Dear Families,
We have another great week of remote learning under our belts, and we continue to be grateful for all of your continued support. The resilience of our school community is more evident than ever, and we are so proud of our students and staff. Please remember that students will not be in attendance on Monday, but we look forward to seeing students' smiling faces again on Tuesday, 9/29.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Kindly,
Christine Pfaff
Principal
NEW *Learning from Home Pics*
Thanks for sharing your pictures of our Pumas learning from home. Here are a few of the pictures recently received.
NEW *No School Monday, September 28th*
This is a friendly reminder that students will not be in session on Monday, September 28th. We look forward to working with students again on Tuesday, September 29
NEW *School Pictures ~ Thursday, Oct. 8th*
Picture Day will be Thursday, October 8th from 2pm - 7pm. We will have 3-sided photo booth tents set up outside. Class pictures will be created using composites of individual student photos. The traffic pattern is depicted below. Please remember that Brandywyn Lane is currently a one-way street and you will need to enter the neighborhood from Aptakisic Road.
Students will exit the vehicle at the Student Drop Off Area and proceed to the photo booth line. Parents will remain in the vehicle and pull all the way up into the circle drive to wait for their child(ren). Social distancing measures will be in place and students will need to wear a mask. Once in the photo booth, students will remove their mask for the photo.
Below is the last name alphabetical time frame for your child(ren) to attend the photo session. We ask that you please do your best to come during the designated time frame. We understand that you may need to come outside the assigned time frame due to personal circumstances.
Please sign into the E. D. Clark Photography website to create an account and order photos online. E.D. Clark is offering free personalization of your order if you order BEFORE picture day. Be sure to select personalization when placing your pre-order.
NEW *Superintendent’s Message*
If you have not done so already, please take a moment to read Julie Schmidt’s Superintendent’s Message for specific information regarding metrics and reopening timelines for K-8 students.
Please look for additional communication next week from Superintendent Schmidt regarding student schedules and additional reopening details.
NEW *Calendar Change*
Please note the following addition to the current school year calendar:
NO SCHOOL Tues., Oct. 13 – State-Approved Remote Learning Planning Day
District 96 staff will use this day for professional development related to staff preparing for the transition to a hybrid model.
NEW *Fall Conference Sign-Up*
Please click THIS LINK to sign up for fall family educator conferences with your child's educators. You will sign-in to our new platform "Meet The Teacher" with your name, an email address, your child’s name, and his or her date of birth.
At the elementary level, you will be able to sign up for a conference with your child’s classroom teacher and other educators your child works with on a regular basis. Please complete this for each child who attends District 96. Please know that some of our specials teachers and related services may have booked schedules. If you are interested in meeting with these educators, please sign up for the waitlist.
As a reminder, if you are unable to attend these conferences on these dates, please email the educator you are interested in speaking with to set up a phone conference. Family Educator Conference sign up will close October 5th.
As a reminder, Family Educator Conferences take place virtually via Zoom. Teachers will send specific Zoom Links at a later date.
October 8: 5pm-8:30pm
October 9: 10:00-1:30pm
In addition to individual conferences with educators, we will also be providing parent education opportunities both days. More information will be shared in the near future!
If you are having trouble signing up, please contact the front office at 847.634.3144.
NEW *News from our Positively Prairie Leadership Council*
Hello Prairie School families! Yesterday, we had a Cool Tools lesson. This year’s theme is… I am. This month’s lesson teaches kids about being happy for who they are, otherwise known as acceptance. This month’s theme was “I am accepted”.
To those new to District 96 and a reminder for the students who have been here for multiple years, Cool Tools is a wonderful lesson on social-emotional learning. This month we included some interactive and exciting activities!
We started by listening to a fun and lesson-teaching song that really taught kids what acceptance is! Then, we did multiple interactive activities which we hope motivated the students to accept themselves and keep this moral in their mind forever.
We all hope that this life value stays in everyone’s consciousness forever! Have a great weekend!
Adithi and Saanvika - PPLC Student Leaders
NEW *School Exclusion & Health Form Requirements*
Please know that students who do not have the necessary health forms on file will be excluded from school on October 15th. Please visit the Student Health portion of our website for the required forms
NEW *MAP Testing Family Support*
Thank you so much for all of your support in ensuring our MAP Testing has been able to take place while students are learning remotely. We understand the challenges that come with this, and we appreciate your patience and understanding. If there is an adult available at the time students are signing into the MAP testing session, we have found that this has made the sign in process more efficient. While this is not an expectation, and we do have District 96 staff available to support the login process, we are grateful for any support adults at home can provide support during the login process prior to students beginning their MAP testing sessions.
1st Grade
If possible, adult support would be helpful during the MAP login process on September 30th beginning at 9:15 am.
2nd Grade
If possible, adult support would be helpful during the MAP login process on September 30th beginning at 9:15 am and Thursday, October 1st beginning at 10 am.
NEW *Yearbook/Photography Club*
What a Year! Join Mr. Morris and Ms. Sauer to create our yearbook and take photos to document this unique school year! This club is open to ALL students and all that is needed is an iPad. This club will be held virtually via Zoom, Mondays after school from 4:30-5:15pm. Our first club is Monday, October 5th! See you then! CLICK HERE to sign up.
2020 TALENT SHOW - AUDITION SIGN-UP
Attention all Prairie students! Do you have a special talent you would like to share? Prairie School has a talent show every year! This year our talent show will be virtual on zoom. The talent show will be on Friday evening, December 4th. Auditions will be held in October this year!
Click here to sign-up! The form will be open for one week!
Please read specific information below:
- All students are welcome to sign-up for an audition.
- Each performance needs to be 2 minutes or less. (No exceptions)
- Students can only perform once.
- There are no group performances this year unless students live in the same household.
- Results will be sent out by Friday, November 13th after all auditions are done.
REPEAT *PTO News - Book Fair*
Dear families,
You’re invited to shop our Scholastic Book Fair online from October 5th- 18th! All purchases benefit our school and connect kids with new books, favorite characters, complete series, and more.
You’ll love the NEW option to shop for Book Fair exclusives directly from the interactive booklist and enjoy these special online shopping features:
• Over 6,000 items, including new releases, best sellers, and value packs
• All orders ship directly to your home
• FREE shipping on book-only orders over $25
• All purchases support our school and earn 25% in rewards
Visit our Book Fair Homepage and click “Shop Now” to get started.
Happy reading,
The PTO Book Fair Committee
Karen Abrams and Tiffany Fishbein
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.
Please email [email protected] with any tech-related support needed.