Country Meadows Families,
For those who I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet, my name is Jason Williams and I am the Assistant Principal at Country Meadows. Mrs. Bird officially begins her maternity leave over Spring Break, so I will be "playing principal" in her absence, with the support of Michelle Garlick, Assistant Principal at Woodlawn Middle School, who will be spending some time on our side of the cafeteria!
As we head into spring break, we look forward to the spring season of new beginnings, which officially starts on March 20th. We will be hearing more birds singing as beautiful flowers come into bloom. Spring will also bring a new beginning for students who plan to return to in-person learning after spring break. We are very excited to welcome these additional students back to school. If your child is returning to in-person learning the week of March 29th please read the “Return to In-Person Learning” section of today’s blog closely. As always, we value your partnership.
Warm Regards,
Jason Williams - Assistant Principal
New: *Calendar Reminders*
- Students will not be in attendance March 22nd through March 26th for Spring Break. Classes will resume the week of March, 29th.
- Thursday, April 1st is a half day and students will be dismissed at 11:45. Students will follow this schedule on 4/1/21.
- Friday, April 2nd students are not in attendance.
- Monday, April 5th students are not in attendance.
- Tuesday, April 6th students are not in attendance.
Revised March–June 2021 Calendar
Please refer to this REVISED March–June 2021 Calendar, reflecting in-person learning schedule changes announced in Superintendent Julie Schmidt's Mar. 17 message.
NEW: *Returning to In-Person Learning Information*
We are very excited to have additional students joining us in-person after spring break. Below is some information you need to know for a successful transition from remote to in-person learning.
Masks for In-Person Learners
Send your student to school with a comfortable mask that complies with CDC/ISBE guidelines, ensuring that the face-covering fully covers the mouth and nose and that the covering fits snugly against the sides of the face with no gaps.
Medications
If your child needs to take medication at school please bring the medication to the school nurse’s office in its original container along with this Medication Authorization Form.
Materials
Please look for specific information from your child's classroom teacher regarding materials he or she will need to bring to class on days he/she reports. Here is the updated Specials Materials List. Please reach out to your child's classroom teacher or specific specials teachers with any questions.
Arrival & Dismissal Procedures
All students reporting in person will enter through the main school entrance. Once entering the building, students will approach one of our two scanning stations to ensure their self certification has been completed that morning. Our 1st/2nd graders will walk through one hallway to their classrooms while our 3rd/4th/5th graders will walk through another to limit the number of students in a hallway at all times. Breakfast is available for students who would like to eat at school in the morning, and socially distanced seating (similar to lunch) will be used. We will have staff outside to help guide students from both the buses and parent pick up into the building.
Bus Information
Bus routing information will come by email to families over spring break. Please anticipate that busses may be running late. If you have any bus route questions, please call the office. Our arrival and dismissal routines within the school building have been designed to maintain social distancing. For purposes of social distancing and to maintain order on the bus, all students will be directed to sit in an assigned seat separated from peers. Siblings may sit together. Please prepare your child for this routine to sit where the driver or school assigns and to always stay seated in their seat. As a reminder, complete the daily self-certification before your child gets on the bus or comes to the school by parent drop-off. All children coming to school must wear masks on district transportation as well as in the school building.
Change in After School Pick-up For Your Child
If your child will not be taking the bus home after school, please send a note or call the office to let us know. Please DO NOT send emails of this nature, as we cannot guarantee that an email will be seen prior to school dismissal.
Additional Items of Note
- It is still chilly! We may go outside for short breaks so please ensure that your child has the proper outerwear.
- Children will be bringing iPads and Logitech iPad "crayons" between home and school daily. Please develop a routine of charging both every night and putting them in their backpack each morning. A helpful tip is to post a sign at child eye level on the door where your child will exit in the morning. You can make a picture checklist of this and anything else to support your child to develop independence with morning routines.
- Children may bring individual water bottles to school. They should not be glass and should have a spill-proof top. Please label your child's water bottle with his/her name.
- MOST IMPORTANTLY: Parents must do the DAILY self-certification for their child. Parents must submit a daily self-certification prior to their student being allowed to attend in person. Parents will need to download the TeacherEase app if they haven't already in order to access the daily self-certification form. Please see this video for further instruction.
Commitment to Partnership
We are confident that the District 96 community will rise to the occasion and partner with us to ensure the safety and success of our hybrid learning plan. Please think carefully about your commitment to our partnership before sending your child to school. Please review our In-Person Learning Protocols.
NEW: *Daily Self-Certification Questions Revision*
The questions on the Daily Self-Certification will be changing slightly as of Monday, March 29th. Please read the questions carefully when completing the self-certification after spring break.
NEW: *Population Screening Schedule Change*
Grades 1-2 will have a new drop off schedule for their population screening. Beginning April 12, Grades 1-2 will drop off their samples on Mondays. Grades 3-5 will maintain their current schedule.
NEW: *Safety Drills*
All schools are required to hold fire/evacuation, severe weather, and lockdown drills. We recognize some content could potentially be frightening for students. Please be assured that presentations to students are developmentally appropriate. Teachers and support staff are attentive to students’ emotions during instruction and drills. Specific drill dates are not shared with parents. At school, we conduct drills at unknown times so that students and staff can respond authentically as would be needed in an actual emergency. You can expect lockdown education to be provided to your child when we come back from break followed shortly after by a drill. We will maintain our social distancing requirements throughout all drills. Please let me know if you have any questions.
