Photography Club open to 3-5th graders
Dear Families,
It’s hard to believe that we are winding down the last official days of summer. We sure have lucked out in the weather department. Students have enjoyed playing outside at recess and participating in P.E. outdoors. My hope is that we can keep the nice weather just a little bit longer! As always, it’s been a gift to have our students back in the hallways. I am continually impressed as I walk through the classrooms to see learning in action. Students are working hard not only on academics but also on building relationships with each other. In just a few short weeks, our staff will have the pleasure and opportunity to update you at conferences!
Kindly,
Christine Pfaff, Principal
NEW *Morning Arrival Procedure Change Starting Monday, September 20th*
Students will now gather on the blacktop when they arrive at school. Upon arrival, students will put their backpacks in their classroom line. They can then use the blacktop and playground areas for unstructured playtime. Supervising staff members will signal to all students to line up at 8:18 am. Teachers will greet students outside and bring them to class. Bus students who arrive prior to 8:18 am will be directed to the blacktop/playground area by staff members. Bus students who arrive after 8:18 am will enter the school through Door #1. This new process was presented to students by their homeroom teachers this week.
NEW *September Yearbook Photo Focus*
With sports and other activities in full swing this fall, September's yearbook photo focus will be athletics and activities. Please submit photos of your child to [email protected] engaged in the activity s/he loves. Thanks for your help in supporting the Prairie School Yearbook!
NEW *Photography Club Registration is Now Open*
Photography Club is open to 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade students. We will meet from 7:30-8:15 am on Friday mornings in the art room. Students in the Photography Club will use their iPads to take pictures for the yearbook and to frame around the school. This form will be open for one week or until all the spots have been filled. The Photography Club will be limited to 30 members. Parents will receive an email before the first meeting. The club will begin on September 24th and end on May 13th. Students should enter through the art and music entrance on Kingsbridge Road. If you have questions please email Christopher Morris and Christine Weede. Sign up HERE.
NEW *2021-2022 Choir Club*
Thank you for your interest in Choir Club this year. The club is full and registration is closed.
NEW *World Music Club - Seeking Members for the 2021-2022 School Year*
Attention all 5th graders! Do you love learning songs in different languages, from different cultures, or different countries in music class? This club will be filled with songs to sing, cultural dances, and pieces to play on instruments! Mrs. Muehling has a lot of material, but also wants you to contribute and share your culture with the group! This extracurricular club will meet on Mondays from 3:00-3:45 pm. If you are interested in signing up for the World Music Club, sign-up HERE!
World music club can only take 15 members and has a few more spots open! If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Muehling and she will be happy to help you!
NEW *2021 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! The Talent Show will be on Friday evening, December 3rd. Auditions will be held in October this year!
Sign-up here for an audition! The form will close after the weekend.
Please read the 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.
- If you are performing with a group, only one parent should sign up for the group! Please coordinate this!
- Results will be sent out by Friday, November 12th after all auditions are done.
NEW *Culture Crew is Coming!*
Within Culture Crew, we will share and celebrate the many cultures embedded into our Prairie community.
Join Mrs. Himes and Dr. Yutakis on Wednesday afternoons to share traditions, music, and projects.
We will meet in Room 15 in the Yellow Pod from 3:00-3:45 pm beginning September 22nd through May 25th.
Please use THIS FORM to sign up.
NEW *Puma Pals Club 2021-2022 ~ Open to 1st-4th Graders*
Puma Pals Club is a new and exciting club that will help students build relationships with each other outside of their classroom and grade level! We will have sessions available for twenty 1st - 2nd graders and twenty 3rd - 4th graders. We will play team-building games, have interesting discussions, and get to know each other throughout the year! We will meet on Thursdays from 3:00-3:45 pm in Room 13 in the Green Pod.
If you are interested in signing up for Puma Pals please complete THIS FORM. There are a limited number of spots available. Please contact Ms. McHugh or Miss Weil with any questions!
