Dear Kildeer Families,
It's amazing to me how a little perspective can go a long way. Beauty is all around us, we just have to pause and take it in. When we talk about the word resilience, it's the concept of "weathering the storm, responding to change, and how we bounce back".
I think we can all agree that we are currently weathering a storm and are likely feeling tired. Please know you are not alone. We are working hard to help our children, yet we must also work hard to help ourselves. I'm speaking from experience.
In my quest for answers, I found that part of the key to building resilience is noticing the tiny positive or even neutral moments each day. This builds new neural pathways leading towards the cultivation of resilience. So how do we go about this?
On Fridays, we have the opportunity to meet with our leadership teams and our opener was talking about the "wins" we experienced this week. We took the time to focus on tiny moments that are making an impact. They included a student finally "getting it" with fractions, a 3rd-grade class that demonstrated just how much they know about each other this year, a conversation with a parent that led to productive next steps to help their child, etc.
The one that really got me was when Mrs. Norman sent an email with student artwork. She celebrated not knowing how art class would go remotely, yet, students are rising to the occasion and creating beauty. I'd like to share some of the images below for you to enjoy as well.
If nothing else, I hope that this allows us all to pause and appreciate the beauty around us. Our students are simply incredible and help make this storm a little more beautiful.....
NEW *I AM ME...WE ARE KILDEER family celebration*
We are excited to announce this year’s I AM ME...WE ARE KILDEER virtual family celebration on the evening of Thursday, January 14, 2021! The purpose of this evening is to learn from and about our Kildeer families.
Would your family like to....
- Sign up to host a live virtual booth/performance via zoom?
- Submit a short video performance to play on our virtual stage?
- Submit a short video teaching others about a family tradition (i.e. family travels, a game, a dance, a recipe, etc.)
- Just RSVP that your family will attend?
Please CLICK HERE. The link has a lot more information for how YOUR FAMILY can get involved for our third annual I AM ME...WE ARE KILDEER family celebration on Thursday, January 14th from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
*LAST CALL TO SIGN-UP to attend by Monday, December 14 at 3:00 p.m.*
Video submissions will be due at a later time.
NEW *Materials Pick-Up ALTERNATE DATES*
If you couldn't make it for materials pick-up today, we will have the materials outside and available on Monday, November 16th, and Tuesday, November 17th from 9:00-4:00. Materials will be organized by grade level and classroom teacher. We will have items set outside under the main entrance. This will be "self-serve" so thank you for watching the 3 W's! If you have any questions, please call the office or email Mrs. Wright, [email protected].
NEW *Gifts for Staff*
It's that time of year when families are thinking about gifts for staff. Staff may or may not be in the building and therefore may have limited opportunities to retrieve anything left for them at the school building. If you make the decision to provide a gift, it is recommended that you consider a virtual gift that can be delivered to their email. Thank you for your understanding!
NEW *Free Meal Pickup For All Students*
More information will be coming via email on Monday, November 16, 2020, about free meal pick-up. However, here is some preliminary information. Meal pick-up will start Monday, November 23rd (the week of Thanksgiving). You may pick up meals (breakfast and lunch will be provided) for all 5 days on Monday, November 23rd between 11am and 2pm at either Twin Groves Middle School or Woodlawn Middle School. The normal twice-weekly meal pickup will occur starting the week of November 30, 2020, with 3 days of meals picked up on Monday and 2 days of meals picked up on Thursday. Online pre-ordering information will also be included in Monday's email.
Repeat *Library Book Drop Off*
If your child still has library books that were checked out in the 2019-2020 school year, we are still collecting them! Books can be dropped off in the main area vestibule and at future identified drop off dates paired with upcoming Materials Pick Up.
If you are curious about if/what books/titles your child needs to return to our school library, please contact [email protected] for details.
Repeat *Academic Enrichment Fun Hosted By Stevenson Students*
Mark your calendar for creative learning on Sun., Nov. 15, from 1–3 PM.
