Country Meadows Principal's Message - Friday, February 28, 2025

Posted February 28, 2025

Good afternoon Country Meadows families,

Spring is in the air, and our students are making the most of it! With the warm weather this week, it was fun to see them finally able to run, play, and laugh outside—so much energy, so many smiles!

We kicked off the week with an incredible orchestra concert, where our students were joined by the Kildeer students for a truly amazing performance. Their dedication and talent were on full display, and we couldn’t be prouder of their hard work.

Believe it or not, we’ve entered Trimester 3—the final stretch of the school year! The next few months will be filled with learning, celebrations, and memorable moments as we make the most of our time together. Let’s keep up the enthusiasm and finish the year strong!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Kindly,

Aska Lempke

Principal

*Upcoming Dates*

Monday, March 3 - NO SCHOOL | District Holiday
Wednesday, January 15 - Tuesday, March 4 - ACCESS Testing
Thursday, March 20 - EARLY RELEASE DAY | Spring Family/Educator Conferences
Friday, March 21 - NO SCHOOL | Spring Family/Educator Conferences
Monday, March 24-28 - NO SCHOOL | Spring Break
Monday, March 31 - School resumes

CM Virtual Backpack

NEW *APRIL 17 - District Half-Day*

KCSD96 community, please note that there has been a 24-25 school calendar that has been circulating that erroneously left off a Half Day in April. Please know, there will be a Half Day for students on April 17th. This half-day was included in the 24-25 calendar that was approved and adopted by the Board of Education prior to the start of the school year.

Half Day Schedule for April 17th:

Pre-K Blended Early Childhood/ECSE: Blended/ECSE AM and PM alternate attendance days on district half-days. Even if your child attends PM, if it is a district half-day, they will attend AM hours. PM attends on Thursday, April 17th (no AM students). Hours are 8:40 AM - 11:10 AM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
Kindergarten (including Structured Kindergarten) and Early Childhood Structured: 8:40 AM - 11:45 AM.
Elementary Schools (Grades 1-5): 8:20 am - 11:45 am.
Middle Schools (Grades 6-8): 7:45 am - 11:10 am

If you like to download the calendars and keep them in your home, we kindly ask that you download the link below and print it. It is important that families plan for the upcoming Half Day accordingly. Thank you!

UPDATED 2024-25 DISTRICT CALENDAR

NEW *Illinois Science Assessment (ISA)*

Students in grades 5 and 8 take the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) each spring. The district will be administering the ISA to students in grades 5 and 8 in the mornings on March 5th, March 6th, March 7th.

5th Grade Only: Middle School Electives Process

We will be making Middle School elective selections on Tuesday, March 4th, during class meetings for elementary students and flex time for middle school students.

Students should be discussing their elective choices with their families at home prior to making their selections at school.

A common question we've received is whether students can take both band and orchestra. This has not been an option for KCSD96 students in the past and will remain unavailable moving forward.

For more details, here is additional information about the middle school elective process.

NEW *Country Meadows 2nd Grade Music Show*

The 2nd Grade Concert is almost here! This is a performance that all 2nd grade students at Country Meadows are a part of and all are invited to see. It will be on Tuesday, March 11th at 6:30pm in the gym. The doors will open at 6:00 and the concert will be no longer than 30 minutes.

REPEAT *Human Growth & Development - 5th Grade*

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 2024-25 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.

For questions about the 5th grade program, please consult the links below. If you still have questions, please contact the school’s principal or assistant principal.

For specific materials, please see below.

Fifth Grade

This year Kildeer 96 will be hosting Candor Health Education (formerly Robert Crown Center) on March 12th. Candor Health will provide the learning to 5th grade students, and 5th grade teachers will be present during this learning experience. As in the past, 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 will show you everything the students will see during the presentation.

Candor Parent LETTER

School Program Overviews for Parents – Candor Health Education VIDEO

Password: Premier25

OPEN NOW: *5Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians*

Now through March 28th, KCSD96 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 https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Survey Support at 1-866-440-1874 or [email protected].

COMING SOON: *5Essentials Student Survey*

Beginning the week of March 10th, KCSD96 students in 4th-8th grade will be administered the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This 25-minute survey is based on over 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 (https://impactsurveyshelp.force.com/s/article/illinois-5essentials-survey-questions).

If you do not want your child’s input to be considered for school improvement purposes, please contact your child's principal by March 7th.

REPEAT: Country Meadows Family Night- Who We Are!

Country Meadows is hosting a Who We Are Night on Thursday, April 24 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?
Activities you do as a family?
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 experiences, please feel free to indicate that in the linked form. Forms are due by Tuesday, April 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: *Family Educator Conferences Sign Ups Begin March 6th*

Family/Educator Conferences are right around the corner! Once again, we are using Meet the Teacher as our scheduling platform for conferences on Thursday, March 20th (5:00-8:30) and Friday, March 21st (10:00-1:30). Sign ups begin at 3pm on March 6th.

