Another great week of learning has come to a close and I am proud to report that our Ivy Hall Wildcats have been hard at work. Being present in our school is always the highlight of my week. Some of my highlights this past week included observing a first grade student compliment a peer on their writing, 3rd graders practicing soccer dribbling skills in physical education, or saying hello to many smiling faces in the hallway.
Please see the dates for school attendance next week as it is a highly unusual week for student attendance. We look forward to welcoming families either virtually or in-person to Family Educator Conferences next week. I know our teachers are hard at work preparing to bring you updates on your child’s progress.
Have a great weekend!
Mike Senatore
NEW *Student "No School" Dates Next Week*
Wednesday, 10/5 ~ District Holiday
Thursday, 10/6 ~ Staff Development Day and Family Educator Conferences
Friday, 10/7 ~ Family Educator Conferences
NEW *Conferences*
Conferences are approaching next week on Thursday 10/6 and Friday 10/7. All conferences are virtual unless you have contacted the teacher via email and made arrangements for an in-person conference. This must be done no later than the end of the school day on Tuesday 10/4.
After scheduling a conference, you received an email from Meet the Teacher with a link for the conferences. This email was sent from the address [email protected] and will have the subject line “Your appointment for IVY HALL 2022 Fall Family Educator Conferences.” Please check your spam or junk mail folders if you do not remember getting this email. We have had several parents report this email going to those folders.
When you click on the link in that email, you will be asked to sign in to Meet the Teacher. Once signed in, follow these instructions:
Click on the green “Join Video Appointments” button
This will take you to a screen that allows you to check audio and video
Click on the blue “Proceed to Video Call” button
Click on the blue “Start Appointment” button and wait for teacher to join at the conference start time
The conference will automatically end when time runs out.
Click on the blue “Start Appointment” button for the next teacher if you have another appointment scheduled.
If you would like to invite another parent/guardian to the conference so that they can join from another device, follow these instructions:
Log in to Meet the Teacher
Go to “My Bookings”
Click on “Invite Parent/Guardian”
Meet the Teacher sign up will close at 11:55pm on Sunday 10/2. After that you must contact your child’s school office (847) 459-0022 to schedule a conference or make a change to an existing conference.
NEW *Halloween Costumes*
Our Halloween festivities will be here before we know it. We look forward to students dressing in their Halloween costumes for our Halloween Parade and classroom parties on Monday Oct. 31st. Please help us with the following costume guidelines. Students will change into their costumes after their lunch period at school. Please ensure that your child can get the costume on with minimal help.
Costumes must be appropriate for school. If costumes are not school appropriate the student will be asked to remove their costume.
Please no masks, blood, super scary stuff, general ickiness, or weapons
Please no cigars or cigarette items
Please no bare tummies
Please keep hair coloring and make-up simple
NEW *Cooler Weather is Upon Us*
The leaves are providing us a beautiful backdrop during recess. Please make sure that your child has the appropriate clothes as the temperature drops. Dressing in layers is always a good idea. Please label your child’s items so that if they find their way to the Lost and Found, the item can be returned to your child.
NEW *PTO Blog*
Our PTO maintains a weekly blog that has useful information for opportunities to get involved in the Ivy Hall School community. Their latest blog post can be found here, below are this week’s highlights.
- Contributions for Fall Conference Staff Dinner
- Yearbook Cover Contest
REPEAT *Band and Orchestra Reminder*
Band and orchestra lessons are well on their way. If your 4th or 5th grade child is in band or orchestra, it is important that they are prepared for the lesson, including having their instrument. Thanks for your support.
REPEAT *CONFERENCES*
Fall Family/Educator Conferences are right around the corner. The conference dates are Thursday, October 6th from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM and Friday, October 7th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.
We will be using Meet the Teacher as an electronic sign up for conferences. A School Messenger email will be sent to families on Monday, September 19th at 6:00PM with a link to sign up for conferences.
Conferences will be held virtually using Meet the Teacher’s video conferencing platform unless parents request an in-person conference using the instructions below. After you have scheduled your conferences, you will receive an email from Meet the Teacher with a link you will use to access the video conferences.
Elementary parents will have the option to sign up with the classroom teacher as well as specials teachers and any related service providers their children see.
If you are unable to schedule a conference with a specific teacher, please remember that conferences are not the only time to communicate with teachers. Please feel free to reach out any time.
REQUESTING AN IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
If you want to have an in-person conference with the teachers, you must notify the teachers via email by the end of the day on Tuesday, October 4th.
REPEAT *Attendance Visibility in TeacherEase*
District 96 is helping to support families by giving easier access to attendance information for elementary students. Please follow this link that will show you how to access student attendance information at primary and elementary schools in District 96.
REPEAT *Letters to Veterans*
With Veteran’s Day just around the corner, we are inviting D96 students to write thank you notes or letters to veterans. These letters will be included in individualized care packages that will be given to veterans who attend an upcoming recognition event in Lake County. If your student is interested, please have them return their letter or thank you note to the front office no later than October 13th to ensure we are able to mail them in enough time to be included in the Lake County project.