & Mrs. Murray
Student Services: Mrs. Kothari (school psychologist), Ms. Grunde (speech & language pathologist), Mrs. Johnson (social worker), Ms. Fraguela (occupational therapist), Mrs. Ray (special education), Ms. Vrshek (special education), Mrs. Andrews (bilingual interventionist), & Mrs. Fix (reading specialist)
Extended Learning Specialist Team: Mrs. Schmidt, Ms. Cohen, Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Johns, Ms. Chan, & Mrs. Griffin
NEW *Approved Snacks: What Parents Need to Know*
The District has revised the APPROVED SNACK LIST, adding more items to this list to give families more choices. The items the list includes are free of the Top 8 allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.
This list includes the foods that are approved for students' Daily Snacks. It also includes (for children in Grades 1–5) foods approved for Special Events such as birthday treats for a class or for PTO Halloween, Winter, or Valentine's Day parties.
IMPORTANT: All items for Daily Snacks, with the exception of fruits and vegetables, MUST be prepackaged to allow staff to easily check that snacks meet the approved requirements.
Director of Educational Services Amy Gluck also has provided responses to FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) about foods approved for daily snacks/special events.
For your convenience, find links to the District 96 Approved Snack List and Approved Snack List FAQs on the homepage of the District 96 website and the homepage of each school.
REPEATING *New Family Meeting*
If your family is new to Country Meadows, please meet us in the learning center from 8:00am-8:30am on Tuesday, August 14th (just prior to Meet The Teacher). This is a great opportunity to learn more about Country Meadows and receive a quick tour of the building!
REPEATING *Meet the Teacher*
On Tuesday, August 14th, from 8:30-9:30, students are welcome to visit their classrooms, meet their teachers, and drop-off school supplies. If you pre-ordered a school supply kit from the PTO, it will be in your child’s classroom. The PTO Fair (see below) will also be taking place during this time!
REPEATING *A Special Message from the PTO*
Please join us at the Country Meadows PTO fair on August 14th from 9:00-10:30 am. You will get an opportunity to meet the PTO board members, learn about PTO events, and sign up to volunteer at PTO events.
Be sure to occasionally stop by the Country Meadows PTO Membership Toolkit to sign up for all the exciting things from the PTO. The committee is working hard to have it ready by the first day of school!
Please take a moment to read news from our Country Meadows PTO. It's information you'll want to know regarding our process for purchasing Special Lunches and Dessert Days, volunteering, and more.
COUNTRY MEADOWS PTO BLOG
REPEATING *First Day of School*
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 15th. This will be an Early Release schedule which means that students will be released an hour early at 2:00pm.
REPEATING *Curriculum Night*
Curriculum Night is scheduled for Thursday, August 23rd, for ALL grades. This is a “parents only” meeting, and we hope you can attend. Please come directly to the gym for a brief presentation, and then we will send you on your way to your child’s classroom.
Grades K,1, 2 @ 6:30 p.m.
Grade 3, 4 & 5 @ 7:00 p.m.
REPEATING*School Hours*
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Arrival time is between 8:10am and 8:20am
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The tardy bell rings at 8:25am. A parent/adult must accompany tardy students into the office and sign them in if you arrive after 8:25am. Do not drop your child off at any door since all doors are locked and secured at this time. Please be aware that while we try to keep clocks on time, they can sometimes run a minute or two fast. If there are no adults outside, please walk your child into the front office.
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Dismissal: 3:00 p.m.
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Regular Day: 8:25 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
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Half Day: 8:25 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
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Early Release Day: 8:25 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
We look forward to seeing all of you next week. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you need anything! I am excited to kick off the 2018-2019 school year with all of you!
Warmly,
Mrs. Meghan Bird, Principal