Welcome to the 2018-19 School Year!
I hope you enjoyed this wonderful summer. I had a lot of fun with my husband, Steve, and two children, Trevor (14 next week!) and Jocie (10). We had a wonderful summer vacation in Orlando, loving the magic of Disney World and Universal Studios.
It is with great excitement that the Willow Grove staff welcomes you to our school. At Willow Grove, we take great pride in serving Kildeer School District’s youngest learners and starting them on the path of lifelong learning. We are excited to welcome your child and family into our community. Our partnership in your child’s education is of the utmost importance to us. Please never hesitate to reach out with questions. It is our goal to help your child have a fun and learning-filled year!
This is our weekly Principal's Message, which is the place to keep up with everything going on in our school. You'll find this to be a main channel of communication (along with your child's teacher communication), and it's delivered to your email box each Friday. We have all sorts of things to share with you so you are aware of opening events and the workings of our school.
Meet the Teacher, Tuesday, August 14
Kindergarten, Blended AM, and Structured - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Blended PM - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
At Meet the Teacher parents and kids will meet their teacher, see their classroom, and while there, you may feel free to check out our building. The PTO will also be there and you can check out all the things they have to offer. Parents should bring supplies to drop at school this day. If you ordered from the PTO, those will be waiting in your child’s classroom. We will also have parents confirm dismissal plans and once confirmed, you’ll receive an ID tag for your child’s backpack. If you’re unable to attend this day, your child will receive his/her ID tag on their first day of attendance.
Curriculum Night, Wednesday, August 29
Please also make a note of our Curriculum Night for all parents/guardians (kindergarten, structured/low incidence, and blended programs) is on August 29th from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM. Children do not attend Curriculum Night. We talk about what your children will be learning and teachers review routines and classroom procedures, etc. It’s a nice evening to get to further know your child’s teacher and our school.
Kindergarten Parent Resources
If you were unable to attend Kindy 101 & Screening, here are some resources to support you and your child as you begin the school year.
Willow Grove Kindergarten Welcome Video
Kindy 101 Overview - This will give you plenty of information to get you off on the right foot! :) There are a couple important updates since this was published.
1) Our nurse is Stephanie Petrykowski.
2) Curriculum Night is August 29th, 6:30-7:30 PM, NOT as listed on this form. Sorry for the confusion. These dates were not finalized when published, as I explained at Kindy 101, in person.
First Day of School & Hours
Please make sure you have noted important dates indicated on our school calendar. You’ll find information on all student attendance days, such as our daily program hours, days off, early release days, and district half-days.
Our first day of student attendance is August 15th, which is an Early Release Day.
Release Times for Early Release
Kindergarten: 9:00-2:00 PM (half-day kindergarten dismiss at their regular 11:50 AM)
Blended AM: 8:45–10:45 AM
Blended PM: Noon–2:00 PM
Structured: 8:45-2:00 PM
Regular School Hours
Kindergarten Full-Day: 9:00 AM-2:45 PM (drop off starts at 8:45 AM)
Kindergarten Half-Day: 9:00 AM-11:50 AM (drop off starts at 8:45 AM)
Blended AM: 8:45 AM-11:15 AM Monday-Friday (drop off starts at 8:35 AM)
Blended PM: 12:00 PM-2:30 PM Monday-Friday (drop off starts at 11:50 AM)
Structured: 8:45 AM-2:15 PM Monday-Friday (drop off starts at 8:35 AM)
Daily Snack for Blended and Kindergarten
Children have daily snack time in their classrooms. Snacks must be from the Approved Snack List. The Approved Snack List will be linked on next Friday's message. Abiding by this helps to keep our environment safe for all students to do their best learning. Any items not on the Approved Daily Snack List sent to school will be returned home.
Kindergarten Daily Snack/Lunch: Unlike snack, where you must pack items from our Approved Snack List, students 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. If you have questions, please contact our school nurse by calling our main office.
Blended Daily Snack: Blended Teachers will explain routines for snack at Meet the Teacher.
Class Assignment & Bus Route Communication
Student’s classroom teacher assignment and bus route information will be emailed to you at about 3:00 PM on August 9th. If you do not receive it, please email our administrative assistant, Karen Graham, at [email protected] or give us a call in the office.
An Invitation to Newcomers to Our District 96 Community
Has your family recently moved to the United States or are you and your student(s) new to this area?
On Wednesday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m., parents of registered students in Kindergarten–Grade 8 are invited to Twin Groves Middle School, 2600 N. Buffalo Grove Rd., Buffalo Grove, for a program to welcome you to our community and introduce you to our District 96 culture.
Learn about and understand our home-school connection, classroom dynamics, patterns of communication to expect from our teachers and administrators, and more. Ask questions and help us understand how we can best support you in acclimating to the culture of a new school district, neighborhood, and community.
While all interested parents are welcome, please note that the focus of this evening is not specifically curricular and general procedural information, which will be shared with all District 96 parents on their students’ designated grade-level Curriculum Nights. Rather, this is an informational opportunity for parents who–like their students–are experiencing our social customs and practices for teaching and learning for the first time.
Questions? Need an interpreter? Please contact Director of Language and Early Literacy, Katie Sheridan at [email protected]
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.
The PTO is hosting a back to school "Boohoo/Yahoo Breakfast" on the 15th from 9:15-10:15 at Sunset Foods! Hope to see you there!