Country Meadows Principal's Message - September 4th

Country Meadows Principal's Message - September 4th

Country Meadows Families,

It was so wonderful to hear that so many of you participated in Curriculum Night this week.  We are so grateful for the continued partnership with all stakeholders in our school community.  If you have any additional questions that were not answered during the Curriculum Night presentations, please join our classroom teachers during Parent Office hours on Monday and Wednesday from 7:45-8:25 or reach out via email at any time.  Here is the link to the principal video that was included as part of Curriculum Night.

I hope everyone finds time to relax and recharge this Labor Day weekend.  We are looking forward to our third week of learning with students next week, and we thank you for your support as we navigate the beginning of this unique school year together.

Kindly,

Meghan Bird


NEW *No School Monday, September 7th*

This is a friendly reminder that there is no school on Monday, September 7th.  Instruction will resume on Tuesday, September 8th.


NEW *MAP Testing Information*

Remote NWEA MAP Testing will take place over the next few weeks for your child.  Our teachers and instructional coaches will serve as test proctors and will work to build and encourage

student engagement during the test and respond to needs of students in real time.  In addition, they will be watching student engagement closely to ensure that students are working through the test in a timely and typical manner.  Students who are working too slowly or too quickly are tagged by NWEA and proctors are alerted.  

Overall, the remote test taking experience is nearly identical to its onsite counterpart, with changes mainly in proctor communication and the log-in process. However, the item bank, interface, and test management tools remain the same. From start to finish, the process is straightforward and easy to use.

See information in the box below regarding MAP growth, and this link below provides further information for families.  

Please see the important Copyright Information from NWEA MAP below:  

NWEA MAP assessments, including test questions, are copyrighted, and may not be copied or reproduced in any form, including but not limited to taking photographs, video and/or audio recordings.  Any copying or reproduction of NWEA MAP assessments constitutes copyright and/or other intellectual property infringement and is a violation of NWEA’s Master Subscription Agreement.  NWEA MAP assessments, including test questions and answers are proprietary information of NWEA

 

The schedule for Elementary Remote MAP testing is as follows:  

*All testing will take place in the morning 

**Schedules are subject to change 

September 10: 5th Grade Prairie and Kildeer 

September 11: 5th Grade Ivy Hall and Country Meadows 

 

September 14: All 5th Grade Students Districtwide

September 15: All 3rd and 4th Grade Students Districtwide 

September 16: All 1st and 2nd Grade Students Districtwide

September 17: All Kindergarten, 3rd and 4th Grade Students Districtwide 

September 18: All Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade Students Districtwide


NEW *Musician of the Week*

As you might have heard from your student, each week I will be selecting a Musician of the Week!! If your student would like to be considered, they can submit a video to the Musician of the Week assignment found on Seesaw (1st-3rd grade) and Schoology (4th-5th grade). The video could be a performance on an instrument of choice (singing included), a screen recording of an original  Specdrum or Garageband piece, or even a video explaining something that they learned in music. At the end of each week, I will select a student based on the video and weekly class participation in music. The Musician of the Week will be announced in an announcement on Seesaw/update on Schoology each week with a link to their video on my private school youtube channel. *Please note that this youtube channel is not public and can only be accessed from the link provided in the announcement on Seesaw/Schoology*.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out and contact me at [email protected]

Mrs. Murray - Music Teacher


NEW *Material Pick Up Info*

September 14th we will be having our second material pick up.  We will be communicating specific pick up details in next week’s blog, but want you to have the date and times materials will be available.  

Ivy Hall, Kildeer, Prairie, Country Meadows: 11:30-6:30

Willow Grove: 11:00-6:30    


NEW *Instructional Interruptions*

We are so appreciative of our supportive families and school community.  With that being said, we ask that parents/guardians utilize the scheduled parent office hours or emails to specific staff to address questions and concerns.  Any questions or comments made during the instructional time are disruptive to student learning.  We understand that some parents may have questions while in close proximity to students engaging in Zoom sessions, but please know that you will be directed to take advantage of email and scheduled office hours if student instruction is interrupted.


NEW *Release of Information*

If you have an academic tutor or private provider that you would like to be in contact with members of our school team, you will need to complete a Release of Information form in order for communication to take place.  Please contact the front office or your child’s classroom teacher for one of these forms.


NEW *Use of the D96 Issued iPad*

Please make sure that your student is using the school issued device during remote learning. The processes and procedures that staff are taught to help facilitate remote learning are specific to the device that the school has issued your student. Using a device other than or in addition to the school issued iPad can complicate instruction and disrupt a smoother workflow for learning. Thank you for understanding. Additionally if there is a problem with the school issued device please be sure to let your child’s teacher know or contact the help desk at [email protected]


NEW *Yearbook Photo Upload*

Be A 2020-2021 Yearbook Photographer!  As you can imagine, we will need to your help this fall to collect pictures for the Country Meadows Yearbook.  Start by uploading your child’s first day of school picture(s) through the yearbook company’s app or website.

Option 1:  Download the HJ eShare app, enter the school code: CM2021 tag and upload your pictures

Option 2: Go to www.hjeshare.com, enter the school code: CM2021, tag and upload your pictures

Option 3: Go directly to http://www.hjeshare.com/eShare/?code=CM2021 tag and upload your pictures


NEW *PTO Blog*

Please take a moment to visit the PTO on social media outlets:  PTO Blog, Facebook, and Instragram!

Please join us for our first Annual General PTO Meeting will be held on September 23rd at 9:00am For more info please see our website or contact our President, Debbie Sainte-Rose at [email protected].

Please take a moment to read the PTO blog this week! 


REPEATING *Tech Hub*

KCSD96 Family Technology Hub! The District 96 Family Technology Hub is designed to guide families through technology tools related to Enhanced Remote Learning. On this site you can find links to the recordings and the corresponding Slides decks for the parent/family informational sessions from last week. You can also find tutorials on how to use  ZOOM, Schoology, Seesaw, Clever, Notability, and other iPad essential tools for student learning. Additionally there is a link to email the technology support desk. Please save or bookmark this site. It will be updated with tools, resources, and tutorials through remote learning to better support your family.


REPEATING *Tech Support* 

As students are home with their iPad devices to access remote learning plans, we do anticipate there may be some tech needs that arise.  If you run into any difficulty with your child’s school iPad, just send us an email explaining your problem and we can support you and your device.  Please email [email protected] with any tech related support needed.

If we did not have your child’s iPad at Material Pick-Up, contact [email protected]. They will check the status of your child’s enrollment and work to provide your child’s iPad as quickly as possible.  Pick-up for all tech related items will be housed through Ivy Hall School.


REPEATING *Remember to Meet Health Form Requirements*

Health form requirements vary by grade level and for new/returning students. New to District 96 (all grade levels)? See MORE INFO regarding grade-level specific health form requirements. 

All students entering Kindergarten must have their CERTIFICATE OF CHILD HEALTH EXAMINATION/IMMUNIZATION FORM (signed by the physician) on file in the school office by October 15, 2020. 

All students entering Kindergarten must have their Vision Examination Form by October 15, 2020.

All students entering Kindergarten must have a DENTAL EXAMINATION FORM on file at their school office by May 15, 2021. 

All students entering Grade 2 must have a DENTAL EXAMINATION FORM on file at their school office by May 15, 2021. 

All students entering Grade 6 must have their CERTIFICATE OF CHILD HEALTH EXAMINATION/IMMUNIZATION FORM (signed by the physician) on file in the school office by October 15, 2020. 

Additional Grade 6 health form requirements include the DENTAL EXAMINATION FORM by May 15, 2021.