August 11, 2023
Good Afternoon Country Meadows Families,
Check out the Gym Doors! PTO has graciously gifted us by decorating our Gym Doors.
In a few short days, our building will be filled with staff putting the finishing touches to welcome your child(ren) and kickoff the 2023-2024 school year. We are eagerly anticipating the back-to-school energy filling the hallways!
Ms. Shaver and I had the pleasure of welcoming many new families to Country Meadows. Our new families got a sneak peek at our building, spent time with us, and learned about our supportive community.
As a reminder, your child’s class placement and bus information, if applicable, will come to you electronically today, Friday, August 11th. This information is delivered in two separate emails, coming after 3:00 PM.
Please see the “Important August Dates” section below for events going on this month. We look forward to seeing you there.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Aska Lempke
Important August Dates
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Wednesday, August 16th from 8:30 am - 9:30 am - Meet the Teacher at Country Meadows, Ivy Hall, Kildeer, & Prairie
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Wednesday, August 16th from 10:00 am - 11:00 am - Meet the Teacher at Willow Grove
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Thursday, August 17th - First day of school. This is a half-day.
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School starts at 8:25am and ends at 11:45am
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Students may arrive at school at 8:10am, when adult supervision starts. Please do not arrive at school earlier than 8:10am.
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Please see the Twin Groves, Woodlawn, and Willow Grove Principal’s Message for attendance times.
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Friday, August 18th - Full day of school.
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School starts at 8:25am and ends at 3:05pm
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Students may arrive at school at 8:10am, when adult supervision starts. Please do not arrive at school earlier than 8:10am.
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Please see the Twin Groves, Woodlawn, and Willow Grove Principal’s Message for attendance times.
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Wednesday, August 23th Curriculum Night at Kildeer & Prairie
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6:30 to 7:15 p.m. (Grades 1 and 2)
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7:15 to 8 p.m. (Grades 3-5)
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Thursday, August 24th Curriculum Night at Ivy Hall
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6:30 to 7:15 p.m. (Grades 1 and 2)
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7:15 to 8 p.m. (Grades 3-5)
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Tuesday, August 29th - Early Release Day
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School starts at 8:25am and ends at 2:05 pm
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Please see the Twin Groves, Woodlawn, and Willow Grove Principal’s Message for attendance times
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Thursday, August 31st Curriculum Night at Country Meadows
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6:30 to 7:15 p.m. (Grades 1 and 2)
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7:15 to 8 p.m. (Grades 3-5)
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NEW *Meet the Teacher*
We are so excited to see all of our students at Country Meadows on August 16 between 8:30 am-9:30 am. Students are invited to drop off supplies in their new classroom, briefly meet the classroom teacher, and meet/greet other Country Meadows staff and administration. All children must be supervised by their parent/guardian for the duration of the event.
NEW: Simultaneous Student Pick-Up from Willow Grove & Elementary Schools
Please know that we understand that some families may have concerns related to picking students up from Willow Grove and an elementary school building. Please know that all principals are aware of this concern, and no child will ever be left unattended. We know you may be going to more than one school with the same dismissal time. We appreciate your best effort in picking your children up in a timely manner, and we appreciate you adhering to our dismissal times. If when you arrive at a building your child is not waiting outside with an adult, please park and come to the front office. If you will be after 3:15 to a specific location, please call and inform the office of your ETA.
NEW *Arrival and Dismissal Procedures*
Morning Parent Vehicle Drop Off
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Earliest drop off is 8:10am when adult supervision starts
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Pull up as far as you can along the painted green curb in the third parking lot
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Students exit vehicles on the passenger side. If your child cannot exit the vehicle on their own, please park the car and walk your child to the door.
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Adults must stay in the vehicle for the safety of the students and staff at Country Meadows
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NO cell phone use in school zones - this is an Illinois State Law
After School Parent Vehicle Pick-Up
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Pull up as far as you can along the green curb in the third parking lot, students may only enter the vehicle at the green painted curb
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Students will enter the vehicle on the passenger side
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Drivers must stay in the car for the safety of the students and staff at Country Meadows
Your cooperation and patience with the protocol is greatly appreciated. If drop off and pick up are new for your child, please practice having your child independently enter and exit the vehicle with their backpack. Please be kind and safe in our parking lot. Once our routine is established the system will run efficiently.
Bus Drop Off & After School Pick Up
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Students who ride the bus will be dropped off and board the bus in the middle parking lot.
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Upon arrival, students walk directly into Country Meadows with staff supervision inside and outside.
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After school, students will board the bus. Many supervisors are present to ensure students safely board the correct bus.
