Dear Kildeer Families,

Welcome back and Happy New Year! It has been incredible to see our students this week. It’s very clear that the time during winter break helped us all to reset and begin this year refreshed! All students had an opportunity to participate in a fluency screening this week and I know the collaborative effort was fun for the adults and students. Thank you for making reading a priority over the break and please know that it shows! 

One of my favorite thoughts thus far about 2021 is “12 chapters and 365 chances”. It resonated with me to think about the year ahead in smaller chunks and to be intentional each month about different goals. I wonder what chapters our students will write in 2021? I look forward to seeing them in action. 

We have a few new opportunities happening, including lunch bunch! Our 5th-graders led this way this week and we've heard positive feedback. Next week, we will have 1st-4th grade starting on Wednesday. Be on the lookout for a school messenger with more information! 

*Important Information*

( 3rd Annual )

I AM ME...WE ARE KILDEER virtual family celebration

Thursday, January 14, 2021, from 6:30-8:00 

The purpose of this evening is to learn from and about our Kildeer families. 

More Information:

• Use ONE zoom account to join the evening (we have a maximum capacity). Thanks for spending this time together as a family!
• Join at either 6:30 or 7:15 for an introduction led by Principal Kieser and Assistant Principal Higgins.
• For the evening you can join breakout rooms with other families to learn from each other. Kildeer staff will be in each room to help facilitate the conversations OR you can navigate the family videos, snowglobes, and previous years' pictures on your own. It's a choose your own adventure!
• We thank you ahead of time for prioritizing a small portion of your night to bring our incredible community together! 

PLEASE NOTE: A school messenger will be sent out next week with the zoom information. The website will be provided during the introduction sessions. 

Gratitude-

Thank you to the amazing Culture Crew: Aly Lushypynskyj, Amy Bodenlos, Carol Mullarkey, Carrie Kroes, Cheryl Keller, Felice Chan, Gwen Flaskamp, Jessica Groncki, Kaylie Shilkaitis, Leslie Norman, & Lindsey Emde. 

This incredible group of educators came together (since May) to plan and prepare for our family celebration. Their commitment to our school, students, and community is unwavering and commendable! Thank you for your meaningful contributions! 

NEW *Student Council News*

The gift of giving is the greatest gift of all. Again this year, our school was full of generosity for the Toys for Tots Charity. Together as a team, we raised toys for hundreds of kids. In total, we raised 8 large boxes full of toys to donate to children who don’t have the opportunity to receive anything for the holidays. Thank you so much to all who donated. It was so thoughtful and greatly appreciated.

 Isabella, Student council representative

NEW *Kildeer Social Club*

Kildeer would like to cordially invite your student(s) to join our brand new Social Club!

Here at Kildeer, we all recognize the amazing amount of hard work and energy all of our students have put into adjusting to their new normal of remote and virtual learning. 

This Social Club was created for students in each grade level to come together and connect with their peers! This club is designed to ensure that students have time, outside of academics, to connect and talk with their peers about relatable topics.

Here is a little more information about this new club:

• Who: Open to all Kildeer students. Each student will be placed in a social club with their grade-level peers.
• Where: Zoom =) Your student's grade level zoom link will be shared with you by the facilitators of your student's grade level.
• When: 1 day, weekly. Information regarding the day and time will be shared with you by the facilitators of your student's grade level.
• Why: To provide students with the opportunity to connect with their peers in fun, engaging, and interactive ways! 

If you are interested in having your student explore this opportunity, please fill out the google form below and be on the lookout for a zoom link with more detailed information.

We are looking forward to having your student join this great opportunity with us! 

• 1st-Grade led by Mrs. Lushypynskyj & Ms. Dolin on Wednesdays from 3:15-4:15. Sign-up 1st! 
• 2nd-Grade led by Ms. Cristofaro & Ms. Brand on Wednesdays from 3:15-4:15. Sign-up 2nd! 
• 3rd-Grade led by Miss Ohnsted & Miss Lynch on Wednesdays from 3:15-4:15. Sign-up 3rd! 
• 4th-Grade led by Ms. Markiewicz & Ms. Avedon on Wednesdays from 3:15-4:15. Sign-up 4th!
• 5th-Grade led by Ms. Sadowski on Thursdays from 4:00-5:00. Sign-up 5th! 

NEW *VAPL Book Talks* 

Take some time this month to see some new recommendations by the Vernon Area Public Library. You won't want to miss this!

1st grade: 1st-grade favorites

2nd grade: 2nd-grade favorites

3rd grade: 3rd-grade favorites

4th and 5th grade: 4th and 5th-grade favorites

For more book talk recommendations, please visit our Book Talk Help Guide at https://guides.vapld.info/booktalks 

Repeat *Preregister for 2021–22 Kindergarten Beginning Jan. 11*

Preregister incoming 2021–22 kindergartners beginning January 11 and no later than January 31 to receive a free T-shirt for your incoming student. SEE MORE INFO

NEW *Guess Who?*

Take a moment to see if you can guess which staff member identifies with the following information. The big reveal will happen weekly in the morning announcements!

