Principal's Message 4.29.22

Principal's Message 4.29.22

Dear Parents,

It’s hard to believe that next week ushers in the month of May. What a difference a year makes! A couple of items of note: next week District 96 will be administering the NWEA MAP assessment to students. This test is used to measure growth and to identify areas of support to better inform our teacher’s instruction now and in the future.

Our school and community partnership has always been a crucial part of student success, but none more than in the last couple of years. This partnership is a critical component of supporting students.

Speaking of supporting students, it's time to celebrate our staff. Next week marks Staff Appreciation Week. I know our PTO has some wonderful things in store to celebrate the commitment of our staff to our students. We appreciate your partnership and all that you do to make our staff and students feel special and valued.

Kindly,

Christine Pfaff - Principal


NEW *Last Call for Library Books*

Parents if you happen to see any school library books at home please return them to school as soon as possible. With school drawing to a close for the year we need to begin cataloging and checking the inventory for the school library.


NEW *Curriculum Home Connections*

New Resource Page Designed with Parents in Mind

In response to some parents' questions about how to best support their children with academic work at home, the district’s Instructional Coaches designed a one-stop resource that equips these families in doing just that.

The resource is a new District web page ~ the “Home to School Connections'' ~ designed for parents and filled with invaluable links to internal and external Technology and Curriculum Resources.  Under the Technology Resources heading, for instance, parents will find the usual District resources used for assistance with iPads, frequently used apps, TeacherEase, SeeSaw and Schoology.

The page also features Curriculum Resources, which presents a wealth of resources ~ sorted by grade/grade levels ~ for help with literacy, math, and the other subject areas, and links to the District’s pacing guides (which indicate what a child is expected to know at each grade level). 

Families will find resources to practice high-frequency words, strengthen their mastery of math-word problems or help them write more descriptively.  There is also information on supporting a multilingual student at home and 10 of the best questions to ask your student to elicit more than a ‘yes,’ ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ response about what they’re learning or experiencing at school.

The resource was debuted at Thursday night’s Thought Exchange Partnership (TEP) meeting.  Check it out for yourself:

Home Page

Curriculum Connection Page

Technology Connection Page


REPEAT *Attendance Limit at Concerts*

Two attendees can attend concerts at school per child.  This does not include 2 adults plus any sibling(s).  


REPEAT *Registration Reminder*

A big thank you to those of you who have already registered your student for the 22-23 school year.  For those of you who haven’t yet, we need your help!  We staff our buildings based on completed registration.  We like to keep class sizes low so that students have the best possible experience and the only way we can do that is by having the most accurate information.  If you have not registered yet, please take a few minutes to complete this important process.  If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the school office and we would be happy to help.


REPEAT *Spring NWEA MAP Testing*

All K-8 students will be taking the Spring NWEA MAP assessment on Monday, May 2nd, and Tuesday, May 3rd.  Makeups will be scheduled on an as-needed basis.


REPEAT *Summer 2022 iPad Information*

All Buildings:

Students in grades K-7 will keep their iPad and all peripherals over the summer unless they are not returning to D96 for the 22-23 school year. 

Any non-returning students will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.

Families who exit out of D96 after the last day of school will need to return all of their technology to the District Office over the summer. Any device not returned will be placed in lost mode and will not function.

Over the summer, some apps and services will continue to work at the student’s 21-22 grade level. Apps and websites like Dreambox, Lexia, Typing Agent, (etc) will be available to use over the summer but are not guaranteed to work at all times. The technology department will only be supporting the use of these apps in ESY or Summer School. 

As we get closer to August, we will roll-up student data and new services. Apps will also become available to them relative to their 22-23 grade level.

Willow Grove Specific:

EC iPads will be collected at the end of the year. We ask that devices and peripherals (charging cable, charging brick, and case) that are kept at home be returned to Willow Grove and made available for collection no later than Wednesday, May 25th. Note that EC students do NOT receive Logitech Crayons.

Current Kindergarten students will keep their iPads over the summer. New grade-level content and services will be made available on their iPads sometime in August.

Any non-returning students will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.

Middle School Specific:

8th Grade iPad collection will happen on Wednesday, May 25th. Students will be expected to turn in their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon.

Any non-returning students in grades 6 and 7 will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.


REPEAT *5th Graders to Visit TG on May 16th*

Our 5th-grade students will be visiting Twin Groves Middle School on May 16th at 1:00pm.  Students will be transported by bus.  While at TG, Mrs. Barnes and Mrs. Delehanty will walk students through a typical schedule including Flex, Exploratory classes, PE/Health, Technology, Clubs, Study Hall, Lunch, Sports, and how to get extra help.   The principals will talk about passing periods and where to go if help is needed in any area of school life.  6th graders will provide a tour of TG after the "Day in the Life of a TG student..." overview.


REPEAT *2022-23 KINDERGARTEN KICK-OFF EVENT - MAY 3, 2022*

Kindergarten Kick-Off is an opportunity for all FULLY REGISTERED incoming kindergarten students and families to tour Willow Grove and for incoming kindergarteners to experience an activity in a classroom. Families must be fully registered by Monday, April 18, to receive the invitation link for the event. Kindergarten Kick-Off sign-up closes on Tuesday, April 19. During the time children are in classrooms (30 minutes), parents will meet with Willow Grove Principal, Jenny Smith, for Kindy 101 to learn about Willow Grove and common questions families have.

YOU MUST BE FULLY REGISTERED AND SIGN UP TO ATTEND. View information on registering your incoming kindergartener. If you are fully registered and do not believe you've received the link to sign up for Kindergarten Kick-Off, call the Willow Grove office for support or email [email protected].


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 Open*

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 *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].