NEW *Changes to Dismissal Plans*
Please contact the school office by noon in the event that your dismissal plans change. Your child will be at the designated dismissal location unless the school is notified in accordance with the above. Please notify the office in writing in accordance with the district handbook. Please see Section 9.4 in the Parent/Student Handbook regarding permission for students to ride other buses, as in most cases, this is not allowed.
NEW *Approved Snacks: What Parents Need to Know*
The District has revised the APPROVED SNACK LIST. The items on the list are free of the Top 8 allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. This list includes the foods that are approved for students' daily snacks. Daily snacks for your children must be from this list or they will be sent home.
IMPORTANT: All items for daily snacks, with the exception of fruits and vegetables, MUST be prepackaged to allow staff to easily check that snacks meet the approved requirements.
A FAQ for the Approved Snack List can be found here.
Lunches packed from home may contain any food items, and do not need to be from the Approved Snack List. If your child is bringing in lunch, snacks must be packed separately from lunch. Please label lunch bags and snacks with your child’s name.
NEW *Birthday Treats*
Only school-appropriate, non-food items such as pencils, stickers, crazy straws, etc. will be allowed. If you are unsure whether the item is school appropriate, please contact your child's classroom teacher for guidance.
NEW *Student Picture Day*
Country Meadows student picture day is Thursday, August 24th. More information to come in an upcoming Principal’s Message.
NEW *Lost and Found*
Our lost and found accumulates items very quickly. Items that remain when school goes into a break such as winter, spring, and summer breaks, these items are donated to local charities. To avoid the loss of costly coats, bike helmets, lunch boxes, water bottles, you name it, please label everything with your child’s name. Labeled items are returned to students. Thank you for your help!
REPEAT *D96 Food Service Information*
ON-LINE MEAL PREPAYMENT SYSTEM (K12PaymentCenter.com)
District 96 parents are encouraged to utilize the District's on-line system to prepay student meal accounts and monitor account activity / balance. There are no fees to use the site or to make online payments. Please click here for more information. If you still have questions regarding the K12PaymentCenter (K12PaymentCenter.com), please feel free to contact Michelle Zelek, Director of Business Services at [email protected].
Please note: You will need the student ID number at the top of this message to successfully add your student to your K12PaymentCenter account.
Even if you choose to continue to send payment to school rather than pay on-line, we encourage you to utilize the free service to monitor your student's meal history and balance.
FREE MEAL & FEE WAIVER APPLICATION (LunchApplication.com)
If you believe your child may be eligible for a free/reduced meals and fee waiver AND have not yet applied, please utilize our on-line application system at LunchApplication.com. You will need your child's student ID number, provided at the top of this message, to complete the application. Please apply based on your current income information. Please note that if you have already received an email from the District indicating that your student(s) were approved for free or reduced meal benefits during this school year, you need not apply again.
MENUS (KCSD FOOD SERVICE MENU INFO)
Please visit the District 96 Website to view current meal menus. Under the About menu dropdown, select Menus/Manage Account. This page contains links to the menu page, as well as the K12PaymentCenter and LunchApplication.com.
REPEAT *August 17 ~ First Day of School*
The first day of school is Thursday, August 17th. It is a half-day, from 8:25-11:45. On the first day of school, we will have extra staff at all entrances and outside the building to support student arrival and dismissal.
REPEAT *Class Placement Information & Bus Information*
Your child’s class placement and bus information, if applicable, will come to you electronically on Friday, August 11th. This information is delivered in two separate emails, coming after 3:00 PM. A team of staff members worked diligently to make sure each child was placed in the classroom in which he or she will find continued success. We know you appreciate the fact that, with such careful thought and consideration put into these decisions, including your input, no changes will be made and we thank you for your support. This year’s class lists were developed with the following teaching teams in place to ensure student success.
1st: Mrs. Zimmerman, Mrs. Thompson, Ms. Dziadus, Mrs. Hyman. Ms. Alt
2nd: Mrs. Vogt, Ms. Morales, Ms. Adkins, Ms. Levy, Ms. Matulef
3rd: Ms. Pablo, Ms. Wooster, Ms. Bugay, Ms. Cannistra, Ms. Charpentier
4th: Ms. Piron, Ms. Montante, Ms. Kempinski, Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Larson, Ms. Niemiec
5th: Mrs. Abad, Mr. Carley, Mrs. Powell (Donegan), Mr. Robertson
If you do not receive a notification, please email our administrative assistant, Mrs. Guzman at [email protected], or give us a call in the office at 847.353.8600.
REPEAT *Health Form Deadline*
The district website lists today as the deadline for immunization forms. All immunizations should be completed to avoid school exclusion. Please refer to the D96 Student Health website for more information. https://www.kcsd96.org/student-services/student-health