Dear Parents,
In just a few short days, our building will be filled with staff putting the finishing touches to welcome your child(ren) and kickoff the 2022-2023 school year. We are eagerly anticipating the back-to-school energy filling the hallways! As my mother would say, six more wake ups until the first day of school!
This school year, we welcome back Mrs. Samantha Heinrich as Ivy Hall’s Assistant Principal. Mrs. Heinrich enters her fourteenth year in District 96 having worked as an Instructional Aide, Classroom Teacher, Math Coach, and Innovation Coach across various schools in the district including Ivy Hall.
Mrs. Heinrich and I had the pleasure of welcoming many new families to the Ivy Hall building and community today. Our new families toured the school and they were able to hear about our educational programming as well as the wonderful Ivy Hall School community.
Please see below for NEW and important REPEATING information below.
NEW *Meet the Teacher*
We are so excited to see all of our students at Ivy Hall on August 17th between 8:30 am-9:30 am. Students are invited to drop off supplies in their new classroom, briefly meet the classroom teacher, and meet/greet other Ivy Hall staff and administration. All children must be supervised by their parent/guardian for the duration of the event.
NEW *School Hours*
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. – 3:05 p.m.
Half-Day School Hours: 8:25 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Early Release Day School Hours: 8:25 a.m. – 2:05 p.m
NEW *Arrival and Dismissal Procedures for the 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 close the south parking lot by the playground. Prior to the start of school, in the morning, students will line up on the south lot blacktop by the playground. Teachers will be outside to meet the students with signs to help guide students to the correct classroom. Student vehicle drop off will be on Penny Lane for the first day only. In the event that it is raining, students will enter the gym through the south lot / playground doors prior to school beginning. In the event that we have rain, parents and/or guardians are prohibited from entering the building due to safety and security protocols. Thank you for keeping our building safe for students.
NEW *Arrival and Dismissal Procedures for the ‘22-23’ School Year*
There are many rules and procedures regarding arrival and dismissal. These procedures have been developed with student safety as the most important consideration. 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 arrive and depart from here at Ivy Hall.
NEW *Dismissal Plans*
Please take a moment to fill out your student’s default dismissal plan. We understand this might change, but for now please confirm a default dismissal method for each day Monday through Friday. Click on your child’s class link to find your teacher’s form.
NEW *PTO Blog*
Our PTO maintains a weekly blog that has useful information for opportunities to get involved in the Ivy Hall School community. Please follow the link HERE to see their first post of the school year. Highlights include…
Membership Toolkit Information
Volunteer sign up for Special Lunch and Ice Cream Wednesday
Ivy Hall Staff Coffee Bar
Culver’s Fundraiser on 8/18
Box Tops for Education App
NEW *Student Picture Day*
Ivy Hall’s student picture day is Tuesday, August 30th. Please follow the link below and use the unique code provided to look at Prepay Online ordering options for school pictures of your child.
Online Order Code: 69712H
REPEAT *Important August Dates*
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.
REPEAT *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.
REPEAT *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.
REPEAT *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.
REPEAT *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.
REPEAT *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!
REPEAT *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.
REPEAT *Birthday Treats*
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.
REPEAT *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.