August 13, 2021

  • Posted August 13, 2021
August 13, 2021

Dear Parents,

I want to welcome all families, again, to a brand new school year. I hope that your families all had some time to relax and enjoy the warm summer weather. 

I want to thank the families for coming to the Ivy Hall new family information/tour today. Our new families met and learned about District 96 and Ivy Hall. Families had the opportunity to ask specific questions and we all had a great time meeting and sharing Ivy Hall with you. We look forward to this school year. Welcome to District 96!

This upcoming week we will have our “Meet the Teacher” event on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, from 8:30am-9:15 am for families with a last name starting with the letter A-L and 9:15 am-10:00 am for families with a last name starting with the letter M-Z. We look forward to seeing you there. Please don’t forget the first day of school is Thursday, August 19, 2021, and is a half-day dismissal at 11:45 am. We are all excited to start the school year together!

Fondly,

Bob Hanrahan, Principal

NEW *Dismissal Plans*

Please take a moment and fill out your student's default dismissal plan. We understand that this might change, but for now please confirm a default dismissal method for each day Monday thru Friday. Click on your child's class link below to find your teacher's form.

NEW *Food Service*

FREE MEALS IN SCHOOL:  Under the waivers to USDA Nutrition Programs currently offered, the District is able to provide free meals to all students.  One reimbursable daily meal will be provided free of charge to each student that chooses to participate on school days.  

SNACKS FOR PURCHASE IN SEPTEMBER: Snacks will start being offered at the beginning of September.  If you wish your child to be able to purchase snacks at that time, please be sure to have their account prepaid on the K12PaymentCenter.  This site will allow you not only to monitor balances but also transaction history.  There are no transaction fees related to this account.  To create an account you will need your student's 7 digit ID number, which will be emailed to you this evening with the subject line of D96 Food Service Information.

ORDERING PROCESS:  Each morning, students will tell their teachers which entree they will order and those numbers will be shared with the food service staff.  Please encourage your students to take the entree they ordered to ensure that all students receive the desired meal.  Menus can be viewed on the District website.

FINAL DRIVE THROUGH MEAL HANDOUT: Now that all students will be in person, the final drive-through meal handout will occur on Monday, August 16th, and will contain four days of meals.

NEW *August 19 ~ First Day of School* 

The first day of school is Thursday, August 19th. It is a half-day, from 8:25-11:45. On the first day of school, we will have extra staff at all entrances and outside the building to support student arrival and dismissal. Students will get to know their new classmates and teachers and dive right into the learning. Please see the transportation information below for arrival and departure.

NEW *New Family Tours*

I want to thank the families for coming to the Ivy Hall new family information/tour today. Our new families met and learned about District 96 and Ivy Hall. Families had the opportunity to ask specific questions and we all had a great time meeting and sharing Ivy Hall with you. We look forward to this school year. Welcome to District 96!

New *General Communication Expectations for Teachers* 

Teachers will communicate with parents, at a minimum, twice a month. Staff uses different forms of electronic communication. Some examples include emailed newsletters, blogs, email, and websites. You will learn this information at meet the teacher and/or curriculum night as well if you are in attendance. If you can’t make it to either one of these events, please connect with your student’s teacher to learn how he or she communicates.

NEW *Upcoming Dates of Note*

  • Curriculum Night: Next Wednesday, August 25, 2021 from 6:30 pm-8:00 pm at Ivy Hall 
  • Picture Day- September 1, 2021, @ Ivy Hall

NEW *School Hours* 

Arrival time is between 8:10 am and 8:25 am

The bell that starts the day rings at 8:25 am. A parent/adult must accompany late-arriving students into the office and sign them in using the iPad. You do this if you arrive after 8:25 am.  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 bring your child into the front office.

  • Dismissal: 3:00 p.m.

NEW *Three Types of School Days*

There are generally three different types of school days below. Each day begins at 8:25 am, but the end times based on the type of day, are listed below.

  • Regular Day School Hours:  8:25 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.                                                                                
  • Half-Day School Hours: 8:25 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
  • Early Release Day School Hours: 8:25 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

NEW *PTO NEWS*

Please visit the PTO during Meet the Teacher Day on Tuesday, August 17th. All committee and volunteer sign-ups will be online as well as sign-ups for many of the fundraisers. The PTO will be available to help.  If you would like to get a head start, log on to Membership Toolkit (https://ivyhallpto.membershiptoolkit.com/).

*** The PTO blog was also updated today.

Please check it out here: https://www.kcsd96.org/ih/pto/blog

NEW *Arrival & Departure Procedures* 

There are many rules and procedures regarding arrival and dismissal. This can be challenging to get acquainted with and even frustrating. However, these procedures have been developed with student safety as the driving factor. These plans and procedures were developed in conjunction with our Facilities Director (Sam Miranda) and the Buffalo Grove Police Department. The Buffalo Grove police and District 96 appreciate your patience and understanding as we have established these routines in the interest of safety. The first few dismissals can be slow due to staff and students learning their routines. Please be patient. The picture below denotes all the forms of transportation that we have here at Ivy Hall. Please observe the picture and note areas where walkers, bussers, and private transportation arrival and depart from here at Ivy Hall.

NEW *Changes to Dismissal*

Please contact the school office at least 1 hour prior to dismissal in the event that your dismissal plans change. Your child will be at the designated dismissal location unless the school is notified in accordance with the above. Please notify the office in writing in accordance with the district handbook (PLEASE REVIEW HANDBOOK LANGUAGE). 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 (PLEASE REVIEW HANDBOOK LANGUAGE).

NEW *Daily Snack*

All students should bring an individual daily snack. It is required that snacks are only from our District Approved Snack List for the safety of students. Please label snacks with your child’s name.

Approved Snacks: What Parents Need to Know

The District has revised the APPROVED SNACK LIST. The items the list includes are free of the Top 8 allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.  This list includes the foods that are approved for students' Daily Snacks.  Daily snacks for your children must be from this list or they will be sent home.  

IMPORTANT: All items for Daily Snacks, with the exception of fruits and vegetables, MUST be prepackaged to allow staff to easily check that snacks meet the approved requirements.  

Director of Educational Services Amy Gluck also has provided responses to FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) about foods approved for daily snacks/special events.

For your convenience, find links to the District 96 Approved Snack List and Approved Snack List FAQs on the homepage of the District 96 website and the homepage of each school.

Lunches packed from home may contain anything and do not need to be from the Approved Snack List.  If your child is bringing in lunch, snacks must be packed separately from lunch. Please label lunch bags and snacks with your child’s name.