Dear Parents,
It was so great to see so many of our Wildcat families at Pizza Bingo this past Wednesday! Hats off to our PTO for hosting such a successful event. Please review the dates below for our upcoming Spirit Week hosted by Student Council.
Have a terrific weekend,
Mike Senatore
NEW *Upcoming Dates*
Monday, April 24th - 5th Grade Parent Transition to Middle School Zoom @ 7:00pm
Tuesday, April 25th - Early Release Day
REMINDER! *Spirit Week Hosted by Student Council*
Monday, April 24th - Sports Day
Tuesday, April 25th - Hat Day (Baseball Theme Special Lunch)
Wednesday, April 26th - Neon Day
Thursday, April 27th - Mismatch Day
Friday, April 28th - PJ Day
NEW *2nd Grade Concert Reminder*
Dear Second Grade parents,
Next week, Wednesday, April 26th is the big show and we are so excited to perform for you!
Please bring your child to the music room at 6:15 pm that day before going to the gym to have a seat. The show begins at 6:30 pm and will be approximately 20 minutes long.
Looking forward to seeing you!
Jane Coleman
Music Director
NEW *Staff Appreciation Shout Outs!*
It's time to celebrate our staff! Staff Appreciation Week is coming up on May 8-May 12. 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.
Please join me in celebrating our staff by submitting a shout-out HERE! I will personally email the staff during Staff Appreciation Week with your shout-out to thank them for a job well done!
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.
- Book Fair, Pizza Bingo - Thank you!
- Staff Appreciation Week
- 2023 - 2024 PTO Board & Committee Chair Opportunities
- Eat at Culver’s, 4/21, support the PTO
REPEAT *5th Grade Choral Concert*
Dear Parents,
The 5th graders are so excited to put on their music show, I NEED A VACATION! Wed. May 10th at 6:30 p.m.
Some students have volunteered to do an extra part. If your child has an extra part, they may have already brought home a note explaining what their part is. Please try to put together any kind of costume to represent the part.
If your child is not doing an extra part, please have them wear normal clothes, but please nothing with letters or numbers.
Looking forward to seeing you!
Sincerely,
Ms. Jane Coleman
Music Director
REPEAT *Heelys Shoes*
Heelys shoes are not allowed to be worn at school as they can be considered skates and potential disruptions to the learning environment as well as safety concerns. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
REPEAT *Parent Night for 5th Graders Transitioning to Middle School*
On Monday, April 24, parents of 5th Graders can join the “Transition to Middle School,” where they can get answers to questions they may have about their student entering sixth-grade at a District middle school.
This information-packed virtual program begins at 7 p.m. April 24 (via Zoom).
Hear from Twin Groves Principal Jessica Barnes and Woodlawn Principal Greg Grana, who will discuss academics, extracurricular opportunities, and changes that middle school years bring. A highlight? Current 6th-grade panelists sharing their perspectives.
Questions? Contact KCSD 96 Community Parent Liaison Lubna Andrabi, at 847.459.4260, ext. 8136, or at [email protected].
REPEAT *Spring Conference Feedback Request*
Whether you decide to schedule a student-led conference or not, we would love to hear from you. Please complete a very short survey concerning Spring Conferences.
If the link above does not work please copy/paste the following link into your browser: https://kcsd96.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1NUbeIG55AjvsP4
REPEAT *Parent Input for Class Placement Survey*
Creating balanced class lists that meet the needs of all students is a tremendously difficult task that takes many hours of thoughtful dialogue between classroom teachers, administrators, and specialists. We take this process very seriously. The process for class list creation is as follows:
Teachers think about the social and academic needs of each of their current students while recording pertinent information to assist in the decision-making process.
Grade-level teachers, principals, specials area teachers, and specialists meet together to form class lists that are balanced in terms of academic, social, and emotional needs as well as considering peer dynamics. This is no easy task and often takes several meetings. This team of educators considers each child’s personality, academic needs, friendship patterns, etc. as they make a match for each individual child.
This team of educators creates a draft set of class lists taking into consideration parent input.
Class lists are then revised in August with summer changes for students who move in or out of the district.
Class rosters are never final until they are released to families in August.
This process happens for grades 2-5. Willow Grove creates the class lists for our incoming 1st graders. Our 5th-grade team actively works with Twin Groves to provide data and input related to placement decisions at the middle school level.
We strongly believe that this detailed and collaborative process creates learning environments that benefit all students. It is a delicate balancing act that takes much consideration and thought by professionals who know and care about your children. Our goal is to create balanced class lists that promote the success of each child. Please know that your child is placed in a classroom for very specific reasons. The process benefits all students. Because of the input and thought given by teachers, specialists, parents, and the principal team, we do not make changes once this process occurs, as removing or moving one child can disrupt the balance of an entire class, impacting all students.
I welcome any insight you wish to share about your child’s strengths, needs, and learning style. I will take into consideration pertinent information received before Sunday, April 30th by 11:55 pm. Please remember, while we welcome your input, specific teacher or friend placement requests will not be honored.
I cannot express enough how important it is that your thoughts are provided through the 2023-2024 Class Placement Parent Input Form. As you can imagine, we receive a lot of parent input, and verbal information is impossible to track. The information you provide in the survey will remain confidential between you, me, and Mrs. Heinrich.