Dear Families,
We enjoyed another successful week with students, and we are eagerly awaiting the reinitiation of our hybrid learning model next week. I look forward to seeing some students back in person within the coming weeks and am excited to see our NEAT Bar technology in action so that we can simultaneously and effectively meet the needs of our in-person and remote learners. Please know we are all learning this technology and there are sure to be bumps in the road, even with our best-laid plans! We appreciate your patience.
Thank you to those of you who participated in our Mitten Tree event. Student contributions were creative and beautiful, just like our wonderful community!
Fondly,
Jenny Smith, Principal
Upcoming Calendar
JANUARY
18 – NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
19 – NO SCHOOL - State Allotted Remote Planning Day
20 – Kindergarten & Blended full remote learning (as has been)
21 – Kindergarten & Blended first day attendance for in-person
26 – EARLY RELEASE DAY: AM dismisses at 10 AM; PM dismisses at 2 PM. On early release days, please note that there is no regular PE time for certain classes that begin after 10 AM or 2 PM. Instead, these students are invited to attend the 9:45 AM PE class or the 1:45 PM PE class.
27 – Picture Retake Day or another opportunity for those who missed our first Picture Day - Details below
NEW *Transition Times*
As we return to in-person learning next week, please know that our classroom and specials teachers will be helping students transition to their next classes at school at various points of the day. This may cause a slight delay in the teacher opening up the Zoom classroom for our remote learners. We thank you for your patience during this brief time frame until the teacher can admit our remote learners to class.
NEW *Picture Retake Day & Second Opportunity for Those Who Missed Our First Picture Day*
When: Wednesday, January 27, from 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM & 3:00-5:00 PM. Remote parents, please do not bring your child during their classroom instruction time. In-Person students will be during their school hours (details below).
Where: Park and come to the side building door in our large parking lot.
Details: Only one family member per child. Adult and child must complete self-certification prior to entering the building. We'll provide a questionnaire when you arrive at the door and take temperatures. Masks and social distancing required. Bring in the pictures if it's a retake. Complete the pre-order form if this is the first time taking them. The form needs to be done before you attend. You do not need to complete the form if retakes.
In-Person Students: Let your child's teacher know and send them in with the pictures if it's a retake. If you haven't taken them yet, make sure you complete the pre-order form AND let your child's teacher know they need pictures in advance.
WILLOW GROVE PICTURE DAY PRE ORDER FORM
NEW *In-Person Learning Protocols (REVISED) and Dates for Hybrid In-Person Learners to Return*
Parents whose hybrid in-person students will be learning in person, please be sure to review the Revised IN-PERSON LEARNING PROTOCOLS for information about health and safety protocols and expectations for families and their students who will be learning in-person in our schools.
As announced in Superintendent Schmidt’s Jan. 13 SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE, the Hybrid In-Person Return Schedule/Dates are as follows:
Mon., Jan. 18: No School in observance of Martin Luther King Day
Tues., Jan. 19: No School–State Allocated Planning Day
Wed., Jan. 20: Full remote learning for all
Thurs., Jan. 21: First day of in-person attendance for Grades EC–KDG AND First day of in-person attendance for Grades 1–2 (last names beginning M–Z)
Mon., Jan. 25: First day of in-person attendance for Grades 1–2 and 3–5 and Grade 6 (last names beginning A–L)
Thurs., Jan. 28: First day of in-person attendance for Grades 3–5 and Grade 6 (last names beginning M–Z)
Mon., Feb. 1: First day of in-person attendance for Grades 7–8 (last names beginning A–L)
Thurs., Feb. 4: First day of in-person attendance for Grades 7–8 (last names beginning M–Z)
NEW *PROACTIVE POPULATION SCREENING INFO FOR PARENTS OF STUDENTS ATTENDING IN-PERSON*
Students learning in person will need to participate in proactive population screening, providing a saliva sample once per week on a designated schedule.
Please CLICK HERE for information about the collection process, the schedule for the weekday your student's sample will need to be provided, and a saliva sample collection demonstration video.
PLEASE NOTE: If you send your child to school without their sample on their designated collection day (PM students on Tuesdays; AM students on Wednesdays) you will be asked to come to Willow Grove with your child's testing materials to collect the sample from your child before they enter their classroom, or pick your child up to change to remote learning. I encourage you to set reminders and alarms on your phone or whatever means to best support this routine.
NEW *KINDERGARTEN ONLY Material Drop-Off for In-Person Learners*
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, January 19th, for an in-person kindergarten material drop-off as we phase our hybrid/in-person learners back into the building beginning Thursday, January 21.
Date: Tuesday, January 19th
Hours: 11:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: Park and bring materials to the side door in our large parking lot. Please wear a mask. We will collect the materials from you at the door.
What to Bring:
- Place everything in the plastic crate that was provided by Willow Grove
- Any reading materials that were provided in prior pick-ups (ReadyGen books, small readers, etc.)
