Principal's Message 3.11.22

Principal's Message 3.11.22

Dear Parents,

We are looking forward to our student-led family educator conferences next week! Please remember, whether virtual or in-person, these spring conferences are designed for your child to facilitate and lead. Make sure your child is with you during the conference. Students are so excited to share their learning with you, and we can't wait to celebrate your child's growth with you!  

Kindly,

Christine Pfaff - Principal


NEW *Calendar Reminders*

Monday, 3/14: Early Release & Student-led Family Educator Conferences

Students are dismissed at 2:00pm, and Student-led Family Educator Conferences will be held from 5:00-8:30.

Tuesday, 3/15: No School

Student-led Family Educator Conferences will be held from 10:00-1:30.

Wednesday, 3/16 & Thursday, 3/17 - School resumes on a normal schedule
 

Friday, 3/18 - No School


NEW *Zoom Links for Spring Educator Conferences*

Families had the option to indicate if they would like to attend spring conferences in person.  For families who did not indicate this option as a preference while signing up, conferences will be held virtually over Zoom.  


Please click HERE for a list of Zoom links to use during student-led conferences.  Please join the appropriate conference link based on the conference time you signed up for with each educator.


NEW  *Dual Language Opportunity for 22-23 Kindergarteners*

Do you have an entering kindergartener or know a D96 resident that does?  Are you interested in your child having a bilingual school experience?  

See the District website to learn more about the District's optional Spanish/English Dual Language program.

The Dual Language Program was designed several years ago to implement instruction across the curriculum that provides an opportunity for students to develop a deep academic proficiency in two languages.  In the district’s Dual Language program, 50 percent of the academic day curriculum is delivered in Spanish and 50 percent of the academic day is delivered in English.

Parents interested in enrolling their child(ren) entering kindergarten in the Dual Language Program are asked to fill out the Lottery Form by 3 p.m. April 15.


NEW *Talking to Students about Events in Ukraine *

As indicated in Mrs. Schmidt’s Superintendent’s message, staff has received resources regarding how to support conversations with students who express personal and more global concerns and fears.  We will continue to provide the most up-to-date resources to them. Below you will find resources for parents on how to support your student at home. 

 

Many of our students need the guidance and safety of adults in their homes to navigate their own emotions and trauma in a healthy, safe, and productive way. A few reminders when speaking with your student: 

News like this can be scary to children if not handled in the right way. Support and conversations will look and sound different with different age groups.

Remain calm

Affirm that it is okay to feel upset 

Stick to facts from vetted sources

Keep explanations developmentally appropriate

Model coping strategies

Keep open lines of communication between school and home 

Each of the attached resources provides tips for families and educators, and some include what we can do as adults and how you can respond to students. 

Resources:

How to Talk to Kids About Violence Crime and War: Common Sense Media gathers tips and conversation starters to help you talk to kids of different ages about the toughest topics. 

Talking to Your Kids About War: VeryWell Family explores ways families can speak with young people about war, including tips on sharing information and restricting media coverage. 

Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and teachers of elementary school children: This article from the American Psychological Association can help adults guide their young children beyond fear and to resilience.

Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and teachers of middle school children: The American Psychological Association breaks out tips and strategies for parents and teachers of middle school-aged children.

The following resources are from the National Association of School Psychologists:

War and Terrorism: Tips for Supporting Children at Home and School  

Helping Children Cope with Terrorism: Tips for Families and Educators: Tips and reminders in an easy to read chart  

Helping Children Cope with Terrorism: Tips for Families and Educators: Fifteen tips for adults in supporting children


NEW *PCR Screening for the Week of March 14*

Given that there is no student attendance on Tuesday, March 15 or Friday, March 18, PCR Screening will only occur one time next week. Students who have opted into screening will receive PCR kits on Monday, March 14. The PCR sample is to be returned to school on Wednesday, March 16.  If you have any questions regarding PCR screening, please contact Amy Gluck, Director of Educational Services, at [email protected]

The week following spring break will return to twice-weekly screening with PCR samples to be returned to school on Tuesday and Friday.  If metrics remain stable, we are targeting moving to once weekly PCR screening the week of April 11.


