Dear Families,
It has been quite a pleasure to complete another week of full in-person learning. As students become more comfortable being at school, it is important to remember that our safety guidelines are still in place. Your partnership around sustained reinforcement of social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand hygiene is a critical part of keeping our buildings open. Thank you for your attention and collaborative support in these areas. The weather next week looks like it will begin warm and then cool off. As we all eagerly wait for the arrival of summer, this is a gentle reminder to send your student(s) to school with clothing that will allow them to accommodate the changing weather. Remember that our staff is here to help. Please do not hesitate to call or email with any questions or concerns.
Kindly,
Christine Pfaff
Principal
NEW *Kids Heart Challenge*
On behalf of the American Heart Association, thank you very much to the Prairie School community for your donation of $2,704.29 from your recent Kids Heart Challenge event. Your efforts make a tremendous impact and help millions of Americans through increased awareness of cardiovascular disease, lifesaving scientific research, and education efforts.
NEW *Transition to Middle School Program for Parents of Current 5th Graders*
Parents of all current fifth graders are invited and encouraged to attend the Transition to Middle School program presented by Middle School Principals Jessica Barnes (Twin Groves) and Greg Grana (Woodlawn). They'll discuss academics, extracurricular opportunities, and changes that middle school years bring. Current sixth-grade student panelists will also share their perspectives. The virtual presentation begins at 7 PM on Mon., May 10 on ZOOM.
Meeting ID: 882 9699 5872
Passcode: 450506
NEW *News from Exploration Lab Class*
Congratulations to the following third-grade students for mastering their robotics/coding puzzles!
Advik Ray
Emma Liu
Alex Chen
Alex Zhou
NEW *Remote Assessment Survey Change Requests*
Families of remote learners who wish to change their assessment survey answers should contact Jeanne Spiller, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, at [email protected] by Monday, 4/26. After Monday 4/26, there will be no more adjustments made.
REPEAT *Assessment Information*
The district has finalized the dates for the MAP and IAR assessments for all students. If you have elected to have your remote learner attend in-person for these assessments, more information about attending on assessment days will be sent to your email and home mailing address prior to the assessment date.
MAP: Dates for In-Person and Remote Students
Monday 5/3: Grades 5 and 6
Tuesday 5/4: Grades 5 and 6
Wednesday 5/5: Kindergarten and Grades 2, 3, and 4
Thursday 5/6: Kindergarten and Grades 2, 3, and 4
Friday 5/7: Grades 1, 7, and 8
Monday 5/10: Grades 1, 7, and 8
In-person students will have the same arrival and dismissal times as they normally would and complete the assessment as a part of the typical school day.
Remote students (dates & times below) coming to test in-person will follow the schedule below and rejoin their classes via Zoom once they return home (except for kindergarten).
Remote Kindergarten AM - remote students coming to test in-person
Arrival: 8:45
Dismissal: 10:30
Remote Kindergarten PM - remote students coming to test in-person
Arrival: 12:45
Dismissal: 2:30
Remote Elementary - remote students coming to test in-person
Arrival: 8:45
Dismissal: 11:35
Remote Middle School - remote students coming to test in-person
Arrival: 8:00
Dismissal: 10:45
*Remote students coming to take MAP in-person who have extended time will be contacted by building staff to communicate a dismissal time.
**Remote students coming to take the MAP in-person will also take the FastBridge assessments. FastBridge is a reading fluency assessment, which is typically administered in the same window as MAP.
IAR: Dates for In-Person and Remote Students
Monday 5/24: Grades 3-8
Tuesday 5/25: Grades 3-8
Wednesday 5/26: Grades 3-8
In-person students will have the same arrival and dismissal times as they normally would and will complete the assessment as a part of the typical school day.
Remote students (dates & times below) coming to test in-person will follow the schedule below and rejoin their classes via Zoom once they return home. The dismissal time is different on Wednesday because the third English Language Arts test is shorter.
Grades 3-5
Monday 5/24 and Tuesday 5/25 - remote students coming to test in-person
Arrival: 8:45
Dismissal: 11:55
Grades 3-5
Wednesday 5/26 - remote students coming to test in-person
Arrival: 8:45
Dismissal: 11:00
Middle School
Monday 5/24 and Tuesday 5/25 - remote students coming to test in-person
Arrival: 8:00
Dismissal: 11:15
Middle School - remote students coming to test in-person
Wednesday 5/26
Arrival: 8:00
Dismissal: 10:15
*Remote students coming to take IAR in-person who have extended time will be contacted by building staff to communicate a dismissal time.
