Dear Parents,
Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! I think I speak for all of us when I say that summer has certainly flown by and I can’t believe school starts in 13 short days. I hope that you and your family have had a wonderful and restful summer. The Ivy Hall staff is excited to welcome students back to school for another great year of learning.
I am beginning my principal career at an outstanding school and I couldn’t be more excited to meet the students. We have over 100 staff members that are some of the best in the profession. We are part of an incredible school district that places priority on student growth and development. Again, I am truly humbled and honored to be Ivy Hall’s principal.
Please see the “Important August Dates” section below for events going on this month. We look forward to seeing you at our many upcoming events. We are all excited to start the school year together!
Kindly,
Mike Senatore, Principal
NEW *Important August Dates*
Friday, August 12th from 2:00 pm - 2:45 pm - New Family Tour at Country Meadows, Ivy Hall, Kildeer, & Prairie - Please RSVP for the New Family Tour HERE.
Wednesday, August 17th from 8:30 am - 9:30 am - Meet the Teacher at Country Meadows, Ivy Hall, Kildeer, & Prairie
Wednesday, August 17th from 10:00 am - 11:00 am - Meet the Teacher at Willow Grove
Thursday, August 18th - First day of school. This is a half-day. School starts at 8:25am and ends at 11:45am Students may arrive at school at 8:10am, when adult supervision starts. Please do not arrive at school earlier than 8:10am. Please see the Twin Groves, Woodlawn, and Willow Grove Principal’s Message for attendance times.
Friday, August 19th - Full day of school. 8:25am - 3:05pm. Please note the new dismissal time. Please see the Twin Groves, Woodlawn, and Willow Grove Principal’s Message for attendance times.
Wednesday, August 24th Curriculum Night at Country Meadows, Kildeer, & Prairie
6:30 to 7:15 p.m. (Grades 1 and 2)
7:15 to 8 p.m. (Grades 3-5)
Thursday, August 25th Curriculum Night at Ivy Hall
6:30 to 7:15 p.m. (Grades 1 and 2)
7:15 to 8 p.m. (Grades 3-5)
Tuesday, August 30th - Early Release at 2:05 pm at Country Meadows, Ivy Hall, Kildeer, & Prairie. Please see the Twin Groves, Woodlawn, and Willow Grove Principal’s Message for attendance times.
NEW *August 18 ~ First Day of School*
The first day of school is Thursday, August 18th. 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. We will assemble on the blacktop near the basketball hoops and playground on the Southwest side of the school. More specific information regarding arrival and dismissal will be in next week’s Principal’s Message. Each teacher will have a sign with their name so your child can easily find their class.
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.
NEW *Approved Snacks: What Parents Need to Know*
The District has revised the APPROVED SNACK LIST. The items on the list 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, Bob Hanrahan, 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 any food items, 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.
NEW *Technology Reminder*
It’s time to dust off the old school iPad and ensure that you plug it in to receive a full charge before the first day of school. Once your iPad is recharged, please restart it so that it receives the proper updates.
NEW *School Lunch Programs*
The federal program that allowed school districts across the country to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students, regardless of income, expired on June 30, 2022. As a result, schools across the nation will be reverting back to free and reduced-price meals based on income eligibility guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
During the 2022-23 school year, families who do not qualify for free or reduced lunch will have to pay for school meals. Students whose families are eligible for free or reduced price breakfast or lunch will be able to access meals at no cost or at a discounted rate. Applications for free and reduced meals available on the District’s website. Within this link, you will find menus and how to complete pre-payment for meals. If you have any questions, please contact the Ivy Hall office at 847.459-0022.
NEW *Lost and Found*
Our lost and found accumulates items very quickly. Items that remain when school goes into a break such as winter, spring, and summer breaks, these items are donated to local charities. To avoid the loss of costly coats, bike helmets, lunch boxes, water bottles, you name it, please label everything with your child’s name. Labeled items are returned to students. Thank you for your help!
