Woodlawn/County Meadows campus, October 18, 2023
District 96 Families:
This past week felt more like Fall has really arrived! Take some time to note the striking change in foliage around you … before time or weather washes or blows it away!
As you shop and plan for any Halloween festivities your child may participate in, be sure to read your Principal’s Message for guidance on costumes and other matters relating to school.
Here’s what we’re looking forward to:
Coming Up:
- Tuesday, October 24
- Early Release (Early Release Dismissal Times)
- Grades 1-5 dismiss at 2:05 p.m.
- Grades 6-8 dismiss at 1:30 p.m.
- Kindergarten (including Structured Kindergarten) dismisses at 2:05 p.m.
- Early Childhood Structured Learning: 8:40 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.
- Blended Early Childhood/ECSE AM: 8:40 to 10:10 a.m.
- Blended Early Childhood PM: 12:35 to 2:05 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 31
- Halloween Parties (see Principal’s Message for notes)
- Sunday, November 5
- Daylight Saving Time ends
Thank You, Principals!
This week, we celebrated our school leaders for Principal Appreciation Week! 
Thanks, again, for all you do for your school, students, families and the District!
It’s always a good time to #ThankAPrincipal!
Follow-up: SHS Hosts Panel Discussion on Teen Digital Health
If you caught Dr. Devorah Heitner’s talk with area families on October 18, you might want to follow up with a session on teens’ screen dependence and digital health.
Dr. Adam Crane, from Psychological Pathways, discusses this topic in “Screen Dependence & Digital Health,” from 6 to 7 p.m. October 26, 2023.
"As children and teens become more and more reliant on digital media, it is important to understand when it has become a problem and how it interferes with their overall mental, social and emotional development,” promotional materials indicate. “In this talk, we will explore how screens impact our youth, turn into over-reliance and addiction and create struggles within the family as parents try to set reasonable limits and foster healthier habits and interests.”
In the discussion, Dr. Crane will share how screens impact brain development; appropriate and “at-risk” factors for screen use depending on age; strategies to help children and teens limit their screen use and find better balance in their lives; and ways to avoid power struggles and set reasonable expectations around screen use.
Join this (free!) conversation: https://zoom.us/j/93970729005
Replay Briefly on YouTube: “Growing Up in Public”
Families can watch a replay of this past week’s conversation with Dr. Devorah Heitner (author of “Growing Up In Public”) on the Vernon Area Public Library’s YouTube channel. The video will be accessible till November 2, 2023.
Check the Vernon Area Public Library website for availability: https://youtu.be/N6BpIXutQvI
Did You Know: About Smartwatches?
District 96 Famiies, did you know that smartwatches are considered as a cellphone, and if they cause distractions, may be taken and store in the school office?
Check the Parent-Student Handbook for more information: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/parent-student-handbook/index
Virtual Backpack
Check the District and your school’s virtual Backpacks for information on the following events and other items that may be of interest to you.
Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/virtual-backpack
- SHS World Fair: October 21 and 22 (Saturday and Sunday)
- Thank A Veteran: Due by Monday, October 23
- Lake County STEM for Girls: Saturday, November 4
IN OUR SCHOOLS
Woodworking Does A Body Good: This week, students in Mr. Martin’s 7th Grade art class continued. 
sanding and shaping blocks of wood into body form, with moveable parts, for a class project.
Their tools of choice included wood sanders and other tools ~ all, Mr. Martin stressed, that were very safe to use.
Click here for the Visual Arts Class Photo Gallery: https://www.kcsd96.org/w/woodlawn-photo-gallery/gallery/1615216/woodlawn-art-class
Soft and Fluffy: Mrs. Pink’s TASOL students continued working on their unit on sewing, designing and stuffing pillows they’d sewn ~ and personalizing them with appliques of letters, for an initial, or artwork of a banana with a worm emerging from it!
QUESTIONS?
District 96 will communicate with you every Friday through E-NEWS 96 and through Principal’s Messages from each school in which you have a student enrolled. It’s important to read these messages weekly.
Questions about KCSD96 communications? Call 847.459.4260, ext. 8022, or send email to the Media & Communications Specialist at [email protected].
The next issue of E-NEWS 96 will be October 27, 2023.