Dear Parents & Students,
There are so many feelings today for all of us. There is the usual excitement about heading into summer vacation and looking forward to more free time and relaxed days. With this year’s unusual circumstances, we are naturally feeling sad at missing our usual end-of-year traditions.
Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to join in classroom and staff Zoom meetings. At first, we were all navigating how to conduct and participate in this new environment. Over time, it was clear to see how well everyone was adapting. Our students have been amazing in demonstrating their flexibility as learners, and our teachers and support staff have done a terrific job as well quickly honing their skills as online educators.
Parents, I thank all of you for doing such a great job at home. You created kitchen table, office space, or bedroom learning nooks and perhaps even learned some new technology skills while supporting your child. Your continued support of and communication with our teachers have been very helpful and is truly appreciated.
I wish you all a wonderful summer vacation. Best of luck to our 5th-grade class as they move onto Twin Groves Middle School. I look forward to seeing you in the fall!!!
Kindly,
Christine Pfaff
NEW: Student Report Card Access Today
Your student’s report card will be available for you to access online today AFTER 3 PM. If you need assistance, please CLICK HERE for instructions to view your student’s report card, to switch between your children’s report cards, and more.
NEW: 5th Grade T-shirt Pick Up
5th-grade promotion t-shirts will be available for pick-up on Monday, June 1st from 12pm - 2pm. The t-shirts will be laid out by students' last names on tables. T-shirts that are not picked up will be distributed next school year to students at Twin Groves. Thank you, PTO for providing this lovely parting gift for our 5th-graders!!!
NEW: Library Books to Return?
If your child has library books to return there will be a bin set out on June 1st from 9am - 2pm in front of the school. Thank you for helping us get materials back.
NEW: Lost and Found Items
Our lost and found rolling racks will be set out on Monday, June 1st from 9am - 2pm. Please stop by if you are missing any items.
NEW: PTO News
Don't forget to order your school supply kits for next year. Please use this link and code to order: www.shopttkits.com Code: 22108.
Also, if you received an email about having a credit on MTK please remember to fill out the google form by June 1st. You can find the information on our PTO blog. If you have any questions please reach out to the PTO at [email protected].
NEW: 5th Grade Farewell Video
Be sure to check out the 5th-grade farewell video that is in our Prairie Community Tile on your child's iPad.
NEW: Elementary Students' Reflections on HOPE
In mid-May, District 96 Language Development Coaches challenged their elementary students in Grades 3–5 to express "What hope means." Their video responses are genuine, heartfelt, and moving. Please take time for their inspiring reflections: What HOPE means to us – D96
NEW: Summer Learning Requirements and Options
Plans for Summer 2020 days ahead look different than most of us anticipated, but they do include keeping the learning going for KCSD96 kids in fun and interesting ways.
Reading during the summer is critically important for students’ continued growth and helps counteract “summer slide”–when some of the achievement gains made during the previous school year slip away.
In addition to summer reading, District 96 faculty have been at work developing Summer Enrichment Activities for 11 weeks of summer!
Find weekly required reading as well as optional activities to choose from related to math connections, science, social studies, writing, music, art, PE, or STEM HERE. (Note: For optional activities they choose, students should be able to work independently. There is nothing to submit.) https://sites.google.com/kcsd96.org/summer-fun/home
All students entering kindergarten–Grade 5 also have grade-level-specific book ideas to inspire them to discover the pleasure of reading. Links to these lists are found at the foot of the Summer Enrichment Activities webpage. https://sites.google.com/kcsd96.org/summer-fun/home
In addition to optional Summer Enrichment Activities, all students entering grades 6–8 have a Read Outside Yourself Summer Reading Challenge, including a specific assignment. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lMQFoF_SQhY5RHgnvlnKPvcxcWXV85jg/view
Which Grade Level?
Grade-level groups at the top of the Summer Enrichment Activities homepage (that is, Grades EC/K–2, Grades 3–5, Grades 6–7) refer to the 2019–20 school year, as this enrichment includes support of some 2019–20 learning targets. Choose the grade level of your student in the just-completed 2019–20 school year. For example, a student who will be in Grade 8 in the 2020–21 school year should select the Grades 6–7 category and complete 7th-grade work.
Repeat: Last Call for Material Pick Up
Thank you, again, for making our material pick-up process so efficient! For those of you unable to make the assigned dates and times, June 1st will be the last call for student material pick up. Between the hours of 9:00am and 2:00pm, please come to the front of the building. All remaining student bags will be labeled and organized by teacher. Please adhere to social distancing guidelines. All other bags will be kept until the 2020-2021 school year.
Repeat: Don't Wait! Register for the 2020–21 School Year
If you haven't already registered your new or returning District 96 student for the 2020–21 school year, please do so right away. Having an accurate enrollment count is important for anticipating staffing needs appropriately. Please tell new neighbors and friends to contact the public info coordinator [email protected] with registration questions and for info on options to delay/waive registration fees.
REPEATING: Do Your Kids Need Some Good Books to Read?
Students with iPads have no reason not to be reading. It's important to read every day. CHECK OUT ways to find great books to read online and more.