Good Afternoon Country Meadows Families,
The CM staff is so excited to see that so many families have already signed up for a Spring Conference! These meetings are a wonderful opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher, discuss progress, and set goals for the remainder of the school year. If you have not yet signed up, there is still time. Please see the information below on how to schedule a conference with your child’s teacher.
Spring is in the air, bringing longer days and renewed energy to our school! However, the weather can still be unpredictable, with chilly mornings and warmer afternoons. Please make sure your child is dressed in layers and prepared for outdoor recess each day.
Additionally, our Lost and Found is overflowing with jackets, hats, gloves, and other winter items. This is a great time to check for any missing belongings before they are donated. We encourage students and parents to stop by and take a look.
As we move into the final stretch of the school year, we are grateful for your ongoing partnership and support. Thank you for being an essential part of our school community!
Kindly,
Aska Lempke
Principal
*Upcoming Dates*
-
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
2024-25 School Year Calendar & Hours
NEW *Response Rate - 5Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians*
The parent response rate for Country Meadows is currently at 2% for the 2024-25 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. Thank you for your support.
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 *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!
REPEAT UPDATED 2024-25 DISTRICT CALENDAR
Click HERE for the updated 2024-2025 District Calendar
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.
School Program Overviews for Parents – Candor Health Education VIDEO
Password: Premier25
REPEAT *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: *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.
Principal's Message Raffle Winner
Cub Buddies
