Happy Friday, D96 Families
March has arrived and it’s busier than ever: Two major events are the Spring Family/Educator Conferences (March 21 and 22) AND Spring Break (March 25 to 29).
Before we get there, though, here’s other business to attend to:
Coming Up:
- Tuesday, March 12
- Dual Language Night for Parents of Incoming Kindergartners (6-6:30 p.m., Zoom)
- Tuesday, March 19
- No School (Teacher Institute Day)
- No School (Teacher Institute Day)
- Tuesday, March 19
- Board of Education meeting (7 p.m., Ivy Hall, Mat Room)
- Thursday, March 21
- Early Release Day (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.
Dual Language Parent Night for Incoming Kindergartners
If you are enrolling an incoming Kindergarten student and want to learn more about our D96 Dual Language Program, we would love for you to join us at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12th, for our Incoming Dual Language Parent Night.
This virtual meeting will take place via Zoom and will be an opportunity for you to learn about our Dual Language Program and have your questions answered.
Please complete this RSVP Form to receive a Zoom link to our Parent Night presentation:
What is Dual Language: For Parents of Incoming Kindergartners
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 began March 1. 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).
REPEAT: Spring Family/Educator Conferences on March 21 and 22
Spring Family/Educator Conferences are right around the corner. The conference dates are Thursday, March 21st, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. and Friday, March 22nd, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
We will be using Meet the Teacher as an electronic sign up for conferences. A School Messenger email will be sent to families on Tuesday, March 5th, at 5 p.m. with a link to sign up for conferences.
Conferences will be held virtually using Meet the Teacher’s video conferencing platform unless parents request an in-person conference using the instructions bolded at the end of this message. After you have scheduled your conferences, you will receive an email from Meet the Teacher with a link you will use to access the video conferences.
Elementary parents will have the option to sign up with the classroom teacher as well as select specials teachers and any related service providers their children see.
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 B Day schedule will have their Spanish teachers available during this round of conferences.
Available Middle School Core Teachers:
- 6th Grade: 3rd Period Teacher
- 7th Grade: 2nd Period Teacher
- 8th Grade: 4th 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, March 19th.
Registration Open for 2024-25 School Year
Registration is now open for the 2024-25 school year. Parents and guardians of new Kindergarten students and returning District 96 students have been 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
Families new to District 96 can find more registration information here: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/registration
Additionally, beginning in the 2025-26 school year, delayed enrollment will not be permitted, including in Kindergarten.
Any child being registered in District 96:
- who is five years old on or before September 1st of a given school year will be enrolled in Kindergarten.
- who is six years old on or before September 1st of that school year will be enrolled in first grade.
REPEAT: 5Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians
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].
Virtual Backpack
Check the District and your school’s Virtual Backpacks for information on the following events and other items that may interest you.
Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/virtual-backpack
- NWSRA Summer Day Camps 2024
- SHS Writing Workshop
- 211 Lake County Resources (free, with resources in many languages)
- SHS Hockey for Grades 7 & 8
IN OUR SCHOOLS
Revisiting The Past: Kildeer third-graders learned a lot about Long Grove in the late 1800s as they visited the Archer School one-room schoolhouse and the Ruth Barn: Both are located on property behind Kildeer school. There, the students heard about life in the one-room schoolhouse ~ with its two-seater outhouse out back — and around the barn, where they heard about various tools and other accouterments. This is the first time in eight years student groups have toured the sites, according to Long Grove Historical Society volunteers.
Glimpse some of their experience in the Archer School–Ruth Barn Photo Gallery at: https://www.kcsd96.org/k/kildeer-countryside-photo-gallery/gallery/1615873/archer-school-ruth-barn-visits-march-5-6-2024
Impacted Environment: This week, Ms. Rejman’s Kildeer Elementary School fourth graders studied the impact of forces that cause curving rivers, root wedging, shoreline weathering and shrinking glaciers. These studies are part of their weathering, erosion, and deposition unit in Science.
QUESTIONS?
District 96 will communicate with you every Friday through E-NEWS 96 and the Principal’s Messages from each school where 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 Friday, March 15, 2024.