Country Meadows Families,
It appears that the warmer spring weather is on the way, and we couldn’t be more excited! Thank you so much to our wonderful PTO and all of the generous volunteers who made our Spring Book Fair possible! It was so much fun to see the students excited and eager to purchase and read new books. With only a few weeks left in the school year, we are still engaged in meaningful learning and making the most of the time that we have left. As we navigate these next few weeks together , be sure to pay close attention to the Principal’s Message and other school communication to ensure you do not miss out on any of the fun events we have planned. We hope you have a wonderful weekend, and we look forward to seeing students back at school on Monday.
Kindly,
Meghan Bird
NEW *Calendar Reminder*
This is a friendly reminder that Tuesday, April 26th is an Early Release. Students will be dismissed at 2:00pm.
NEW *Registration Reminder*
A big thank you to those of you who have already registered your student for the 22-23 school year. For those of you who haven’t yet, we need your help! We staff our buildings based on completed registration. We like to keep class sizes low so that students have the best possible experience and the only way we can do that is by having the most accurate information. If you have not registered yet, please take a few minutes to complete this important process. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the school office and we would be happy to help.
NEW *T-Mobile Service & School Communication*
If you have had difficulty connecting with SCHOOL NAME via phone this week, it may be due to a current T-Mobile service issue. We have confirmed that T-Mobile is experiencing an issue with a specific cell phone tower in the area. T-Mobile does not have an ETA on a solution, but they are aware of it and are working to get it resolved. If you are unable to get through, please e-mail or call from another service provider that is not T-Mobile.
NEW *Spring NWEA MAP Testing*
All K-8 students will be taking the Spring NWEA MAP assessment on Monday, May 2nd, and Tuesday, May 3rd. Makeups will be scheduled on an as-needed basis.
NEW *Summer 2022 iPad Information*
All Buildings:
- Students in grades K-7 will keep their iPad and all peripherals over the summer unless they are not returning to D96 for the 22-23 school year.
- Any non-returning students will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.
- Families who exit out of D96 after the last day of school will need to return all of their technology to the District Office over the summer. Any device not returned will be placed in lost mode and will not function.
- Over the summer, some apps and services will continue to work at the student’s 21-22 grade level. Apps and websites like Dreambox, Lexia, Typing Agent, (etc) will be available to use over the summer but are not guaranteed to work at all times. The technology department will only be supporting the use of these apps in ESY or Summer School.
- As we get closer to August, we will roll-up student data and new services. Apps will also become available to them relative to their 22-23 grade level.
Willow Grove Specific:
- EC iPads will be collected at the end of the year. We ask that devices and peripherals (charging cable, charging brick, and case) that are kept at home be returned to Willow Grove and made available for collection no later than Wednesday, May 25th. Note that EC students do NOT receive Logitech Crayons.
- Current Kindergarten students will keep their iPads over the summer. New grade-level content and services will be made available on their iPads sometime in August.
- Any non-returning students will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.
Middle School Specific:
- 8th Grade iPad collection will happen on Wednesday, May 25th. Students will be expected to turn in their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon.
- Any non-returning students in grades 6 and 7 will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.
NEW *PTO Update*
There is so much going on towards the end of the school year and we have lots to celebrate! There will be an updated PTO blog next week with lots of details but for now, some urgent deadlines and dates to remember. Volunteers are very much needed for many events.
- 4/24: Deadline to register for 5th Grade Night Out - The event is scheduled for 4/29. Details in last week’s blog.
- 4/29: Drop off Staff Appreciation supplies - Staff Appreciation Week is 5/2-5/6! To help with supplies as well as sign up for volunteering spots please go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F49A4AF29A6FC1-teacher
- 5/11: Science Fair - Application deadline was 4/22. Those who are participating should receive an email confirmation with details for supply pickup.
- 5/19: Save the Date for End of Year Party
- 5/26: Save the Date for Field Day! This is happening during the school day. More details to come!
We are so excited for all that’s coming up so soon!
REPEATING *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
REPEATING *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.
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.