NEW: *Calculators During Math*
Some teachers have noticed that students are using calculators to help complete math assignments and/or assessments. Please know that there is never a time when an elementary teacher will ask the students to use a calculator in math. Elementary math provides the critical foundation for math in both middle and high school. Using a calculator, even for simple computation, potentially creates skill and knowledge gaps that can hinder mathematical progress in the future.
NEW: *Parent Input for 2021-2022 Class Placement Survey*
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. We take this process very seriously. The process for class list creation is as follows:
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.
Grade level teachers, principals, 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 team of educators considers each child’s personality, academic needs, friendship patterns, etc. as they make a match for each individual child.
This team of educators creates a draft set of class lists taking into consideration parent input. Class lists are then revised in August with summer changes for students who move in or out of the district. Class rosters are never final until they are released to families in August.
This process happens for 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 welcome input from parents regarding your child’s strengths, needs, and learning style through our 2021-2022 Parent Class Placement Input Survey. This information remains confidential between parents and school administration. We will take into consideration pertinent information received on or before FRIDAY, APRIL 30th. Please remember, while we welcome your input, specific teacher or friend placement requests will not be honored.
NEW: *PTO Blog*
If you are interested in being a part of our incredible Country Meadows, PTO Executive Board, please CLICK HERE to show interest. Please take a moment to read this week's PTO Blog.
REPEATING: *PTO March Artistic Challenge*
Our incredible PTO is sponsoring another fun challenge this month! Please click here for information regarding our March Artistic Contest!
REPEATING *NURSE HOURS and IDPH DECISION TREE*
Our District 96 nurses are closely following the Illinois Department of Public Health school exclusion decision tree to determine when students are eligible to return to turn school. Thank you for your patience with students who have had to isolate or quarantine due to illness, household, illness, positive COVID-19, and/or close contact status. The building nurse will request appropriate documentation for students to return to school. While you may receive this documentation outside of school hours, the nurse will contact families regarding a return date upon receipt during the next school day.
If you would like to be in touch with one of the District 96 nurses, please note the hours that they are available:
Country Meadows, Ivy Hall, Kildeer, Prairie, Willow Grove: 8:00-3:15
Twin Groves, Woodlawn 7:30-2:45
REPEATING *2021–22 Registration Emails Were Sent Thurs., Mar. 4*
Please check for registration email(s) for the 2021–22 school year, sent Thurs., Mar. 4.
Each registration email includes a link and a unique “snapcode” needed for access to register your returning student for 2021–22. EVERY student returning to District 96 for the school year ahead must be registered.
Information you provided previously will appear in your student’s online registration record. Please check that information carefully and update it if it is not accurate.
Completing and submitting online registration and making payment no later than Apr. 15, 2021, will save families $20 in registration cost per student. Fees increase after Apr. 15.
Questions? Please send email to [email protected] or call 847.459.4260, ext. 8022.
Spanish:
*LOS CORREOS ELECTRÓNICOS DE LA INSCRIPCIÓN PARA EL CICLO ESCOLAR 2021–22 SE ENVIARON EL JUEVES 4 DE MARZO*
Por favor busque el correo electrónico de la inscripción para el ciclo escolar 2021–22, que fue enviado el jueves, 4 de marzo.
Cada correo de inscripción incluye un enlace y un “código” exclusivo que usted va a necesitar para inscribir a su estudiante que regresa al ciclo escolar 2021–22. TODOS los estudiantes que regresan al Distrito 96 para el ciclo escolar próximo deben estar inscritos.
La información que usted brindó anteriormente aparecerá en el registro de inscripción en línea de su estudiante. Por favor revise eso cuidadosamente y actualice cualquier información si no está correcta.
Si completa y entrega la inscripción en línea y hace el pago antes del 15 de abril, 2021 las familias ahorrarán $20 en la cuota de inscripción de cada estudiante. Las cuotas aumentan después del 15 de abril.
¿Preguntas sobre la inscripción? Por favor envíe un correo electrónico a [email protected] o llame a 847.459.4260, ext. 8022.
REPEATING: Illinois 5Essentials Survey
Share your thoughts about how your child’s school is doing on the 5Essentials for school success. On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. District 96 will participate in the statewide 2020–21 5Essentials Survey to meet state legislation and the Board’s mandate. District 96 parents may voluntarily participate to complete the survey. Please select the Parent Survey and begin.
Beginning in February and through Apr. 2, students and teachers will complete surveys to help identify strengths and weaknesses in their school’s learning environment. In District 96, students in grades 4–8 will complete their surveys on Mar. 19.
This survey is designed to help school and district leaders better understand the parent/school relationship. All responses are anonymous. Parents are asked to complete a survey for each student attending a Kildeer Countryside District 96 school. The survey will be open through Apr. 2, 2021. Questions? See Frequently Asked Questions and/or contact 5Essentials Client Services 866.440.1874.
REPEATING: Kindergarten and 2nd Grade Parents Dental Screening Reminder
The Illinois School Code requires all children in kindergarten, second and sixth grades to have a dental examination by May 15th of each year in compliance with the rules adopted by the Illinois Department of Public Health. If you have not already done so, please submit your 2nd-grade child’s dental exam form to our building nurse. To see a complete list of the health forms required for students, please visit our Student Health Section of our Web page.
REPEATING *Obtaining Free Meals*
Preorder free meals for in-person students by 6 PM on Thursday for the week ahead. Order at onlineordering.linq.com only for your student's in-person days.
Pick up meal supplies for 5 days for remote students on Wednesdays from 11 AM– 2 PM at Twin Groves or Woodlawn. No preordering needed.
Please direct questions to the public info coordinator [email protected].
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.