Dear Parents,
What a joy it was to see so many of you at our Student Led Conferences! I am so proud of all of our Pumas and how they took ownership of their presentations and school tours to show their families all of the wonderful things about their learning and our school. All of the initial feedback that I have received is that Student Led Conferences were a great experience and I hope you feel the same!
I wish you a wonderful spring break and I hope you are able to spend quality time with your family. We resume school on Monday, April 3rd. Please see the upcoming dates below as the first week back is not a full five-day week of learning.
Kindly,
Christine Pfaff
Principal
NEW *5Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians*
As of March 24th, our response rate for the 5 Essentials Survey is at 21%. Thank you to everyone who completed the survey since I posted this last. Let's see if we can raise our score even more by completing the survey before it closes. Please visit http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/ to begin the parent survey. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or [email protected].
NEW *Upcoming Dates*
- March 27 - 31 - Spring Break
- Tuesday, April 4 - No School
- Friday, April 7 - No School
NEW *Human Growth and Development Parent Night*
Human Growth & Development at Home! Are you wondering what is covered in 4th-5th grade physical education at school? Are you looking for more information on supporting your child at home around the topic of puberty?
We’re here to support you! Come meet with D96 administrators from the Teaching and Learning Department, D96 Elementary PE teachers, and a representative from Lurie Children’s Hospital.
Parents of 4th and 5th-grade students are invited to a virtual Parent Night hosted by KCSD 96 on Monday, April 10th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. During this meeting, we will provide an overview of the 4th and 5th grade Human Growth and Development units including our approach and materials. We will also share resources to support parents in having similar discussions at home. This night is designed to provide you with information about the overview of human growth and development provided at school so that deeper, more meaningful conversations can happen at home.
Please use the survey linked below to RSVP by Sunday, April 9th. The Zoom link will be shared with participants who RSVP’d the morning of Monday, April 10th.
Human Growth & Development Parent Night RSVP
If the link above does not work for you please copy the following URL and paste it into your preferred browser: https://forms.gle/YnGw2WgZUDzRTYiR6
As was previously shared in Principal’s Messages our curriculum is designed to introduce topics at the most age-appropriate time; therefore, lessons in grades four and five focus on puberty and the changes associated with it.
Please use the links below to preview the lessons and materials that will be used during the 30-minute lessons on April 12th and 13th.
District 96 recognizes that parents/guardians are the primary educators for their families on these topics.
As parents, you may elect to excuse your child from instruction on this topic. If you choose this option, please submit a specific request, in writing, to the school principal, asking that your child be excused from the class during that specific period(s) of instruction, and we will provide an alternate assignment.
Please reach out to Jason Keenon, Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning, if you have any questions concerning the parent night.
REPEAT *Current Kindergarten & 5th Grade Families Need to Reprove Residency*
District 96 families of current Kindergarten and fifth-grade students are reminded that they will need to reprove their residency by April 15th.
To reprove residency, scan or take a photo with your phone and email it to the administrative assistant at the school your current Kindergartner or 5th grader now attends:
- 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 (completed and signed).
Your current kindergartner’s or current 5th grader’s teacher assignment/schedule will not be provided for the 2023–24 school year until residency is reproved.
For more information, visit https://www.kcsd96.org/about/registration/the-requirement-to-re-prove-residency
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 child. 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 at 11:55 pm. 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 Class Placement Input for 2023 - 2024 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 Mrs. Clausell.
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