NEW *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 29th. 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, me, and Mr. Senatore.


NEW *Illinois Assessment of Readiness

Students in grades 3-8 participate in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR). The IAR consists of assessments for both literacy and math. The District 96 window for the IAR is April 4 - May 21. More information and specific dates within the window to come. 

IAR Parent Letter (English)

IAR Parent Letter (Spanish)


REPEAT *Proof of Dental Exam*

Dear Parents/Guardians of District 96 Kindergarteners, 2nd, and 6th Grade Students:

Please note that your child’s completed dental examination is now due, per Illinois school law. The deadline for the dental examination is due no later than May 15 of the current school year.  Proof of this required dental examination must have been completed within eighteen months prior to the May 15 deadline.

If you haven’t already done so, please make an appointment with your child’s dentist for a dental examination, have him and/or her complete the required form and return it to your child’s school nurse. 

State of Illinois Proof of Dental Examination Form

In the event that you are unable to fulfill this requirement, the state of Illinois does permit a waiver of the examination. 

State of Illinois Dental Waiver Form

Dental examination forms, as well as dental waiver forms, can be downloaded from the District’s website.  

Thank you for your prompt cooperation.


REPEAT 2022-23 Registration Opened This Week*

Registration now open for the 2022-23 school year

Registration is now open for the 2022-23 school year.  This week, parents and guardians of returning students and pre-registered Kindergartners were emailed Notification letters with a SnapCode to start their registration process.

Register today to avoid the $20 late fee (per child) to be charged on registrations completed after April 15.

If you have questions about the 2022-23 Registration Notification email, please email [email protected] or call 847-459-4260, ext. 8022.

For information on registering a new student, visit https://kcsd96.org/registration.


REPEAT *5th Grade Concert ~ Save the Date*

5th-grade families, save the Date! 5th-grade students will have a music concert on Wednesday, May 11th at 6:30 pm at Prairie school. More details to come!


REPEAT *Spirit Days*

Wednesday, March 16th: Nature Day - Feel free to wear something with plants or animals on it!

Thursday, March 17th: Hobby Day - Feel free to wear something that has to do with your hobby!


REPEAT *Reproving Residency for Kindergartners and 5th graders*

In KCSD 96, each year, parents of current Kindergartners and 5th graders are required to reprove their district residency.

To re-prove residency, parents are asked to provide three items to the Administrative Assistants at their child’s current school:

a current monthly mortgage OR lease statement OR property tax bill OR Warranty Deed AND

a current utility bill (e.g., water OR electric OR waste collection) AND

This Proof of Residency Form 

For the email address for your school’s Administrative Assistant, and to learn information for other questions, please visit https://www.kcsd96.org/about/registration/the-requirement-to-re-prove-residency.  Prairie's Administrative Assistant is Mrs. Michele Demas and you can email her at [email protected].


REPEAT *SPRING COLLABORATIVE CONFERENCES*

The collaborative conference dates are Monday, March 14th from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM and Tuesday, March 15th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.

We will be using Meet the Teacher as an electronic sign up for collaborative conferences. A School Messenger email will be sent to families on Thursday, February 24th at 6:00PM with a link to sign up for conferences.

Collaborative conferences will be held over zoom unless parents request an in-person conference using the instructions below. To support easy location of Zoom meeting links, a single document with ALL the staff zoom links will be sent out on Friday, March 11th. 

REQUESTING AN IN-PERSON CONFERENCE

After selecting the teachers you wish to meet with and choosing a time for each conference, Meet the Teacher will prompt you to save the appointment and ask if you want to add a message for the teacher. 

If you want to have an in-person conference with the teachers, you must notify the teachers via this messaging feature (see picture below).