Kildeer Principal's Message- September 4th

curriculum night

Dear Kildeer Families,

Thank you to all that participated in Curriculum Night this week.  This has always been an evening we eagerly anticipate because it creates a time and space to discuss the school year ahead. We were able to talk with our staff afterwards and they definitely felt your appreciation and support. This school year continues to evolve and we are listening to your questions and feedback.  If you have further wonderings that were not answered during the Curriculum Night presentations, please join your classroom teachers during Parent Office hours on Monday and Wednesday from 7:45-8:25 or reach out via email at any time.  

Additionally, this week marked our return of VIRTUAL COUGAR PAWS. If you are new to Kildeer, as a school we use the following language to set expectations for all:

1) Follow Directions

2) Use Kind Words

3) Keep my Hands and Feet to Myself

4) Make Safe Choices

5) Do my Best!

I know that #3 has come in handy with my own kids at home!

I digress....(Greg Grana, anyone?)

Moving forward, our virtual paws will be proudly displayed on the Monday morning announcements. As I write this, we have over 100 paws to celebrate next week. Some of the reasons students received cougar paws were for the following:

  • Being super engaged with the lesson!
  • Working hard in a breakout room and finding text evidence.
  • Helping a classmate figure out a challenging skill on the iPad.
  • Showing whole body listening.
  • Being super kind to others.

I can't wait to continue our celebration of students next week! Go Kildeer Cougars!


NEW *No School Monday, September 7th*

This is a friendly reminder that there is no school on Monday, September 7th.  Instruction will resume on Tuesday, September 8th.


NEW *Calling All Photogs*

We love capturing photos of kids learning in the Principal's Message.  While currently, students are learning in your homes, we'd love it if you wouldn't mind sharing a photo us to use in the Principal Message, Twitter, etc.  If you are comfortable sharing, please email a photo and caption to Mrs. Wright in the front office: [email protected].  Thank you!


NEW *MAP Testing Information*

Remote NWEA MAP Testing will take place over the next few weeks for your child.  Our teachers and instructional coaches will serve as test proctors and will work to build and encourage student engagement during the test and respond to the needs of students in real-time.  In addition, they will be watching student engagement closely to ensure that students are working through the test in a timely and typical manner.  Students who are working too slowly or too quickly are tagged by NWEA and proctors are alerted.  

Overall, the remote test-taking experience is nearly identical to its onsite counterpart, with changes mainly in proctor communication and the log-in process. However, the item bank, interface, and test management tools remain the same. From start to finish, the process is straightforward and easy to use.

See information in the box below regarding MAP growth, and this link below provides further information for families.  

What is MAP Growth?

  • MAP Growth helps teachers understand what students know today, so goals can be set to improve growth throughout the year. Students cannot pass or fail this test.
  • This test will not affect grades. In fact, it’s normal for students to only answer about half the questions correctly. Please don’t help them!
  • Given the challenges of learning from home, MAP Growth test results are especially helpful for us this year. These results will help us know what students are ready to learn.

Please see the important Copyright Information from NWEA MAP below:  

NWEA MAP assessments, including test questions, are copyrighted, and may not be copied or reproduced in any form, including but not limited to taking photographs, video and/or audio recordings.  Any copying or reproduction of NWEA MAP assessments constitutes copyright and/or other intellectual property infringement and is a violation of NWEA’s Master Subscription Agreement.  NWEA MAP assessments, including test questions and answers are proprietary information of NWEA.

The schedule for Elementary Remote MAP testing is as follows:  

*All testing will take place in the morning 

**Schedules are subject to change 

September 10: 5th Grade Prairie and Kildeer 

September 11: 5th Grade Ivy Hall and Country Meadows 

September 14: All 5th Grade Students Districtwide

September 15: All 3rd and 4th Grade Students Districtwide 

September 16: All 1st and 2nd Grade Students Districtwide

September 17: All Kindergarten, 3rd and 4th Grade Students Districtwide 

September 18: All Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade Students Districtwide


NEW *Material Pick Up Info*

September 14th we will be having our second material pick up.  We will be communicating specific pick up details in next week’s blog, but want you to have the date and times materials will be available.  

Ivy Hall, Kildeer, Prairie, Country Meadows: 11:30-6:30

Willow Grove: 11:00-6:30    


NEW *Instructional Interruptions*

We are so appreciative of our supportive families and school community.  With that being said, we ask that parents/guardians utilize the scheduled parent office hours or emails to specific staff to address questions and concerns.  Any questions or comments made during instructional time are disruptive to student learning.  We understand that some parents may have questions while in close proximity to students engaging in Zoom sessions, but please know that you will be directed to take advantage of email and scheduled office hours when student instruction is interrupted.


NEW *Release of Information*

If you have an academic tutor or private provider that you would like to be in contact with members of our school team, you will need to complete a Release of Information form in order for communication to take place.  Please contact the front office or your child’s classroom teacher for one of these forms.


NEW *Use the D96 Issued iPad*

BUILDING Families, please make sure that your student is using the school-issued device during remote learning. The processes and procedures that staff are taught to help facilitate remote learning are specific to the device that the school has issued your student. Using a device other than or in addition to the school-issued iPad can complicate instruction and disrupt a smoother workflow for learning. Thank you for understanding. Additionally, if there is a problem with the school-issued device please be sure to let your child’s teacher know or contact the help desk at [email protected]


REPEAT *Calling All Kildeer Cougars*

Last year our morning announcements were so special because we involved our staff AND students. This year, we are looking for brave students to recite the Kildeer Pledge to be featured on the Monday morning announcements. If you are interested, please record a short video introducing your first name, homeroom, and grade. Then say the following: 

As a Kildeer Cougar,

I promise to start each day with a smile on my face and make Kildeer school a safe, happy place. 

