Kildeer Principal's Message- February 18th

Valentine's Day

Dear Kildeer Families,

This week our Kildeer Cougars celebrated Valentine’s Day with parties that were a great success. It's hard to believe these were the last class parties of the school year. Time typically flies after Valentine's Day.

Once again, we need to thank the PTO and PTO volunteers for their commitment and time with the parties. It amazes me the level of creativity in each of the classrooms. I always find myself not wanting to leave and to play the games with the students. I definitely felt successful when I was able to unknot some string in one of the classrooms. I also heard there were Bozo buckets in 1st grade!

Fun fact: Did you know that my grandfather was "Sandy the Clown" in the early days of The Bozo Show and he invented the Bozo Buckets?! You'd think I'd be an all-star with that game but I must confess I am not. Looks like I'll have to swing by 1st grade to get in some practice. 

On Monday, students had their monthly buddy classrooms and the focus was on kindness. This is such a rich tradition at Kildeer that brings our community together. A little kindness goes a long way! 

This week my blog brings a LOT of information. Thanks for reading carefully! 


NEW *I AM ME...WE ARE KILDEER family celebration on Thursday, March 3, 2022*

Come one, come all! In just TWO short weeks we will host our family celebration called I AM ME...WE ARE KILDEER. Years ago we came up with this name to represent our individual identity as people, yet also our collective identity as a Kildeer community. 

Please note the following:

  • The evening will go from 6:00-7:30.
  • There will be no food or performances as in past years, yet still a lot of fun!
  • We are asking for immediate family only!
  • Do your best to RSVP, but please know we will still take walk-ins as long as capacity allows! 
  • Our top 5 art contest winners' artwork will be proudly displayed in the foyer! Congratulations to Jessica, Zaara, Kylie, Grant, and Olivia! 

Please RSVP here! 


NEW *Driving in the school parking lot*

Parents, please help us keep all students safe in the parking lot by driving slowly and carefully. It's understandable that we are all on time schedules and want the process of drop-off and pick-up to be as efficient as possible. However, we also count on each and every parent to be vigilant and proceed with caution in the school parking lot. Thank you for adhering to this expectation. 


NEW *Masking Information*

As communicated today in Julie Schmidt’s Superintendent Message, on Tuesday, February 15, the bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) blocked the re-issuance of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) emergency rules for Covid protocols that were implemented by JCAR on September 17, 2021, and that were renewed on February 14.  

Last evening, the 4th District Appellate Court of Illinois dismissed the appeal of an earlier Circuit Court order on Covid related emergency rules issued by two state agencies and Covid related measures in the Governor’s Executive Orders. The Governor’s Executive Order regarding masking in schools remains the subject of continuing litigation as the recent circuit court ruling was on a temporary restraining order (TRO).

All decision-making and education regarding masking will be left up to individual families.  We strongly encourage families to make and discuss their family decision to mask or unmask with their children.  Please know that staff will not be monitoring or enforcing compliance with family decisions. Our role as educators will be to ensure that all students understand that whether they are masked or unmasked, they are safe, respected, and welcome.  Below you will find a list of talking points that have been created and provided to staff by our administrative team to use with students as needed.  Please feel free to review them with your children at home if you prefer.  As always, if you have any questions please contact your building principal.

Staff will be diligent in monitoring student interactions and report any concerning language/behavior if continuous or intentional.  Moving forward bullying/disrespect will be addressed consistent with our current district policy.

Addressing the Change in Rules: 

  • Rules have changed recently and masks are optional for students and staff in our schools. We know this may seem like a big change to people, especially since it is what we have all been doing for such a long time now.
  • We’ve been wearing masks for a while now, so this change may seem strange to some people. It’s ok if you’re not quite ready to go “maskless.” Masking is optional to people now. If you along with your parents feel more comfortable wearing your mask, it is ok to do so. It is also ok if some people do not want to wear their masks anymore. It is your family choice but we do want you to talk with your parents about what is most comfortable for you.

Maintaining Safety & Routine in School: 

  • The adults in this school are all here to make sure that everyone can safely learn in school. School is, and will remain, a safe place for all. 
  • Our school nurses, principals, maintenance staff, and every adult in the building does their very best to make sure everyone is safe in school. Even though some people may not be wearing a mask, and others are, all students are safe in school.
  • Practicing good hygiene at all times is important to be healthy. We will still be washing our hands, monitoring our space when around others and in big groups, and we will always encourage those who are sick to stay home until they feel better. 
  • Anyone who tests positive for COVID will still need to isolate at home. 
  • You are following the school rules whether you are masked or unmasked. 
  • If there are things that make you nervous or anxious, there are lots of people in school to help you navigate those feelings. Make sure you talk to a trusted adult (teacher, parent, social worker, coach, etc) if you are experiencing stress or anxiety.

Respecting Everyone’s Personal Choice: 

  • We must be kind to one another no matter a classmate’s mask choice. We are all members of this school community, and we rely on each other to create a great environment to learn in. 
  • It is ok for other students and families to make a different choice than you and your family. We appreciate the difference in thought and opinion. However, if you disagree with someone’s decision on masking, it is not ok to make fun of them, argue with them, or be disrespectful to them in any way. 
  • It is not appropriate to encourage or coax other students to make a choice about masking that you believe is right.  Each person and family should make that choice themselves.
  • Families and teachers can make their own decisions based on what they feel most comfortable with at this time. Each family has its own set of circumstances that they need to consider when making a decision about masking. 
  • It is important to be understanding of others’ choices, even if they are different than our own. If someone wears a mask, that is ok. It is also ok to not wear a mask. 
  • Every person has a different level of comfort about personal space. If someone asks for some extra space because they are uncomfortable in a situation, it is kind and respectful to give them that space. 
  • Disrespectful behavior towards others based on their choice to or not to mask will not be tolerated. It is expected that you are kind and inclusive to all of your classmates.  
  • Disrespectful comments and actions towards others are not expected behaviors in our school. This includes comments and actions related to mask-wearing and mask choice.

