Dear Ivy Hall Families,
I am very excited to announce that we will be launching the Ivy Hall Citizenship Award this month. The Ivy Hall Citizenship Award is a brand new recognition program, and it intends to honor students for their overall conduct, behavior, academic effort, and service to others within the Ivy Hall School Community. We are conducting a “soft launch” of this award program this school year with the intention of recognizing students from each grade level for every trimester next school year.
Students can be nominated by staff members to be recognized through this program. The criteria for staff nominations include academic effort, behavior, positive interactions with others, leadership, and service to others. Students who are selected for this award will then be recognized through a formal certificate and parent notification, and they will have the opportunity to paint their hands on the walls of Ivy Hall, bringing back an Ivy Hall tradition!
We are very excited to recognize our students through the Ivy Hall Citizenship Award. We will roll this out to students on Monday and our first award winners will be announced during the week of Monday, March 17th. This program will be used in addition to our existing PAWS program which seeks to recognize students for following the K triple R (Kind, Respectful, Responsible, and Ready) on a daily basis.
Have a great weekend,
Mike Senatore
*Important Upcoming Dates*
- Friday, March 14th
- PTO Frozen Treat Fridays
- Monday, March 17th
- Wear green or something lucky! Green is also associated with generosity as we donate to those in need.
- Wednesday, March 19th
- PTO Special Lunch
- Thursday, March 20th
- Early Release
- Family Educator Conferences
- Friday, March 21st
- No School
- Family Educator Conferences
- Monday, March 24th - March 30th
- Spring Break - No School
NEW *Friendly Reminder - Toys*
I wanted to take a moment to provide a friendly reminder about toys at school. Please remind your child that there are no toys allowed at school. This includes Pokemon cards, any fidget items that make noise or are distracting, stuffed animals (unless it is a classroom reward), or any other toy item. The reason they are not allowed is they can be distracting in the classroom environment and we have seen a number of personal items from students that are lost so it is best to keep them at home.
REPEAT *UPDATED 2024-25 DISTRICT CALENDAR*
Click HERE for the updated 2024-2025 District Calendar
REPEAT: *March 4th Student Registration Opens*
Student registration for the 2025-26 school year opens on March 4th. Parents and guardians of new Kindergarten students (who have submitted all required documents) and returning KCSD96 students will be emailed a link to register their child for the 2025-26 school year.
Complete registration by April 15 to receive a $20 Early-Bird discount. Families with returning students who register after April 15 will pay the standard registration fee.
Registering early helps us to plan for the upcoming school year.
Registration fees paid by April 15 for the 2025-26 school year are:
- Early Childhood Blended Tuition: $2,870 (or $335.07 monthly)
- Kindergarten: $90
- Grades 1-4: $110
- Grade 5: $120
- Grades 6-8: $135
Families new to District 96 can find more registration information here:
If you have any registration questions, please contact [email protected].
OPEN NOW: *5Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians*
Now through March 28th, KCSD96 invites you to share your thoughts on the inner workings of your child’s school. On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago.
As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school. Your participation will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide our improvement. Parent identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.
Please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Survey Support at 1-866-440-1874 or [email protected].
COMING SOON: *5Essentials Student Survey*
Beginning the week of March 10th, KCSD96 students in 4th-8th grade will be administered the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This 25-minute survey is based on over 20 years of research at the University of Chicago and asks students about their experiences in school with the purpose of providing school leaders with critical student input to help develop school improvement plans. Students’ identities will be completely confidential, and teachers and administrators will never see individual responses to survey questions and will only receive aggregated information.
Please be aware that under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act. 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions asked of your student(s). Survey questions can be found on the UChicago Impact Support Center.
If you do not want your child’s input to be considered for school improvement purposes, please contact your child's principal by March 7th.
REPEAT *Human Growth & Development - 5th Grade*
Illinois State law requires all school districts with a comprehensive health curriculum to provide instruction on specific health topics including human growth and development. The Illinois State Board of Education indicated that districts “may still teach sexual health aligned to the Illinois Physical Development and Health Standards.” Therefore, during the 2024-25 school year, District 96 will continue to cover the same topics that were previously taught in grades 4 and 5. These topics align to the Illinois Physical Development and Health Standards.
District 96 recognizes that parents/guardians are the primary educators for their families on these topics.
As parents, you may elect to excuse your child from instruction on this topic. If you choose this option, please submit a specific request, in writing, to the school principal, asking that your child be excused from the class during that specific period(s) of instruction, and we will provide an alternate assignment.
For questions about the 5th grade program, please consult the links below. If you still have questions, please contact the school’s principal or assistant principal.
For specific materials, please see below.
Fifth Grade
This year Kildeer 96 will be hosting Candor Health Education (formerly Robert Crown Center) on March 12th. Candor Health will provide the learning to 5th grade students, and 5th grade teachers will be present during this learning experience. As in the past, students will not be separated by gender during the presentation by Candor Health.
Please click on the links below for an overview of the program. The letter contains tips for parents to start conversations with children. The video will show you everything the students will see during the presentation.
School Program Overviews for Parents – Candor Health Education VIDEO
Password: Premier25