Dear Families,
I want to thank you for your continued support and flexibility during this most challenging school year. This afternoon staff members were able to collaborate during the second half of the half-day schedule to discuss the scoring of student writing submissions. Why is this process so valuable? Teachers collaborate across buildings to calibrate their grading practices to ensure equitable growth-producing feedback for students. This is done by analyzing the common rubrics and comparing the language to student writing samples. This produces equitable scoring and growth-producing feedback for all students. Have a great weekend.
Kindly,
Christine Pfaff
NEW *Newcomer Virtual Meetings*
Has your family recently moved to the United States or are you and your student(s) new to this area? Do you have questions about your new school or community? Some of our District 96 schools may have already received communication from the district office regarding newcomer virtual meetings. If you have not received any communications, and you are new to District 96, you will be soon. Prairie's Newcomer Virtual Meeting is on Wednesday, November 18th at 1:00pm. The Zoom link for this meeting will be in the invitation email you receive. If you would like to attend this meeting and have not received the link, please email me at [email protected] and I will share it with you.
This is an opportunity for parents to meet some D96 staff, ask questions, share their thoughts, and also meet parents that may have had similar experiences or have been in the district for a long time. This is an informal opportunity for parents who–like their students–are experiencing our social customs and practices of teaching and learning for the first time. We look forward to seeing you soon.
NEW *Gifts for Staff*
Gifts are never an expectation for our staff members, so it is with some humility that I touch on this topic with you. Some families have started to inquire about how they may deliver gifts for staff members. Our staff may or may not be working from the building and, therefore may have limited opportunities to retrieve gifts left for them. If you make the decision to provide a gift, you may request an "All About Me" document from the office. It is recommended, however, that you consider a virtual gift that can be delivered via email. If you choose to deliver a gift, please drop it off in the office vestibule with the understanding that the staff member may not receive the gift for some time. Thank you.
NEW *Supply Pickup* (IH, K, P, CM)
Thank you for participating in supply pick up today, Friday, November 13, 2020. If you were unable to make it out to pick up materials today, please call the front office prior to making the trip out to Praire to verify that the building is open.
NEW *Attendance Reminders*
Please be reminded that the office staff will call home if your child is absent from school. If your child will be absent for part or all of the school day, please call the office to let us know. Parents are required to provide a reason for the absence and, if ill, will need to provide symptoms.
NEW *Yearbook Club Needs Your Pictures*
Our Yearbook Club is 30+ students strong and they are working very hard on creating our 2020-2021 yearbook. Periodically the Yearbook Club will run themes and ask for photo submissions to our new Yearbook Club email address at [email protected]. We can't wait to see what student photos you send us which may be published in the year's yearbook. Please include the student's first name, last name, and classroom teacher in all submissions.
NEW *Yearbook Club's New Art Gallery*
Hey Prairie Families! We are looking for photos to celebrate all things FALL! If you have pictures of our students doing fall activities like apple picking, going to the pumpkin patch, raking leaves, going to a forest preserve, camping, Halloween, carving pumpkins, costumes, etc. we would LOVE to display them in our Prairie Art Gallery which will be displayed on the windows in front of the school. Please email pictures to [email protected] and include the student's first name, last name, and classroom teacher in all submissions.
2020 Talent Show - Audience Capacity
Once a year, Prairie has a talent show! Student auditions are complete and we have two great shows on Friday, December 4th. You are invited to come to watch this show virtually to support the students performing!
Due to a 300 log-in maximum for Zoom calls, we want to make sure our talent show participants and audience will be able to enter the show on Friday evening, December 4th. Please RSVP ONLY if you are planning on attending and tell us how many devices will be logging in to watch the show. Please include yourself and any other family members/friends in your total count on this form by Friday, November 20th.
We can’t wait to have an audience for our performers!
REPEATING *Academic Enrichment Fun Hosted By Stevenson Students*
Mark your calendar for creative learning on Sun., Nov. 15, from 1–3 PM.
Stevenson High School National Honor Society students have planned a virtual Academic Enrichment Exposition–fun Zoom activities to help students in grades 3–5 explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Engaging opportunities will include academic design challenges, coding projects, virtual field trips, scavenger hunts, and more–as well as the chance to win a $25 gift card.
REPEATING *Creative Holiday Card Design Opportunity for Grades 4 and 5*
Fourth- and fifth-grade students are invited to submit original artwork for a holiday greeting card competition sponsored by Congressman Brad Schneider, Illinois 10th District. The winning artwork will be the cover design of Congressman Schneider’s annual holiday card.
The theme this year is Winter Wonderland–favorite outdoor winter activities enjoyed on cold snowy days. No artwork entry size is specified (the winning artwork will be scaled to fit).
Submissions are due by Wed., Nov. 25, and Congressman Schneider’s staff will announce the winner in early December.
Please submit all entries electronically to Robert Perez at [email protected]
Questions? Call 847.383.4870.
REPEATING *ComEd Bill Payment Assistance Options*
ComEd has provided bill payment assistance options for families experiencing financial hardship. Please find info HERE.
REPEATING *Updated COVID-19 Metrics*
This UPDATED COVID-19 METRICS is the information “dashboard” that maintains transparent and open communication around COVID-19 metrics. As a user of the dashboard, the District has access to COVID-19 data as recommended by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium. We review this data daily, update the dashboard weekly, and consider this data in making many decisions.
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.