Dear Ivy Hall Families,
Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year! Staff, students, and parents work in collaboration to help each Ivy Hall student continue to learn, grow, and celebrate their accomplishments. We are so excited about the upcoming year!
You will receive two emails soon where you will find your child’s bus route information and classroom assignment for the upcoming year. The staff worked diligently to make sure each child was placed in the classroom in which he/she will find continued success. We know you appreciate that such careful thought and consideration was put into these decisions. No changes will be made, and we thank you for your support.
We are excited to welcome our new staff this year!
With the retirement of Pat Hannon and Gail Gioviano, we have hired two new front office staff members. Jodi Zachara and Jennifer Hagan will be taking over the helm here at Ivy Hall. When visiting, please take a minute to introduce yourself. Both Jodi and Jennifer are eager to help you with your questions and needs.
Mr. Brad Sorkin - Structured Learning Teacher
Ms. Allison Linzing - Instructional Special Education Teacher
Ms. Ginger Hepler - Language Development Coach (coming to us from Willow Grove)
Ms. Carly Sullivan - Social Worker (coming to us from Kildeer)
Ms. Courtney Hall- School Psychologist
Ms. Emma Ellenwood-Bird - 3rd Grade Teacher
Ms. Kirberger - 5th Grade Teacher
Ms. Megan Lukaszewski - Psychologist
Ms. Bryn Brighton - Speech Language Pathologist
Ms. Lindsay Marks - Occupational Therapist
Ms. Renee Goff- Maternity Leave Sub for Mrs. Heimer
I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you, our team structures for the current school year. This year’s class lists were developed with these teams in place to ensure student success.
First Grade: Ms. Gomberg, Ms. Hock, Ms. Levin, Ms. Innocentini
Second Grade: Ms. Comin, Ms. Cappelen (formerly Schutt), Ms. Slivnick (formerly Rabin), Ms. Balek (formerly Wells)
Third Grade: Ms. Moderhack, Ms. Heineman, Ms. McNamara, Ms. Ellenwood-Bird
Fourth Grade: Ms. Dolan, Ms. Valle, Ms. Litvan, Ms. Lima
Fifth Grade: Ms. Nguyen, Ms. Kirberger, Ms. Holzhauer, Mr. Pangilinan
Guided Classrooms: Ms. Deger, Ms. Lee
Structured Learning Classrooms: TBA, Mr. Sorkin
Student Services Team: Ms. Balmer, Ms. Hall, Ms. Fooden, Ms. Guarino, Ms. Jarrett, Ms. Sherlock, Ms. Linzing, Ms. Sladek, Ms. Monica, Ms. Brighton, Ms. Lukaszewski, Ms. Marks, Ms. Sullivan
Instructional Coaches: Ms. Klein, Ms. Heinrich, Mr. Halstead, Ms. Heimer, Ms. Mandell, Ms. Wang, Ms. Driscoll, Ms. Hepler
Specials: Ms. Cigrand, Ms. Coleman, Ms. Flavin, Ms. Lindgren, Mr. Nagle, Ms. Ok, Mr. Spangler, Mr. Morris
Please read the following reminders and news updates carefully:
Information Day and Meet Your Teacher ~ Students are welcome to visit their classrooms, meet their teachers and drop off school supplies from 8:30am – 9:30am on Tuesday, August 14th. If you pre-ordered a school supply kit from the PTO, it will be in the classroom. PTO representatives will be available at their table outside the learning center for all your PTO needs! Don’t forget to sign-up for Special Lunch and more on the Membership Toolkit database.
An Invitation to New Families to Our District 96 Community ~ Has your family recently moved to the United States or are you and your student(s) new to this area?
On Wednesday, August 8, at 7:00pm, parents of registered students in Kindergarten-Grade 8 are invited to Twin Groves Middle School, 2600 N. Buffalo Grove Rd., Buffalo Grove, for a program to welcome you to our community and introduce you to our District 96 culture.
Learn about and understand our home-school connection, classroom dynamics, patterns of communication to expect from our teachers and administrators, and more. Ask questions and help us understand how we can best support you in acclimating to the culture of a new school district, neighborhood, and community.
While all interested parents are welcome, please note that the focus of this evening is not specifically curricular and general procedural information, which will be shared with all District 96 parents on their students’ designated grade-level Curriculum Nights. Rather, this is an informational opportunity for parents who–like their students–are experiencing our social customs and practices for teaching and learning for the first time.
