March 1, 2019
Bernie’s Book Bank (New)
We are very excited to announce our book drive. We'll be collecting new and gently used children's books from March 5th- April 2nd. Books will be donated to Bernie's Book Bank, which collects and donates books to at-risk children. If you would like to learn more about this great cause use this link. With conferences coming up, take some time to drop off books to our donation bins that will be located in the library. Spring cleaning? Take some time to clean out your bookshelves and donate to our school goal of 1,500 books.
Check out this video here to learn more about Bernie’s Book Banks.
Access Your Student's Report Card Online Today (New)
Your student's report card is available for you to access online today after 3 PM. If you need assistance, please CLICK HERE for instructions to view your student's report card, to switch between your children's report cards, and more.
To help you better understand your child's report card, see MORE INFO on the typical progression of standards-based scores for standards included on report cards, including standards that repeat in more than one trimester.
Winter MAP Results Available By Video (NEW)
Parents of students in Grades 3 – 8 will have a new and different opportunity to view their student's Winter 2018 MAP (Measures of Academic Progress)–via a video specific to their child.
To make this possible, District 96 is participating in a pilot program with the company Spotlight. Today (Mar. 1) parents/guardians were sent an email for each of their students in Grades 3–8. Each email includes a unique video link to that student's MAP results, explained using easy-to-understand visual info.
Please note that this is not new information. These Winter MAP results were already shared through a Jan. 11 email from District 96 to parents, with instructions about accessing those scores online.
The MAP video link provided in today's email offers another opportunity to review and understand your student's scores.
Your feedback after viewing is particularly appreciated for this pilot program. Please complete the brief survey you'll find linked at the bottom of your student's video report.
Know It Alls: PTO Cultural Art Assembly (New)
On February 26, 2019, students all had an assembly that was sponsored by the Ivy Hall PTO and coordinated by the Cultural Arts PTO sub-committee. The assembly was an old style variety show where students were able to participate in a gameshow style format. All groups competed collaboratively to win a banner, which we did secure and is proudly displayed in the front office. The questions were grade level specific and the bottom line is that kids had fun and learned a little something along the way. If you want to learn more about the assembly you can check out the website https://theknowitallsshow.com/. Below are a few pictures from the assembly. Pictures Here
PTO News/Blog (New)
PTO Blog: This is always linked in my blog post below.
IMPORTANT: Pre-register, donate items, sign up via PTO membership toolkit (Access Tool Kit Here). 5th Grade Spring Fling PTO (Flyer Here)
Can you believe it’s already March! The school year is flying by but there’s still plenty of PTO news to share. Here’s a table of contents so you don’t miss what’s important to you:
- School Supply Kits
- Staff Dinner Donations
- Girls Night Out
- Fifth Grade Spring Fling
- Volunteer Needs
- Important Dates and Other Reminders
Ivy Hall Family Educator Conferences (New)
FAMILY WORKSHOP SCHEDULE (View Schedule & Details Here)
Parent Communication about Spring Conferences (Repeat)
Spring Conferences are coming on Thursday, March 7th from 5pm-8:30pm and Friday, March 8th from 10am-1:30pm .
Spring Conferences are Collaborative Conferences!
Collaborative conferences means that your child will be leading the conference. The purpose of collaborative conferences is for educators, students and families to discuss, reflect and celebrate student work, and for families to experience school through their child's eyes. Students have been working hard to prepare for the conference, and we are excited for you to learn about your child’s progress directly from your child!
Teachers will be available in the room as guides and will be available to answer student questions or elaborate on a point a student is making, but we ask that all participants respect that this is the student’s opportunity to lead the conference by sharing progress and reflections about their own learning.
Please read below to learn specific information about how collaborative conferences will be structured for each grade-level.
Grades EC-2
Families will sign-up for a 15 minute collaborative conference. Grades EC-2 collaborative conferences will be structured with one student in the classroom at a time with the classroom teacher as the guide and the student as the leader of the conference.
Grades 3-5
Families will sign-up for a 30 minute conference. Grades 3-5 collaborative conferences will be structured with up to 3 students in the classroom at a time. Student/Family partnerships will sit in a private space to engage in the conference. Classroom teachers and other building staff will be in the classroom to guide the process, but students will lead the conference. Specials teachers will be in classrooms as guides in addition to the classroom teacher. Students should plan to bring their iPad to the conference.
What is the Role of Families during Collaborative Conferences?
- Provide reinforcement, encouragement, and praise
- Listen and ask questions
- Help students look realistically at the quality of work
- Facilitate student’s self-reflection and goal setting
- Be a partner in learning
- See school through their student’s eyes
Questions Families Can Ask During the Collaborative Conference
- What is your favorite piece of work? Why?
- Describe your favorite activities or subjects.
- What experiences at school do you find the most exciting?
- Are there experiences that frustrate you, if so why?
- What goals have you set for yourself for this spring?
- How can I help you at home?
Upcoming Events:
- March 4, 2019: No School
- March 7, 2019: Early Release
- March 7, 2019: Conferences: 5pm-8:30pm
- March 8, 2019: Conferences: 10am-1:30pm
- March 14, 2019 - 5th Grade Choral Concert 6:30PM