Supporting my child at home:

We encourage you to take this opportunity to make the best decision for your family regarding masking and discuss this with your children so they are clear as to your wishes. Staff cannot reasonably be expected to monitor or enforce student compliance with family preferences regarding mask-wearing. Staff will and have been mindful about giving students reminders to adhere to their family preference. Please bring this up with your child periodically as we move forward to continue to support your family choice and check in with your child. Additionally, you may speak with your child about respecting choices of others and feeling comfortable to share any concerns with a trusted adult at school so we can help support and problem solve anything if needed. 

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the building principal.


NEW *Physical Education*

We will be starting our Human and Growth and Development unit the week of March 1. This unit is for grades third through fifth.

  • Third-grade lessons are on plants, animals, and babies.
  • Fourth-grade lessons cover the development of babies and puberty.
  • Fifth-grade lessons are on puberty and a discussion on Erin's Law with the social worker Ms. Avedon. 

The links below contain a document with  a waiver if you wish to opt out of the Human and Growth and Development unit. The opt out forms must be signed and returned to the PE team by February 25.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1luTm9PMqzghUJio89vJ4qcJlwsLBH2dAzJycWobK_g0/edit#slide=id.p

*** If you have questions regarding materials please contact Luke Emde [email protected]  or Allison Groessl [email protected]


NEW *SPRING COLLABORATIVE CONFERENCES*

The collaborative conference dates are Monday, March 14th from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM and Tuesday, March 15th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.

We will be using Meet the Teacher as an electronic sign-up for collaborative conferences. A School Messenger email will be sent to families on Thursday, February 24th at 6:00PM with a link to sign up for conferences.

Collaborative conferences will be held over zoom unless parents request an in-person conference using the instructions below. To support the easy location of Zoom meeting links, a single document with ALL the staff zoom links will be sent out on Friday, March 11th. 

REQUESTING AN IN-PERSON CONFERENCE

After selecting the teachers you wish to meet with and choosing a time for each conference, Meet the Teacher will prompt you to save the appointment and ask if you want to add a message for the teacher. 

If you want to have an in-person conference with the teachers, you must notify the teachers via this messaging feature (see picture below).


NEW *5 Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians Coming Up*

5ESSENTIALS SURVEY–SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL

Share your thoughts about how your child’s school is doing on the 5Essentials for school success. On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. District 96 will participate in the statewide 2020–21 5Essentials Survey to meet state legislation and the Board’s mandate. District 96 parents may voluntarily participate to complete the survey. Please select the Parent Survey and begin.

Beginning in February and through Apr. 2, students and teachers will complete their surveys to help identify strengths and weaknesses in their school’s learning environment. In District 96, students in grades 4–8 will complete their surveys on Mar. 19. 

This survey is designed to help school and district leaders better understand the parent/school relationship. All responses are anonymous. Parents are asked to complete a survey for each student attending a Kildeer Countryside District 96 school. The survey will be open through Apr. 2, 2021. Questions? See Frequently Asked Questions and/or contact 5Essentials Client Services, 866.440.1874.


Repeat *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].


Repeat *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. 


*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

Hello Kildeer Cougars

 We are happy to announce that Color Day is coming up!  Friday, February 25, 2002.

Please wear the color that has been assigned to your grade.

1 st= Green

2 nd= Orange

3 rd= Yellow

4 th= Red

5 th= Blue

TEACHERS : Black or White or grade color

Let’s see what grade level wins!

Thank you, 

 Selma - Student Council


***  PTO News ***

  • Mark your calendars for Friday, March 11th! Our annual tradition and family fun event of BINGO BLAST returns! 

Check out the blog


After six years of being the principal at Kildeer, I've learned you never know what each day will bring. We kicked off the week with celebratory Valentine's parties, and then the week shifted. With the sudden change in plans and masking came some uncertainty and I am positive we all have differing views on this. 

However, now is the time more than ever to help our kids and model for them what we expect from them. We will continue to focus on kindness, acceptance, and respect at Kildeer and appreciate your partnership with this. 

In the midst of it all, I found myself enjoying quite a few small moments. At our picnic with the principals this week, I learned some great new jokes. In Mr. Lyles' classroom, my mind was blown with teaching students how to divide a whole number by a fraction. Let me clarify....I KNOW how to solve these problems, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a visual to go along with it. Again...mindblown. At our staff meeting this week, we played a little game of "guess someone who" from previously collected trivia. I watched our teachers laugh in enjoyment when revealing who used to be a flight attendant and who taught abroad with goats in the classroom. One last small moment from this week was from our 1st graders. They were on a shapes scavenger hunt and meandered into the office. Having a moment to spare, I brought out my sparkly cylinder of a water bottle. There were "oooohs" and "ahhhhs". I didn't let it stop there though. They followed me back into my office and kept the scavenger hunt going. It was kind of like having tourists in my office, discovering new things, and taking pictures. This brought me absolute joy. 

We may not know what to expect each day, but if we pay attention, we will find those small moments of joy. Like the famous quote, "Every day may not good, but there is good in every day." Thank you Kildeer Cougars for always pointing me towards the good. I am the absolute luckiest principal! 

Fondly,

Mrs. Vail Kieser

Principal

p.s. Just a reminder we will see students return on Tuesday, February 22nd. Please also note this is an early release day at 2:00 p.m.