Ready or Not, Here They Come!
We are definitely ready and so excited to see you and your wonderful children next week! By now you should have received your child’s classroom placement and bus route (if applicable). If you did not receive class placement we may be missing important information from you, such as your child’s immunization records. If you have any questions or need support, please just give us a call in the office.
STATE OF ILLINOIS CERTIFICATE OF CHILD HEALTH EXAMINATION FORM.
Please see details in last week’s blog about the following important dates as well as additional important information to get your year off to a smooth start!
Meet the Teacher - Tuesday, August 15
First Day of School - August 17, which is an Early Release Day for kindergarteners, dismissing at 2p.m. Blended students will have their regular a.m. and p.m. session in their entirety. Structured will also have a regular day, dismissing at 1:45 PM.
Curriculum Night - Thursday, September 7
Arrival & Dismissal
I highly encourage having your child routinely use the bus. Our buses have all kindergarten students (or 3-5-year-olds in Blended/Structured busses). This is a great routine to begin with your child. Kids thrive with routine, and taking the bus is a wonderful part of the school routine. Most little ones are SO EXCITED to jump on the bus. Some are scared, and that's o.k. With practice, they quickly see it isn't such a scary thing. Showing love and a sense of confidence in your child and our school is helpful with this transition. Promise them their Willow Grove family will meet them at the other end, and that you (or who you've arranged) will meet them back home at the end of the day. Having your child ride the bus will also greatly help with our arrival and dismissal times of the day. We have limited parking, and ALL parents dropping off or picking up their children will need to park and walk their child to the main entrance of our school. There is no drop-off lane for parents. This includes families in our Blended and the Structured Learning Program.
Parents who drop off their children do so outside of the school at our main entrance, and may not enter the school. Parents may not walk children to their classrooms. With an entire school full of children and parents we are just getting to know, it is our utmost priority to maintain a safe and secure environment. As is our typical procedure, all parents entering our building must provide an ID to run through our security system, and this isn't something we can manage for large numbers of parents. Again, parents will not be permitted in the building when dropping off their child.
Anyone picking a child up from our school at anytime MUST bring an ID/License for us to release the child. Anytime you enter Willow Grove to collect your child, bring your ID/License. Thank you!
Parents may not pick up their child unannounced at dismissal time. Last year we had MANY parents come to our school to pick their child up on the first day of school without notifying us. This resulted in a considerable delay for our buses to depart. If you arrive to our school to pick your child up at dismissal, and this has not been communicated to us in your child's regular dismissal plans, you must notify us in advance, first thing in the morning. If you haven't notified us, we will send your child home on the bus and you'll need to get home to meet them. I also ask that if your child is a regular bus student, not to alter their dismissal plan if at all possible, especially as your children are getting used to our routines. This is very confusing for children as we're settling in. If you must pick your regularly bused child up from school, please provide the office with a written note - NO EMAIL. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!
Anticipate delays in transportation our first couple weeks of schools. As buses get used to new routes and traffic patterns settle at the start of the school year, pick-up/drop-off times will become more routine and efficient. We ask that you please are patient with us. Thank you!
Daily Snack for Blended and Kindergarten
Parents provide daily snack for their child. The 2017–18 school year brings a new APPROVED SNACK LIST–a list of options without the top 8 allergens and gluten. These options are all available at local stores and offer families even more organic/natural choices. Options provided for children from families that are not off of the Approved Snack List will be sent home. Children’s daily snacks MUST be provided from the Approved Snack List list only.
If your child is bringing in a lunch, snacks must be packed separately from lunch!
Note that options approved for daily snack (found on Page 1 of this list) are for individual children and are not to be shared. Please discuss with your student this no-sharing restriction of individual daily snacks to help him or her understand this requirement.
Your support of safe classrooms is appreciated: No homemade baked goods can be served and we ask that you continue to check food labels carefully (manufacturers may change product ingredients without warning). Also, note that your child’s classroom may have a specific snack list to follow. Your child’s teacher would notify you of this.
A Note For ALL about Birthdays: You will see that the permitted birthday snack options on the last page of the Approved Snack List do NOT include Early Childhood or Kindergarten. Birthday food is not allowed at Willow Grove. If you choose to send something in with your child to recognize your his/her birthday, non-disruptive and safe non food items are acceptable (pencils, erasers, party store favors, etc.). If you are unsure if the birthday trinket would be acceptable (non-disruptive, safe, and non food), please reach out to your child's teacher.
Please direct your questions about the District’s new Approved Snack List or food allergy management procedures in District 96 to Director of Educational Services Amy Gluck at 847.459.4260, ext. 8019, or [email protected]. For convenient reference throughout the school year, find the Approved Snack List on the website home pages of the District and schools in the list of links below the large photo.
Kindergarten Daily Snack/Lunch Note: Students bringing lunch from home may bring anything in for lunch, as lunch is out of the classroom. We have safety measures in place during lunch for children with allergies.
Blended Daily Snack Note: Blended Teachers will explain routines for snack at Meet the Teacher.
Kindergarten Summer Reading
Looking for some end of summer reading activities for your child? Here’s something fun you may choose to do with your incoming kindergartener! I’ll visit all children who turn in a summer reading project and give them a special pencil to celebrate their accomplishment! Students can turn in their summer reading projects anytime the first two weeks of school. Please make sure their name is easy for me to read so I make sure to celebrate this with your child.
Grade Kindergarten: [English] [Japanese] [Korean] [Polish] [Russian] [Spanish]
PTO News
We are looking forward to seeing you at Meet the Teacher! Visit us in the Learning Center and see all the exciting things you can sign up for.