Country Meadows Families,
Today’s edition of the Principal’s Message will be our last of the school year, and what a year it has been. We made it! The 2020-21 school year will be behind us next Thursday. Kudos to our teachers for all their hard work in planning engaging lessons for both remote and in-person learners. This was no easy task I want to thank them for their exceptional dedication to our students. Parents, thank you as well. You were equally supportive of our efforts and served as home overseers to your child’s education. I also want to personally thank you as your Assistant Principal in his first year on the job for your support and partnership this school year as I learned the ropes in an unconventional school year. This year was a collaborative effort like no other, and we appreciate YOU!
Shout out to the Country Meadows PTO for literally "weathering the storm" to host our 5th grade car parade this week! It was so much fun to celebrate our students advancing to middle school next year! We wish our 5th graders the best as they leave Country Meadows ready for the new experiences and environments that middle school will bring them.
Kindly,
Jason Williams - Assistant Principal
NEW: *Calendar Reminders*
Monday May 31st - NO SCHOOL; Memorial Day
Thursday June 3rd - Last Day of Attendance; Students Dismissed at 11:45am
COURTESY Countdown
To help celebrate our success this school year, please participate in our COURTESY COUNTDOWN!
Monday, May 24 - C - Country Meadows Pride Day: Wear your CM clothes or Blue/White
Tuesday, May 25 - O - Outside Day: Spend Time Outside!
Wednesday, May 26 - U - Uplifting Day: Write to someone you want to uplift with a kind note or email
Thursday, May 27 - R - Read your favorite book with someone!
Friday, May 28 - T - Thankful Day
Tuesday, June 1 - E - Exercise Day: Choose your favorite workout and exercise for at least 10 minutes!
Wednesday, June 2 - S - Summer Attire: Wear your best summer clothes!
Thursday, June 3 - Y - Year in Review
NEW: *Required Summer Reading & Optional Weekly Summer Learning Opportunities*
To keep learning going all summer, District faculty developed a 10-week summer curriculum with required reading for incoming students in KDG–Grade 8 AND optional math review activities. In addition, optional fun activities in the areas of STEM, music, writing, and more are also designated by week. SEE SUMMER ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES
The SUMMER READING webpage includes Book Lists for optional reading for Early Childhood–Grade 5 as well as the required reading assignment for middle school students entering Grades 6–8. Note that required summer reading for students entering KDG–Grade 5 is found in the SUMMER ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES resource, as described above.
NEW: *PTO Event Updates and Blog*
Please take a moment to read the PTO Blog for important information and upcoming PTO sponsored events!
REPEAT: *2021-22 School Supply Lists and Kits*
See Info to download grade-level school supply lists or order school supply kits to be delivered directly to your home. (Order kits by July 9 for home delivery by Aug. 13.)
REPEAT: *Student Report Card Access June 3 After 3pm*
Your student’s report card will be available for you to access online Thursday, June 3, AFTER 3 PM. If you need assistance, please SEE INSTRUCTIONS TO VIEW YOUR CHILDREN’S REPORT CARDS, to switch between your children’s report cards, and more. Report cards will be available for online access after 3 PM on June 3rd.
REPEAT: *Protocol Update*
On May 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks or practice social distancing in any setting–whether indoors or outside.
Consistent with our practice throughout this pandemic, we are in conversation with local health officials at the Lake County Department of Public Health to understand how this announcement from the CDC will affect our learning environments.
Be advised that our current mitigation strategies remain in place as we await local guidance.
That is–regardless of whether they have been vaccinated–our faculty, as well as our students, will be expected to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing at school and at a school-sponsored event such as 8th-grade Graduation. As you know, at this time students in our elementary district have not yet been vaccinated.
As local guidance is updated, be assured that we will share it and its implications with you promptly, as we’ve done consistently throughout the year.
