Dear Kildeer Families,
Although we didn't get to celebrate as a whole community this week for our annual I AM ME...WE ARE KILDEER family celebration, we DID get to celebrate with our buddies. As part of the preparation for the family evening, students and staff always complete a "homework" assignment. This year was no different! At buddies, students were able to share all about them with the goal in mind of learning from and about each other. Mission accomplished Kildeer cougars!
However, is the learning ever really done? No, it is not. This is always a priority to stay curious about one another and ask meaningful questions to better understand each other. For example, in Mrs. Lushpynskyj's 2nd-grade classroom, "mystery reader" has turned into "culture corner". This is an opportunity for the family to select a book or something else to teach the class about their family. In 4th grade, they are gearing up to dig into the iceberg analogy and how to get "below the surface".
I'm proud of the work our staff is doing with our students to prioritize learning from and about each other over the course of the school year! Parents, do you have any additional ideas? I'd love to hear from you. Send me an email and let's chat!
NOTE: If you have not done so already please check your email as you should have received MAP testing reports via email on Wednesday, January 13, 2022. Please read this message closely as there is a lot of information regarding PCR testing, IDPH, and ISBE COVID-19 information, and ZOOM/technology support information for students that are learning remotely.
NEW *UPDATE ON PCR Testing SCHEDULED FOR TODAY*
Due to a shortage of supply kits regionally and the shortened school day today, the district did not receive the number of test kits needed for all participants.
For Kildeer students, please know that kits will be sent home on Tuesday and should be returned to school on Wednesday. Specimens will be picked up on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of next week.
Thank you for your patience as our vendor O’Hare Labs works to expand its capacity to meet additional testing requests. District 96 is one of many entities that has asked to increase their PCR testing frequency. As a result, O’Hare Labs is working diligently to accommodate the unprecedented increase in the demand for testing. The typical timeline is 48 hours, however, nearly all PCR labs are seeing a spike in specimen testing requests. Therefore, the delayed delivery of results that we are experiencing is due to this spike in the demand for specimen testing. O'Hare Labs has added an additional lab this week, so we are hoping to see a faster turnaround time very soon.
Finally, as a reminder, O’Hare Labs is your point of contact regarding specimen questions for individual student lab results.
If you have any questions regarding your results (e.g. you haven’t received your results) feel free to contact O’Hare Labs by email at [email protected]
NEW *IDPH/ISBE COVID-19 INFORMATION*
On January 11, 2022, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released new COVID-19 information related to school exclusion and test-to-stay protocols. Please find all updated information on our website linked below.
https://www.kcsd96.org/covid-19
NEW *I AM ME...WE ARE KILDEER family celebration NEW DATE*
Artwork by Jessica Taylor. Please enjoy this slideshow of our other participants!
NEW DATE for the family celebration at Kildeer:
Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 6:00-7:30
An RSVP will follow soon!
NEW *Calendar Reminder - MLK Day*
Monday, January 17th is Martin Luther King Day. There is no school on this day.
NEW *Parent Pick-Up*
Thank you to our families for navigating the cold temperatures with us over the past two weeks. Moving forward, we will make a daily decision on whether students will be held in the small gym or go directly outside based on the temperature.
Our staff has a communication plan in place for having students load into vehicles as quickly as possible. Some days are faster than others. We appreciate your patience.
Additionally, please remember that student personal cell phones/devices are not permitted to be used while on school grounds. Our staff will notify your children when you arrive and we will continue to be as efficient as possible.
To help the process move along more efficiently, please have a sign with your child's full name, grade, and homeroom teacher. This will help our staff tremendously!
NEW *Zoom Resource & Tech Trouble*
This information will be repeated weekly for families to access as needed. It is relevant for children who are approved for remote learning due to Covid-related quarantine or in the event of a remote severe weather day for all children.
ZOOM Resource - Remote Learning & Possible Emergency Weather Day
Please review this Zoom Tutorial Video Link with your child to prepare for remote learning. This is for students who have been approved for remote learning or in the event of an emergency weather day for all children.
Tech Trouble
If you are experiencing technical trouble on the iPad, here are a few tips that can help resolve the error you are receiving.
The first step is to completely remove Zoom through the iPad settings. Deleting Zoom from the Home Screen is NOT thorough enough to resolve this issue.
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down to General
- Go to the right column and Select iPad Storage
- Scroll down to Zoom
- Delete the Zoom App
- Open the Self Service App and reinstall Zoom
If the issue persists after this we would recommend following the next few steps.
Reset Network Settings:
- Go to Settings
- General
- Go to the right column and scroll down to Reset
- Reset network settings: The device will restart and you will have to reconnect to your home wi-fi afterward
Next:
- Go to settings
- Scroll down to Safari
- Scroll down to Clear History and Website Data
If you're still seeing that error after all of these steps then you may need to troubleshoot your network next. Unplugging your modem and router from power for 60 seconds and plugging it back in can sometimes be enough.
Please email [email protected] for further tech issues or additional support. Please also let us know at the school by calling our office, so we can inform your child's teacher. Call our office at any time with any questions. We completely understand any difficulties you are having and appreciate your patience as we troubleshoot your issue.
