Country Meadows Principal's Message - April 1st, 2022

Country Meadows Families,

It was a great first full week back at school. We hope everyone had a restful spring break. Students did a great job getting back into the swing of things. Please take a few moments to review all the new and repeating information below. 

I did want to take a moment and highlight a couple items below. Next week students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade will take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness.  More information regarding testing can be found below.  Also, included in this week’s message is information on how the district is working to help support humanitarian relief for Ukrainian refugees. Have a great weekend.

Kindly,

Meghan Bird 

NEW *D96 Humanitarian Relief Support*

District 96 is collaborating with other Lake County School Districts to collect emergency items for refugees from Ukraine.  These items will be collected during school days, from March 30 to April 14: Only the requested items are to be dropped off in the lobby of each District 96 school.

Financial donations are also being accepted.

Please mail checks directly to: 

Lake County Schools Relief Effort/ First Bank of Highland Park

OR

Make a contribution to Rotary International District 6440

NEW *2022-23 KINDERGARTEN KICK-OFF EVENT - MAY 3rd*

Kindergarten Kick-Off is an opportunity for all FULLY REGISTERED incoming kindergarten students and families to tour Willow Grove and for incoming kindergarteners to experience an activity in a classroom. Families must be fully registered by Monday, April 18, to receive the invitation link for the event. Kindergarten Kick-Off sign-up closes on Tuesday, April 19. During the time children are in classrooms (30 minutes), parents will meet with Willow Grove Principal, Jenny Smith, for Kindy 101 to learn about Willow Grove and common questions families have.

YOU MUST BE FULLY REGISTERED AND SIGN UP TO ATTEND. View information on registering your incoming kindergartener If you fully registered and do not believe you've received the link to sign up for Kindergarten Kick-Off, call the Willow Grove office for support or email [email protected].

NEW *Illinois Assessment of Readiness Next Week*

Students in grades 3-8 participate in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) beginning next week. The IAR consists of assessments for both literacy and math. The District 96 window for the IAR is April 4 - May 21. Students will begin testing next week. Country Meadows will be taking part in the IAR Field Test, so the last day of testing will be Monday, April 11th.  Students who missed test sessions will make up their testing beginning April 12th. 

IAR Parent Letter (English) 

IAR Parent Letter (Spanish) 

NEW *5th Grade: 4 Chord Concert*

Our Country Meadows 5th graders have been learning about music through playing ukulele and singing various styles of music. We have found that there are so many songs that have been written using only 4 chords. We wanted to showcase our hard work by having a concert to celebrate the 5th grade and all they have learned in music at Country Meadows on Monday, May 16th at 5:30 in the cafeteria. More details will follow when it gets closer to the concert so stay tuned but if you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to email me at [email protected] and I will do my best to answer!

Thank you!

Sarah Murray

NEW *6th Grade Orchestra Sign Up*

Hello 5th Grade Orchestra Families! 

Believe it or not, it is time to sign your student up for 6th-grade orchestra! Your students have had a fantastic school year and I cannot wait to see what they accomplish during their middle school years. The structure of 6th-grade orchestra will be relatively similar to elementary orchestra, but there will be slight adjustments to the times students come to rehearsals. View our sign-up form  for more information or reach out to Ms. Wronkiewicz via email with any specific questions. 

NEW *Transitioning to Middle School Session*

Parents of 5th Graders:  Who is more excited or nervous, you or your fifth-grader, as you both contemplate transitioning to sixth-grade and a whole new school?

Find answers to some questions you may have in the “Transition to Middle School” virtual meeting, an information-packed program for parents of all current KCSD 96 fifth-graders. This program begins at 7 p.m. April 20 (via Zoom). 

Middle School Principals Jessica Barnes (Twin Groves) and Greg Grana (Woodlawn) will discuss academics, extracurricular opportunities, and changes that middle school years bring. Also, current 6th-grade panelists will share their perspectives.

Click here to pre-register for this session: https://kcsd96.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvdOmopzovH9Gf4GSdemIUYKJ39yg0Y6js

Questions? Contact KCSD 96 Community Parent Liaison Lubna Andrabi, at 847.459.4260, ext. 8136.

NEW *PTO Update*

Please take a moment to visit the PTO Blog this week!

The PTO has been hard at work behind the scenes preparing lots of fun events for our Country Meadows community!  We have a jam-packed schedule through the end of the year and we can't wait to see everyone at our events. 

We need your help to make next year even better!  All Country Meadows PTO Executive Board positions are open.  The more parents that step up, the more ideas we can bring to the table and the more we can delegate and help each other. Join us! See MTK to express interest and a current board member will reach out to discuss potential opportunities that can utilize your skill set and fit into your schedule.

Movie Night

Movie night is back!  Join your friends for an evening movie at school!  On April 22nd at 6pm, Grades 1 and 2 are invited to watch "Sing 2"!  This is a drop off event and tickets are $5 per child (snacks included).  Log on to MTK to purchase tickets, bring a blanket to sit on, and enjoy!

Book Fair/Book Drive

Our spring book fair will be held the week of April 18th.  We will be holding a used book drive in conjunction with the fair (starting the week of April 11th) so this would be a great time to start clearing the shelves!  (There may also be a friendly classroom competition so stay tuned!)

