Country Meadows Families,
Congratulations to our students! Today marks the official end of the first trimester, and we could not be more proud of the level of effort and determination our students put towards learning. We’ve experienced some bumps along the road, yet there have been so many celebrations as well. We value our partnership together as we navigate this school year and wish to congratulate each and every student! Report cards will be shared on December 3rd (see below for more details) with more specific information regarding your child’s progress. As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher.
As we head into break next week, we wish your family time to rejuvenate together and simply enjoy the space to be with each other.
Fondly,
Meghan Bird - Principal
NEW *MAP Testing Updates*
Given the pandemic and our current full remote setting, students in Kindergarten through Grade 2 will not participate in Winter MAP. These students will participate in MAP testing in the Spring.
Students in grades 3-8 will participate in remote MAP testing on the following dates:
- Grades 5-8 will test on December 3 & 4
- Grades 3-4 will test on December 8 & 9
NEW *Attendance Reminder*
This is a friendly reminder that if your child will be absent or miss a portion of the school day, please call the office or email [email protected]. When reporting your absence, please indicate the reason for the absence (i.e. type of doctor appt, etc.). Thank you for your support in helping us complete our attendance in a timely fashion!
NEW *Access Report Cards Online on Dec. 3*
Your student’s report card will be available for you to access online on Dec. 3 AFTER 3 PM. If you need assistance, please review the instructions to view your student’s report card, to switch between your children’s report cards, and more.
El 3 de diciembre, la boleta de calificaciones de su estudiante estará disponible en línea hoy DESPUÉS DE LAS 3 PM. Si necesita ayuda, por favor VER LAS INSTRUCCIONES PARA VER LA BOLETA DE CALIFICACIONES DE SU ESTUDIANTE, intercambiar entre boletas de calificaciones de sus hijos, y más.
NEW *Free Meals for Pick-Up for ALL D96 Students*
D96 is pleased to offer free meals for pick-up for ALL students (age 18 and younger), thanks to the Summer Food Service Program from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
All District 96 families were sent an email on Mon., Nov. 16 (Subject Line: Fr Sch Dist 96: Free Meal Preordering and Pickup) with information about preordering free breakfast and lunch meals for their students.
Parents/guardians of all District 96 families may preorder and pick up meals at Twin Groves or Woodlawn Middle Schools for their children through age 18* on designated weekdays from 11 AM–2 PM.
The first step is for families to create an account online and add each child receiving meals to the account. Please see this webpage for details and brief instructional videos of the account set-up and preordering process.
Please direct questions to the public information coordinator [email protected].
NEW *Newcomer Welcome Recap*
It was so nice to see some of our new parents at our Newcomer Welcome event this past Monday! Parents got to hear from staff and experienced D96 parents about how they can be supported to make the transition to our district easier. Jason Williams, our assistant principal, also gave a short virtual tour during one of our breakout sessions!
If you were unable to attend, here is a summary of what was discussed:
- How to join our PTO as a great way to support the school community, meet parents/school staff, build rapport, and discuss any issues/ideas relevant to school improvement and connection.
- How to join Thought Exchange Partnership to hear from district administrators about district goals, initiatives, instructional innovations, and other informational/relevant topics.
- The D96 Guiding Coalition for Interculturalism that reflects and connects the D96 values of diversity and inclusion and aligns parents, educators and students in cultural and educational experiences. We discussed how the GCI has created the newcomer video/letter, traditions calendar, curricular audits for cultural competence in resources, and staff talking points to increase cultural competency.
- Parents learned that Parent to Parent Network is available to any District 96 parent interested in meeting and having conversations with other D96 parents. P2P discuss articles, TED talks, reads books and invite speakers on topics they are interested in. This year they worked with our consortium districts to bring in speakers and focused on topics around parenting during COVID and stress management.
NEW *Specials Materials*
Here is the updated Specials Materials Schedule. Please reach out to specific specials teachers with any questions.
NEW *PTO Blog*
Scholastic Online Book Fair: There are still a few days left to take part in our Scholastic Online Book Fair that runs through Nov. 22! View more information!
After School Virtual Programs: Please fill out this quick two question survey regarding whether you're interested in your child attending a couple of free interactive after school virtual programs on early release days. (On early release days, school ends at 2:00 p.m. The after school virtual program would start at 2:05 p.m. and end by 3:00 p.m.)
Please take a moment to read the updated PTO blog for November 6th!
REPEATING: 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!
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 at Country Meadows.
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 *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.