Dear Kildeer Families,
This week brought so much joy for so many! I'm not sure past January months have felt this optimistic, but I look around and see hope everywhere I go. We announced the return of students starting next week, as well as celebrated together as a Kildeer family at our 3rd annual I AM ME...WE ARE KILDEER family celebration.
If I could, I would bottle up this week. Although it's been extremely busy with lots of planning and logistics, it's also been a time I've seen more smiles and the "air" seems to feel lighter.
Last night, we came together and had approximately 180 zoom accounts logged in over the course of the evening. Given that everyone had a varying amount of family members attend, we are guessing anywhere from 300-500 people in attendance. If that doesn't tell us something about this incredible community, I'm not sure what does.
I continue to feel an immense amount of gratitude to serve as the principal at Kildeer. Nights like last night reinforce my "why" and fill my heart. Thank you, Kildeer.
Please be on the lookout in future blogs for some pictures from our celebration.
NEW *Kildeer specific In-Person Learning Procedures*
Arrival
All students should wear a mask upon arrival. Morning drop-off will start at 8:10 by the doors to the small gym, instead of the front entrance. Please pull your vehicle up to a cone and let your child out along the sidewalk. Thank you for waiting patiently in the vehicle line.
If you would like to walk your child up to the school on the first day, please park your car in the side lot and utilize the crosswalk when there are no other cars driving. Once you reach the sidewalk, your child will independently enter through the small gym doors. Thank you for maintaining 6 feet of social distancing and wearing a mask.
For first and second graders, bus tags with barcodes were given out in October and attached to their backpacks. For any students that are returning in-person, ID badges with attached lanyards will be passed out. These MUST be worn upon entry to school. The barcode will allow us to scan your child’s information and ensure the daily certification screener has been completed by the parents.
Please note there is now mandatory proactive population testing with saliva kits for in-person learners: Instructions Here. First and second graders must complete this prior to coming to school and bring their collection bag ready to be dropped off on their assigned day as they enter school. Thank you in advance for making this a priority each morning. Third through fifth graders will have samples collected at Kildeer.
Adults will be placed strategically around the school to support social distancing. Once your child has been scanned and confirmed there are no symptoms, he or she should go immediately to the classroom where the teacher will be eagerly waiting! We will not be utilizing lockers to avoid hallway congestion.
Also, thank you for minimizing the amount of winter gear sent with your child. We do not have recess on our master schedule so there should be no need for snow pants, etc.
Lunch
Each grade at Kildeer will have a designated lunch space, taking place outside of the classroom. Disinfecting hand wipes will be readily available and all tables and seats will be disinfected according to the guidelines. Students may bring a lunch from home or preorder through Organic Life. Preordering information for in-person students will be sent directly from the district. Please be on the lookout.
After School
Students may be picked up outside the small gym, the same location used in the morning arrival procedure. As you park by a cone, please hold up a sign with your student's full name to show the adults helping at parent pick-up.
Students will be waiting at cones spread out safely on the sidewalk until they are called by a staff member to get into the vehicle. Siblings will be standing together at the same cone. In case of inclement weather, students will be sitting socially distanced in the small gym waiting for their names to be called.
For bus riders, there will be assigned seats coming to and from school. Siblings will sit together. The assigned seats are determined by First Student. If you have questions about the bus, please reach out to First Student directly.
Notes for After-School
If you have any changes for after-school plans, please call the front office or email Mrs. Hagen, Mrs. Wright, and your child’s classroom teacher on the same email. This will ensure that someone sees this change. If you need to communicate past 2:00 p.m., please call the office!
If your student attended school in person in the fall, we have a record of what their typical after school plans were (parent pick up or bus). We would ask you to notify us by email ([email protected] or [email protected]) if these plans have changed.
General Safety Protocols
Throughout the building, hand sanitizing stations, stand spots, disinfectant wipes, 6-foot indicators, etc. are prominently displayed. All staff will consistently work with our students and each other to ensure we are following the 3 W's with fidelity: Wear a mask, wash your hands, watch your distance!
Student Materials for In-Person
Your child’s homeroom teacher will communicate the expectation for which materials to bring to school. Please see this document from our specials team.