ACCESS: Dates for In-Person and Remote Students
In-person students who take ACCESS will do so during the course of their school day.
Remote students who are coming in to take ACCESS will be contacted by school personnel to schedule the test. Students in kindergarten will have individual appointments as the test is administered one to one. Students in grades 1-8 will participate in the assessment on Thursday, May 13th and/or Friday, May 14th.
NEW *Transition to Middle School Program for Parents of Current Fifth Graders*
Parents of all current fifth graders are invited and encouraged to attend the Transition to Middle School program presented by Middle School Principals Jessica Barnes (Twin Groves) and Greg Grana (Woodlawn). They'll discuss academics, extracurricular opportunities, and changes that middle school years bring. Current sixth-grade student panelists will also share their perspectives. The virtual presentation begins at 7 PM on Mon., May 10. Zoom link:
https://kcsd96.zoom.us/j/88296995872?pwd=S0d6QnplZzh6S2t0dUMzYXcxSTVPZz09
Meeting ID: 882 9699 5872 Passcode: 450506
REPEAT *STUFF THE SQUAD Food Pantry Drive*
The Buffalo Grove Police Department invites KCSD96 families to donate food and essentials to support food pantries serving our local residents. Collection via centrally located boxes in schools will be underway at all KCSD96 schools in the weeks ahead. The last day to donate to “Stuff the Squad” is May 5. SEE REQUESTED ITEMS
REPEAT *April 30th Half-Day Attendance*
All students will have a half-day of morning asynchronous work and NO students will attend in-person on this day. The afternoon is a day off for students as teachers will be involved in professional development.
REPEAT *Parent Input for Class Placement Survey*
Creating balanced class lists that meet the needs of all students is a tremendously difficult job that takes many hours of thoughtful dialogue between classroom teachers, administrators, and specialists. We take this process very seriously. The process for class list creation is as follows:
Teachers think about the social and academic needs of each of their current students while recording pertinent information to assist in the decision-making process.
Grade level teachers, principals, specials area teachers, and specialists meet together to form class lists that are balanced in terms of academic, social, and emotional needs as well as considering friendships. This is no easy task and often takes several meetings. This team of educators considers each child’s personality, academic needs, friendship patterns, etc. as they make a match for each individual child.
This team of educators creates a draft set of class lists taking into consideration parent input.
Class lists are then revised in August with summer changes for students who move in or out of the district.
Class rosters are never final until they are released to families in August.
This process happens for grades 2-5. Willow Grove creates the class lists for our incoming 1st graders. Our 5th-grade team actively works with Twin Groves to provide data and input related to placement decisions at the middle school level.
We strongly believe that this detailed and collaborative process creates learning environments that benefit all students. It is a delicate balancing act that takes much consideration and thought by professionals who know and care about your children. Our goal is to create balanced class lists that promote the success of each child. Please know that your child is placed in a classroom for very specific reasons. The process benefits all students. Because of the input and thought given by teachers, specialists, parents, and the principal, we are very reluctant to make changes once this process occurs, as removing or moving one child can disrupt the balance of an entire class, impacting all students.
I welcome any insight you wish to share about your child’s strengths, needs, and learning style. I will take into consideration pertinent information received on or before FRIDAY, APRIL 30th. Please remember, while we welcome your input, specific teacher or friend placement requests will not be honored.
I cannot express enough how important it is that your thoughts are provided through the Prairie-Parent Input for Class Placement 2021-2022 Survey. As you can imagine, we receive a lot of parent input, and verbal information is impossible to track. The information you provide in the survey will remain confidential between you and me.
REPEAT *Make Lunch Plans*
Parents, please help. With many more students learning in person in KCSD96 schools, it's essential that parents place their students' free meal preorders by 6 PM on Thursday of the week before. Find preordering instructions HERE. Questions? Contact [email protected].
Also, please remind your students of the meal choices you preordered, so the meals they request at lunchtime are the meal options that you preordered for them. Thank you!
REPEAT *Collection of Literacy Materials*
Over the course of the year, we have been sending home materials with students. Starting April 19th, we are going to begin collecting these materials.
For Students Attending In-Person
Please see the attached list of materials for your child(ren) by grade level. Gather these materials and send them back with your student to give to their teacher.
Materials lists
For Students Learning Remotely
Gather the materials from the checklist below.
Materials that are still being used are noted in the checklist, and those can stay at home for now.
Starting April 19th, from 7:00am - 4:00pm materials can be PUT YOUR BUILDING DETAILS HERE.
Materials Lists
If you have any questions, please reach out to your student’s teacher.