Good afternoon Kildeer families,
Welcome back and Happy New Year! It was so nice to welcome students and staff back this week. January brings a variety of weather conditions and we want students to be prepared to go outside for recess. For the next few months, we encourage students to bring boots, coats, gloves, hat, and snowpants. These items will keep your child warm while outside and are also needed if your child wants to play in the snow during recess. If your child wears boots to school, please send another pair of shoes for him/her to change into when they get inside the building. The Lost and Found gets full during this time of year so please write your child’s name on his/her winter items.
Until our next adventure.
Mrs. Karen Cumpata
NEW *Upcoming Dates*
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Tuesday, January 14 - Early Release Day
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Monday, January 20 - NO SCHOOL - District Holiday
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Wednesday, January 15 - Tuesday, March 4 - ACCESS Testing
New: Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day will be celebrated during PTO classroom parties at all elementary schools (Country Meadows, Ivy Hall, Kildeer, and Prairie) on Friday, February 14th. Since February 14 is a half-day, classroom parties will take place from 10:45-11:30am. Your child's teacher will send home any classroom-specific information related to Valentine's Day. Valentines are already popping up in stores. If you choose to send valentines to school and include an item with your child's valentines, please note for the safety of our students only non-food items are permissible. This practice is consistent for all classrooms in District 96 elementary schools, including Willow Grove.
NEW: Begin Kindergarten Registration Today!
Kildeer Countryside School District 96 is excited to welcome kindergarteners for the 2025–2026 school year! Get the process started TODAY! To ensure all students have the opportunity to build a strong and consistent educational foundation, children who are five years old on or before September 1st of a given school year will be enrolled in Kindergarten. Children who are six years old on or before September 1st of a given school year will be enrolled in first grade. For more information, please visit: https://www.kcsd96.org/wg/kindergarten-registration Please note, registration for all other grades at KCSD96 will begin on March 4th.
Registration Timeline:
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January 2025: Begin the registration process by emailing all required documents to Cristina Castro, Administrative Assistant at Willow Grove Early Learning Center, at [email protected]. If you have a student currently enrolled in Pre-K at Willow Grove, you do not need to resubmit these documents.
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March 4, 2025: Registration opens for all KCSD96 students. For incoming Kindergarten families, the district will send online registration links to Kindergarten families who have had their documents approved.
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March 18, 2025: Dual Language Program Virtual Parent Night from 6-6:30pm. This is for parents of incoming Kindergarten students who are interested in learning more about the program. Meeting link to be provided.
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April 15, 2025: Early Bird Discount Ends for Registration. Dual Language Lottery due date.
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April 29, 2025: Virtual Dual Language Lottery at 5pm. Meeting link to be provided.
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April 30, 2025: Complete registration by this date to attend the Kindergarten Kick-Off event at Willow Grove Early Learning Center. Registered families get the sign-up right away once they are fully registered.
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May 14, 2025: Kindergarten Kickoff will be held at Willow Grove. This event is sign-up only for families who are fully registered by April 30. Students will receive a free t-shirt!
Required Documents:
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Child's birth certificate, passport, or visa
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Parent/guardian driver's license or passport
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Recent (within 30 days) mortgage statement, signed lease, or property tax bill
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Recent (within 30 days) utility bill
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Completed Enrollment Form, Residency Form, and Home Language Survey (available in multiple languages)
Please review the Health Requirements and submit the necessary health forms by the specified due dates.
For questions, contact Cristina Castro at [email protected] or call (847) 541-3660.
Dual Language Opportunity
Interested in having your child obtain a bilingual education? The KCSD96 Spanish/English Dual Language Program is a unique and enriching opportunity in our region-- providing an opportunity for students to develop a deep academic proficiency in two languages. In the Dual Language Program, 50 percent of the academic curriculum is delivered in Spanish, and 50 percent of the academic curriculum is delivered in English.
If families are interested in the Spanish/English Dual Language Program Lottery, they must indicate so during the virtual registration process starting in March. The deadline is April 15th. The lottery will be hosted virtually on May 5th. For more information, please visit: https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/dual-language-lottery
KCSD96 will be hosting a Virtual Parent Night from 6 to 6:30 p.m. on March 18, 2025, for parents of incoming Kindergarten students who are interested in learning more about the Dual Language Program.
NEW: Updated Approved Snack List
KCSD96 families, please view the newly updated Approved Snack List. This can be found on our website at https://campussuite-storage.s3.amazonaws.com/prod/750226/93147715-c5f6-11e6-b7b7-22000bd8490f/2901176/03c4c242-ced2-11ef-b23f-0afffba8b1b9/file/Approved%20Food%20&%20Beverage%20List%2012.20.24%20(1).pdf
NEW: ACCESS Testing
The State of Illinois requires identified English Learner (EL) students to annually participate in the ACCESS testing to determine current English language proficiency in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. The ACCESS testing window is from 1/15/25-3/4/25. Each school’s testing schedule is unique and will only impact students who take the ACCESS test. Students taking ACCESS do not need to prepare anything ahead of time.
NEW: Student Council Fun Hair or Hat Day
Please join Fun Hair or Hat Day on Friday January 24, 2025. Remember, all hairdos are created at home. Let's see all the creative hair or hat ideas that Kildeer school can come up with. Let's have some fun!
From Student Council