NEW *Upcoming Dates & In-Person Learning Report Dates*
Please see the following District schedule, as announced in Superintendent Schmidt’s Jan. 13 SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE, including the Hybrid In-Person Return Schedule/Dates:
- January 18th: No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- January 19th: No School - State Allocated Planning Day
- January 20th: Virtual learning resumes for all students
- January 21st: 1st/2nd Grade students with last names beginning with the letters M–Z who selected the in-person hybrid learning option will report to school.
- January 25th: 1st–5th Grade students with last names beginning with the letters A–L who selected the in-person hybrid learning option will report to school
- January 28th: 3rd–5th Grade students with last names beginning with the letters M–Z who selected the in-person hybrid learning option will report to school
NEW *In-Person Learning Protocols (REVISED)
Parents whose hybrid in-person students will be learning in person, please be sure to review the Revised IN-PERSON LEARNING PROTOCOLS for information about health and safety protocols and expectations for families and their students who will be learning in-person in our schools.
NEW *Proactive Population Screening Info for Parents of Students Attending In Person*
Students learning in person will need to participate in proactive population screening, providing a saliva sample once per week on a designated schedule.
Please CLICK HERE for information about the collection process, the schedule for the weekday your student's sample will need to be provided, and a saliva sample collection demonstration video.
PLEASE NOTE: If you send your 1st or 2nd grader to school without their sample on their designated collection day you will be asked to come to (school) with your child's testing materials to collect the sample from your child before they enter their classroom, or pick your child up to change to remote learning. I encourage you to set reminders and alarms on your phone or whatever means to best support this routine.
NEW *Bus Route Times for In-Person Students*
All families who have students who have chosen the in-person and will be taking the bus, routing information will be emailed to parents from the District next week.
NEW *FREE MEAL PACK PICK-UP*
Free meal pick-up will continue on Mondays and Thursdays at the middle schools, from 11am to 2pm as we begin to transition back to a hybrid learning schedule. However, parents no longer need to pre-order these meals. If you would like to view the menu, you can find it on the district website, labeled as Remote Learning Menu. This menu will no longer appear on the Linq website.
NEW *IN-PERSON LEARNING MEALS*
If your child is returning to in-person learning and you would like to take advantage of school meals, which will also be free, please pre-order only for the days that your child is in-person, NOT for remote learning days. If your child will be in-person next week on Thursday and Friday (January 21st and 22nd), please place your order online, via the Linq website, by 6:00pm Tuesday, January 19th. For future weeks, please place your orders by 6:00pm Thursday for the upcoming week. SEE MORE INFO about the process to create your account and preorder in-person meals.
NEW *Commitment to Partnership*
We know that some surrounding districts or schools that began their in-person learning plan have had to revert to full remote for a period of time. In many situations, this has been due to positive cases about which families were not truthful with the school or with the health department regarding symptoms and the diagnosis or with those conducting the contact tracing process.
We are confident that the District 96 community will rise to the occasion and partner with us to ensure safety and success. Please think carefully about your commitment to our partnership before sending your kids to school.
Repeat *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!
Repeat *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
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]
*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!
- *NEW* 2021 Kildeer Treat Decorating Kits- Looking for something fun to do? Why not purchase a Kildeer cookie kit from Original Bagel and Bialy through the PTO! The kits come with 6 paw print shaped cookies OR 4 large rice crispy treats, along with blue, white and yellow frosting and sprinkles. Order now through January 22nd on our Membership Toolkit HERE.
We will also be giving away a $25 dollar gift card from Original Bagel and Bialy to one lucky family who purchases a kit. We will randomly draw a name on January 27th and you can pick up your gift card when you pick up your kits.
Once you decorate your cookies, don't forget to send a picture of them with your child or children for the yearbook to the yearbook email: [email protected]. Please reach out to the PTO with any questions at [email protected].
- LIGHT UP this 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.
- YEARBOOK NEEDS YOUR HELP: If your child did not participate in picture day this year, please check out the information below to upload your own yearbook picture:
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].
Whew! That was a lot of information. Thanks for taking a look at it carefully, especially if you have children coming back in-person.
To close out today, students had an opportunity to consider the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. during the asynchronous morning. They also learned that this federal holiday became the National Day of Service in 1994.
Essentially, it's a way to encourage Americans to volunteer and give back to their communities. If your family is doing anything in particular, please reach out! I'd love to hear!
Enjoy the long weekend!
Fondly,
Mrs. Vail Kieser
Principal