Dear Parents,
How great it was to welcome our Wildcats back to school this week! It was so nice to see so many smiling faces and to hear about how each student spent their summer. There is a positive buzz in the air at Ivy Hall!
We officially welcomed students back with a Back to School Assembly today. School spirit is at an all-time high as our new Willy the Wildcat mascot, courtesy of the PTO, made his debut! Thank you PTO!
I wish you a wonderful weekend and we look forward to welcoming students to our first full week of school,
Mike Senatore
NEW *Student Picture Day*
Ivy Hall’s student picture day is Tuesday, August 29th. Order before Picture Day to receive free shipping to the school. Order online here.
NEW *Upcoming Dates*
- Wednesday, August 23th Curriculum Night at Kildeer & Prairie
- 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. (Grades 1 and 2)
- 7:15 to 8 p.m. (Grades 3-5)
- Thursday, August 24th 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 29th - Ivy Hall Picture Day
- Tuesday, August 29th - Early Release Day
- School starts at 8:25am and ends at 2:05 pm
- Please see the Twin Groves, Woodlawn, and Willow Grove Principal’s Message for attendance times
- Thursday, August 31st Curriculum Night at Country Meadows
- 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. (Grades 1 and 2)
- 7:15 to 8 p.m. (Grades 3-5)
NEW *Bus Stops and Times*
Please ensure that students arrive to their bus stop ten minutes early. Also, please be patient with all routes as each route is adjusting to new stops and will usually take longer in the beginning of the school year as drivers familiarize themselves with each stop. Thank you!
NEW *PTO Blog*
Please be sure to read our weekly PTO blog so that you’ll know about all the exciting activities that our PTO has to offer!
- Update Your Membership Toolkit (MTK) Account & Purchase Frozen Treat Friday & Special Lunch!
- Send us your Photos from Meet The Teacher and First Day of School
- Save The Date - Book Fair & Ice Cream Social
REPEAT *Law Enforcement Safety Drill Education*
On August 28, Ivy Hall will be conducting the annual Law Enforcement Safety Drill Education. Students will be learning age-appropriate safety procedures.
In compliance with the Safety Drill Act, parents have the right to exempt their child from the Law Enforcement Drill Education with their school peers.
If you do not wish your child to participate in the Law Enforcement Safety Drill Education with the other peers, 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.
REPEAT *Arrival and Dismissal Procedures for the ‘23-24’ 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, busers, and private transportation arrive and depart from here at Ivy Hall.
REPEAT *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. Please fill out one submission per child if you have multiple children at Ivy Hall.
REPEAT *Simultaneous Student Pick-Up from Willow Grove & Elementary Schools*
Please know that we understand that some families may have concerns related to picking students up from Willow Grove and an elementary school building. Please know that all principals are aware of this concern, and no child will ever be left unattended. We know you may be going to more than one school with the same dismissal time. We appreciate your best effort in picking your children up in a timely manner, and we appreciate you adhering to our dismissal times. If when you arrive at a building your child is not waiting outside with an adult, please park and come to the front office. If you will arrive after 3:15 pm to a specific location, please call and inform the office of your ETA.
REPEAT *Changes to Dismissal Plans*
Please contact the school office by noon 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 *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.
A FAQ for the Approved Snack List can be found here.
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 *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 *D96 Food Service Information*
ON-LINE MEAL PREPAYMENT SYSTEM (K12PaymentCenter.com)
District 96 parents are encouraged to utilize the District's on-line system to prepay student meal accounts and monitor account activity / balance. There are no fees to use the site or to make online payments. Please click here for more information. If you still have questions regarding the K12PaymentCenter (K12PaymentCenter.com), please feel free to contact Michelle Zelek, Director of Business Services at [email protected].
Please note: You will need the student ID number at the top of this message to successfully add your student to your K12PaymentCenter account.
Even if you choose to continue to send payment to school rather than pay on-line, we encourage you to utilize the free service to monitor your student's meal history and balance.
FREE MEAL & FEE WAIVER APPLICATION (LunchApplication.com)
If you believe your child may be eligible for a free/reduced meals and fee waiver AND have not yet applied, please utilize our on-line application system at LunchApplication.com. You will need your child's student ID number, provided at the top of this message, to complete the application. Please apply based on your current income information. Please note that if you have already received an email from the District indicating that your student(s) were approved for free or reduced meal benefits during this school year, you need not apply again.
MENUS (KCSD FOOD SERVICE MENU INFO)
Please visit the District 96 Website to view current meal menus. Under the About menu dropdown, select Menus/Manage Account. This page contains links to the menu page, as well as the K12PaymentCenter and LunchApplication.com.