REPEAT: *iPad Exchange Info for ALL KCSD96 Students*
Action needed! This summer District 96 will exchange your student's old iPad, charging cable, charging brick, and iPad case for new equipment. You'll need to schedule an appointment to make the exchange and the exchange must occur before Aug. 1. READ DETAILS about this process and how it affects ALL District 96 students.
REPEAT: *Math, Literacy, and Technology Materials Return*
There are only a few materials the district is looking to collect back from those that were distributed throughout the year. We are asking for all of the materials listed below to be returned to schools during the week of May 24th. For those students who are remote, a bin will be available inside the vestibule. Please be sure to bag your materials when possible, and please label materials with name, grade, and homeroom. Thank you so much for your help with this!
Literacy Books (All Grades)
After Friday, May 21st, we will no longer need any of the ”ReadyGen”Literacy materials as part of our lessons. Please return all books beginning Monday, May 24th. It is important to return these as soon as possible so that we can inventory them accordingly and make purchasing decisions for next year. Some students have already begun to return these materials. for a convenient drop off. The grade level links below show a complete list of books that need to be returned to school.
Logitech Keyboards (All Grades)
Each student in grades 1-5 received one of these keyboards in September. Middle school students received a keyboard upon request. For a picture of the keyboards click here.
If your child is planning on taking IAR (Grades 3-8), please bring the keyboard to school on May 23-25 for use during the assessment. It will be collected after IAR is completed on Wednesday the 25th.
If your child is not using the keyboard, please return the keyboard at your earliest convenience. Early returns will help us ensure each student that wants one for IAR has one to use.
Omnifix Cubes (5th Grade Only)
These were distributed to 5th grade students in August in a plastic bag. Each 5th grade student received 30 cubes in a plastic Ziplock bag. The Omni-fix cubes are no longer needed for 5th grade math. Please return these to schools at your earliest convenience. For a picture of the cubes click here.
REPEAT: *5th Grade Band*
4th grade parents: the opportunity to learn about and sign up for next year's 5th grade band is happening now! Please open this letter from the band teacher Mr. Craw to learn more about band, and to find out how to sign up.
REPEAT: *Orchestra Announcements*
It is time to register your student for orchestra for the 2021-2022 school year!
- Current 3rd grade families who are interested in orchestra should use this link to read a letter with more information about 4th Grade Orchestra.
- Current 4th grade families who are not enrolled in orchestra this year, but are interested in starting in 5th grade, should use this link to read a letter with more information on 5th Grade Orchestra.
- Current 4th grade families who are enrolled in orchestra should use this link to read a letter with more information on beginning 5th Grade Orchestra.
- Current 5th grade families should use this link to register their student for 6th Grade Orchestra.
I hope to have the opportunity to work with your students next year!
Eileen Wronkiewicz
REPEAT: *Student's Art Appreciation Event - Consortium ArtFest (Virtual) is May 17-31*
KCSD96 families are invited to attend the 41st Annual Stevenson Consortium 125 ArtFest, showcasing our students’ artistic growth and achievements using a variety of media. This year you can view creative work by our Grades 1–8 students virtually. Exhibited art is selected by their District 96 art teachers. Access student artwork online May 17–31. Click here for more information.
REPEAT: *Specials Materials for In-Person Learners*
Students are able to bring their art backpack and gym bag to school and leave it in the classroom and do not need to bring it back and forth from home. Students will then have their needed supplies on hand each day. Music and Exploration Lab currently do not need any additional materials.
For Remote Students, here is the updated Specials Materials List for what will be needed each day.
REPEAT: *Keeping Students (and Siblings) Home Due to Symptoms*
Per the IDPH COVID-19 School Exclusion Guidance, if any household member is showing any one of the symptoms listed below, ALL SIBLINGS must stay home from school. Please let the school office know when calling for attendance if your child is staying home due to illness, even if the student is participating remotely.
The symptoms in which a student must stay home due to COVID-19 protocols are: fever (100.4°F or higher), new onset of moderate to severe headache, shortness of breath, new cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, new loss of sense of taste or smell, fatigue from unknown cause, muscle or body aches from unknown cause.
REPEAT: *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