Good afternoon, Ivy Hall families,
What a fun week! Today we celebrated with our annual Fun Run! A huge thank you to Mr. Boyd and Mrs. Cigrand for all the planning and organization that went into this schoolwide event. Thank you also to all of our staff who joined in the fun and cheered on our students and our PTO for providing water bottles to each student. Everyone had a fantastic time!
In just a few short weeks you will have the opportunity to meet with you at Family Educator Conferences. The conference dates are Thursday, October 10th and Friday, October 11th. Please keep an eye out for more information about conference times and signups.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mike Senatore
NEW *Important Upcoming Dates*
- Friday, September 27th - Frozen Treat Friday
- Thursday, October 3 - NO SCHOOL - District Holiday
- Wednesday, October 9th - Picture Retake Day
- Tuesday, October 15th - All immunization forms and physicals due to the school nurse
NEW *Friendly Reminder*
Please do not park in the southwest parking lot while waiting to drop your child off for school. These parking spaces are designated for school staff to park in and we have a very large teaching staff. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Student dropoff begins at 8:10 am each morning.
NEW *Virtual Backpack*
I want to highlight an invaluable resource available to you: the Virtual Backpack. The Virtual Backpack provides easy access to information and resources from our school, PTO, District, and community.
To help you stay connected, I’ll include a link to the Virtual Backpack in future messages and you can always access it from our website. I encourage you to explore this helpful tool!
Take a look, HERE!
NEW *Smart watches*
SMART watches are starting to show up here at the elementary schools. Many SMART watches have similar capabilities to SMART phones (game, voice, and text capabilities). If your student has a SMART watch, it must be placed in airplane/off mode during the school day. If a SMART watch becomes a distraction or is used for communication, it may be confiscated and stored in the office to remove the distraction from the learning environment. Essentially, we will treat the SMART watches like a cell phone. Confiscated equipment may be picked up in the office at the end of the day by the student(s). If a pattern of distraction occurs, parents may be asked to pick up the technology.
REPEAT *Safety Patrol*
Attention 5th graders... are you ready to be a leader? It's Safety Patrol time! 5th-grade students will be responsible for monitoring the hallways for expected behaviors and assisting younger students who may need help in the hallways before and after school. They will be leaders in the building and will be expected to communicate with Ivy Hall staff to ensure everyone’s safety. Please sign up here.
Club Meeting Day & Time:
October 2-May 23
Before and after school every day, except early release days
(8:00-8:15 am / 3:00-3:15 pm)
Schedules will be released each month with your child’s assigned days & times.
REPEAT *FAMILY TECH TALK*
Technology plays an important and evolving role in your child's education. It's critical that you and your family have open discussions about your use of technology. KCSD96 is hosting its annual "Family Tech Talk” in the Educational Development Center (downstairs of Ivy Hall Elementary at 1072 Ivy Hall Lane, Buffalo Grove). This discussion is scheduled for Tuesday, September 24 at 7pm. Presenters are Director of Information Technology Services Bob Hanrahan and School Resource Officer Edyta Zuk. Mr. Hanrahan will talk about the district and its technology initiatives. Officer Zuk will discuss online safety awareness and tips.
If you have questions, contact the Community Parent Liaison, Lubna K. Andrabi, at [email protected]
REPEAT *Parent Engagement Opportunities - GCI and TEP*
KCSD96 is dedicated to fostering strong partnerships with our community, offering a range of opportunities for parent engagement. Through these programs, we empower parents to actively contribute to and enrich the educational environment for all of our students. This information, including meeting dates for the 24-25 school year, will be sent to all families in Friday's E-News. We encourage our teachers to relay this information to families who may be interested.
Guiding Coalition of Interculturalism
GCI is a learning community that reflects and connects the KCSD96 values of diversity and inclusion; aligns parents, educators, and students in cultural and educational experiences; and engages with a wide audience. This year our Bilingual Parent Advisory Council will merge with GCI to create a more cohesive group focused on cultural diversity, inclusion, and language support. We will align their missions to create a unified group that addresses both interculturalism and bilingual education and create one communication platform for parents, educators, and community members. GCI meeting dates for the 24-25 school year are:
- October 1st, 2024
- November 12th, 2024
- January 21st, 2025
- February 25th, 2025
- April 22nd, 2025
Meetings are at 6:30pm in the Educational Development Center at Ivy Hall Elementary (1072 Ivy Hall Lane). Please fill this Google Form to indicate your interest. For questions, please contact, Community Parent Liaison: [email protected].
Thought Exchange Partnership
TEP offers parents the opportunity to share their thoughts and receive information about instruction, programs, and district initiatives. TEP is a committee that seeks parent feedback in developing student discipline policies and procedures related to the Student Handbook and provides information and feedback to the Board. District 96 values two-way communication, and a deep understanding of parent perception supports district planning and communication. TEP meeting dates for the 24-25 school year are:
- October 8th, 2024
- December 10th, 2024
- January 28th, 2025
- March 11th, 2025
- May 6th, 2025
Meetings are at 6:30pm in the Educational Development Center at Ivy Hall Elementary (1072 Ivy Hall Lane). Please fill this Google Form to indicate your interest. For questions, please contact, Community Parent Liaison: [email protected].