As a reminder, remote learning via Zoom will begin on the second full day of absence and is only available for students who meet one of the following requirements.
- Student is asymptomatic (no symptoms) after receiving a positive Covid test result
- Student is unvaccinated, asymptomatic, and under mandatory quarantine after being identified as a close contact to a confirmed positive Covid case.
- Student is unvaccinated, has traveled internationally and is under mandatory quarantine upon returning home.
Repeat *Cold & Snowy Weather and Recess*
Please remember to send your child to school daily with proper outerwear. Weather permitting students go outside for recess every day. In winter the temperature, wind chill, and weather conditions will be monitored throughout the morning. The weather website and playground will be checked to determine if conditions are appropriate for outdoor recess. When the temperature or wind chill is below zero degrees, students will be kept inside for recess. We weigh options when the temperature or wind chill is between zero to ten degrees, to determine if we have indoor or outdoor recess. We do try to allow the children to go outside whenever possible, so please help them to come prepared with gloves, scarf, hat, snow pants, and snow boots. In order to play in the snow, students must have snow pants and snow boots.
Repeat *Girls on the Run*
Calling all girls in Grades 3-5! The Girls on the Run Program will be starting soon! Program registration will open on January 19. Please register at: www.gotrchicago.org. We are so excited to be able to accept 20 girls this season! Practices will be held on Mondays and Thursdays from 3-4:30 pm beginning the week of March 14. It is very important that your daughter can attend all practices in order to participate in this wonderful opportunity!
We look forward to a wonderful season!
Aly Lushpynskyj, Kellie Cristofaro, Marina Shvartsman
Repeat *Vernon Area Public Library Book Talks*
For more book talk recommendations, please visit our Book Talks Help Guide at https://guides.vapld.info/booktalks. For graphic novel suggestions, please visit our J Graphic Novel Help Guide at https://guides.vapld.info/graphic novels or our Junior High Graphic Novel Help Guide at https://guides.vapld.info/jh graphic novels.
Repeat *PRE-REGISTER FOR 2022–2023 KINDERGARTEN (and Get a Free Willow Grove Student T-Shirt!)*
Pre-registration for 2022–2023 kindergarten is in-person or online. Incoming kindergarten students must be 5 years old by September 1, 2022 to register for the 2022-23 kindergarten school year.
In-Person Pre-Registration Option:
Thursday, January 13, 2022, 5–7 PM drop-in (Parents may also pre-register online during the month of January for the free T-Shirt)
Willow Grove Early Learning Center, 777 Checker Drive, Buffalo Grove, IL
Parents of incoming kindergartners will need to prove residency with required documents and District forms and to complete a brief online pre-registration form. (Incoming kindergartners do not need to be present.)
Required documents:
• CURRENT monthly mortgage or lease statement or property tax bill AND
• CURRENT utility bill AND
• Student’s birth certificate, passport, or visa (photocopy not accepted) AND
• Parent or Guardian photo ID (Passport or Driver’s license)
Questions? Please contact the public info coordinator at [email protected] or 847.459.4260, ext. 8022.
Date
2022 January 13, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Online Pre-Registration Option:
You do not have to attend in-person to pre-register. Details coming soon. Please continue to watch for updates in the Principal's Message and District 96 website.
Click here to learn more about Kindergarten in District 96.
*Student Council News*
Kildeer Students and Staff on Friday, January 21, 2022, is going to be Crazy Hair / Hat Day at Kildeer School.
This is always a fun day to see all the creativity and fun hair and hats students wear to school. Please keep in mind that ALL creations MUST be done at home, not at school.
Also, make sure any creations must not interfere with instruction time or P.E.
If you have any questions, please ask your student council representative.
Have fun!
Student Council
Repeat *Covid Metrics*
To stay up-to-date this school year on local metrics, please visit the COVID DASHBOARD for District 96. Our priority remains to keep our students safe and follow guidance from the CDC. If your student is identified as a "close contact", you will be notified individually through the contact tracing process.
*Tech Hub*
KCSD96 Family Technology Hub! The District 96 Family Technology Hub is designed to guide families through technology tools.
Please email [email protected] with any tech-related support needed.
*** PTO News ***
- Night Out - Shopping Event (February) - We are planning a night where a portion of the proceeds of all purchases made that night will go to the Kildeer PTO. We thank you for all your support
- Valentines Day Parties (February 14th) - Our volunteers will soon be planning our last party of the year for our students. We can't wait!
- 5th Grade Variety Show (TBA) - This will be postponed until later in the spring! More information coming soon.
Check out the blog!
Over the past week, I've spoken with several parents about the hot topic: COVID. It's impacting all of our families, students, and staff in different ways. I think we can all agree that it's tiring. However, I have seen countless ways this community is resilient and supports each other.
While I was reflecting with our PTO Executive Board this week, we celebrated our incredible student council for their leadership at movie nights. We also celebrated this generous community for all of the coats and winter gear donated for families in need. Lastly, we celebrated the parent volunteers that took the time to make our winter parties a success. These are just a few tiny examples of how this community continually rises to the occasion and supports others!
During trying times, here is a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. that resonated with me, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
We will see students return on Tuesday, January 18.
Fondly,
Mrs. Vail Kieser
Principal