Dear Kildeer Families,
If you were a fly on the wall this week at Kildeer and zooming in on the adults, you would have seen some pretty cool things. I am a firm believer that when we take care of the adults in our system and build their capacity, we positively impact our students.
We kicked off the week at our faculty meeting with a fun team builder led by Mr. Emde and Ms. Groessl. They divided up the staff into teams of 4 and gave them complex tasks of being "Master Mazers". I saw lots of cheers of accomplishment and laughter during this brief time and it solidified the importance of building comradery.
Throughout the week, I sat in on problem-solving meetings discussing student growth. The meetings consisted of parents, staff, and administration. As I listened to the conversations about growth, I saw the dedication of all stakeholders to help the individual students achieve their potential. This is such a rewarding part of being in education.
A final example would be from my leadership meeting today. We sat in a circle and took a look at big picture data, then zoomed in even further. Every single staff member at the table took the data and got curious about what it meant for kids and how we can get even more intentional to support the next steps.
I don't always share about the behind-the-scenes work that our staff does on a daily basis, but I couldn't help but notice the incredible focus during such a tricky time of the year. Our students are in great hands!
NEW *Valentine’s Day Volunteers*
This year Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker signed Executive Order 2021-20, regarding educational employee vaccination and testing requirements. The Executive Order which applies to all “school personnel,” volunteers are included in the definition unless they are present for only a short period of time and whose movements of close physical proximity are “fleeting”.
Those who have been identified as a current or upcoming PTO volunteer will need to submit/ provide proof of vaccination. If unvaccinated you will need to provide proof of a negative Covid test within 48 hours of reporting to volunteer.
Please note the following expectations for PTO volunteers:
- Parents attending the parties may not bring additional family members, other children, etc. We need everyone to abide by this and will have to ask you to leave if you come with other attendees.
- Every PTO volunteer approved to come into our school MUST have their license or ID scanned through our security system to enter. You have to bring this with you or you will not be able to enter. There can be a long line if you wait until the day of the party to scan your ID, so please anticipate this. We highly encourage PTO room party volunteers to come to the front office sometime before the party to have their license scanned, which will speed up the process. The more people who come in early to be scanned, the shorter the line! Again, you may also come on the day of the party.
- All volunteers must have followed our procedures for verifying vaccination or have proof of a negative Covid test. Call the office with questions.
- All volunteers must wear a mask at all times and remain socially distanced.
NEW *5 Essentials Survey for Students Coming Up*
Parents and guardians: Over the next few weeks, your child will be participating in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, which asks students about their experiences, attitudes and activities in school ~ with the goal of helping schools to improve. This is the 10th year of the survey, which also solicits input from teachers and parents on how their schools may be improved.
The survey is for students in 4th grade and higher. District 96 middle school students take the 25-minute survey the week of February 14. Elementary school students will take the survey the week of February 28.
This online survey is administered by UChicago Impact on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education. This survey is based on the Five Essentials for School Success, an evidence-based framework developed by the University of Chicago. This framework identifies how school performance on five factors or “essentials” can lead to important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains.
Twenty years of research at the University of Chicago in more than 400 schools has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of the 5Essentials were 10 times more likely to make substantial gains in improving student reading and math than schools that were weak on three or more of the Essentials.
Those 5Essentials are:
- Effective Leaders
- Collaborative Teachers
- Involved Families
- Supportive Environment
- Ambitious Instruction
For more information or to view previous years’ Reports, visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois (choose “Select a Public Survey” dropdown menu). If you have questions about the survey, contact 5Essentials Customer Support at 1-866-440-1874 or [email protected].
NEW *4th and 5th Grade Orchestra Concert*
Students are eager to perform at the:
WINTER ORCHESTRA CONCERT on Wednesday, February 16th at Woodlawn Gym
- 4th Grade Orchestra Concert will be at 6:30 pm.
- 5th Grade Orchestra Concert will be at 7:30 pm.
