March 19, 2021

March 19, 2021

Dear Families,

As we head into spring break, we look forward to the spring season of new beginnings, which officially starts on March 20th.  We will be hearing more birds singing as beautiful flowers come into bloom.  Spring will also bring a new beginning for students who plan to return to in-person learning after spring break.  We are very excited to welcome these additional students back to school.  If your child is returning to in-person learning the week of March 29th please read the “Return to In-Person Learning” section of today’s blog closely.  As always, we value your partnership.

Warmly, 

Principal Hanrahan


NEW *Returning to In-Person Learning Information*

We are very excited to have additional students joining us in-person after spring break. Below is some information you need to know for a successful transition from remote to in-person learning.

MEDICATIONS

If your child needs to take medication at school please bring the medication to the school nurse’s office in its original container along with this MEDICATION AUTHORIZATION FORM

MATERIALS

Please remember to check the IVY HALL MATERIALS SHEET to see which materials your child will need for class.  If you have any questions, please contact the appropriate teacher.

ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL PROCEDURES 

Please arrive no earlier than 8:10 am as this is when staff is on duty to supervise students.  If your child is tardy you must enter the building to sign him/her in.

BUS INFORMATION

Bus routing information will come by email to families over spring break. Please anticipate that busses may be running late.  If you have any bus route questions, please call the office.  Our arrival and dismissal routines within the school building have been designed to maintain social distancing.  For purposes of social distancing and to maintain order on the bus, all students will be directed to sit in an assigned seat separated from peers.  Siblings may sit together.  Please prepare your child for this routine to sit where the driver or school assigns and to always stay seated in their seat.  As a reminder, complete the daily self-certification before your child gets on the bus or comes to the school by parent drop-off.  All children coming to school must wear masks on district transportation as well as in the school building. 

CHANGE IN AFTER SCHOOL PICK-UP FOR YOUR CHILD

If your child will not be taking the bus home after school, please send a handwritten note or call the office to let us know.  Please DO NOT send emails of this nature, as we cannot guarantee that an email will be seen prior to school dismissal

ADDITIONAL ROUTINE ITEMS OF NOTE

It is still chilly!  We may go outside for short breaks so please ensure that your child has the proper outerwear. 

Children will be bringing iPads and Logitech iPad "crayons" between home and school daily.  Please develop a routine of charging both every night and putting them in their backpack each morning.  A helpful tip is to post a sign at child eye level on the door where your child will exit in the morning.  You can make a picture checklist of this and anything else to support your child to develop independence with morning routines.

Children may bring individual water bottles to school.  They should not be glass and should have a spill-proof top.  Please label your child's water bottle with his/her name.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:

Parents must do the DAILY self-certification for their child.  Parents must submit a daily self-certification prior to their student being allowed to attend in person. Parents will need to download the TeacherEase app if they haven't already in order to access the daily self-certification form.  Please see this video for further instruction: (Dist 96: In-Person Parent Video Instruction).

COMMITMENT TO PARTNERSHIP

We are confident that the District 96 community will rise to the occasion and partner with us to ensure the safety and success of our hybrid learning plan. Please think carefully about your commitment to our partnership before sending your child to school.  Please review our In-Person Learning Protocols

MASKS FOR IN-PERSON LEARNERS

Send your student to school with a comfortable mask that complies with CDC/ISBE guidelines, ensuring that the face-covering fully covers the mouth and nose and that the covering fits snugly against the sides of the face with no gaps.

IN-PERSON PREORDERING INFO

Parents of in-person learners only, please check for an email sent this afternoon with Subject Line: Fr Sch Dist 96: Preordering In-Person Lunches.

The email includes the required student ID # and directions to create an account and preorder in-person lunches for the week following Spring Break by the deadline of 6 PM on Mar. 28. Questions? Contact the public info coordinator [email protected]

NEW *Daily Self-Certification Questions Revision

The questions on the Daily Self-Certification will be changing as of Monday, March 29th.  There will be fewer questions GETTING MORE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE FROM AMY.

New *PTO Blog*

As always, please check out our PTO blog for updates. I want to take this opportunity to thank the PTO for supplying food for teachers during conferences and for organizing a great, safe, Leprechaun event! The school appreciates and values our partnership.

