April 29, 2022

April 29, 2022

Dear Parents,

It’s hard to believe that next week ushers in the month of May. What a difference a year makes! A couple of items of note: next week District 96 will be administering the NWEA MAP assessment to students. This test is used to measure growth and to identify areas of support to better inform our teacher’s instruction now and in the future.

Our school and community partnership has always been a crucial part of student success, but none more than in the last couple of years. This partnership is a critical component of supporting students.

Speaking of supporting students, it's time to celebrate our staff. Next week marks Staff Appreciation Week. I know that our PTO has some wonderful things in store to celebrate the commitment of our staff to our students. We appreciate your partnership and all that you do to make our staff and students feel special and valued.

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Last Wednesday evening the Ivy Hall community had a terrific turn out the Ivy Hall PTO-sponsored Pizza Bingo Silent Auction, Variety Show, and Book Fair. I really need to thank the Ivy Hall PTO executive board, the Ivy Hall PTO volunteers, the staff, and the students for making this event possible. Students did an excellent job with their Variety Show performances. Families and staff came together to enjoy bingo, pizza, and each other’s company. The Ivy Hall PTO brought a book machine for the building and dedicated it with my name on it. I sincerely appreciate the gesture. I must say I stand on the shoulders of those that have given me this opportunity to lead. The staff at Ivy Hall and the community partnerships make Ivy Hall such a special place. I will forever be grateful for my five years here and I’m very grateful for this amazing gesture.

Respectfully,

Bob Hanrahan, Principal

NEW *Curriculum Home Connections*

New Resource Page Designed, with Parents in Mind

In response to some parents' questions about how to best support their children with academic work at home, the district’s Instructional Coaches designed a one-stop resource that equips these families in doing just that.

The resource is a new District web page ~ the “Home to School Connections'' ~ designed for parents and filled with invaluable links to internal and external Technology and Curriculum Resources.  Under the Technology Resources heading, for instance, parents will find the usual District resources used for assistance with iPads, frequently used apps, TeacherEase, SeeSaw and Schoology.

The page also features Curriculum Resources, which presents a wealth of resources ~ sorted by grade/grade levels ~ for help with literacy, math, and the other subject areas, and links to the District’s pacing guides (which indicate what a child is expected to know at each grade level). 

Families will find resources to practice high-frequency words, strengthen their mastery of math-word problems or help them write more descriptively.  There is also information on supporting a multilingual student at home and 10 of the best questions to ask your student to elicit more than a ‘yes,’ ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ response about what they’re learning or experiencing at school.

The resource was debuted at Thursday night’s Thought Exchange Partnership (TEP) meeting.  Check it out for yourself:

Home Page:

https://sites.google.com/kcsd96.org/home-to-school-connections/home

Curriculum Connection Page: 

https://sites.google.com/kcsd96.org/home-to-school-connections/curriculum-connections

Technology Connection Page:

https://sites.google.com/kcsd96.org/home-to-school-connections/technology-resources

NEW *Variety Show*

Ivy Hall Wildcats and even Ivy Hall staff submitted some wonderful videos demonstrating their talents. The show has many acts with students playing instruments, dancing, making origami, and much more. Please take some time and check out our Wildly Talented Wildcats!!! Transparently if this video has some copy-right issues, I will reupload and reshare ASAP. VIDEO LINK HERE

NEW *Ivy Hall PTO*

  • PTO BLOG Contents Below - Link: https://www.kcsd96.org/ih/pto/blog
  • Ivy Hall PTO Link Tree: http://linktr.ee/ivyhallpto 
  • Thank You
  • Special Lunch in May - Orders Due May 8 (Papa Johns)
  • 5TH GRADE SPRING FLING - REGISTER NOW!
  • Ice Cream Wednesday - Reminder To Purchase Your Punch Card
  • Earn $ for Ivy Hall by grocery shopping (in-store or online)
  • ORDER YOUR SCHOOL SUPPLY KITS FOR 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR (DUE JULY 8)
  • IVY HALL PTO DEDICATES “BOB’S BOOK BANK” IN HONOR OF PRINCIPAL HANRAHAN

REPEAT *Spring NWEA MAP Testing*

All K-8 students will be taking the Spring NWEA MAP assessment on Monday, May 2nd, and Tuesday, May 3rd.  Makeups will be scheduled on an as-needed basis.

REPEAT *Summer 2022 iPad Information*

All Buildings:

Students in grades K-7 will keep their iPad and all peripherals over the summer unless they are not returning to D96 for the 22-23 school year. 

Any non-returning students will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.

Families who exit out of D96 after the last day of school will need to return all of their technology to the District Office over the summer. Any device not returned will be placed in lost mode and will not function.

Over the summer, some apps and services will continue to work at the student’s 21-22 grade level. Apps and websites like Dreambox, Lexia, Typing Agent, (etc) will be available to use over the summer but are not guaranteed to work at all times. The technology department will only be supporting the use of these apps in ESY or Summer School. 

As we get closer to August, we will roll-up student data and new services. Apps will also become available to them relative to their 22-23 grade level.

REPEAT *5th Graders to Visit TG on May 12th*

Our 5th-grade students will be visiting Twin Groves Middle School on May 12th at 1:00 pm.  Students will be transported by bus.  While at TG, Mrs. Barnes and Mrs. Delehanty will walk students through a typical schedule including Flex, Exploratory classes, PE/Health, Technology, Clubs, Study Hall, Lunch, Sports, and how to get extra help. The principals will talk about passing periods and where to go if help is needed in any area of school life.  6th graders will provide a tour of TG after the "Day in the Life of a TG student..." overview.

REPEAT *5th Grade Music Concert*

The fifth-grade class is so excited to present their music show, “Start Your Day With A Song”.  In addition to singing, the students will be performing on the ukulele.  The half-hour show will be Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at 6:30 p.m.  Please have your child wear a solid color top (no numbers, lettering or pictures) and solid color pants (please no sweatpants).  We are looking forward to seeing you! - Jane Coleman, Music Teacher

REPEAT *Talking to Students about Events in Ukraine* LINK HERE

REPEAT *Parent Input for 2022-2023 Class Placement* LINK HERE

REPEAT *Proof of Dental Exam* LINK HERE

REPEAT *Reproving Residency for Kindergartners and 5th graders* LINK HERE

REPEAT *Food Service Information (Breakfast / Lunch)* LINK HERE

REPEAT *Arrival & Dismissal Procedures* LINK HERE - Also RENEW Above