Guess Who?

Staff 1. My husband and I love to hike and camp and have been to many places in the U.S. and Canada to explore our love for the outdoors. Once we spent 3 days backpacking through mountains in Canada!  It was an incredible experience.

Staff 2. My family and I love football and have gone to different states to watch our favorite football teams. My daughter is a competitive gymnast and has competed at Tropicana Field where the MLB team Tampa Bay Rays play. We love Disney and made it a Thanksgiving tradition to spend the day at Magic Kingdom eating churros and Mickey pretzel ears.

Staff 3. I LOVE to cook and bake! I often make dinners for my family! I even have made dinner for 25 people a few times for Thanksgiving! I also love to make lots of different food from our family’s culture, such as potato latkes and chopped liver!

WHO AM I?

(Watch the next morning announcements to find out!)

NEW *January 13th Asynchronous Half Day* 

Grades 1-5

On January 13th, students will begin the day by participating in asynchronous learning while teachers collaborate and plan with each other to determine the best way to approach future instruction.  

 Live learning on Zoom will resume at 10:15am for students in Grades 1-5.

This month, students will be engaging in a variety of activities about how they can make an impact on others and/or how other children have made an impact on others in celebration of the New Year and the observance of Martin Luther King Jr holiday, the National Day of Service.  

Classroom teachers will be sure to prepare students for asynchronous learning by sending students materials and previewing expectations. If your student needs assistance during the morning of 1/13, there will be a Zoom session the students can attend to seek assistance.  The link to this Zoom will be available to the students in the materials that are shared electronically. 

As a reminder, future asynchronous dates and times are as follows:

• February 24th live Zoom concludes at 12:45pm
• March 17 AM live Zoom resumes at 10:15am
• April 21 PM live Zoom concludes at 12:45pm

NEW *Missed Material Pick Up*

Thank you for participating in supply pick up today (Friday, January 8th, 2021). For those families that were unable to make it out to pick up materials today, there will be other opportunities to obtain these curriculum materials via the front office.  Please stop by Monday or Tuesday next week! If you have any questions, please contact the front office. 

NEW *MAP STUDENT REPORTS FOR GRADES 3-8*

At approximately 3pm today, you will receive a message from Jeanne Spiller, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning with your Winter MAP Reports for your child(ren).  Please contact Jeanne at [email protected] if you do not receive a report or if you have any questions.  

REPEATING  *Preordering Free Meals in 2021*

***Preorder by 10 AM on Thursdays*** 

Pick up preordered meals 11 AM–2 PM on Mondays (3 breakfast/lunch meal packs) and Thursdays (2 breakfast/lunch meal packs) at either Twin Groves or Woodlawn Middle School.
 

The first step to preorder is for families to create an account online and add each child receiving meals to the account. Please see this webpage for details and brief instructional videos of the account set-up and pre-ordering process. 

Please direct questions to the public information coordinator [email protected]

Repeat *Monthly Asynchronous Wednesdays *

Once per month, beginning in December, students will participate in asynchronous activities for a portion of their school day.  The dates for each of these asynchronous Wednesdays are identified below.  You will notice that each date is identified as either AM or PM.  If for example, AM is indicated, this means that students will participate in the asynchronous activities during the morning or AM portion of the school day and then transition to their regularly scheduled school day in the afternoon or PM.  Specific times are indicated below with each identified date.  Teachers will communicate with students to be sure that they understand the expectations for each of these days.  

These monthly asynchronous days were created to give students the opportunity to participate in topics that will enhance our current curricular content, and so that teachers have time to collaborate and plan with each other to determine the best way to approach future instruction.  

Asynchronous Wednesdays will take place on the following dates.

• January 13:  AM Asynchronous 
• February 24:  PM Asynchronous 
• March 17: AM Asynchronous 
• April 21:  PM Asynchronous

*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.

*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 ***

Check out the blog! CLICK HERE!

• PTO GIFT ---LIGHT UP STEM CARD KITS ARE HERE!

LIGHT UP your holiday season with a Light-up Card Making Stem Kit purchased by the PTO for all Kildeer students. They can explore the STEM of circuits and create a unique greeting card for a loved one. Kits are available for pickup at Kildeer School inside the main entrance from 8am-3pm (M-F) while school is in session. Please note Only 1 per student. 

Way back when you might remember that we had a socially distanced and outdoor picture day. It felt like walking the runway or red carpet for our students!

Unfortunately, we were not able to hold a retake day or have an additional opportunity for pictures. However, fear not! We still want to ensure that ALL staff and ALL students are represented in the yearbook. WE NEED YOUR HELP!

How? Check out the information below:

Parents and teachers can download portraits for the composite pages and candid shots for the montage or special pages. The deadline is January 31st, 2021.

If you are submitting an individual student portrait picture, please try for the shoulders and up with a solid blue or neutral background!

If you have any questions about this, thanks for reaching out to Charissa Stoldola: [email protected].

Have a great weekend! 

Fondly,

Mrs. Vail Kieser

Principal