Upcoming Calendar Highlights
Friday, April 19 (tomorrow): District Holiday - School Closed
Friday, April 26: Half Day Release
Full-day kindergarten students, half-day kindergarten students, and students in the structured program dismiss at 11:45 AM. Lunch is NOT served on our half-days. All students may pack their typical daily snack to have during their shortened school day.
Blended EC AM Only 8:45-11:15 AM (No School for PM Students).
PTO News
Family Picnic - May 16
We are looking for volunteers to help with our Staff Appreciation Week from May 6–10.
Save time shopping! Get your 2019-20 School Kits now, before it's too late!
More info on all of this in the blog!
Warm regards,
Jenny Smith, Principal
Follow me on Twitter @JennySwanSmith
The following is repeat information from last week's blog, but still current. You can skip this if you already reviewed last week's message.
2019-20 FIRST-GRADE PARENT CLASS PLACEMENT INPUT - DUE NEXT FRIDAY, APRIL 26th
Can you believe it is already time to begin thinking about class placement for next school year? Please read the information below on how class lists are created and how to provide input. This is for first-grade only. If you have an incoming kindergarten student a survey will be emailed to you on May 1st if you have fully completed the registration process.
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, specials area teachers, specialists, and the principal. We at Willow Grove take this process very seriously. The following describes the process for creating balanced class lists.
- Classroom teachers consider the social and academic needs of each student.
- Specialist Team members (social worker, speech teacher, special education teacher, etc.), the Specials Team (Music, P.E.), and the principal provide input as well during this process.
- Parent input is considered.
- We consider placing your child with other students they are familiar with. We cannot accommodate friendship requests.
- Class lists are finalized in August as summer changes must be considered such as move-ins/outs, section size changes if any, etc.
We strongly believe that this detailed and collaborative process creates learning environments that benefit all students. It is a delicate balancing act which takes much consideration and thought by professionals who know and care about your children.
Because of the input and thought by teachers, specialists, and administrators, we cannot make changes once this process occurs, as moving one child can disrupt the balance of a 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 26th. While we welcome your input, a specific teacher or friend requests will not be honored. Should you provide a specific teacher or friend request, this will be omitted from information being considered.
To provide your input, please make sure your thoughts are provided through this First Grade Placement Input 2019-2020 Survey. As you can imagine, we receive a lot of parent input, and verbal information and multiple emails are impossible to carefully track. Any parents that submit letters/emails will be redirected to the survey. This keeps our information organized so that no input is missed! Thank you!
Incoming 2019-20 Kindergarten Families
At the beginning of May, you will receive an opportunity to provide classroom input for your child's kindergarten experience if you have fully completed the registration process. You must complete registration with a snapcode (electronic code) that was emailed to you if you pre-registered. A survey will come to you directly in an email. In the same email, there are additional steps for you to take to prepare for our next school year.
Kindergarten Parents - Save the Date!
Kindergarten Parents, Save the Date: Friday, May 10th ~ You are Invited! Kindergartners have a wonderful opportunity to perform for you in May! This performance will be about SPRING!
Performance: Singing Into Spring!
Date: Friday, May 10th
Dress: Spring colored top (i.e. light blue, yellow, pink, etc.) with Black Bottoms (pants, skirt, shorts)
There are two shows. Find your child's teacher's name below:
Show 1: 9:30 - 10:00 AM ~ (Filippo, Buban, Chappas, May, Santucci)
Show 2: 10:30-11:00 AM ~ (Dolan, Dyer, Holzman, Wittenberg, Rabin, Derry)
We are looking forward to seeing you then!
FIELD DAY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
On Thursday, May 30th, all Kindergarten, and Early Childhood children will be participating in Field Day at Willow Grove! This is a rain or shine event filled with games, races, and fun! There will be 9 different stations, such as Silly Races, Parachute, Treasure Hunt and more.
Mrs. O’Gara is looking for parent volunteers to run each station. If you are interested, please email her at [email protected]. Half of the students will attend Field Day in the morning, and the other half in the afternoon. Please see the list below to see when your child’s class will be participating.
Volunteers need to be here at 9:00 a.m. for AM Field Day and 12:00 p.m. for PM Field Day.
There are a limited number of volunteer spots to have a manageable group size and maintain an orderly and safe environment. We will have to ask volunteers who arrive with additional children/siblings or adults to leave, as only approved volunteers may attend. This is also not a spectator event and we cannot allow anyone other than approved volunteers on the Willow Grove campus. This is for the safety of students. Mrs. O'Gara will get back to you to confirm your attendance and provide further details. Your email should include your first and last name, your child's first and last name, and your child's teacher.
Thank you so much for your interest! We'd love to have you!
Informational Meeting for Prospective Parents NEW to Clubhouse Before-/After School Care
The Buffalo Grove Park District is hosting a Clubhouse meeting for NEW parents on Tues., Apr. 30, at the Alcott Center, 530 Bernard Dr., Buffalo Grove, in Rooms 10 & 11 at 6 p.m. This meeting is for prospective families seeking before- and after-school care for the 2019–2020 school year. This is for all District 96 schools. MORE INFO
Current Kindergarten Students - Dental Exams Due May 15th
Parents of current kindergarten students - Dental exams are due on May 15th. If you have questions or want to double check that you have turned it in, please call to speak with our school nurse, Mrs. Petrykowski, or email her at [email protected].