Country Meadows Families,
It’s been another great week of learning, and we are eagerly awaiting the Valentine’s Day excitement on Monday. Please see below for specific information regarding Valentine’s and PTO party volunteers. As always, we are continually appreciative of our partnership with the PTO, and we are so grateful for the opportunities they provide for our students. We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and we look forward to seeing students on Monday!
Warm Regards,
Meghan Bird - Principal
NEW *5Essentials Survey Information*
Parents and guardians: Over the next few weeks, your child will be participating in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, which asks students about their experiences, attitudes and activities in school ~ with the goal of helping schools to improve. This is the 10th year of the survey, which also solicits input from teachers and parents on how their schools may be improved.
The survey is for students in 4th grade and higher. District 96 middle school students take the 25-minute survey the week of February 14. Elementary school students will take the survey the week of February 28.
This online survey is administered by UChicago Impact on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education. This survey is based on the Five Essentials for School Success, an evidence-based framework developed by the University of Chicago. This framework identifies how school performance on five factors or “essentials” can lead to important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains.
Twenty years of research at the University of Chicago in more than 400 schools has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of the 5Essentials were 10 times more likely to make substantial gains in improving student reading and math than schools that were weak on three or more of the Essentials.
Those 5Essentials are:
- Effective Leaders
- Collaborative Teachers
- Involved Families
- Supportive Environment
- Ambitious Instruction
For more information or to view previous years’ Reports, visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois (choose “Select a Public Survey” dropdown menu). If you have questions about the survey, contact 5Essentials Customer Support at 1-866-440-1874 or [email protected].
NEW *Valentine's Day Party Volunteer Info*
This year Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker signed Executive Order 2021-20, regarding educational employee vaccination and testing requirements. The Executive Order applies to all “school personnel,” and volunteers are included in the definition unless they are present for only a short period of time and whose movements of close physical proximity are “fleeting”.
Those who have been identified as a current or upcoming PTO volunteer will need to submit/ provide proof of vaccination. If unvaccinated you will need to provide proof of a negative Covid test within 48 hours of reporting to volunteer.
Please note the following expectations for PTO volunteers:
- Parents attending the parties may not bring additional family members, other children, etc. We need everyone to abide by this and will have to ask you to leave if you come with other attendees.
- Every PTO volunteer approved to come into our school MUST have their license or ID scanned through our security system to enter. You have to bring this with you or you will not be able to enter. There can be a long line if you wait until the day of the party to scan your ID, so please anticipate this. We highly encourage PTO room party volunteers to come to the front office sometime in December before the party to have their license scanned, which will speed up the process. The more people who come in early to be scanned, the shorter the line! Again, you may also come on the day of the winter party.
- All volunteers must have followed our procedures for verifying vaccination or have proof of a negative Covid test. Call the office with questions.
- All volunteers must wear a mask at all times and remain socially distanced.
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:
- Jacobson
- Pauwels
- Mason
- Wooster
- Diaz
- Zimmerman
- Gorodiski
Keep up the great work, Country Meadows PROs!
NEW *Kids Heart Challenge*
We are excited to let you know that we will be participating in the American Red Cross Kids Heart Challenge this year. This is completely optional, and students can participate as much or as little as they would like. We will be doing a kick off presentation Monday the 14th, and the fundraising portion will end March 11th. During the week of March 8th, we will be doing a celebration/wrap up of the challenge. Attached is information regarding the challenge and fundraising, and students will receive information in PE on February 14th in class. If you have any questions please reach out to Mr. Loessl or Ms. Almdale
CLICK HERE for more information!
NEW *PTO Update*
Please take a moment to visit the PTO Blog this week!
Teacher Conference Meal
It’s always fun to let our teachers know how much we appreciate them, one way we do this is by providing a meal during teacher conferences. Please help us make this event a success by signing up to bring drinks and snacks or by going to Membership Toolkit to make a monetary donation.
Membership Toolkit (scroll to the bottom once signing in)
Spirit Wear
It may be cold outside, but you can stay warm with Country Meadows Cubs spirit wear! Jackets on sale now! All items ship directly to your home. Shop here!
Yearbook
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 PTO Events
- 2/14 - Valentine's Day Classroom Parties
- 2/18 - Special Lunch (Real Urban BBQ)
- 3/14-15 Teacher Conference Meal
REPEATING *Valentine's Day Parties*
Valentine's Day parties are just around the corner. Students will also have a chance to hand out Valentines to their class if wanted. Classroom teachers can provide an accurate count of students in your child's class ensure all students receive a Valentine. If you choose to include an item with your child's Valentines, please note that only non-food items are permissible. Candy, snacks, or any sort of food item will be sent back home with your child on Valentine's day if sent to school. Non-food items are permitted, and there are many pre-packaged Valentines that can be purchased that include a trinket (i.e., pencil, erasers, bookmark, etc.). If you have any questions about what can be included in Valentine's, please contact your child's classroom teacher.
REPEATING *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!
REPEATING *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.
REPEATING *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.
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.