TUESDAY, AUGUST 28TH IS AN EARLY DISMISSAL DAY
- Full-day Kindergarten and structured students dismiss @ 2 PM
- Half-day Kindergarten students dismiss at the regular time of 11:50 AM
- Blended: AM hrs: 8:45–10:45 AM; Blended PM hrs: Noon–2 PM
We’re Settling In!
As one would anticipate, our students came to us at the start of the year a little bewildered by the great, big school they were walking into without Mommy or Daddy or a loved one. Of course, we've walked closely with them through every transition, teaching and modeling the routines. This week began our week of assisting kindergarten children to find their own rooms in the morning (as opposed to meeting teachers in the gym). Adults are still lining the halls like a great big parade, supporting all children. The kids did beautifully! Our routines around dismissal are smooth running. Kindergartners have lunch down, knowing how to access the purchased/hot lunch line or retrieve their lunch from home on their own. All children are settling into routines inside and outside of their classrooms and we are so proud of how much they’ve learned in less than two weeks. The best part of every day is seeing the smiles of your children
Curriculum Night-Parents Only Event - Wednesday, August 29
We're looking forward to seeing you at Curriculum Night on August 29th from 6:30-7:30 PM! This is a parent event only (no children, sorry!). The evening is slightly different for all of those we serve, based on the program your child is in. Here's the scoop:
Kindergarten Parents: At 6:30 p.m. all parents begin in our gymnasium where we will review literacy, math, and science curriculum. After I meet with you for a bit, you'll go to your child's classroom to meet with your child's teacher and hear about the structure and routines specific to your child's day. The evening ends at 7:30 p.m.
Blended Parents: Parents are welcome to come to the 6:30 event in the gymnasium, but know that the talking points are specific to kindergarten. EC/Blended Teachers will host their curriculum night from 7:00-7:30 p.m. in their classrooms. The first 20 minutes will be an "open house" format, mingling with the teacher and having her show you around the classroom. The last 10 minutes (7:20-7:30) will be the class presentation. This will allow parents of kindergarten families to attend both their kindy class and blended class without missing too much. We hope this helps you structure your time. Feel free to only come for the final 10-minute presentation if you are a parent juggling the kindergarten and blended classrooms.
Structured Classroom Parents: Structured teachers are hosting their curriculum night from 6:30-7:00 p.m. in their classrooms.
All parents, please note: We LOVE talking to you about your children, however, Curriculum Night isn't conducive for a 1 to 1 conference. Please feel free to reach out to your child's teacher to speak with her about any questions/concerns you may have. Thank you for your understanding!
Open to Kindergartners: NEW AT WILLOW GROVE! After School Sports & Game Club
Join Mrs. O'Gara on Thursday's from 3:00-3:45 pm for all kinds of fun! Make new friends and learn new games! We will be focusing on teamwork, sportsmanship and positive social engagement. Adult supervision will be provided at Willow Grove from 2:45-3:00, when the club begins. You may wish to send a snack from the safe snack list for your child to eat during this time. There are only a limited number of spots available, so sign up quickly! The first 20 students who sign up will be enrolled and all other students will be placed on a waiting list. Parents will be notified by e-mail either way. This club will run on Thursdays from September 13th through December 20th. Hope to see you there! Click here to sign-up!
Open to Kindergartners: Learn a Language
Fun Fluency classes are an optional after-school opportunity at Willow Grove Early Learning Center for our kindergarten students to learn Spanish through immersion, movement, games, songs, rhythm, and more.
LEARN MORE about details, cost, and how to register for this optional after-school opportunity.
Bears That Care!
At Willow Grove and all District 96 schools, we value the social-emotional learning of children. You may hear your child refer to "Bears That Care." Each morning after saying the Pledge of Allegiance, we anchor our day in the Bears that Care Pledge. This is our school pledge that emphasizes our core values for how we work and play together every day. Here it is!
Over the last week, I've been going to each classroom, reading our Bears that Care Pledge story that teaches children our pledge and explains the three character pillars. We know that having a school where we all show kindness, responsibility, and respect will help everyone learn their best and have safe and happy days!
Looking for Volunteers
Are you creative? Do you love browsing Pinterest? Would you love to support your child’s school? I am looking for some parent volunteers to help us with our school bulletin board. We have monthly themes, beginning in September, that we would love your help with! Let me know if you are interested in volunteering for our school bulletin board by emailing me at [email protected]. We’ll see how many volunteers reach out and then I’ll let you know how we’ll organize it. If there are only a couple people, you can team up to work throughout the year. If I have many, I can divide up the months and give people a month and "assignment". If I have a TON of volunteers, I’ll be pulling from a hat to select who will help. I look forward to hearing from you!
PTO News
Dessert Day is coming soon for kindergarten. Sign up for your child to receive a special treat during lunch on your PTO Membership Toolkit.
Warm regards,
Jenny Smith, Principal
Follow me on Twitter @JennySwanSmith
