Good Afternoon, Ivy Hall Families,
Cold temps couldn’t keep the Wildcats down as we just finished off another great week of learning! We capped off the week with a PTO Cultural Arts Assembly featuring comedian and juggler Dan Kirk. Students enjoyed his engaging presentation, be sure to ask your child about it!
Please see upcoming dates below which have been updated to include dates to remember in February. As always, if there is ever a question or concern, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We are always happy to partner to ensure your child has an outstanding educational experience.
Have a great weekend!
Mike Senatore
*Important Upcoming Dates*
- Thursday, January 30th - World Wide Wildcats PTO Event
- Friday, January 31st - PTO Frozen Treat Friday
- Friday, February 7th - Cat Pack Activity Day
- Friday, February 14th
- Half Day of school dismissal at 11:45 am
- PTO Valentine’s Day Parties at 10:45 am
- Monday, February 17th - No School - District Holiday
- Tuesday, February 18th - Early Release
- Wednesday, February 19th - PTO Special Lunch
- Friday, February 21st - End of Trimester 2
- Friday, February 28th
- No School - Teacher Institute Day
- Trimester 2 Report Cards Issued
NEW *KCSD96 Parent Network: Please Join Us!*
To sign up for the digital presentation of The 5 Principles of Parenting with New York Times bestselling author Dr. Aliza Pressman on February 5th at 7pm, please visit this link. This event is free and open to the public! Learn more about charting a manageable course for raising good humans, aligning with your own values and your child's temperaments.
NEW *Coming February 3rd: Simplifying Stevenson*
Save the Date: Monday, February 3rd at 7pm at Twin Groves, is the date for the next “Simplifying Stevenson,” featuring SHS Principal Troy Gobble and current SHS students in a Q&A about the school. This is designed for parents of Twin Groves and Woodlawn 8th graders who will be SHS freshmen in fall 2025.
This event will be held in the cafeteria at Twin Groves Middle School, 2600 N. Buffalo Grove Road, Buffalo Grove.
This event does not require participants to register. It is free and open to parents.
NEW *Reminder: School Closure Communication*
With our first significant cold snap of the winter officially behind us, it's important for us to revisit our Inclement Weather Procedures when it comes to communication. You likely read a message from Superintendent Katie Sheridan this week explaining that school would be OPEN on Tuesday, January 21st. Please note that communicating a decision to stay open was under a special circumstance. Since it was our first weather event of the year, Superintendent Sheridan and her team wanted to put an extra layer of proactive communication in parents' inboxes.
Moving forward, KCSD96 families will only hear from the district if there is a school closure, delayed start, or planned early dismissal. If a decision to close access to our schools is reached, the District will:
- Send a robocall/text/email home to families (please be sure you are signed up or subscribed to receive text notifications)
- If your contact information changes, please be sure to notify the administrative assistant at your student’s school to update our database with your new email/phone number.
- Post on our KCSD96 Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram accounts
- Post a banner with a notification of school closing on the KCSD96 website
- Alert School Closures for local news/media outlets
REPEAT: ACCESS Testing
Parents and guardians, please be aware that 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 in the coming weeks. Each school’s testing schedule is unique and will only impact students who take the ACCESS test.
It's important that students taking any testing, including ACCESS testing, get a good night's rest the night before and eat a good breakfast that morning. We encourage our students to always try their best. Students do not need to prepare anything ahead of time, however, it's encouraged that they come to school ready and willing to challenge themselves.
REPEAT: Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day will be celebrated during PTO classroom parties at all elementary schools (Country Meadows, Ivy Hall, Kildeer, and Prairie) on Friday, February 14th. Since February 14 is a half-day, classroom parties will take place from 10:45-11:30am. 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, including Willow Grove.