Country Meadows Families,
I write this final Principal's Message of the 2021-2022 school year with such mixed emotions. I am so incredibly proud of how our students, staff and our entire Country Meadows community has navigated yet another challenging school year. With all of the obstacles this school year has thrown at us, we have relied on our strong partnership and kept what is best for students at the forefront of all of our decision making to ensure that students grew, learned, and had some fun along the way. We enjoyed experiencing the small tastes of normalcy that this school year brought us, and your unwavering support is appreciated.
It is also so bitersweet to end my time as Country Meadows principal. It has been an absolute honor to have served the Country Meadows community for the past four years, and I am so grateful for the students, staff, and families who have helped me grow as an educator. Being a buliding principal has become a part of my identity, and I know that the experiences within this role have prepared me for my future as the Director of Teaching and Learning in D96. I thank all of you, from the bottom of my heart, for sharing your children with us, for your continued grace and partnership, and for taking part in ensuring that Country Meadows is the very best place to be.
Kindly,
Meghan Bird
NEW *Calendar Reminder*
This is a friendly reminder that there is no school this upcoming Monday, May 30th. Our last half day of school is Thursday, June 2nd, and students will students will be dismissed at 11:45am.
NEW *D96 Girls on the Run 5K*
The D96 Girls on the Run 5k was so much fun this past Saturday! It was a great way to end such a successful season as a D96 community, and fun was had by all! View some of the photos of the event!
NEW *Orchestra Registration*
Hello current 3rd-grade families!
My name is Eileen Wronkiewicz, and I am the orchestra teacher at Country Meadows. At Country Meadows, students have the opportunity to join orchestra in 4th grade. Over the last week, your student had the opportunity to learn about (and try to play!) the instruments of the orchestra. If your student is interested in joining orchestra, access our sign-up form.
You can watch the short video below to learn more information about our orchestra program in District 96.
Feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any questions or concerns for next year! I hope to have the opportunity to work with your students!
NEW *Summer Enrichment*
View our Summer Enrichment Page for students. Families can access summer activities and Summer Reading information using this site.
Families will find sections arranged by:
* EC/K-2 Grade Level Activities
* 3-5 Grade Level Activities
* 6-7 Grade Level Activities
Additionally, families are reminded to Access the Curriculum Resources website, which provides a treasure trove of fun, educationally-rich activities and resources for children and parents.
Enjoy your summer break!
NEW *Refund of 8th Grade Lunch Account Balances*
Positive lunch account balances for graduating 8th graders of $5 or more will automatically be refunded at the conclusion of the school year. Parents wishing to transfer remaining balances to siblings still in D96 on the K12PaymentCenter.com should do so by Friday, June 3rd. Refund checks will be mailed by District Business Office staff on Wednesday, June 15, to the home address on record.
NEW *PTO Update*
Did your family enjoy the amazing programming put on by the PTO this year? From Dessert Day to Fall Festival, Book Fair, Teacher Appreciation Week, Movie Nights, and more, we owe a huge THANK YOU to the community for stepping up, planning, and volunteering at every event.
In order to keep these great events going into next year and make them even better, we need your help! Please consider signing up to join or lead a committee next year. The more people who step up to plan, the easier it is to put on some AMAZING celebrations. Committees often plan with remote meetings and flexible schedules meaning that ANYONE can help, regardless of work schedules and child care. WIthout your help - we cannot continue to run all of these wonderful programs!
Visit MTK to join a committee and help plan more great events next year!
REPEATING *D96 Incoming Middle School Literacy Assignment*
Incoming 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will be completing a summer reading assignment. The 5th grade, 6th grade, and 7th grade LA teachers will also be sharing this in class, and the assignment will be posted on the district website. View the assignment details.
REPEATING *REGISTRATION & TECHNOLOGY*
If you have not enrolled your student(s) for the 22-23 school year and are planning on doing so, we ask that you do so as soon as possible. Accurate and up-to-date registration numbers impact our staffing plan and our ability to prepare for the 22-23 school year.
Students in Kindergarten through Grade 7 will keep their iPads over the summer. If you have enrolled your student(s) for the 22-23 school year already, your student’s iPad will continue to work over the summer.
If you have not enrolled your student(s) for the 22-23 school year and your student is not in summer school or ESY, your student’s iPad(s) will be deactivated after the last day of school and will not function until registration has been completed.
Once you have registered your student for the 22-23 school year, please email [email protected] and include your student’s enrollment information. The district technology department will verify enrollment and re-activate your student’s iPad(s).
*REPEATING* Ticks
As we enter into warmer weather and springtime, there has been a rise in tick sightings. Please take the time to review this information from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The link provides you with reminders on how to prevent ticks, check for ticks, and remove ticks should you find one.
Suggestions listed on how to prevent ticks specifically from IDPH include:
- Wear light colored clothing (long sleeve shirts and long pants) so you can easily see ticks
- Use bug repellent that contains 20% or more DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 on exposed skin
- Walk in the center of trails
- Treat clothing with products containing permethrin (Do not apply permethrin to skin)
REPEATING *Courtesy Cub Countdown*
We are so excited to begin our Courtesy Cub Countdown next Wednesday, May 18th! It is such a fun way for us to celebrate our last 12 days of the 2021-2022 school year! Please See the fun we have planned for these next few weeks!
REPEATING *Curriculum Home Connections*
New Resource Page Designed, with Parents in Mind
In response to some parents' questions about how to best support their children with academic work at home, the district’s Instructional Coaches designed a one-stop resource that equips these families in doing just that.
The resource is a new District web page ~ the “Home to School Connections'' ~ designed for parents and filled with invaluable links to internal and external Technology and Curriculum Resources. Under the Technology Resources heading, for instance, parents will find the usual District resources used for assistance with iPads, frequently used apps, TeacherEase, SeeSaw and Schoology.
The page also features Curriculum Resources, which presents a wealth of resources ~ sorted by grade/grade levels ~ for help with literacy, math, and the other subject areas, and links to the District’s pacing guides (which indicate what a child is expected to know at each grade level).
Families will find resources to practice high-frequency words, strengthen their mastery of math-word problems or help them write more descriptively. There is also information on supporting a multilingual student at home and 10 of the best questions to ask your student to elicit more than a ‘yes,’ ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ response about what they’re learning or experiencing at school.
Families will find resources to practice high-frequency words, strengthen their mastery of math-word problems or help them write more descriptively. There is also information on supporting a multilingual student at home and 10 of the best questions to ask your student to elicit more than a ‘yes,’ ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ response about what they’re learning or experiencing at school.
The resource was debuted at Thursday night’s Thought Exchange Partnership (TEP) meeting. Check it out for yourself:
REPEATING *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.
REPEATING *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.
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.