Dear Parents,
What an incredible return of our Ivy Hall staff and students! It brought all of us great joy to see our families and students in the hallways this past week. My favorite part was welcoming our Ivy Hall Wildcats on the first day of school. Some students showed up with “smiling eyes” while others might have felt a little more anxious. Regardless of how they started their day, I am confident our students ended in a great way.
This means our school year is officially off to a running start and we have a great adventure ahead of us. Thanks for your partnership to make this an incredible year ahead for all!
Next week we will have an opportunity to invite our parents to curriculum night where you can talk further with your child’s teacher and hear some updates from Mrs. Mollerdino and me. Please see some information below for further details.
Bob Hanrahan, Principal
NEW *Curriculum Night UPDATE*
Curriculum Night is scheduled for Wednesday, August 25th. This is a “parents only” meeting, and I hope you can attend. This year we will be offering a hybrid format. If you’d prefer to “zoom in” there will be a link for the principal presentation and a different link for the classroom teacher portion. These links will be sent out Tuesday evening. If you would like to attend in person, please come directly to the large gym for the principal presentation followed by classroom visits. Please note due to safety and capacity, we are asking that only one parent per child attends in-person.
- Grades 1-2 @ 6:30p.m.
- Grades 3, 4 and 5 @ 7:00 p.m.
Times overlap for grade levels on curriculum night with the intention that you only need to hear/see the principal portion one time. We start as a large group in the big gym space/zoom and after a few messages from us, you’ll go to your children’s classrooms/zoom link.
NEW *Bus Information*
As shared previously, District 96's transportation contractor, First Student, has notified us that they, like many industries, are experiencing a workforce shortage. This issue, paired with on-going road construction in our area, has led them to notify us that many of our bus routes will be affected by late arrivals to and departures from KCSD schools.
Please know that this is outside of District 96's control, but we are doing everything we can to minimize the impact on our students and will continue to insist that they work to fulfill their contract with us to our satisfaction.
If you have questions, contact the Transportation Department via email at [email protected].
Regards,
~ Sam Miranda, Director of Facilities and Transportation
NEW *NWEA MAP Assessment*
All students in grades K-8 will be participating in the NWEA MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) assessment. The MAP assessment is a normed referenced, computerized adaptive test that helps teachers, parents, and administrators improve learning for all students and make informed decisions to promote a child's academic growth. Like in previous years, all students will be taking the MAP test in reading and math during the school day. Testing will take place during the MAP window, August 30-September 10. The specific dates of testing will be communicated in next week’s principal message.
NEW *PTO Blog
Please check out the PTO blog: https://www.kcsd96.org/ih/pto/blog
- Request for photos & selfies from meet the teacher and first day of school - email [email protected]
- Volunteer sign-up is now live - volunteer to help at Ice Cream Wednesday & Special Lunch - one spot per family, please!
- NEW for 2021-22 Ice Cream Wednesday is now CASHLESS! NO CASH WILL BE ACCEPTED. Punch cards can be purchased on MTK - Ice Cream Wednesday begins Sept 1.
NEW *Ivy Hall PTO Useful Tool*
The PTO has constructed a simple page of links to help families navigate the different informational items and volunteer opportunities. You can find this link here https://linktr.ee/ivyhallpto
NEW *Student Picture Day UPDATED DATE*
Ivy Hall’s student picture day is August 31, 2021. More information to come.
Repeat *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.
Repeat *School Hours*
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Arrival time is between 8:10 am and 8:25 am
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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.
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Dismissal: 3:00 p.m.
Repeat *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.
Repeat *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.
Repeat *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).
Repeat *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.