Country Meadows Principal's Message - November 13th

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Country Meadows Families,

Thank you so much for partaking in our Materials Pick Up today!  We are excited for the learning we will be able to engage in with students now that they have exactly what the need for upcoming instruction!  

As I have shared before, I want to thank all of our Country Meadows families for the continued support and flexibility during this most challenging school year. This afternoon staff members were able to collaborate during the second half of the half day to discuss the scoring of student writing submissions. Why is this process so valuable? Teachers collaborate across buildings to calibrate their grading practices to ensure equitable growth producing feedback for students across the district. This is done by analyzing the common rubrics and comparing the language to student writing samples and produces equitable scoring and growth producing feedback for all D96 students.

I hope everyone was a wonderful weekend!      

Fondly,

Meghan Bird - Principal


NEW *Newcomer Invitation - Monday, November 16th*

Has your family recently moved to the United States, or are you and your student(s) new to our area/school community?

This upcoming Monday, November 16th at 10AM, any parents that are new to our area /school community and have students who attend Country Meadows are invited to a casual virtual conversation using this Zoom Link.

This is an opportunity for parents to meet some D96/Country Meadows staff, ask questions, share their thoughts, and also meet D96 parents that may have similar experiences or have been in the district for a long time.

This is an informal opportunity for parents who, like their students, are experiencing our D96 social customs and practices of teaching and learning for the first time.


NEW *Missed Materials Pick Up*

If you missed our Materials Pick Up today, please call the Country Meadows front office at 353-8600 to arrange a time to pick up your child's materials. 


NEW: Meal Pick Up

More information will be coming via email on Monday, November 16, 2020 about D96 meal pick-up availability. Meal pick-up will be available to all families starting Monday, November 23rd. The week of Thanksgiving, meals will be able to be picked up for breakfast and/or lunch for all 5 days beginning Monday, November 23rd.  The following week meal pickup will likely revert to pick up being 3 pickups. Meals will be distributed on Monday (1 pickup) and Thursdays (2 pickups) thereafter.


NEW: Holiday Gifts for Staff

Gifts are never an expectation for our staff members, so it is with some humility that I broach this topic. Some families have started to inquire about delivering gifts for staff members.  Staff may or may not be working from the building, and we can not promise that anything dropped off to staff will make it to them in a timely manner if this is the case. If you make the decision to provide a gift, it recommended that you consider a virtual gift that can be delivered to their email. Thank you for your understanding!


NEW *Specials Materials*

Here is the updated Specials Materials Schedule.  Please reach out to specific specials teachers with any questions.


NEW *PTO Blog*

We had a great turnout for the October Challenge, and we are amazed at the student creativity.   This month the October Challenge Winners are: 

  • Todd Z. - 3rd Grade
  • Venisha L. - 2nd Grade
  • Sofie T. - 2nd Grade

We are excited to announce that our Scholastic Online Book Fair will run through Nov. 22!  View more information

Please take a moment to read the updated PTO blog for November 6th!


REPEATING *November Artistic Contest*

We had a GREAT turn out for our October artistic challenge.  We have so many creative and artistic students at Country Meadows!

Our incredible PTO is sponsoring another fun challenge this month!  Please see this flyer for information regarding our November Artistic Contest!  We can't wait to see all of the student creations!


REPEATING *Library Book Drop Off*

If your child still has library books that were checked out in the  2019-2020 school year, we are still collecting them!  Books can be dropped off in the main area vestibule or on November 13th during our upcoming Materials Pick Up. 

If you are curious about if/what books/titles your child needs to return to our school library, please contact [email protected] for details.


REPEATING *Creative Holiday Card Design Opportunity for Grades 4 and 5*

Fourth- and fifth-grade students are invited to submit original artwork for a holiday greeting card competition sponsored by Congressman Brad Schneider, Illinois 10th District. The winning artwork will be the cover design of Congressman Schneider’s annual holiday card.

The theme this year is Winter Wonderland–favorite outdoor winter activities enjoyed on cold snowy days. No artwork entry size is specified (the winning artwork will be scaled to fit).

Submissions are due by Wed., Nov. 25, and Congressman Schneider’s staff will announce the winner in early December.

Please submit all entries electronically to Robert Perez at [email protected]
Questions? Call 847.383.4870.


REPEATING *Academic Enrichment Fun Hosted By Stevenson Students*

Mark your calendar for creative learning on Sun., Nov. 15, from 1–3 PM. 

Stevenson High School National Honor Society students have planned a virtual Academic Enrichment Exposition–fun Zoom activities to help students in grades 3–5 explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. 

Engaging opportunities will include academic design challenges, coding projects, virtual field trips, scavenger hunts, and more–as well as the chance to win a $25 gift card. 

MORE INFO | SIGN UP


REPEATING *Yearbook Photo Submission*

Please upload your photos of your child(ren) engaging in Zoom sessions while learning remotely or in their remote learning environment.  We would love to add them to our yearbook this year! 

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


REPEATING *ComEd Bill Payment Assistance Options*

ComEd has provided bill payment assistance options for families experiencing financial hardship.


REPEATING *Updated COVID-19 Metrics*

This UPDATED COVID-19 METRICS is the information “dashboard” that maintains transparent and open communication around COVID-19 metrics. As a user of the dashboard, the District has access to COVID-19 data as recommended by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium. We review this data daily, update the dashboard weekly, and consider this data in making many decisions.


REPEATING *Family Tradition Survey*

Last year, families filled out a form to share their family traditions with us. We shared those traditions in a daily slideshow for students and the kids absolutely loved reading about themselves and other students in the school. We would love for you to participate again this year!

Read more about how you can share your family traditions this year. It will show you a QR code and a link you can use to participate.