Dear Families,
It was so wonderful to hear that so many of you participated in Curriculum Night this week. We are so grateful for the continued partnership with all stakeholders in our school community. If you have any additional questions that were not answered during the Curriculum Night presentations, please join our classroom teachers during Parent Office hours on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:45-8:25am or reach out via email at any time.
I hope everyone finds time to relax and recharge this Labor Day weekend. We are looking forward to our third week of learning with students next week, and we thank you for your support as we navigate the beginning of this unique school year together.
Kindly,
Christine Pfaff
NEW *No School Monday, September 7th*
This is a friendly reminder that there is no school on Monday, September 7th. Instruction will resume on Tuesday, September 8th.
NEW *MAP Testing Information*
Remote NWEA MAP Testing will take place over the next few weeks for your child. Our teachers and instructional coaches will serve as test proctors and will work to build and encourage student engagement during the test and respond to the needs of students in real-time. In addition, they will be watching student engagement closely to ensure that students are working through the test in a timely and typical manner. Students who are working too slowly or too quickly are tagged by NWEA and proctors are alerted.
Overall, the remote test-taking experience is nearly identical to its onsite counterpart, with changes mainly in proctor communication and the log-in process. However, the item bank, interface, and test management tools remain the same. From start to finish, the process is straightforward and easy to use.
See information in the box below regarding MAP growth, and this link below provides further information for families.
Please see the important Copyright Information from NWEA MAP below:
NWEA MAP assessments, including test questions, are copyrighted, and may not be copied or reproduced in any form, including but not limited to taking photographs, video and/or audio recordings. Any copying or reproduction of NWEA MAP assessments constitutes copyright and/or other intellectual property infringement and is a violation of NWEA’s Master Subscription Agreement. NWEA MAP assessments, including test questions and answers, are the proprietary information of NWEA.
The schedule for Elementary Remote MAP testing is as follows:
*All testing will take place in the morning
**Schedules are subject to change
September 10: 5th Grade Prairie and Kildeer
September 11: 5th Grade Ivy Hall and Country Meadows
September 14: All 5th Grade Students Districtwide
September 15: All 3rd and 4th Grade Students Districtwide
September 16: All 1st and 2nd Grade Students Districtwide
September 17: All Kindergarten, 3rd and 4th Grade Students Districtwide
September 18: All Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade Students Districtwide
NEW *Material Pick Up Info*
September 14th we will be having our second material pick up. We will be communicating specific pick up details in next week’s blog, but want you to have the date and times materials will be available.
Ivy Hall, Kildeer, Prairie, Country Meadows: 11:30am-6:30pm
Willow Grove: 11:30am-6:30pm
NEW *Instructional Interruptions*
We are so appreciative of our supportive families and school community. With that being said, we ask that parents/guardians utilize the scheduled parent office hours or emails to specific staff to address questions and concerns. Any questions or comments made during instructional time are disruptive to student learning. We understand that some parents may have questions while in close proximity to students engaging in Zoom sessions, but please know that you will be directed to take advantage of email and scheduled office hours if student instruction is interrupted.
NEW *News from Mrs. Spivack*
Why is reading important?
- Sharpens your mind
- Increases vocabulary
- Lowers stress
- Decreases depression
- Improves memory and focus
- Strengthens writing abilities
- Enhances imagination
- Boosts sleep
Needless to say, READING is one of the most important things you can do for your child academically. If you don’t already have an Indian Trails library card, now is a GREAT time to get one. If you are uncomfortable in public places, you can use their drive-up window instead!
Lastly, Indian Trails Library has a wonderful reading program for kids. Please be sure to check it out.
NEW *Release of Information*
If you have an academic tutor or private provider that you would like to be in contact with members of our school team, you will need to complete a Release of Information form in order for communication to take place. Please contact the front office for one of these forms.
NEW *5th Grade Band Band Meeting and Registration Information*
Tuesday, September 8th from 7:00 - 8:00 PM Mr. Nagle will conduct a Beginning Band Zoom meeting for all who wish to be a part of the band. This is an optional meeting, but if you have questions about beginning band please sign on to the link. Mr. Nagle’s Band Class. 5th-grade band will start September 16, follow this link to learn more about selecting an instrument, registering for band, and renting an instrument. For the Beginning Band Link, click here.
NEW *Use the D96 Issued iPad*
Please make sure that your student is using the school-issued device during remote learning. The processes and procedures that staff are taught to help facilitate remote learning are specific to the device that the school has issued your student. Using a device other than or in addition to the school-issued iPad can complicate instruction and disrupt a smoother workflow for learning. Thank you for understanding. Additionally, if there is a problem with the school-issued device please be sure to let your child’s teacher know or contact the help desk at [email protected].
New *Send Me a Picture of Your Child Learning*
I love capturing photos of kids learning in my Principal's Message each week. Since we are currently learning remotely, I'd love it if you wouldn't mind sharing a photo or two with me to use in my Principal Message and/or Twitter accounts. If you are comfortable sharing, please email me a photo or two at [email protected]. Thank you!
REPEATING *Tech Hub*
KCSD96 Family Technology Hub! The District 96 Family Technology Hub is designed to guide families through technology tools related to Enhanced Remote Learning. On this site, you can find links to the recordings and the corresponding Slides decks for the parent/family informational sessions from last week. You can also find tutorials on how to use ZOOM, Schoology, Seesaw, Clever, Notability, and other iPad essential tools for student learning. Additionally, there is a link to email the technology support desk. Please save or bookmark this site. It will be updated with tools, resources, and tutorials through remote learning to better support your family.
REPEATING *Tech Support*
As students are home with their iPad devices to access remote learning plans, we do anticipate there may be some tech needs that arise. If you run into any difficulty with your child’s school iPad, just send us an email explaining your problem and we can support you and your device. Please email [email protected] with any tech-related support needed.
If we did not have your child’s iPad at Material Pick-Up, contact [email protected]. They will check the status of your child’s enrollment and work to provide your child’s iPad as quickly as possible. Pick-up for all tech-related items will be