Wednesday, September 19th, School is Closed for District Holiday
Willow Walk - Wednesday, September 26
On September 26th, we'll be having our first annual "Willow Walk." Due to the age of our students (early childhood and kindergarten only), this is a reasonable walk designed just for them! The walk will promote positive school unity and give us all a brief activity to enjoy as a school family. This is not a 5k-like event. This is much shorter given the age of our students.
Please be sure to dress your children for walking in mind and for the weather. We will go out if it is cold. If it is rainy, we will try to schedule a rain date. Let's cross our fingers for a beautiful day!
Children will be provided with water after the walk (thank you, PTO!).
Parents may view the walk from the designated viewing area. The viewing area is on our front sidewalk/grassy area surrounding the flagpole, along Checker Dr. Do not stand on the circle drive or walk onto our campus during the walk. We must maintain a safe and orderly environment for all children. The walk begins at about 10:00 and kids will circle past the viewing area one time for you to cheer them on! ;)
A Special Note for Parents of PM Blended Early Childhood Students
As we want this to be an opportunity for all of our students, you are welcome to bring your child to attend. Please bring your child to the Willow Grove office at 9:30 a.m. where they will meet their teacher to participate in the walk. You may view the walk from our designated viewing area (by the flagpole) and come to the main office after the event to collect your child. If you would like to bring your child to the walk, please email his/her teacher to let them know, so they know who to expect. Emails here: Nicole Yandura or Taylor Weihe
Willow Walk Parent Volunteer Opportunity
Please read the following details to know if you would be interested in signing up to volunteer for our Willow Walk event. If you are interested in volunteering, CLICK HERE. Sign-up closes on Wednesday, September 19th.
Parent volunteers will need to check-in at Willow at 9:00 a.m. It's fine to come a little earlier (during kindergarten drop-off starting at 8:45 a.m.) as we'll need to process everyone upon entry. You must bring your valid license or ID, as volunteers need to be scanned into our security system. Please come to the main entrance and into our office. We'll get everyone checked in, and then volunteers will work with our PE teacher, Mrs. O'Gara, to get in place for the walk.
We will have some parents surrounding the perimeter of the walking path to keep our walkers on track and others help distribute waters to students coming in from the walk.
Volunteer positions are limited. If we have too many and can't use all, please know you are welcome to view the walk from the front lawn/sidewalk by the flagpole. We will contact all who sign-up to let you know if we are able to utilize you as a volunteer or not. If you are not able to volunteer but are viewing the walk, you must stay on the front sidewalk/grass area by our flagpole. We need to keep an orderly event for the safety of all children. Do not walk further onto the grounds of the school.
Volunteers need to know that at this age students may see their parent and want to stay with them. Please do not encourage them and have them continue to walk. Volunteers need to stay in their positions and may not join the walk. If your child has a difficult time separating, there may be other volunteer opportunities that may work better. Please consider this so we can ensure your child enjoys this event!
The walk officially begins at about 10a.m. and will wrap up at about 10:30 a.m. Thank you so much for volunteering. We appreciate your support and love having you visit our school! If you are interested in volunteering, CLICK HERE.
NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Reports Sent Today
The District sent an email via School Messenger today (9-14-2018) between 2:30 and 4:00 p.m. with instructions for accessing your child's Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) student progress report online.
The message will include links to more information about understanding student growth, RIT scores, and general information about the MAP assessment.
Please contact Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning Jeanne Spiller if you would like more information about your child's report: [email protected], 847.459.4260, ext. 8010.
International Day of Peace - Spirit Wear Day - Friday, Sept 21
Peace Day provides a powerful and inspiring opportunity to engage children and youth in diverse activities related to peace, unity and making a positive difference in their world. Meaningful involvement can help set a tone of respect and unity early in the academic year. Next week we'll be sprinkling in discussions, reading, and art about peace. We will even enjoy peaceful yoga in our gym class and special songs in music! On Friday, children can wear Willow Grove spirit wear or our school colors, purple or gray, to celebrate the week of peaceful activities!
I'm sorry to say, if you're looking to purchase spirit wear, this is not available. We only have our Willow Grove shirts for those who registered during early registration. Please don't worry. Many children don't have them. A purple and/or gray shirt is just perfect! Or grab a gray shirt and some purple t-shirt paint and let your child paint their own Buddy the Bear on their shirt! A fun project for the weekend!
Picture Day
What parent doesn't love getting their child's first school pictures? They are just precious! Looking back at my own kids' school pictures (and my own!) is always a fun time. Even the not so great pictures we get back because our kids don't have us there cheering them on for the photos...you know the ones, with the crooked smile or shy, timid face...somehow those end up being our favorite! Picture day is coming up on Wednesday, October 3, with retakes available on Tuesday, November 13th. You'll receive packets home from your child's teacher in the near future with further details.
Thought Exchange Partnership - Parent Opportunity
Now seeking parents to fill open positions on our district Thought Exchange Partnership, formerly known as the Parent Review Committee! If you are looking for a way to get involved, be a voice for Willow Grove, and learn about the wonderful things happening in District 96, please consider joining. If you are interested in this opportunity, email me to express interest by September 28th! Please know this will be a lottery for open spots. I will contact everyone to let you know if you have been selected! The first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 11th in the evening.
Purpose:
*To share with parents information regarding district goals and initiatives, curricular and instructional innovations, programs and other informational topics. (i.e. District Goals, MAP & PARCC Results)
*To review school board or school code required topics (i.e. Parent/Student Handbook, Discipline Policy, Grants, Calendar)
*To understand parent perceptions and solicit feedback on school district topics to assist the district in communication and planning.
Handwriting Without Tears
Kindergarteners will now have the opportunity to receive instruction in handwriting during their Learning Center time to help hone their skills. This instruction will be supported in the classrooms as well. We are using Handwriting Without Tears for all grade levels, so students will be familiar with the materials from grade-to-grade. Furthermore, the materials use child-friendly language and have been proven successful in increasing student handwriting skills. This has always been and will continue to be a resource in our EC classrooms.
Thank you for lending us your ADORABLE kids!
Mrs. O'Gara shared this with me. These are precious things our little ones have said to her this school year. Hope this puts a smile on your face going into your weekend!
Every now and then, I hear students say the funniest things, so I wanted to share some of what I've heard so far this year...
While we were playing Treasure Hunt outside where teams have to find their colored golfballs in the grass, one student exclaimed, "Well how am I supposed to find anything? I don't have my GPS with me!"
"I think you just spit on my nose while you were talking, but that's ok."
"I'm humid!"
"Oh no, Mrs. O'Gara! I have a big bump on my arm!" "It's ok", I said, "that's just your elbow".
And this happens every year...after no luck in shooting a basket, a little boy returned the ball to me and said, "This one doesn't work!"
They are so cute!!!
Thank you, Mrs. O'Gara!
PTO News
Don't forget the first Dessert Day is Sept. 21 and the deadline to order is Sept. 14. Place your order through the Willow Grove PTO MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT. Note: If you placed a "paper order" this summer, we already have your order on our list.
Also coming up...our Ice Cream Social and book fair! Check out our blog for more info!
Warm regards,
Jenny Smith, Principal
Follow me on Twitter @JennySwanSmith