All conferences are virtual via Meet the Teacher’s platform unless you contact the staff members and notify them.

Elementary school families: When you open the Meet the Teacher platform, you will see your child's classroom teacher in the list of available conference sign-ups as well as some specials teachers, special education teachers, and related service providers if your child sees them during a school day.

Middle school families: When you open the Meet the Teacher platform, you will see one of your child's core teachers in the list of available conference sign-ups as well as exploratory teachers, special education teachers, and related service providers if your child sees them during a school day.

Please sign-up for a conference with any staff member listed who you would like to see. Meet the Teacher Conference Sign Up will close at 4:00 pm on Monday, March 17th. After that, you must contact the building administrative assistant at the school.

Click on the link below to sign in to Meet the Teacher or copy and paste it into a browser: https://kildeerdistrict96.meettheteacher.com

For those who may be trying to sign-up for a conference using a mobile device, please know that you may encounter issues navigating the platform. For best results, it is recommended that you try to access the link on a laptop or computer.

Families with multiple students in KCSD96 may experience issues when trying to switch between sign-ups. To mitigate any problems, please try using a different browser or logging out between sign-ups.

REPEAT: *March 4th Student Registration Opens*

Student registration for the 2025-26 school year opens on March 4th. Parents and guardians of new Kindergarten students (who have submitted all required documents) and returning KCSD96 students will be emailed a link to register their child for the 2025-26 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 2025-26 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

Families new to District 96 can find more registration information here: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/registration

If you have any registration questions, please contact [email protected].

REPEAT *Kindergarten Registration*

Spread the word– Kildeer Countryside School District 96 is excited to welcome kindergarteners for the 2025–2026 school year! To ensure all students have the opportunity to build a strong and consistent educational foundation, children who are five years old on or before September 1st of a given school year will be enrolled in Kindergarten. Children who are six years old on or before September 1st of a given school year will be enrolled in first grade. In addition to the information below, we have more details on our website.

Registration Timeline:

STARTING NOW: Begin the registration process by emailing all required documents to Cristina Castro, Administrative Assistant at Willow Grove Early Learning Center, at [email protected]. If you have a student currently enrolled in Pre-K at Willow Grove, you do not need to resubmit these documents.
March 4, 2025: The district will send online registration links to families with approved documents.
March 18, 2025: Dual Language Program Virtual Parent Night from 6-6:30pm. This is for parents of incoming Kindergarten students who are interested in learning more about the program. Meeting link to be provided.
April 15, 2025: Early Bird Discount Ends for Registration. Dual Language Lottery due date.
April 29, 2025: Virtual Dual Language Lottery at 5pm. Meeting link to be provided.
April 30, 2025: Complete registration by this date to attend the Kindergarten Kick-Off event at Willow Grove Early Learning Center. Registered families get the sign-up right away once they are fully registered.
May 14, 2025: Kindergarten Kickoff will be held at Willow Grove. This event is sign-up only for families who are fully registered by April 30. Students will receive a free t-shirt!

Required Documents:

Child's birth certificate, passport, or visa
Parent/guardian driver's license or passport
Recent (within 30 days) mortgage statement, signed lease, or property tax bill
Recent (within 30 days) utility bill
Completed Enrollment Form, Residency Form, and Home Language Survey (available in multiple languages)

Please review the Health Requirements and submit the necessary health forms by the specified due dates.

For questions, contact Cristina Castro at [email protected] or call (847) 541-3660.

REPEAT *Incoming Kindergarten Dual Language Parent Night Opportunity

Interested in having your child obtain a bilingual education? The KCSD96 Spanish/English Dual Language Program is a unique and enriching opportunity in our region-- providing 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.

If families are interested in the Spanish/English Dual Language Program Lottery, they must indicate so during the virtual registration process starting in March. The deadline is April 15th. The lottery will be hosted virtually on May 5th. For more information, please visit: https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/dual-language-lottery

KCSD96 will be hosting a Virtual Parent Night from 6 to 6:30 p.m. on March 18, 2025, for parents of incoming Kindergarten students who are interested in learning more about the Dual Language Program. To RSVP and receive the virtual meeting link, please complete this form.

REPEAT *Trimester Two Report Cards*

As we approach the end of the report period, Kildeer Countryside School District 96 is excited to remind families that Trimester 2 report cards will be issued on February 28th. This marks a significant moment to reflect on student progress and achievements. We encourage parents to review these reports with their children and celebrate their efforts and growth.

To view, parents will need to log into School Insight/TeacherEase. Returning families should have School Insight/TeacherEase log-in information. For new families or anyone who does not have an account established, you will soon be receiving an email from the district. If you have any questions, please reach out to your school's front office. If you forgot your password, please ensure you are selecting "Forgot Password" on the School Insight/TeacherEase log-in page. Thank you for your continued support in fostering a positive learning environment!