Dear Families,
We enjoyed having all of our students back for a full week this week! As the weather continues to fluctuate, please ensure that your students are prepared for outdoor activities with appropriate clothing and weather protection. Please see the Parent/Student handbook for more information on how the decision for indoor or outdoor recess is made each morning.
Please see upcoming dates and repeating informational items below.
Have a great weekend,
Mike Senatore
NEW *Upcoming Dates*
- Wednesday, January 17 - Tuesday, March 5 - ACCESS Testing
- Monday, January 29th - Cat Pack Assembly (Wear your Cat Pack shirt!)
- Tuesday, January 30 - Early Release Day
- Friday, February 2nd - Spirit Day - 100th Day of School (Wear your Ivy Hall spirit wear!)
- Friday, February 9th - Spirit Day hosted by Student Council - Sports Day! (wear your favorite sports team gear)
- Wednesday, February 14th - Valentine’s Day Parties
REPEAT *VALENTINE'S DAY PARTIES*
Valentine's Day will be celebrated during PTO classroom parties at all elementary schools on Wednesday, February 14th. Your child's teacher will send home any classroom-specific information related to Valentine's Day. Valentines are already popping up in stores. If you choose to send valentines to school and include an item with your child's valentines, please note for the safety of our students only non-food items are permissible. This practice is consistent for all classrooms in District 96 elementary schools.
REPEAT *24-25 Kindergarten Registration Open*
Are you the parent of a kindergarten student or friends with someone who is? Please help us get the word out! Kindergarten registration is now open for the 24-25 school year. Families who complete registration by April 30th may attend Kindergarten Kick-Off in May at Willow Grove Early Learning Center and receive a free t-shirt while at the event! Kindergarten Kick-Off is an exciting event designed to welcome and introduce incoming kindergarten students and their parents/guardians to Willow Grove, supporting a successful transition into school and kindergarten. Please follow this link to learn about the steps to register. Fully registered families will receive additional information about Kindergarten Kick-Off and more in early April.
If your child is already attending Willow Grove in the early childhood program, you will automatically receive a registration link in March for kindergarten. Please wait until you receive that link to proceed with registration. You will still want to complete the registration process by April 30th to receive your child's free t-shirt and attend Kindergarten Kick-Off.
Please note that your child must be 5 years old by September 1st, 2024 to attend kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year.
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 1/17/24-3/5/24. 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.
REPEAT *Updated Approved Snack List*
As a reminder, all snacks sent to school must be on the Approved Snack List. Our Approved Snack List is updated annually and was recently reviewed in December, carefully curated by staff and parent volunteers, taking into consideration your valuable feedback. We kindly ask that you review the snack list HERE to ensure you are sending appropriate choices with your child to school (our website link has also been updated). If an item is not on our list, it will be sent home. Our aim is to provide a wide variety of snacks that are safe for all students, eliminating the top 8 allergens and gluten, making it a "win" for everyone! For daily snacks, excluding fruits and vegetables, we kindly request that all items be pre-packaged and must be brand specific. This helps teachers easily check the snacks and ensure they comply with our safety standards.
Thank you for your support in creating a safe and inclusive environment for our students. Together, we can ensure that all our children enjoy their snacks while staying healthy and happy in our classrooms.