Good afternoon Country Meadows families,
We hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. This week was short but filled with lots of exciting learning. Thank you to our amazing PTO for hosting the Science Fair. We saw so many exciting scientists sharing their learning. It was a packed event. Thank you to the teachers and families who stopped by to support our students.
Today marks the end of the second trimester, which means that we are two-thirds of the way through the 2023-24 school year! The warmer weather we experienced this week further reminds us that spring is near. We’re so excited for March. Please take a moment to read the blurb for Who We Are Night. I hope you consider signing up.
Have a great weekend,
Aska Lempke
NEW *Upcoming Dates*
-
Friday, February 23 - Report period ends, EC-Grade 8
-
Tuesday, February 27 - EARLY RELEASE DAY
-
Friday, March 1st - Trimester 2 Report Cards issued
-
Monday, March 4th - NO SCHOOL - Casmir Pulaski Day
-
Thursday, March 14 - Country Meadows Who We Are Night at 6pm
NEW *Opening March 1: Registration for 2024-25 School Year*
Registration for the 2024-25 school year opens on Friday, March 1. Parents and guardians of new Kindergarten students and returning District 96 students will be emailed a link to register their child for the 2024-25 school year.
Complete registration by April 15 to receive a $20 Early-Bird discount. Families with returning students who register after April 15 will pay the standard registration fee. Registering early helps us to plan for the upcoming school year.
Registration fees paid by April 15 for the 2024-25 school year are:
Early Childhood Blended Tuition: $2,870 (or $335.07 monthly)
Kindergarten: $90
Grades 1-4: $110
Grade 5: $120
Grades 6-8: $135
NEW *Response Rate - 5Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians*
The parent response rate for Country Meadows is currently at 3% for the 2023-24 Illinois Supplemental Parent Survey. As a reminder, schools need 20% of their parents to respond in order to receive a report. Also note a school must have a minimum of 8 responding parents in order to receive a report.
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 *5Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians*
Beginning January 30th through March 29th, 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* Who We Are Night Cover Contest*
REPEAT *Country Meadows Family Night- Who We Are!*
.jpg?mask=16)
Country Meadows is hosting a Who We Are Night on Thursday, March 14th from 6-7:30pm. The purpose of this event is to cultivate a sense of belonging with our staff, students, and community members. We are excited to learn from and about our Country Meadows families! This night includes everything that makes us special.
We will need your family’s help! How? Does your family have:
-
A special recipe?
-
Talent?
-
Language?
-
Customs?
-
Traditional attire?
-
Tradition?
-
Art?
-
Music?
-
Ability?
-
Anything else that makes your family special?
Families are invited to create a booth to showcase what makes them special! You don't have to be an expert to run a booth. We want to learn about your experience!
For those interested, please fill out this Google Form to provide us with some details related to your family’s booth presentation. We encourage everyone to share in a way that feels comfortable to them. Families may choose to bring in a trifold with information, share photos, play music, lead an activity, or think of another creative avenue. In addition, if you would like to work with other families who share similar interests or cultural experiences, please feel free to indicate that in the linked form. Forms are due by Friday, March 1st.
If you would prefer to not share anything, we would still love to see you at this event to learn! All students and families are welcome! Students must be accompanied by their adult (this is not a drop-off event).
We are excited to have many different representations from families and learn Who We Are! See you there!
REPEAT *Human Growth & Development*
Illinois State law requires all school districts with a comprehensive health curriculum to provide instruction on specific health topics including human growth and development. The Illinois State Board of Education indicated that districts “may still teach sexual health aligned to the Illinois Physical Development and Health Standards.” Therefore, during the 2023-24 school year, District 96 will continue to cover the same topics that were previously taught in grades 4 and 5. These topics align to the Illinois Physical Development and Health Standards.
District 96 recognizes that parents/guardians are the primary educators for their families on these topics.
As parents, you may elect to excuse your child from instruction on this topic. If you choose this option, please submit a specific request, in writing, to the school principal, asking that your child be excused from the class during that specific period(s) of instruction, and we will provide an alternate assignment.
If you have questions concerning the 4th grade materials, please reach out to your child’s PE teacher. For questions about the 5th grade program, please contact the school’s principal or assistant principal.
For specific materials, please see below.
Fourth Grade
This year Physical Education teachers will provide Human Growth and Development lessons to students in 4th grade. Those lessons will take place on March 15th in all elementary schools during the physical education class. Students will not be separated by gender during these lessons.
Please use the links below to preview the lessons and materials that will be used on March 15th.
4th Grade: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bfdVQB1r8pp8oEfVH5F1thZRyug-eLcV/view?usp=share_link
Fifth Grade
This year Kildeer 96 will be hosting Candor Health Education (formerly Robert Crown Center) on March 13th at 1pm. Candor Health will provide the learning to 5th grade students, and 5th grade teachers will be present during this learning experience. As with 4th grade, students will not be separated by gender during the presentation by Candor Health.
Please click on the links below for an overview of the program. The letter contains tips for parents to start conversations with children. The video (Puberty I - gender combined) will show you everything the students will see during the presentation.
School Program Overviews for Parents – Candor Health Education VIDEO
Password Premier24
REPEAT *Dual Language: For Parents of Incoming Kindergartners*
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 and provide 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, 2024. This process should be completed by April 15, 2024, 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 (https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/dual-language) and our Dual Language Lottery (https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/dual-language-lottery).
**District 96 will be hosting a Virtual Parent Night from 6 to 6:30 p.m. on March 12, 2024 for parents of incoming Kindergarten students who are interested in learning more about the Dual Language Program.**
REPEAT *Proof of Dental Exam*
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
REPEAT *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 your student has a SMART watch, it must be placed in airplane/off mode during the school day. 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. If students need to call home, we encourage them to ask their teacher if they can come to the office to use the 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 *24-25 Kindergarten Registration Open*
Are you the parent of a kindergarten student or friends with someone who is? Please help us get the word out! Kindergarten registration is now open for the 24-25 school year. Families who complete registration by April 30th may attend Kindergarten Kick-Off in May at Willow Grove Early Learning Center and receive a free t-shirt while at the event! Kindergarten Kick-Off is an exciting event designed to welcome and introduce incoming kindergarten students and their parents/guardians to Willow Grove, supporting a successful transition into school and kindergarten. Please follow this link to learn about the steps to register. Fully registered families will receive additional information about Kindergarten Kick-Off and more in early April.
If your child is already attending Willow Grove in the early childhood program, you will automatically receive a registration link in March for kindergarten. Please wait until you receive that link to proceed with registration. You will still want to complete the registration process by April 30th to receive your child's free t-shirt and attend Kindergarten Kick-Off.
Please note that your child must be 5 years old by September 1st, 2024 to attend kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year.
https://www.kcsd96.org/wg/kindergarten-registration
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 1/17/24-3/5/24. 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.
Science Fair 2/21/24
