Country Meadows Families,
Brrrrrr! This week brought the chilliest weather we've had yet this season. Do you know what that means? Two words: indoor recess. I think we can all agree that we look forward to warmer days so that our students can run, play, and get that movement they need. These are the days we are grateful for 5 days of physical education.
This is the first blog of the new year where we have no schedule reminders for you for next week. We have 5 full days ahead! Enjoy!
Warm Regards,
Meghan Bird - Principal
NEW *Masking Reminder*
As a reminder, all individuals present on school grounds must continue to wear a face-covering consistent with Board of Education policy 4:182 until further notice. Any individual's refusal to wear a face-covering shall constitute a violation of the District's applicable rules of conduct and may subject the individual to disciplinary action or prevent the individual from entering or remaining on school district property. We are hopeful that, in the not too distant future, conditions will be conducive to reducing our mitigation measures. Thank you for your continued cooperation as we begin to see a decline in our positive cases!
NEW *Spring Family/Educator Conferences*
Spring Parent/Educator Conferences are around the corner! The conferences will take place on Monday, March 14th from 5 PM to 8:30 PM and Tuesday, March 15th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.
Spring conferences will be in a collaborative format with students leading the conferences. Collaborative conferences are focused on reflection and growth. Students must be present at these conferences. These conferences will be 15 minutes in length.
We will continue using Meet the Teacher as an electronic sign up for conferences. A sign up link will be shared by the district with parents via email on Thursday, February 24th at 6:00 PM. The default option for conferences will be virtual, but parents and guardians will be able to schedule an in-person conference if they wish. Along with the classroom teacher, specials teachers and any related service providers that work with your child will also be available.
NEW *Parent Pick Up*
In an effort to keep all students safe, we want to remind all families of our Parent Pick Up protocols. Please ensure that you are waiting for designated staff to release your child to enter your car at the end of the day.
If you choose to park and pick your child up, you need to park and come to the front office, where your child will be escorted from the parent pick up line. In order to ensure the safety of all parents and students we need to avoid any adults walking past cars in the pick up line to escort students to the parking lot. We appreciate your understanding with this, and please know that parents who continue to do so will be addressed and reminded by staff.
NEW *Golden Paws*
This year we have introduced the exciting GOLDEN PAW. Golden paws are earned when an entire class is seen exhibiting PRO (People Respecting Others) behavior that is respectful, responsible, or peaceful. For example, a class may earn a Golden Paw for being respectful to a substitute the day a teacher is absent, listening and adhering to lunch room expectations, or walking quietly/peacefully in the hallways.
This weeks Golden Paws winners include:
- Charpentier
- Larson
- Eisinger
- All 5th grade classes!
Keep up the great work, Country Meadows PROs!
NEW *PTO Update*
Please take a moment to visit the PTO Blog this week!
Spirit Wear
It may be cold outside, but you can stay warm with spirit wear while saving big on items like hoodies, jackets and blankets! Save 15% sitewide with code: BUNDLEUP through January 31st. There is also free shipping on all orders over $100. Shop Now.
Yearbook Committee
The PTO is currently seeking a parent volunteer to chair the Yearbook Committee for the 2022-2023 school year. We are seeking to fulfill this position early to allow for training time on use of the software. Please reach out to us at [email protected] to express your interest.
Upcoming Events
- 2/14 - Valentine's Day Classroom Parties
- 2/18 - Special Lunch (Real Urban BBQ)
REPEATING *IDPH/ISBE COVID-19 Information*
On January 11, 2022 the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released new COVID-19 information related to school exclusion and test-to-stay protocols. Please find all updated information on our website linked below.
https://www.kcsd96.org/covid-19
REPEATING *Technology Help Desk*
A friendly reminder that if you have technology-related issues at home with your student’s D96 technology (iPad, iPad Charger, Logitech Crayons, or iPad Case) please submit a help desk ticket at [email protected].
We have multiple technology personnel that are ready to help. Submitting a help desk ticket via the email address provided will ensure that somebody on the team sees your request.
REPEATING *Human Growth & Development*
We will be starting our Human and Growth and Development unit the week of January 24th. This unit is for grades third through fifth.
- Third-grade lessons will cover plants, animals, and babies.
- Fourth-grade lessons cover the development of babies and puberty.
- Fifth-grade lessons cover puberty and a discussion on Erin's Law with our social worker Mrs. Johnson.
Fourth and fifth grade will be split on February 6th and 11th. The boys will be with Mr. Loessl and the girls will be with Ms. Almdale.
The links below contain a document with more information and a waiver if you wish to opt out of the Human and Growth and Development unit. The opt out forms must be signed and returned to the PE team.
3rd Grade & 4th Grade (Info & Waiver for Human Growth & Development Unit)
5th Grade (Info & Waiver for Human Growth & Development Unit)
REPEATING *Vaccination Cards for 5-11 yr olds*
You can provide vaccination verification after your child has received his/her full vaccination. Click HERE to complete the upload.
REPEATING *Covid Metrics*
To stay up-to-date this school year on local metrics, please visit the COVID DASHBOARD for District 96. Our priority remains to keep our students safe and follow guidance from the CDC. If your student is identified as a "close contact", you will be notified individually through the contact tracing process.