NEW *Changes to Dismissal Plans*
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 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.
NEW *Student Picture Day*
Ivy Hall’s student picture day is Tuesday, August 30th. More information to come in an upcoming Principal’s Message.
NEW *Birthday Treats*
If you would like to have your child bring in something special for their birthday, only school appropriate, non-food items such as pencils, stickers, crazy straws, etc. will be allowed. If you are unsure whether the item is school appropriate, please contact your child's classroom teacher for guidance.
NEW *Health Form Deadline*
The district website lists today as the deadline for immunization forms. All immunizations should be completed to avoid school exclusion. Please refer to the D96 Student Health website for more information.
NEW *Class Placement Information & Bus Information*
Your child’s class placement and bus information, if applicable, will come to you electronically on Wednesday, August 10th. A team of staff members worked diligently to make sure each child was placed in the classroom in which he or she will find continued success. We know you appreciate the fact that, with such careful thought and consideration put into these decisions, including your input, no changes will be made and we thank you for your support. This year’s class lists were developed with the following teaching teams in place to ensure student success.
1st: Mrs. Courtney Carlson, Mrs. Leslie Levin, Mrs. Linda Litvan, Ms. Emily Potvin, Mrs. Lindsay Slivnick, Ms. Haley Veldhuizen
2nd: Mrs. Courtney Carlson, Mrs. Kenda Cappelen, Ms. Sandra Moore, Ms. Emily Potvin, Ms. Bri Savic, Ms. Julie Wright, Mrs. Nikki Yario
3rd: Mrs. Courtney Carlson, Ms. Kellie Cristofaro, Mrs. Katie Deger, Mrs. Hanna Dimayuga, Mrs. Nicole Dorfman, Mrs. Nicole Guarino, Mrs. Teaghan Hock, Ms. Lauren Katz, Mrs. Kelly McNamara, Ms. Emily Potvin
4th: Mrs. Brittany Balek, Ms. Kellie Cristofaro, Mrs. Katie Deger, Mrs. Hanna Dimayuga, Mrs. Nicole Guarino, Mrs. Kerry Nowicki, Ms. Emily Tyndorf, Mrs. Emma White
5th: Ms. Kellie Cristofaro, Mrs. Katie Deger, Mrs. Hanna Dimayuga, Mrs. Nicole Guarino, Mrs. Julie Holzhauer, Ms. Katie Knutson, Ms. Annie Nguyen, Mr. Enzie Pangilinan
If you do not receive a notification, please email our administrative assistant, Mrs. Lori Mackay, at [email protected], or give us a call in the office at 847.459.0022.
NEW *Short Video Clip Invitation*
Dear Community Members,
Are you just as excited about returning to school as we are? If so, District 96 wants to hear your story!
You are invited to submit short video clips encouraging and/or thanking our staff for the work they do with our students every day. The purpose is for us to use these thoughtful video clips of voices from our community members to create a montage for our staff, to continually remind them of the positive impact they make. If you are interested in joining our efforts, please take a moment to review the specifics for recording and submission.
Recording Specifics:
Please use a personal phone, tablet, or camera that records video to record one child, multiple children, or your entire family sharing in the message.
Shoot the videos horizontally (landscaped) so the videos we stitch together are all of the same orientation.
Verify your settings are at least 720p when using your camera. (Please check your device's camera settings to verify this.)
Limit your message to 15-45 seconds each.
Submission:
Once you have your videos recorded, please upload them to the Dropbox folder found at the URL below:
Dropbox File Request Link: https://www.dropbox.com/request/y1YqmGpHnCDD7OdMUENC
When submitting your video, please know you are giving us permission to play your recording at an Institute Day for our staff.
District 96 will review the video clips and create a montage that will be shared with staff at different times of the year to celebrate our employees.
If you have any problems with this link or any of the processes listed above, please email us at [email protected], and we will help you.