Questions? Need an interpreter? Please contact the Director of Language and Early Literacy, Katie Sheridan at [email protected]
New Family Meeting ~ If your family is new to Ivy Hall, please join us in the Learning Center from 8:00am - 8:30am on Tuesday, August 14th (just prior to Meet Your Teacher/Information Day). This is a great opportunity to receive a tour of our building.
First Day of School ~ The first day of school is Wednesday, August 15th. Students will line up in the parent drop off lot on the blacktop. Teachers will be outside to meet the students. Parent drop off will be on Penny Lane for the first day only. In the event that it is raining, students will assemble in the cafeteria gym by class. Parents and/or guardians are not to enter the building due to security. Thank you for keeping our building safe for your students.
Second Day of School ~ The second day of school is Thursday, August 16th. Students will line up as classes in the grade level hallways. Staff will be available to assist students with the line up.
Curriculum Night ~ Curriculum Night is scheduled for Thurssday, August 23rd, for ALL grades. This is a “parents only” meeting, and we hope you can attend. We will start as a large group in the big gym and after a few brief messages, you’ll be on your way to your children’s classrooms.
Grades 1-2: 6:15pm-7:15pm
Grade 3-5: 7:00pm-8:00pm
Raptor Building Security ~ During the summer, our building sign-in system was updated. All previous data was removed. All visitors must be rescanned into the new system with a driver's license or state issued ID card, regardless of if have used the system previously. On days that visitors are permitted, all visitors must enter through the office for security reasons. Additionally, all visitors must specify a destination in the building, and all visitors must sign out through the office. If you would like to learn more about the Raptor Security Management System click here.
School Hours ~
Arrival time is between 8:10am and 8:20am
The tardy bell rings at 8:25am. A parent/adult must accompany tardy students into the office and sign them in if you arrive after 8:25am. Do not drop your child off at any door since all doors are locked and secured at this time. Please be aware that while we try to keep clocks on time, they can sometimes run a minute or two fast. If there are no adults outside, please walk your child into the front office.
Dismissal: 3:00 p.m.
Regular Day: 8:25 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Half Day: 8:25 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Early Release Day: 8:25 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
PTO NEWS ~ Please visit the PTO during Meet the Teacher Day on Tuesday, August 14th. All committee and volunteer sign-ups will be online as well as sign-ups for many of the fundraisers such as Special Lunch. The PTO will have laptops available for use from 8:30am - 9:30am. If you would like to get a head start, log on to Membership Toolkit (https://ivyhallpto.membershiptoolkit.com/).
CHANGES TO PARENT PICK UP ~ Students that are picked up from parent pick up should obtain a sticker by registering for one. Register to receive a sticker HERE. Having stickers on your vehicle helps to aid our students in a more secure pickup. If you do not have a sticker, we may ask additional questions for us to verify your pick up vehicle. This is for the safety of our students. There will be a table for registration and pick up of stickers during Meet the Teacher. They are free of charge.
DROP OFF AND PICK UP PROCEDURES ~ Students that take the bus will arrive and board the school bus on the east sidewalk. Only cars that are parking and walking students into school will be allowed to enter the east parking lot from 8:10am-8:25am. At the end of the day, only buses will be permitted in the east parking lot between 2:50pm. and 3:10pm. Cars that are parked in the east parking lot will not be able to leave during dismissal time.
Parents that drop off and/or pick up their children will enter a rolling drop off/pick up on the west blacktop near the playground by driving east on Penny Lane. Parents will exit the rolling drop/pick up by driving east on Penny Lane. All students that are being picked up will exit the building via the west doors where they will be met by faculty. Faculty members will direct cars through the rolling drop off and pick up and assist students (See Map below).
Students that walk home will only exit through the north and northwest doorways. Students are not permitted to walk across the east parking lot.
Please contact the school office by 2:00pm in the event that your dismissal plans change. Your child will be at the designated bus, car or walking exit unless the school is notified. Please notify the office in writing when possible. Please see Section 9.4 in the Parent/Student Handbook regarding permission for students to ride other buses, as in most cases, this is not allowed.
When parking in the east parking lot at any time, please note that you will enter from Ivy Hall Lane. This is marked as an entrance only. Exit out to Clohesey Lane only. You will not be able to leave the parking lot onto Ivy Hall Lane.
Again, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2018-2019 school year. Please feel free to contact me directly via phone or email with any questions. This is a tremendous building and that is because of the staff, parents, and, most importantly, the students, who make Ivy Hall such an amazing place to learn. I can’t wait to see all the students back for the first day of school on August 15th. Please note, this is an EARLY RELEASE DAY, with dismissal at 2:00pm.
Fondly,
Mr. Bob Hanrahan, Principal