Dear Families,
Congratulations to our students! Today marks the official end of trimester 1 and we could not be more proud of the level of effort and determination our students put towards learning. We’ve experienced some bumps along the road, yet there have been so many celebrations as well. We value our partnership together as we navigate this school year and wish to congratulate each and every student! Report cards will be shared after the break with more specific information regarding your child’s progress. As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher.
As we head into break next week, we wish your family time to rejuvenate together and simply enjoy the space to be with each other.
Kindly,
Christine Pfaff
NEW *Upcoming Calendar Reminder*
This is a friendly reminder that students will not be in attendance from Wednesday, November 25th through Friday, November 27th. Students will resume instruction on Monday, November 30th.
NEW *MAP Testing Updates*
Given the pandemic and our current full remote setting, students in Kindergarten through Grade 2 will not participate in Winter MAP. Students in these grades will participate in MAP testing in the Spring.
Students in grades 3-8 will participate in remote MAP testing on the following dates:
Grades 5-8 will test on December 3 & 4
Grades 3-4 will test on December 8 & 9
NEW *Access Report Cards Online on Dec. 3*
Your student’s report card will be available for you to access online on Dec. 3 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 *Free Meals for Pick-Up for ALL D96 Students*
D96 is pleased to offer free meals for pick-up for ALL students (age 18 and younger), thanks to the Summer Food Service Program from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
All District 96 families were sent an email on Mon., Nov. 16 (Subject Line: Fr Sch Dist 96: Free Meal Preordering and Pickup) with information about preordering free breakfast and lunch meals for their students.
Parents/guardians of all District 96 families may preorder and pick up meals at Twin Groves or Woodlawn Middle Schools for their children through age 18 on designated weekdays from 11 AM–2 PM.
The first step is for families to create an account online and add each child receiving meals to the account. Please see this webpage for details and brief instructional videos of the account set-up and preordering process.
Please direct questions to the public information coordinator [email protected].
NEW *Culture Crew is Coming!*
In culture crew, we will share and celebrate the many cultures in our Prairie community. Please join us as we share traditions, music, and projects. We will meet on Wednesday afternoons from 3:00-3:45 beginning January 6th through May 26th. Sign up HERE.
We can’t wait to see you!
NEW *Pajama Day Tuesday, November 24!*
Wear your favorite, coziest, or silliest pajamas!
NEW *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. Please 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 by Friday, November 20th.
We can’t wait to have an audience for our performers!
NEW *Yearbook Pictures*
The Yearbook club needs your help in creating the 2020-2021 yearbook. Thank you to everyone who sent in fall and Halloween pictures. If you have any pictures of your child celebrating Diwali or Thanksgiving we would love to have them for the yearbook too. Please send them to us at [email protected] In your email please include your child’s first name, last name, and teacher.
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 *Attendance*
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.
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.