Dear Country Meadows Families,
What an incredible week it has been! On Wednesday, all our classes met their Cub Buddies, teaming up with students from different grades. It was truly heartwarming to see everyone come together. I encourage you to ask your child about their buddy and what fun and exciting things they discovered together.
In just a few short weeks you will have the opportunity to meet with you at Family Educator Conferences. The conference dates are Thursday, October 5th from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM and Friday, October 6th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM. See the information below for more details on how to sign up.
A friendly reminder: there's no school on Monday, so enjoy that extra day of relaxation.
Wishing you and your family a delightful long weekend filled with warmth and happy moments!
Kindly,
Aska Lempke
Important Upcoming Dates
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Monday, September 25 - No School - District Holiday
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Tuesday, September 26 - Fire Drill at Country Meadows and Woodlawn
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Thursday, September 28 - Bus Evacuation at Country Meadows and Woodlawn
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Friday, September 29 - Cub Crawl at Country Meadows
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Thursday, October 5 & Friday, October 6 - No School
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Family Educator Conferences - 10/5 - 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm
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Family Educator Conferences - 10/6 - 10:00 am - 1:30 pm
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Monday, October 9 - No School - District Holiday
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Tuesday, October 24 - Early Release
NEW *Fire Drill*
On Tuesday, September 26, Country Meadows will be conducting a Fire Drill. Students will be evacuating the building during the drill. If the weather does not cooperate, we will reschedule the drill and communicate the rescheduled drill date.
NEW *Bus Evacuation Drill Next Week*
On Thursday, September 28, Country Meadows will be conducting the annual Bus Evacuation Drill. This will take place in the morning.
NEW *Cub Crawl*
On Friday September 29th we will have our 2023 Cub Crawl (aka fun run)! Your student(s) will be able to participate in this school wide event where they can walk or run. Please make sure that they are dressed to be active and outside for an extended period of time that morning. This would be a great day to have a water bottle outside with them. Comfy clothes and shoes are needed for this event. We can't wait to have fun being healthy as a whole school!
NEW *5th Grade Leadership*
A club that will take place (almost) entirely during the school day where students get to showcase their role model behavior! Students will be assigned a variety of different opportunities, like being a bus captain, peer mentor to younger grades, and share in the chance to plan/assist in leading school assemblies. Once a week, students will meet during a lunch shift to organize and check in with the 5th Grade Leadership Team. This is an opportunity for students to model PRO behavior in and around our school. If your child is interested, please fill out the form with your child, and Katie Powell will reach out if your child is selected to participate.
Maximum Enrollment: 25 students
Club Sponsors: Mrs. Powell ([email protected]) and Mrs. Abad ([email protected])
5th Grade Leadership Sign Up Form - Click Here
NEW *Halloween Costumes*
Our Halloween festivities will be here before we know it. We look forward to students dressing in their Halloween costumes for our Halloween Parade and classroom parties on Tuesday, Oct. 31st. Please help us with the following costume guidelines. Students will change into their costumes after their lunch period at school. Please ensure that your child can get the costume on with no or minimal help.
Costumes must be appropriate for school. If costumes are not school appropriate the student will be asked to remove their costume.
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Please no masks, blood, super scary stuff, general ickiness, or weapons
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Please no cigars or cigarette items
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Please no bare tummies
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Please keep hair coloring and make-up simple
NEW *Fall Family/Educator Conferences*
Fall conferences will open at 6:00pm on Tuesday, 9/26. They will close at 4:00pm on Wednesday, 10/4. You will receive an email from School Messenger with the link to Meet the Teacher that will allow you to access the scheduling platform. After scheduling the conference, you will receive a confirmation email from Meet the Teacher that contains the link you will use to access the virtual conference. If you wish to have the conference in-person, you must notify the teacher by October 3rd. If the teacher does not receive notification, he/she will expect the conference to take place virtually.
The conference dates are Thursday, October 5th from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM and Friday, October 6th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.
Elementary availability:
Classroom teacher
Related service providers (if applicable)
Music/PE teachers (Grades 1-3),
Art/Expo Lab teachers (Grade 4-5),
Band/Orchestra teachers (current rosters)
Middle school parents will have the option to sign up with one core content teacher (see below) and pertinent exploratory/PE teachers. Please note: Students on the A Day schedule will have their Spanish teachers available during this round of conferences. Students on the B Day schedule will have this opportunity in the spring.
Available Middle School Core Teachers
6th Grade: 2nd Period Teacher
7th Grade: 1st Period Teacher
8th Grade: 1st Period Teacher
If you are unable to schedule a conference with a specific teacher, please remember that conferences are not the only time to communicate with teachers. Please feel free to reach out any time.
REQUESTING AN IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
If you want to have an in-person conference with the teachers, you must notify the teachers via email by the end of the day on Tuesday, October 3rd.
NEW *SMART Watches*
SMART watches are starting to show up here at the elementary schools. Many SMART watches have similar capabilities to SMART phones (game, voice, and text capabilities). If a SMART watch becomes a distraction or is used for communication, it may be confiscated and stored in the office to remove the distraction from the learning environment. Essentially, we will treat the SMART watches like a cell phone. Confiscated equipment may be picked up in the office at the end of the day by the student(s). If a pattern of distraction occurs, parents may be asked to pick up the technology.
REPEAT *Erin’s Law
An Illinois law known as Erin’s Law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness/prevention curriculum for Kindergarten through Grade 12.
Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96 researched and observed best practices and programs for delivering this instruction, selecting Be Seen & Heard ©. For more information about this presentation please go to www.victorpacini.com/peace-of-mind-2
This developmentally appropriate and interactive program focuses on teaching children skills to keep them safe from danger or abuse. Concepts discussed will include distinguishing safe from unsafe touches, safety rules at home and school, saying NO, safe/unsafe secrets, and telling a trusted adult, as well as reinforcing that an adult’s touching him or her is not the child’s fault.
Opt-Out Procedures
The presentation to Country Meadows students will be during the school day on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. If you prefer that your child does not attend this prevention education session, please submit your written request or your questions to [email protected].
REPEAT *Student iPads*
Students use their iPads each day at school. Please ensure that your child is charging their iPad each night so they are prepared for the learning activities they will be engaging in the following day. Thank you for your help and support at home.