I pledge to follow the Cougar 5 each day, respecting others in every way.

I am proud to be a Kildeer Cougar.

*PLEASE SEND YOUR VIDEOS TO TRACEY WRIGHT: [email protected]*


REPEAT *Nurse News*

Hello Kildeer! 

Be sure to check your email as I have been sending reminders to families if I do not have any health records on your child(ren) yet. 

For all new students, we must have these forms on file for your child by October 15, 2020 in order to avoid exclusion:

Illinois Physical Examination Form & Immunization Form (link here)

**Please make sure you fill out the Parent/Guardian top portion of the physical with the Yes/No Questions and sign/date as well.

Illinois Vision Examination Form (link here) 

Additionally, for new AND returning students, please remember to submit the following forms for this school year if applicable: Asthma Action Plan, Medication Authorization Form, Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan, and Diabetes Medical Management Plan. We want to be as prepared as we can when we are able to return to in-person learning and this will avoid a rush of an overwhelming amount of paperwork in the health office.

If your child is in 2nd Grade for the 2020-2021 school year, you may submit the dental form (here) at any time to the health office. It is due by May 15, 2021.

All forms can either be mailed to the school, faxed to our office, or emailed to me at [email protected]

It has been so wonderful being able to speak to many of you. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions- that’s why I am here!

Be Well, 

Alison Forsythe

School Nurse


REPEAT *Teacher Absence Protocol*

In the event that any of your child's teachers are absent, we have initiated a teaching partner system.  Because our teachers plan instruction collaboratively as grade-level and specials teams, the teaching partner system will provide students the opportunity to learn grade-level material with students in another teacher's classroom in your child's home building or possibly across the district for specials.  We believe this provides the best possible scenario for our students.  In the event that partner teachers are unavailable, back-up plans have been put into place.  

Building administrative assistants will notify families via email of any absences and provide directions for how students should access Zoom links.  Classroom teacher Zoom links will be changed to the partner teacher's Zoom session when a teacher is absent.  Students should click on their classroom teacher's usual Zoom link, and it will automatically send them to the partner teacher's Zoom session.  For specials, a section will exist on the teacher Clever login page with access to partner teacher links.  When there is a substitute for a specials teacher, the classroom teacher will guide students regarding how to access their specials class.  This process will be in place beginning on Monday, August 31, 2020.  


REPEAT *Tech Hub*

KCSD96 Family Technology Hub! The District 96 Family Technology Hub is designed to guide families through technology tools related to Enhanced Remote Learning. On this site, you can find links to the recordings and the corresponding Slides decks for the parent/family informational sessions from last week. You can also find tutorials on how to use  ZOOM, Schoology, Seesaw, Clever, Notability, and other iPad essential tools for student learning. Additionally, there is a link to email the technology support desk. Please save or bookmark this site. It will be updated with tools, resources, and tutorials through remote learning to better support your family.


REPEAT *MAP Testing*

NWEA MAP, or the Measure of Academic Progress, is a normed referenced, computerized adaptive test that helps teachers, parents, and administrators improve learning for all students and make informed decisions to promote a child's academic growth.  Like in previous years, all students will be taking the MAP test in reading and math during the school day. Testing will take place during the MAP window, September 8-18.  Your child’s teacher will be in communication regarding details and the specific dates of testing in the coming week.


REPEATING *Supporting Our D96 Community Families*

The pandemic is creating challenging situations for many families in our community.

Community members who are able to are invited to donate these items: macaroni & cheese (cups or boxes), canned foods (veggies/fruits/tuna/chicken/beans), granola bars, tortillas, cheese (shredded/sliced), eggs, deli meats, frozen ground beef/chicken.

Please deliver to collection boxes outside the Exceptional Learners Collaborative (ELC) front entrance, 990 Corporate Woods Parkway, Vernon Hills, from 8 AM–3 PM. Please observe social distancing when delivering donations and ring the doorbell when delivering perishable foods and/or gift cards.

Questions? Contact [email protected]


***  PTO News ***

I want to give a shout-out to our incredible PTO. They continue to work together and come up with great ideas for our kids and families. Thank you so much for the time and dedication you put into supporting our Kildeer community. See the event below:

A Fall Tradition for Kildeer Families, Coming Soon Virtually from the PTO


Our wonderful PTO is offering Kildeer families the opportunity to buy books and activities that our students will enjoy–particularly during this home-centered time of living and remote learning. The PTO’s Fall 2020 Virtual Book Fair Reading Can Take You Anywhere! will open Sept. 21 and run through Oct. 4. The Scholastic Store Online has over 6000 items from which to choose (so many read-aloud opportunities!) and orders will ship directly to your home. Your purchases benefit our Kildeer school community. Read more about the virtual BOOK FAIR opening Sept. 21.


For some, the past two weeks of remote learning have gone well. For some, the past two weeks of remote learning have been a challenge. We each have varying perspectives about our current reality and I value all of the conversations I've had these past weeks to have a better understanding.

I truly hope you can take the time your family needs this weekend to take care of you. That is definitely my plan. 

Fondly,

Mrs. Vail Kieser


Principal