- 1st & 2nd Grade Dates: 9/30, 10/21, 11/4, 11/18, 12/9, 1/6, 1/20
- 3rd & 4th Grade Dates: 10/14, 10/28, 11/11, 12/2, 12/16, 1/13, 1/27
REPEAT *Spirit Week Sponsored by the Positively Prairie Leadership Council*
9/20: Pajama Day
9/21: Unimaginable Day (wear something crazy)
9/22: Marvelous Prairie Day (wear prairie Colors)
9/23: Animal Day (bring a picture or stuffed animal to share)
9/24: Super Fancy Day
NEW *Artsonia*
Artsonia is an app we use in art class, it is an online art gallery for children’s art. When students finish artwork in class, they photograph and upload their work to the gallery. Parents and family members can view the art online, leave comments, and order keepsakes featuring the artwork (20% of all purchases are donated back to the school). Look for an email soon from Artsonia so your child’s artwork can be part of our Prairie Gallery.
NEW *Family Educator Conferences*
Family Educator Conferences will be held on Thursday, October 7th from 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm and Friday, October 8th from 10:00 am - 1:30 pm. Once again we will be using Meet the Teacher as our conference scheduler. Parents will be able to choose an in-person conference or a remote conference. Conferences will be 15 minutes in length for elementary teachers and 10 minutes in length for middle school teachers. Parents will be able to schedule conferences with the classroom teacher (elementary), one core content teacher (middle), appropriate specials teachers, and related service providers. Interventionists will not be an option for fall conferences.
A Meet the Teacher link will be sent to families at 6:00 pm on Monday, September 20th. Parents and guardians will be able to start scheduling at this time. The conference scheduler will be closed on Monday, October 4th at 11:59 pm. After that parents and guardians will need to contact the school office to make changes.
Elementary parents will have the option to sign up with the classroom teacher as well as specials teachers and any related service providers their children see.
NEW *Author Visit - Get Your Book Order in Now*
Next week, Mo O'Hara (My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish) visits Chicago-area students "virtually" to celebrate her new graphic novel series for young readers, Agent Moose! Mo will be joined by illustrator Jess Bradley for a virtual presentation that incorporates Mo's signature humor and creativity, and an original case to solve during the live broadcast. They'll be coming to you live from the United Kingdom! The new book in the series, Agent Moose: Moose on a Mission, has just been released.
Great for your beginning readers who are into comics and graphic novels!
You can learn more about the Agent Moose series here.
Post-Visit Agent Moose Order Form
NEW *Thought Exchange Partnership*
The District 96 Thought Exchange Partnership (TEP) offers parents opportunities to give feedback and receive information about District instruction, programs, and initiatives. Understanding parent perceptions is helpful for planning and communicating. Contact District 96 Community Parent Liaison Lubna Andrabi, 847.459.4260, ext. 8136, with questions. In particular, the District invites parents who have students enrolled at Willow Grove Early Learning Center to consider joining the Thought Exchange Partnership. The first meeting is scheduled for October 21, 2021 from 7:00-8:30 via Zoom.
NEW *Erin's Law Presentations*
An Illinois law known as Erin’s Law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness/prevention curriculum for Kindergarten through Grade 12.
Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96 researched and observed best practices and programs for delivering this instruction, selecting Victor Pacini to present Be Seen & Heard ©.
The focus of this developmentally appropriate and interactive program is to teach children skills to keep them safe from danger or abuse. Concepts discussed will include distinguishing safe from unsafe touches, safety rules at home and school, saying NO, safe/unsafe secrets, and telling a trusted adult, as well as reinforcing that an adult’s touching him or her is not the child’s fault. For more information about this presentation please go to www.victorpacini.com/peace-of-mind-2
The presentation to School students will be during the school day on September 27th.
If you prefer that your child does not attend this prevention education session, please submit your written request - or your questions - to me at [email protected].
REPEAT *Covid Metrics*
To stay up-to-date this school year on local metrics, please visit the COVID DASHBOARD for District 96. Our priority remains to keep our students safe and follow guidance from the CDC. If your student is identified as a "close contact", you will be notified individually through the contact tracing process.