Country Meadows Principal's Message - September 25th

Country Meadows Principal's Message - September 25th

Country Meadows Families,

We have had another great week of remote learning under our belts, and we continue to be grateful for all of your continued support.  The resilience of our school community is more evident than ever, and we are so proud of our students and staff.  Please remember that students will not be in attendance on Monday, but we look forward to seeing student smiling faces again on Tuesday, 9/29.   

Have a wonderful weekend!

Kindly,

Meghan Bird


NEW *No School Monday, September 28th

This is a friendly reminder that students will not be in session on Monday, September 28th.  We look forward to working with students again on Tuesday, September 29th


NEW *Picture Day & Exploration Lab Material Pick Up*

This is a friendly remindr that this Wednesday, September 30th is Picture Day at Country Meadows.  Students will also be receiving their Exploration Lab materials at this time. Pictures will be taken outside in tents and ordering will be completely digitally this year.  Here is the link to the digital order formPictures will be shipped directly to your home.

Please follow these guidelines to ensure Picture Day runs smoothly: 

Arrive at the SPECIFIC time by LAST NAME:

3:00pm - 4:30pm LAST NAME A-G

4:30pm - 5:45pm LAST NAME H-Q

5:45pm - 7:00pm LAST NAME R-Z

  1. Please pull into the BUS TURN AROUND to drop students off.  If necessary, students will wait in a socially distanced line as necessary (students will wear masks except when being photographed & will maintain 6ft social distance when waiting in line).  
  2. While student is being photographed, please pull into the COUNTRY MEADOWS PARKING LOT (similar to parent pick up/drop off).  
  3. After checking in, students will move to one of photography tents to have their picture taken (photographers will be masked and maintaining social distance)
  4. All students MUST wear a mask.  Students may remove their mask when their picture is being taken.
  5. After being photographed, your child will receive their Exploration Lab materials.  Your child will come to your car with their materials when they are finished.
  6. Please do your best to come at your assigned time. If this is not possible, you are welcome to come to one of the other times. 

MAKEUP DAY:  For those that could not attend picture day or would like a retake, this will be take place on October 27th.


NEW *Superintendent’s Message*

If you have not done so already, please take a moment to read Julie Schmidt’s Superintendent’s Message from earlier this week for specific information regarding metrics and reopening timelines for K-8 students.  

Please look for additional communication next week from Superintendent Schmidt regarding student schedules and additional reopening details.


NEW  *D96 Calendar Change*

Please note the following addition to the current school year calendar:

NO SCHOOL Tues., Oct. 13 – State-Approved Remote Learning Planning Day

District 96 staff will use this day for professional development related to staff preparing for transition to a hybrid model.


NEW: Specials Materials

We are so excited that students have access to the materials our specials teachers ordered for students.  With the excitement of using the materials, we also know there is additional stress added for families of students who travel between homes, to the Park District pod program, or to other childcare locations.  

This is a document that will be updated each week by our specials teachers to indicate which materials will by used on specific days of the upcoming week.  Please reach out to specific specials teachers with any questions.


NEW *Fall Conference Sign-Up*

Please sign up for fall family educator conferences with your child's educators.  You will sign-in to our new platform "Meet The Teacher" with your name, an email address, your child’s name, and his or her date of birth.   

At the elementary level, you will be able to sign up for a conference with your child’s classroom teacher and other educators your child works with on a regular basis.  Please complete this for each child who attends District 96.  Please know that some of our specials teachers and related services may have booked schedules.  If you are interested in meeting with these educators, please sign up for the waitlist.

As a reminder, if you are unable to attend these conferences on these dates, please email the educator you are interested in speaking with to set up a phone conference.  Family Educator Conference sign up will close October 5th.

As a reminder, Family Educator Conferences take place virtually via Zoom.  Teachers will send specific Zoom Links at a later date.  

October 8:   5pm-8:30pm 

October 9:  10:00-1:30pm

In addition to individual conferences with educators, we will also be providing parent education opportunities both days.  More information will be shared in the near future!

If you are having trouble signing up, please contact the front office at 847.353.8600. 


NEW *School Exclusion & Health Form Requirements*

Please know that students who do not have the necessary health forms on file will be excluded from school on October 15th.  Please see the information below for specific details and health form deadlines.

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.  


NEW *PTO Blog*

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


REPEATING *MAP Testing Family Support*

Thank you so much for all of your support in ensuring our MAP Testing has been able to take place while students are learning remotely.  We understand the challenges that come with this, and we appreciate your patience and understanding.  If there is an adult available at the time students are signing into the MAP testing session, we have found that this has made the sign in process more efficient.  While this is not an expectation, and we do have District 96 staff available to support the login process, we are grateful for any support adults at home can provide support during the login process prior to students beginning their MAP testing sessions.

1st Grade - If possible, adult support would be helpful during the MAP login process on September 30th beginning at 9:15 am. 

2nd Grade - If possible, adult support would be helpful during the MAP login process on September 30th beginning at 9:15 am and Thursday, October 1st beginning at 10 am. 


REPEATING *D96 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.


Please email [email protected] with any tech related support needed.


REPEATING: 5th Grade Band Registration

Registration for the 5th grade beginning band is still open, and band lessons will begin next week!  Learn all about the band program and to sign up this weekend.  And please feel free to contact our band director Chad Craw ([email protected]) with any questions you may have.


REPEATING *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 


REPEATING *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