Welcome back to school, it’s officially 2023! I hope that you and your family had a restorative winter break. It was great to see students back engaging in instruction and learning as we settle back into a routine.
We have exciting news coming out of Ivy Hall. On Tuesday, we will officially launch our Positive Behavioral Recognition Program, PAWS. Students will be recognized for demonstrating expected behaviors related to our K triple-R (Kind, Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn).
Students can earn individual blue paws and their goal is to collect ten paws in order to be entered into a raffle to win experiences throughout the school. These experiences may include joining me for morning announcements, picking a seat in the cafeteria next to a great friend, or helping Ms. Meyer scan books in the library. These are just a few of the neat experiences that students will be able to choose from!
There will also be opportunities for classes and grade levels to earn “Golden Paws” while they work toward a collective grade-level goal. Each grade-level will vote on an experience to earn while their each grade-level’s progress will be displayed on our TVs throughout the school.
We will meet with each class on Tuesday to review the program and review expected behaviors throughout various locations of the school including lunch, recess, the hallway, and the restroom.
We look forward to implementing this program that will positively recognize students for their behavior which ultimately helps their academic progress and growth.
Please ask your child about the PAWS next week, we hope that the program will get off to a great start!
Have a great weekend,
Mike Senatore
NEW *Law Enforcement Safety Drill*
On Tuesday, January 17th, Ivy Hall will be conducting a Law Enforcement Safety Drill.
In compliance with the Safety Drill Act, parents have the right to exempt their child from the Law Enforcement Drill.
If you do not wish your child to participate in the Law Enforcement Safety Drill, please contact Mike Senatore at [email protected]. The administration will arrange for an alternative review of safety procedures with your child.
If we do not hear from you, we will assume your child has permission to participate in the drill.
NEW *Upcoming Dates and Spirit Days Hosted by Student Council*
Monday, January 16 - No School, MLK Day
Friday, January 20th - Spirit Day - Bring your Stuffed Animal to School Day
Tuesday, January 24 - Early Release Day
Friday, January 27th - Spirit Day - PJ Day (Paired with Special Lunch, Breakfast for Lunch)
NEW *Girls on the Run*
The goal of Girls on the Run is to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, and physical development. At the end of the season, the girls will participate in a 5k event. The program is open to girls in Grades 3-5. Running experience is not required.
Ivy Hall Girls on the Run will meet on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:10 to 4:30 p.m. Each session consists of a lesson and running. The season begins at the beginning of March 2023 and practices continue through mid-late May, 2023. Participants are expected to attend all practices. If your student is already involved in an activity that conflicts with Girls on the Run, please do not submit an interest form at this time.
If you are interested in having your daughter join Girls on the Run for the Spring Season, please read and fill out this 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. Their latest blog post can be found here, below are this week’s highlights.
- Valentine’s Party Volunteer Sign-up
- A Valentine’s Day Treat for Staff
- Ice Cream Wednesday Cards for Jan-May
NEW *Changes to Lunchroom Seating*
Beginning in January 2023, we will no longer be assigning students to sit at a specific table during lunch.
Each classroom will have 4 designated tables by teacher and students will be able to choose where to sit within those 4 tables.
For 5th-grade students, we will begin “Free Sit Friday” where students can choose to sit at any table within the lunch room. This is to help students prepare for their transition to middle school where there are no assigned seats at lunch. Please encourage your 5th grader to extend invitations to all students to make sure each student feels that they have a group of friends to sit with.
NEW *Assessments for Middle School Language Arts, Math*
Each spring, students in 5th grade take several assessments that determine the placement in middle school Language Arts and Math classes. For more details concerning the placement process ~ including the number and type of assessments as well as dates ~ please CLICK HERE to access the information on our website.
NEW *Pre-Registration Open for Incoming 2023-24 Kindergartners*
Pre-Registration for incoming 2023-24 kindergartners is now open.
The 2023-24 Kindergarten Pre-Registration is open to students who live within District 96 boundaries and will be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2023.
To begin the Kindergarten Pre-Registration process, parents must email all required documents to the administrative assistant at Willow Grove Early Learning Center at [email protected].
Parents need to supply the following:
Student’s Proof of Age (such as a Birth Certificate or Passport or Visa)
Parent/Guardian Photo ID (Passport or Driver’s License)
Proof of District Residency (a current mortgage statement or current lease or property tax bill)
Current Utility Bill
Click the link to download & complete: RESIDENCY FORM
Click the link to download & complete: HOME LANGUAGE SURVEY
Click the link to download & complete: ENROLLMENT FORM
After the submitted documents are approved, families will receive a Pre-Registration link to complete by January 31, 2023. Students pre-registered by January 31 will receive a free Willow Grove T-shirt. (T-shirts are not available after this pre-registration period.)
Families needing to pre-register their child in person may contact Kimberly O’Neill, administrative assistant at Willow Grove Early Learning Center, at [email protected] or at (847) 541-3660.
Learn more about Kindergarten in District 96: https://www.kcsd96.org/wg/kindergarten-in-kcsd96
Got questions? Email Kimberly O’Neill, administrative assistant at Willow Grove, at [email protected].
REPEAT *ACCESS Testing*
The State of Illinois requires identified English Learner (EL) students to annually participate in the ACCESS testing to determine current English language proficiency in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Our ACCESS testing window will occur from 1/17-2/22. Each school’s testing schedule is unique and will only impact students who take the ACCESS test. Students taking ACCESS do not need to prepare anything ahead of time.