No School Monday, October 8th - Columbus Day
Representative Brad Schneider Visits Prairie
Representative Schneider visited Prairie on Tuesday and met with many students in the cafeteria, orchestra, and classrooms. Our 4th graders were particularly excited about Rep. Schneider's visit because they are currently studying the three branches of our federal government. 4th graders were prepared with excellent questions, which Rep. Schneider took joy in answering. It was clear that he really enjoyed interacting with our kids and was impressed with their level of sophistication.
Family Educator Conferences
Family Educator Conferences (formerly known as Parent-Teacher Conferences) will take place on November 19 from 5-7pm and November 20 from 2-7pm. There will be a link to Sign-Up Genius in next Friday's blog where you can sign-up for a 15-minute conference with District 96 educators. We encourage all families to sign-up for conferences. Conferences offer a great opportunity for cooperative conversations between educators and families to best support the development of the whole child and foster each students' social-emotional and academic growth based upon their current needs. More information will be communicated in my October 12th blog.
School Yard Scamper
As you know, we had to cancel our Schoolyard Scamper today. We will try again on Friday, October 12th.
Halloween Festivities
Halloween Parade
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Start time is approximately 1:15pm on Wednesday, October 31st.
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Parents are welcome to watch outside.
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If the weather is inclement, the parade will be inside for students & staff only.
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Students will exit the doors on Kingsbridge, walk toward Brandywyn, up around the circle drive, and students will re-enter the building through the gym doors.
Assembly
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The assembly is for students and staff only due to space constraints.
Parties
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Students may go home for lunch on Halloween to get into their costumes. Please write a note and have your child give it to their teacher if you are going to be picking them up. Parents sign out students in the office.
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Classroom parties will begin at approximately 2:00pm and end at 2:45pm.
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Only parent party volunteers may attend classroom parties
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If you are a volunteer, it is recommended that you have your driver’s license scanned into our security system prior to party day so that your badge can be ready for you upon arrival.
Costumes
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Students will change into their costumes after the lunch period.
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It is important that costumes are appropriate for school.
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No masks (faces cannot be covered), blood, super scary stuff, general ickiness, or weapons.
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No cigars or cigarette items
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No bare tummies
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Please keep hair coloring and make-up simple
Thank you for your help and support in making our Halloween festivities fun and safe.
News from the Library
The library has made some changes this year. Children will be coming to the Learning Center class once a week. During this time, they will be hearing about all the wonderful books we have in our library. We will showcase genres, authors, favorite series, and award-winning books- just to name a few. Each week, after the book talk, students will either check out books or practice handwriting/cursive. This will alternate each week. In summary, half the class is checking out books and the other half is practicing handwriting/cursive. Therefore due dates vary depending on when your child is checking out books. Because of this, due dates are arbitrary. All we ask is that books are returned in a timely manner after students are done reading them. I will be sending home notices when a book is out for more than 30 days.
Another change we made is that children can have up to 10 books checked out a time. We are doing our best to guide students in making reasonable decisions about the books they are reading. We are encouraging students to check out a variety of genres that will help "grow their reading brain."
A Word About PARCC Assessment Results
Today your student is bringing home his or her PARCC data for the PARCC assessment administered in April 2018. Please check your student’s backpack for these assessment results.
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is the assessment and accountability measure used for students enrolled in Illinois public schools. Students in Grades 3–8 take this assessment in the academic areas of English language arts and mathematics.
PARCC results show whether your student met grade-level expectations and is on track for the next grade level. Please note that PARCC is only one measure of how your student is performing academically.
The Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) results for current sixth-grade students will also be included. The ISA is administered to students enrolled in grade 5 and grade 8 at their respective grade level.
The ISA measures the Illinois Learning Standards in Science, incorporating the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that replaced the previous science standards adopted in 1997. The NGSS are the most comprehensive science standards that Illinois has ever had. They are more rigorous and detailed as they integrate the content of science with the practices of science.
For more information and support in understanding your student’s PARCC assessment results, please refer to the following:
• DISTRICT 96 RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
• ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION PARCC PLACE
Also, please feel free to direct your questions about your student’s results to the principal of the District 96 school your student currently attends or to Jeanne Spiller, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning- 847 459-4260 ext 8010- [email protected].
PTO Points
- Sunday, October 7th: Whole Foods Shopping! Please stop by the new Whole Foods in Vernon Hills on Sunday October 7th, 2018. One percent of all sales will be donated to Prairie Pto! You don’t need to present anything! Please come shop and support our school
- Save the Date for Monster Bash. October 26th, 2018, 6:30 to 8:30. Registration is now open, please sign up on the Membership Toolkit!
- Volunteers Needed for
- Mother/Son Night (February 15th) and
- Daddy/Daughter Night (February 21st)
- Please sign-up on the Membership Toolkit.
- Room parents have sent a message home through the classroom teacher. Please reach out to the room parent regarding signing up and volunteering for holiday parties.
- October 19th is special lunch! Please remember to sign up for special lunch and dessert day by the last day of the month, so that your child can enjoy the following month’s dessert days and special lunch. All sign up forms are on the Membership Toolkit.
ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS: Heroes in the Classroom, sponsored by Symetra and presented locally by Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Parents, here's an opportunity for you and your student to nominate for recognition the current or former teacher who has made–or is making–a real difference in your child's life.
This Hero in the Classroom is the teacher who goes beyond what's expected and is focused on helping his or her students build life skills.
If selected, the Classroom Hero will be honored with Chicago Bears football regular season game tickets, in-game video recognition, a monetary donation to the classroom, and more.
READ MORE and NOMINATE (online) your family's choice for Hero in the classroom. Please be sure to submit any nominations before mid-November.
Celebrate Math! Night–Oct. 15
Parents, bring your elementary students (Grades KDG–5) on Mon., Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. to Ivy Hall Elementary School, 1072 Ivy Hall Ln., Buffalo Grove, for the District's Celebrate Math! Night.
Math coaches will give a brief presentation, then parents will be able to see what learning math in KCSD96 is like from their children's perspective.
This district-wide program–held in the gym at Ivy Hall–is for families whose students attend Willow Grove, Country Meadows, Ivy Hall, Kildeer, or Prairie. Questions? Call 847.459.4260, ext. 8022, or send email to the District 96 public info coordinator.
Warm Regards,
Dr. Christine Pfaff, Principal
Follow me on Twitter @clkpfaff1