  • Breakfast with Your Buddy April 22, 2021, 7:15am-8:00am

Ivy Hall PTO has open committees for next year. Please consider signing up via the PTO toolkit.

NEW *Safety Drills* 

All schools are required to hold fire/evacuation, severe weather, and lockdown drills.  We recognize some content could potentially be frightening for students.  Please be assured that presentations to students are developmentally appropriate.  Teachers and support staff are attentive to students’ emotions during instruction and drills.  Specific drill dates are not shared with parents.  At school, we conduct drills at unknown times so that students and staff can respond authentically as would be needed in an actual emergency.  You can expect lockdown education to be provided to your child when we come back from break followed shortly after by a drill.  We will maintain our social distancing requirements throughout all drills.  Please let me know if you have any questions.


REPEAT: *Variety Show*

It’s that time of year again. We are super excited to share the preliminary information for the Variety Show this year. Please take a moment to watch THIS VIDEO from Mrs. Dolan regarding Variety Show!!!

REPEAT: *NURSE HOURS and IDPH DECISION TREE*

Our District 96 nurses are closely following the Illinois Department of Public Health school exclusion decision tree to determine when students are eligible to return to turn school. Thank you for your patience with students who have had to isolate or quarantine due to illness, household, illness, positive COVID-19, and/or close contact status. The building nurse will request appropriate documentation for students to return to school. While you may receive this documentation outside of school hours, the nurse will contact families regarding a return date upon receipt during the next school day. 

If you would like to be in touch with one of the District 96 nurses, please note the hours that they are available. 

  • Ivy Hall, Kildeer, Prairie, Willow Grove: 8:00-3:15 
  • Twin Groves, Woodlawn 7:30-2:45

REPEAT: *2021–22 Registration Emails Were Sent Thurs., Mar. 4*

Please check for registration email(s) for the 2021–22 school year, sent Thurs., Mar. 4.
Each registration email includes a link and a unique “snapcode” needed for access to register your returning student for 2021–22. EVERY student returning to District 96 for the school year ahead must be registered.

Information you provided previously will appear in your student’s online registration record. Please check that information carefully and update it if it is not accurate.

Completing and submitting online registration and making payment no later than Apr. 15, 2021, will save families $20 in registration cost per student. Fees increase after Apr. 15.

Questions? Please send an email to [email protected] or call 847.459.4260, ext. 8022.

REPEAT: *Yearbook Photo Collection*

5TH GRADE TRIBUTE PHOTOS AND QUOTES – A baby pic, a pic of your child doing a special activity – along with a personal message (no more than 45 words please) to be featured in a special section of the yearbook for our departing fifth graders.

CANDIDS – photos of your child (ALL GRADES) participating in school activities while remote - learning.  These can be lunch photos at home, Halloween scavenger hunt, PTO sponsored activities (building Olympics, cookie/food kits), etc…

PORTRAITS (ALL GRADES) – if you are NOT participating in the school portrait program and/or have missed both picture dates, but you want your child to have a portrait - you can submit one for the class composite page in the yearbook.

***NO PHOTOS FROM ANY OF THE ABOVE CATEGORY WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER MARCH 27, 2021.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

REPEAT: *Ordering Photos*

If you wish to review and purchase photos, you can do so by visiting our new photography companies website. That website can be found HERE.

Online Order Code: 51298H

REPEAT: *Obtaining Free Meals*

Preorder free meals for in-person students by 6 PM on Thursday for the week ahead. Order at onlineordering.linq.com only for your student's in-person days.

Pick up meal supplies for 5 days for remote students on Wednesdays from 11 AM– 2 PM at Twin Groves or Woodlawn. No preordering needed.

Please direct questions to the public info coordinator [email protected]

REPEAT: *Tech Hub*

KCSD96 Family Technology Hub! The District 96 Family Technology Hub is designed to guide families through technology tools related to Enhanced Remote Learning. On this site, you can find links to the recordings and the corresponding Slides decks for the parent/family informational sessions from last week. You can also find tutorials on how to use  ZOOM, Schoology, Seesaw, Clever, Notability, and other iPad essential tools for student learning. Additionally, there is a link to email the technology support desk. Please save or bookmark this site. It will be updated with tools, resources, and tutorials through remote learning to better support your family.