Country Meadows families,
Happy Friday, everyone! This week students had so much fun attending our Spring Book Fair! A special thank you to our fabulous PTO for organizing such a fun event for our students. Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students also finished their IAR testing this week, and they did an amazing job of staying focused and trying their best! With only a few weeks left in the school year, our staff and students remain driven, motivated, and eager to put forth their best effort!
We hope everyone joins our bilingual community at our Community Event next Thursday (see below for RSVP forms and additional information). This event is always incredibly fun for all who attend!
NEW *MAP Testing*
Students will begin Spring NWEA MAP testing next week. Please look for communication from your child's teacher for your student's specific testing dates and times.
NEW *Community Celebration*
It's time for one of my favorite events of the year! Come join our bilingual community for a Community Celebration next Thursday, May 2nd from 5:30-7:00! All families are welcome and encouraged to attend! We will be enjoying music, fun, and incredible food! Please see this form for additional event information and to RSVP to the event!
COMMUNITY CELEBRATION–May 2, 2019
FIESTA DE LA COMUNIDAD–2 de Mayo
NEW *PTO Update*
Get ready for the End of Year Party that is scheduled for May 9th. There are a lot of great vendors and activities planned. The PTO will be providing lunch and other special events for the teachers during "Teacher Appreciation Week"...May 6th. Please consider donating items below to help make the week extra special for our teacher's Teacher Appreciation Week Donation! Make an impact on your child’s life and join the PTO! View quick video on “Why Join the PTO”! JOIN THE PTO. Save the date for May 15th or May 22nd for a short WebEx presentation on the PTO.
Find more information in the COUNTRY MEADOWS PTO BLOG!
REPEATING *Parent Input for Class Placement*
Creating balanced class lists that meet the needs of all students is a tremendously difficult job that takes many hours of thoughtful dialogue between classroom teachers, administrators, and specialists. At Country Meadows, we take this process very seriously. The process for class list creation is as follows:
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Teachers think about the social and academic needs of each of their current students while recording pertinent information to assist in the decision making process.
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Grade level teachers, the principal, specials area teachers, and specialists meet together to form class lists that are balanced in terms of academic, social, and emotional needs as well as considering friendships. This is no easy task and often takes several meetings. This team of educators considers each child’s personality, academic needs, friendship patterns, etc. as they make a match for each individual child.
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This team of educators creates a draft set of class lists taking into consideration parent input.
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Class lists are then revised in August with summer changes for students who move in or out of the district.
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Class rosters are never final until they are released to families in August.
This process happens at grades 2-5. Willow Grove creates the class lists for our incoming 1st graders. Our 5th-grade team actively works with Woodlawn to provide data and input related to placement decisions at the middle school level.
We strongly believe that this detailed and collaborative process creates learning environments that benefit all students. It is a delicate balancing act which takes much consideration and thought by professionals who know and care about your children. Our goal is to create balanced class lists that promote the success of each child. Please know that your child is placed in a classroom for very specific reasons. The process benefits all students. Because of the input and thought given by teachers, specialists, parents, and the principal, we are very reluctant to make changes once this process occurs, as removing or moving one child can disrupt the balance of an entire class, impacting all students.
I welcome any insight you wish to share about your child’s strengths, needs, and learning style. I will take into consideration pertinent information received on or before FRIDAY, APRIL 26th. Please remember, while we welcome your input, specific teacher requests will not be honored.
I cannot express enough how important it is that your thoughts are provided through the Country Meadows Class Placement Input 2019-2020 Survey. As you can imagine, we receive a lot of parent input, and verbal information is impossible to track. The information you provide in the survey will remain confidential between you and me.
REPEATING *BG Police Department Invites Kids to Color*
The Buffalo Grove Police Department invites our students in KDG–Grade 3 to participate in their 2019 Bicycle Safety COLORING CONTEST. A first-place prize will be awarded for each grade category. Students should turn in their coloring entry to their KCSD96 classroom teacher by Wed., May 1. Details about the BGPD Bike Rodeo on May 11 for children ages 5–12 are also included in the coloring contest info
REPEATING *Prospective Parents NEW to Clubhouse Before/After School Care*
The Buffalo Grove Park District is hosting a Clubhouse meeting for NEW parents on Tues., Apr. 30, at the Alcott Center, 530 Bernard Dr., Buffalo Grove, in Rooms 10 & 11 at 6 p.m. This meeting is for prospective families seeking before- and after-school care for the 2019–2020 school year. MORE INFO
REPEATING *Celebrate Learning - Specials Showdown!*
Save the date! Monday, May 13th from 5:00-7:00 Country Meadows will be hosting our Celebrate Learning - Specials Showdown Night for families! This evening will run like an Open House, so please feel free to come and go as you please!
Students will have the opportunity to participate in a 20 minute grade level concert (see schedule below). Families are invited to stay to learn more about the amazing things that happen in our Learning Center, Exploration Lab, PE, and Music as we will have addition stations available for students to lead you though! Please keep a look out for additional information as this evening approaches!
Grade Level Concert Schedule
K/1st Grade: 5:00-5:20
2nd Grade: 5:25-5:45
3rd Grade: 5:50-6:10
4th Grade: 6:15-6:35
5th Grade: 6:40-7:00
REPEATING *An Evening of Math Fun*
(Grades 3–5 students/teachers/families)
The Stevenson High School Math Department and Math Team invite all students in grades 3, 4, and 5 and their families and teachers to the Stevenson Math Carnival on Thurs., May 9, 6–8 PM.
At the Math Carnival, students play fun math games and win prizes.
Stevenson High School, 1 Stevenson Dr., Lincolnshire, IL
Park in the "B" Lot and enter through the "Point Entrance"
SEE FLYER
Now that I'm in the 3rd trimester of this pregnancy (how did that happen so quickly?) my husband and I will be spending this weekend putting the final touches on Baby Bird's nursery (along with some relaxation!). I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and we will see students back at school on Monday for another great week of learning!
Warmly,
Meghan Bird - Principal