Families,
Thank you for another successful week of remote learning. We hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend and we look forward to continuing our ongoing partnership next week. Never hesitate to reach out for support.
Below is an updated document to address any remote learning questions you may have.
Thank you,
Bob Hanrahan, Principal
Student Work Video (New)
Please enjoy this district video from Monday’s special activities. Way to go, students! SEE INFO
Do Your Kids Need Some Good Books to Read? (New)
Students with iPads have no reason not to be reading. It's important to read every day. CHECK OUT ways to find great books to read (online) and more.
5th Grade Placement Update (New)
Because the traditional assessments used for 5th to 6th-grade placement could not be administered due to the school closure, the Curriculum Office is currently working to revise the placement process. More information will be available in mid-May.
Tech Support - Kindergarten-5th Grade (New)
I’m having technical issues while accessing slideshows in the Google Slides app. What can I do to get around these issues?
DELETE the Google Slides app from your student’s device. (It can always be re-downloaded from Self-Service at a later time.)
Open the Google Drive app on your student’s iPad and locate the shared slideshow that you are trying to view.
Play the slideshow from within the Google Drive application, or OPEN IN SAFARI if given the option.
As students are home with their iPad devices to access remote learning plans, we do anticipate there may be some tech needs that arise. If you run into any difficulty with your child’s school iPad, just send us an email explaining your problem and we can support you and your device. Please email [email protected] with any tech-related support needed.
VIDEO HERE - https://youtu.be/0S_Um2S3dCU
PTO Blog (New)
PTO Blog: This is always linked in my blog post below.
Additional Information (New)
Please refer to previous principal messages for additional information. Prior weeks’ message highlights:
- At Home Behavior Supports
- Brighter Days Art Contest Info due April 24
- Food services - Donation update in Superintendent Schmidt’s April 7th message
- Library resources
- Family resources to discuss COVID 19 with your child(ren)
- Directions for accessing Zoom meetings
Buffalo Grove Park District Clubhouse New Parent Webinar (Repeat)
The Buffalo Grove Park District has scheduled a New Parent Webinar on Apr. 30 at 5 p.m. for prospective families interested in learning about before- and after-school childcare through the Buffalo Grove Park District Clubhouse Program. SEE INFO to log in to attend the prospective Clubhouse New Parent webinar.
Tech Support - Kindergarten-5th Grade (Repeat)
As students are home with their iPad devices to access remote learning plans, we do anticipate there may be some tech needs that arise. If you run into any difficulty with your child’s school iPad, just send us an email explaining your problem and we can support you and your device. Please email [email protected] with any technology-related support needed.
Food Services (Repeat)
We understand these times may result in changes in employment for families. If your family needs support with meeting basic needs, please know that all D96 families are eligible for food services.
Many of you have asked how you can support and help the District initiative to ensure our families are fed. At this time we do not need additional donations, however, we will let the community know when/if needs arise.
KCSD 96 is working with our partners at Organic Life and the Exceptional Learners Collaborative to offer food services for our students. We will have a packed breakfast and lunch available for you to pick up daily at the Exceptional Learners Collaborative’s NEW location at 990 Corporate Woods Parkway, Vernon Hills, IL.
You may drive up to pick up a packed breakfast/lunch anytime between 11:00 am - 1:00 pm each day (Monday-Friday). In the event you are not able to come to the ELC during this time, please contact us at 224-513-6448 or email [email protected] to see if other arrangements can be made.
You do not need to bring your child with you to pick up food.
Please contact the ELC if you have any questions at 224-513-6448.
20-21 - Parent Input for Class Placement (Repeat)
*** Survey Closes Friday, April 24, 2020, at 11:55pm
Creating balanced class lists that meet the needs of all students is a tremendously difficult job that takes many hours of thoughtful dialogue between classroom teachers, administrators, and specialists. At Ivy Hall, we take this process very seriously. The process for class list creation is as follows:
Teachers think about the social and academic needs of each of their current students while recording pertinent information to assist in the decision making process.
Grade level teachers, the building administration, specials area teachers, and specialists meet together to form class lists that are balanced in terms of academic, social, and emotional needs as well as considering friendships. This is no easy task and often takes several meetings. This team of educators considers each child’s personality, academic needs, friendship patterns, etc. as they make a match for each individual child.
This team of educators creates a draft set of class lists taking into consideration parent input. Class lists are then revised in August with summer changes for students who move in or out of the district. Class rosters are never final until they are released to families in August.
This process happens at grades 2-5. Willow Grove creates the class lists for our incoming 1st graders. Our 5th-grade team actively works with Twin Groves to provide data and input related to placement decisions at the middle school level.
We strongly believe that this detailed and collaborative process creates learning environments that benefit all students. It is a delicate balancing act that takes much consideration and thought by professionals who know and care about your children. Our goal is to create balanced class lists that promote the success of each child. Please know that your child is placed in a classroom for very specific reasons. The process benefits all students. Because of the input and thought given by teachers, specialists, parents, and the principal, we are very reluctant to make changes once this process occurs, as removing or moving one child can disrupt the balance of an entire class, impacting all students.
I welcome any insight you wish to share about your child’s strengths, needs, and learning style. I will take into consideration pertinent information received on or before 11:55 pm, FRIDAY, APRIL 24th. Please remember, while we welcome your input, specific teacher requests will not be honored.
I cannot express enough how important it is that your thoughts are provided through the Ivy Hall Class Placement Input 2020-2021 Survey. As you can imagine, we receive a lot of parent input, and verbal information is impossible to track. The information you provide in the survey will remain confidential between you and me.
At Home Behavior Supports (Repeat)
Transitioning to school at home is a big change for our students and us as parents! Many of the same positive, proactive supports that we put into place in your children's’ classroom can be modified for the home setting. Below are a few suggestions that may help make your remote learning time more successful:
Try to provide warnings ahead of transitions: “In 5 minutes we are turning off the television and we will begin our math assignment.” When it is time to transition, issue clear directions: “Thank you for turning off the Television! please get your iPad and a pencil and meet me at the kitchen table.” Then provide praise when your child transitions as directed!
Discuss with your child your expectations for when you also have work to do: This could be things such as “when I am on a conference call, you can write down your question and hand it to me” or “if you get hungry while I am working, I set out three snack choices for you” or “If you can’t figure out this assignment while I am on a work call, you can go on Epic or Dreambox until I can help you”.
Encourage independence: At school, our students are encouraged to ask a friend before asking their teacher if they have questions about an assignment. You can encourage your child to ask an older sibling. Use technology to your advantage as well! You can have your child ask “Alexa” or “Google” how to spell a word or define a word if you have a smart speaker. Encourage your child to email their teacher with questions as opposed to you doing it for them.
Create a family positive behavior system: This is uncharted territory for us both as educators and parents. Look to create a system that rewards the behaviors we want our children to display and all work together. This could be a poster where you all earn stars for being helpful or kind or following directions without whining. Once your family gets a certain number of stars (start low, you want this to be attainable within a week or less!) they can earn a fun family reward like a nature scavenger hunt, a special cooking project, or a family indoor picnic or movie night. Another positive support that many students are familiar with is putting a marble (you can use pebbles, or cotton balls as well) for displaying certain behaviors. Try to target one thing at a time and be specific--” Listening to mom and dad on the first ask” is always a good one! Put an item in the jar each time that behavior is displayed and when the jar is filled they can turn it in for a fun activity (see suggestions above). I would suggest having these systems be something all kids in the family are working towards together to encourage working as a family team!