Country Meadows Principal's Message - January 27, 2022

Country Meadows Principal's Message - January 27, 2022

Another great week of learning has come to a close and February is right around the corner. With the latest arrival of snow, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind families about clothing expectations in regard to playing in the snow during recess.  Coats, gloves, snowpants, and boots are all required clothing items that must be worn in order to play in the snow.

This was a busy week at Country Meadows!  On Tuesday night, Dual Language families gathered to learn more about raising bilingual children from Amy Mosquera.  Wednesday night brought the much anticipated Country Meadows PTO Science Fair.  Our scientists deminstrated their learning and experiments to families, other students, and judges.  We are so proud of everyone's hard work!  Take a look at the many photos from the night by CLICKING HERE.

Today students were treated to an exciting assembly sponsored by the PTO.  The Chicago Boyz Acrobatics Team performed amazing tricks.  Thank you to our PTO for planning these two incredibly engaging events for students and families! 

 

Kindly,

Michelle


*PTO Blog*

The PTO will be hosting 2 movie nights in February. One on February 3rd for 1-2nd grade and one on February 17th for 3-5th grade. This is a free event sponsored by the PTO, snack and drink will be served! Kids are welcome to bring their own pillow and blanket for more comfortable viewing! 

We also need parent volunteers to help make these events safe and run smoothly! See the sign ups below! 

1st-2nd Grade Movie Night Volunteer Sign Up 

3rd-5th Grade Movie Night Volunteer Sign Up


*Upcoming Dates*

  • January 24, Tuesday - Early Release Day
  • February 3, Friday - 1st & 2nd Grade PTO Movie Night 6:00pm
  • February 13, Monday - Valentine's Day Class Parties
  • February 14, Tuesday - Early Release
  • February 17, Friday - Half Day
  • February 17, Friday - 3rd-5th Grade PTO Movie Night 6:00pm
  • March 14, Tuesday - CM Family Night (info coming soon)
  • March 20, Monday - Variety Show Performance 7:00pm

NEW *Valentine's Day*

If you choose to send valentines to school and include an item with your child's valentines, please note for the safety of our students only non-food items are permissible. This practice is consistent for all classrooms in District 96 elementary schools including Willow Grove. Your child's teacher will send home any classroom-specific information related to Valentine's Day. Willow Grove, Country Meadows, Ivy Hall, Kildeer and Prairie will all be celebrating Valentine’s Day on Monday, February 13 since February 14 is an Early Release Day. 


NEW *Country Meadows Variety Show*

Exciting announcement….Country Meadows will be hosting a Variety Show the week before spring break!  We have so many talented students and would love to see some of them perform for their classmates, teachers, friends and family!  Students should plan an act or routine they would like to perform whether it is a song to sing, playing an instrument, choreographing a dance, performing a skit, etc. Acts should be no more than 2 minutes and we will be accepting around 20 acts to keep the show to an hour.  Students can perform solo or in a group and must submit an application indicating interest by February 6 to Ms. Grossman or Mrs. Lockhart.  We are so excited to see all your talents!     

Variety Show Application

  • Application Due:  Monday, February 6th
  • Auditions: Thursday, February 16th 3:05-4:30 PM
  • Dress Rehearsal: Thursday, March 16th 3:05-5:30 PM
  • Night Performance:  Monday, March 20th 7:00-8:00 PM
  • Day Performance for School: Thursday, March 23rd 

NEW *D96 Dual Language Program*

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

The District 96 Spanish/English 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 Dual Language Program, 50 percent of the academic curriculum is delivered in Spanish, and 50 percent of the academic curriculum is delivered in English.

Families interested in enrolling their incoming kindergartner in the Spanish/English Dual Language Program can indicate so on the registration form while completing the kindergarten registration process that begins March 1, 2023.  This process should be completed by April 15, 2023, to be entered into the Dual Language Lottery.  Please note that indicating interest in the Dual Language Program does not guarantee acceptance into the Dual Language program.  

Please visit our District 96 Website to learn more about the optional Spanish/English Dual Language Program and our Dual Language Lottery.


**District 96 will be hosting a Virtual Parent Night at 6:00 to 7:00 P.M. on MARCH 8 for parents of incoming Kindergarten students who are interested in learning more about the Dual Language Program.**


NEW *5Essentials Student Survey*

Beginning the week of February 6th, District 96 students in 4th-8th grade will be administered the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This 25-minute survey is based on 20 years of research at the University of Chicago and asks students about their experiences in school with the purpose of providing school leaders with critical student input to help develop school improvement plans. Students’ identities will be completely confidential, and teachers and administrators will never see individual responses to survey questions and will only receive aggregated information.

Please be aware that under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act. 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions asked of your student(s). Survey questions can be found on the UChicago Impact Support Center.

If you do not want your child’s input to be considered for school improvement purposes, please contact Michelle Garlick at [email protected] by February 3rd.


NEW *5Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians*

Beginning January 24th through April 2nd, District 96 invites you to share your thoughts on the inner workings of your child’s school.  On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. 

As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school.  Your participation will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide our improvement. Parent identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

Please visit http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/ to begin the parent survey. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or [email protected].


REPEAT *Assessments for Middle School Language Arts, Math* 

Each spring, students in 5th grade take several assessments that determine the placement in middle school Language Arts and Math classes. For more details concerning the placement process ~ including the number and type of assessments as well as dates ~ please CLICK HERE to access the information on our website.


REPEAT *Pre-Registration for Incoming 2023-24 Kindergartners*

Pre-Registration for incoming 2023-24 kindergartners is now open.

The 2023-24 Kindergarten Pre-Registration is open to students who live within District 96 boundaries and will be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2023.

To begin the Kindergarten Pre-Registration process, parents must email all required documents to the administrative assistant at Willow Grove Early Learning Center at [email protected]

Parents need to supply the following:

  • Student’s Proof of Age (such as a Birth Certificate or Passport or Visa)
  • Parent/Guardian Photo ID (Passport or Driver’s License)
  • Proof of District Residency (a current mortgage statement or current lease or property tax bill)
  • Current Utility Bill
  • Click the link to download & complete: RESIDENCY FORM
  • Click the link to download & complete: HOME LANGUAGE SURVEY
  • Click the link to download & complete: ENROLLMENT FORM

After the submitted documents are approved, families will receive a Pre-Registration link to complete by January 31, 2023. Students pre-registered by January 31 will receive a free Willow Grove T-shirt.  (T-shirts are not available after this pre-registration period.) 

Families needing to pre-register their child in person may contact Kimberly O’Neill, administrative assistant at Willow Grove Early Learning Center, at [email protected] or at (847) 541-3660.

Learn more about Kindergarten in District 96: https://www.kcsd96.org/wg/kindergarten-in-kcsd96

Got questions?  Email Kimberly O’Neill, administrative assistant at Willow Grove, at [email protected].


REPEAT *ACCESS Testing*

The State of Illinois requires identified English Learner (EL) students to annually participate in the ACCESS testing to determine current English language proficiency in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Our ACCESS testing window will occur from 1/17-2/22. Each school’s testing schedule is unique and will only impact students who take the ACCESS test. Students taking ACCESS do not need to prepare anything ahead of time.