Spirit Wear Spring Sale

• Dates: Monday, March 21st - Monday, April 4th
• 25% discount site-wide (No code needed)
• Free Shipping on all orders over $75
• Store Link: https://1stplace.sale/33277

Science Fair (3rd-5th Grade)

Our Science Fair will be hosted on May 11th from 5:30-7:30. View the student application, and get excited for some science fun!

REPEATING  *Dual Language Parent Night for 22-23 Kindergarten Parents*

Do you have an entering kindergartener or know a D96 resident that does?  Are you interested in your child having a bilingual school experience?  

See the District website to learn more about the District's optional Spanish/English Dual Language program.

The Dual Language Program was designed several years ago to implement instruction across the curriculum that provides an opportunity for students to develop a deep academic proficiency in two languages.  In the district’s Dual Language program, 50 percent of the academic day curriculum is delivered in Spanish and 50 percent of the academic day is delivered in English.

Parents interested in enrolling their entering kindergarten student(s) in the Dual Language Program are asked to fill out the Lottery Form by 3 p.m. April 15.

REPEATING *Talking to Students about Events in Ukraine *

As indicated in Mrs. Schmidt’s Superintendent’s message, staff has received resources regarding how to support conversations with students who express personal and more global concerns and fears.  We will continue to provide the most up-to-date resources to them. Below you will find resources for parents on how to support your student at home. 

Many of our students need the guidance and safety of adults in their homes to navigate their own emotions and trauma in a healthy, safe, and productive way. A few reminders when speaking with your student: 

News like this can be scary to children if not handled in the right way. Support and conversations will look and sound different with different age groups.

• Remain calm
• Affirm that it is okay to feel upset 
• Stick to facts from vetted sources
• Keep explanations developmentally appropriate
• Model coping strategies
• Keep open lines of communication between school and home 

Each of the attached resources provides tips for families and educators, and some include what we can do as adults and how you can respond to students. 

Resources:

• How to Talk to Kids About Violence Crime and War: Common Sense Media gathers tips and conversation starters to help you talk to kids of different ages about the toughest topics. 
• Talking to Your Kids About War: VeryWell Family explores ways families can speak with young people about war, including tips on sharing information and restricting media coverage. 
• Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and teachers of elementary school children: This article from the American Psychological Association can help adults guide their young children beyond fear and to resilience.
• Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and teachers of middle school children: The American Psychological Association breaks out tips and strategies for parents and teachers of middle school-aged children.

The following resources are from the National Association of School Psychologists:

• War and Terrorism: Tips for Supporting Children at Home and School  
• Helping Children Cope with Terrorism: Tips for Families and Educators: Tips and reminders in an easy to read chart  
• Helping Children Cope with Terrorism: Tips for Families and Educators: Fifteen tips for adults in supporting children

REPEATING *Parent Input for 2022-2023 Class Placement*

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.

Our collaborative team creates a draft set of class lists taking into consideration parent input. Class lists are then revised in August with summer changes to include 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 2022-2023 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 29th. Please remember, while we welcome your input, specific teacher or friend placement requests will not be honored.

REPEATING *Proof of Dental Exam (K/2nd/6th)*

Dear Parents/Guardians of District 96 Kindergarteners, 2nd, and 6th Grade Students:

Please note that your child’s completed dental examination is now due, per Illinois school law. The deadline for the dental examination is due no later than May 15 of the current school year.  Proof of this required dental examination must have been completed within eighteen months prior to the May 15 deadline.

If you haven’t already done so, please make an appointment with your child’s dentist for a dental examination, have him and/or her complete the required form and return it to your child’s school nurse. 

State of Illinois Proof of Dental Examination Form

In the event that you are unable to fulfill this requirement, the state of Illinois does permit a waiver of the examination.

State of Illinois Dental Waiver Form

Dental examination forms, as well as dental waiver forms, can be downloaded from the District’s web site.   Thank you for your prompt cooperation. 

REPEATING *Reproving Residency (K & 5th)*

In KCSD 96, each year, parents of current Kindergartners and 5th graders are required to reprove their district residency.

To re-prove residency, parents are asked to provide three items to the Administrative Assistants at their child’s current school:

• a current monthly mortgage OR lease statement OR property tax bill OR Warranty Deed AND
• a current utility bill (e.g., water OR electric OR waste collection) AND

This Proof of Residency Form (completed and signed)

For the email address for your school’s Administrative Assistant, and to learn information for other questions, please visit https://www.kcsd96.org/about/registration/the-requirement-to-re-prove-residency.

REPEATING *2022-23 REGISTRATION IS OPEN*

Registration now open for the 2022-23 school year!

Registration is now open for the 2022-23 school year.  This week, parents and guardians of returning students and pre-registered Kindergartners were emailed Notification letters with a SnapCode to start their registration process.

Register today to avoid the $20 late fee (per child) to be charged on registrations completed after April 15.

If you have questions about the 2022-23 Registration Notification email, please email [email protected] or call 847-459-4260, ext. 8022.

For information on registering a new student, visit https://kcsd96.org/registration.

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.