Students will arrive half-hour prior to their concert - in concert attire, with instrument and music.
Thanks for all your support!
Repeat *Valentine’s Day Parties*
Valentine's Day parties are just around the corner. If you choose to include an item with your child's Valentines, please note that only non-food items are permissible. Candy, snacks, or any sort of food item will be sent back home with your child on Valentine's day if sent to school. Non-food items are permitted, and there are many pre-packaged Valentines that can be purchased that include a trinket (i.e., pencil, erasers, bookmark, etc.). If you have any questions about what can be included in Valentine's, please contact your child's classroom teacher.
Repeat *Parent Drop-off & Pick-Up*
I wanted to take a moment and remind Kildeer families about the procedures in place for a safe and efficient parent drop-off and pick-up process in the mornings and afternoons.
If you are dropping off your student in the morning, you may ONLY do this through the rolling drop-off line. (blue arrows). THANK YOU FOR PULLING UP ALL THE WAY TO THE 'STOP HERE' SIGN TO ENSURE OLD MCHENRY DOES NOT BACK UP.
If you are parking to drop off your student, you must walk them along the sidewalk or escort them across the crosswalk. (red circles)
Please remember our staff has left the front row of parking alongside the building with access to the sidewalk for student safety and for your convenience. We would highly encourage as many families as possible to use the rolling drop-off line as this is the safest and most efficient option.
As an additional reminder, thank you for not parking in the wheelchair-accessible parking spots unless you have a need. We are counting on our community to come together and help this morning process to be as safe and efficient as possible for all students.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office.
Repeat *Masking Reminder-PLEASE READ*
As a reminder, all individuals present on school grounds must continue to wear a face-covering consistent with Board of Education policy 4:182 until further notice. Any individual's refusal to wear a face-covering shall constitute a violation of the District's applicable rules of conduct and may subject the individual to disciplinary action or prevent the individual from entering or remaining on school district property. We are hopeful that, in the not too distant future, conditions will be conducive to reducing our mitigation measures. Thank you for your continued cooperation as we begin to see a decline in our positive cases!
Repeat *Spring Parent/Educator Conferences*
Spring Parent/Educator Conferences are around the corner! The conferences will take place on Monday, March 14th from 5 PM to 8:30 PM and Tuesday, March 15th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.
Spring conferences will be in a collaborative format with students leading the conferences. Collaborative conferences are focused on reflection and growth. Students must be present at the conferences. These conferences will be 15 minutes in length.
We will continue using Meet the Teacher as an electronic sign-up for conferences. A signup link will be shared by the district with parents via email on Thursday, February 24th at 6:00 PM. The default option for conferences will be virtual, but parents and guardians will be able to schedule an in-person conference if they wish. Along with the classroom teacher, specials teachers and any related service providers that work with your child will also be available.
Repeat *Technology Support*
A friendly reminder that if you have technology-related issues at home with your student’s D96 technology (iPad, iPad Charger, Logitech Crayons, or iPad Case) please submit a help desk ticket at [email protected].
We have multiple technology personnel that are ready to help. Submitting a help desk ticket via the email address provided will ensure that somebody on the team sees your request. Thank you!!
Repeat *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
Repeat *I AM ME...WE ARE KILDEER family celebration-Mark your calendars*
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!
Repeat *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.
NEW *FEBRUARY 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 *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.
*** Student Council News***
Dear Kildeer Cougars and families
Thank you for participating in crazy hair day! I saw a boy wearing a flower pot hat on his head and a girl with a bunch of pipe cleaners in her hair. That was a really crazy hair day!
Thanks for participating in this spectacular day!
Alex from Student Council
*** 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!
We are looking forward to hosting our last class party of the year on Monday! Not only do we have parties, we also have buddy classrooms. Can you guess the theme this month?
Kindness!
Speaking of kindness, thank you once again to our incredible PTO volunteers for taking time to make special lunch so "special" today! We appreciate you!
Fondly,
Mrs. Vail Kieser
Principal