Stevenson High School National Honor Society students have planned a virtual Academic Enrichment Exposition–fun Zoom activities to help students in grades 3–5 explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Engaging opportunities will include academic design challenges, coding projects, virtual field trips, scavenger hunts, and more–as well as the chance to win a $25 gift card.
Repeat *Creative Holiday Card Design Opportunity for Grades 4 and 5*
Fourth- and fifth-grade students are invited to submit original artwork for a holiday greeting card competition sponsored by Congressman Brad Schneider, Illinois 10th District. The winning artwork will be the cover design of Congressman Schneider’s annual holiday card.
The theme this year is Winter Wonderland–favorite outdoor winter activities enjoyed on cold snowy days. No artwork entry size is specified (the winning artwork will be scaled to fit).
Submissions are due by Wed., Nov. 25, and Congressman Schneider’s staff will announce the winner in early December.
Please submit all entries electronically to Robert Perez at [email protected]
Questions? Call 847.383.4870.
Repeat *Newcomer Families*
Has your family recently moved to the United States or are you and your student(s) new to this area? On Thursday, November 19th at 1 pm parents that are new to our area and have students at Kildeer Elementary, are invited to a casual conversation.
This is an opportunity for parents to meet some D96 staff, ask questions, share their thoughts, and also to meet parents that may have had similar experiences or have been in the district for a long time.
This is an informal opportunity for parents who–like their students–are experiencing our social customs and practices of teaching and learning for the first time. Here is the link to join virtually.
Repeat *Vernon Area Public Library News*
Repeat: Despite not being able to visit the schools during this time, the librarians at the Vernon Area Public Library are still eager to share great books with you, your faculty, and your students. Every month, we will be sending you videos of great books for each grade in your school, recommended by our librarians. Please feel free to share these links with your faculty.
New:
VAPL is happy to be sharing two additional videos that the school services team has created for distribution to schools. Each provides an overview of remote resources available from the library and is tailored to a range of levels in order to highlight particular relevant databases. Check them out!
Remote Resources for K-2nd Grade
Remote Resources for 3rd-5th Grade
Repeat *Updated COVID-19 Metrics*
This UPDATED COVID-19 METRICS is the information “dashboard” that maintains transparent and open communication around COVID-19 metrics. As a user of the dashboard, the District has access to COVID-19 data as recommended by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium. We review this data daily, update the dashboard weekly, and consider this data in making many decisions.
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.
Please email [email protected] with any tech-related support needed.
*** PTO News ***
- Yearbook Pictures- Please help the yearbook committee by sending in the first day of school and remote learning pictures to [email protected].
- 5th-grade parents- Please submit a headshot of your child when he/she was 6-12 months old. The baby pictures will all be displayed in the yearbook and matched with your child's future dreams/favorite memories. Digital photos can be emailed to [email protected].
- Follow our PTO on: Kildeer PTO on Facebook and/or KildeerPTO on Instagram
Our students. They are our "why" and the reason educators got into this field. We know, now more than ever, we need to work together to focus on the social-emotional well-being of these kiddos. Some are moving along and seem unphased, while others are truly struggling.
We will support our students and social-emotional learning through:
- Classbuilding and teambuilding opportunities throughout the week
- Making meaningful connections with teachers and peers
- Highlighting some strategies in our morning announcements
- Holding our traditions of buddy classrooms and trimester assemblies
- Collaborating as teams to intentionally embed social-emotional learning throughout the day
These are just a few to name, yet we know there is so much more that happens on a daily basis. As always, if your family has ideas or thoughts, our work for students is a partnership. We would love to hear ideas from you!
In the meantime, conversations and actions to support the needs of our students continue to be a priority at Kildeer. We are committed to helping each and every student. If you ever have any concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's classroom teacher or any other adult at Kildeer, including Mr. Higgins and me.
Given that our students have worked so incredibly hard and that our first trimester of the 20-21 school year ends next week, we decided to get some student voice of how they wanted to celebrate with a spirit week. Thank you to all of our Kildeer Cougars that made his or her voice heard!
Drum roll, please......
Families, we present to you our spirit week for Monday, November 16 through Friday, November 20th!
Fondly,
Mrs. Vail Kieser
Principal