- Writers composition notebook (school provided)
- Bridges math curriculum books (school provided)
- Bridges math material box (school provided)
- The packet of workplace game mats (math) and any additional counters that teachers may have sent home (some teachers sent additional cubes, bears, etc.)
- General Supplies that were brought back home the last time we went back to remote LIST HERE
What NOT to Bring:
- Any materials for PE, music, exploration lab, Quest and Workshop (handwriting), as those classes continue to be accessible remotely from home only.
If You Cannot Attend: Bring the crate of supplies and materials to the Willow Grove main entrance at your earliest convenience between the hours of 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM any day school is open.
If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher regarding material specifics or our front office for any logistics.
NEW *Arrival & Dismissal for In-Person Learners*
School Hours:
AM Kindergarten - 8:30-11:00 (arrival beginning at 8:15 AM)
PM Kindergarten - 12:30-3:00 (arrival beginning at 12:15 PM)
AM Blended - 8:30-11:00 (arrival beginning at 8:20 AM)
PM Blended - 12:30-3:00 (arrival beginning at 12:20 PM)
If you are dropping your child off, we ask that you come closer to the arrival times listed above to allow for morning routines as learning begins at 8:30/12:30. Tardies are disruptive to the classroom environment. Please be on time.
Bus routing information/reminders will come by email to families very next week before our in-person start on Thursday, January 21.
When children arrive at school, attendance procedures are in place that accounts for every child. Parents do not need to notify the office if their child is arriving in a different way than what is typical.
If your child is not routinely taking the bus home and you have alternate daily arrangements we need you to call the office and let us know so we know where to take your child at the end of the school day for dismissal. You may not come to the school at dismissal time to collect your child if they typically take the bus without advance notice. Please call us in the office at least 1 hour prior to the end of their school day if you are doing parent pick-up for your child who typically takes the bus. DO NOT SEND EMAIL CHANGES. YOU MUST CALL.
On a day-to-day basis, children attending Willow Grove may temporarily change from bus to parent pick-up, however, we cannot accommodate temporary changes to place a child back on a bus route if your routine plans are different. Placing a child back on a daily bus route schedule requires a route change. Route changes take at least 5 days to take effect and need to be a newly established routine, not a one-time request. Children may not access the bus on days outside of their regularly established routine.
Parents must be at the stop waiting with their child to be picked up and for their child at the end of the school day. If the bus driver does not see you, they will continue with the route. This is important for the smooth running of our bus routes to ensure timely pick-up and drop-off for all families. If you are not at your child’s stop waiting on your child’s route home, your child will be routed back to Willow Grove and we will call you to come to the school to pick them up. This situation is not ideal, as it does frighten children when adult routines are off (as much as we try to comfort them), so please be at the stop. Please anticipate buses may run late in our first week or so of school as routes are becoming routine.
Parent drop-off and pick-up for kindergarten are located at our main entrance and the back small parking lot for students in blended and structured. We do not have a rolling drop-off or pick-up at Willow Grove. Parents must park and bring their child to these entrances where we ask that you honor social distancing in line as we welcome kids into the building one by one. Parent pick-up is promptly at the AM and PM dismissal times of 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Please be on time, as we do not have supervision for students after these hours. Parents need to park and come to the designated entrance for pick-up, as they do for drop-off. Please wait in a socially distanced line with a mask. If someone other than the parent is picking up, please call the office and tell them who will be coming. That person must present ID (license or state ID) at pick-up.
Our arrival and dismissal routines within the school building have been designed to maintain social distancing. For purposes of social distancing and to maintain order on the bus, all students will be directed to sit in an assigned seat separated from peers. Siblings may sit together. Please prepare your child for this routine to sit where the driver or school assigns and to always stay seated in their seat for their safety. As a reminder, complete the daily self-certification before your child gets on the bus or comes to the school by parent drop-off. All children coming to school must wear masks on district transportation as well as in the school building.
As always, please feel free to reach out to our office for any questions.
NEW *In-Person Need-to-Knows*
These are a few things our in-person families can prepare for:
- Please pack a spare change of clothing (at least pants/underpants) in your child's backpack in a ziplock storage bag. Label the bag with your child's name.
- Can your child tie his/her own shoes? If not, now is the time to start practicing! Consider velcro or shoes without ties while your child is still learning to help us at school.
- Can your child zip his/her own coat? This is also the age for children to learn to zip on his/her own. Start practicing now.
- We will not have extended outdoor recess time in our half-day schedule. Children do not need snow pants or boots. To execute socially distanced arrival and dismissal, we will not be using the cubbies in our hallways. Children will have a chair in the classroom for their coat and backpack at their individual tables. Please keep additional winter gear at a minimum, as children won't be playing in the snow, getting wet, etc. Mittens/gloves, hat, and scarf are always a good idea this time of year.
- Children will be bringing iPads and Logitech iPad "crayons" between home and school daily. Please develop a routine of charging both every night and putting them in their backpack each morning. A helpful tip is to post a sign at child eye level on the door where your child will exit in the morning. You can make a picture checklist of this and anything else to support your child to develop independence with morning routines.
- Children should NEVER bring food to school. They should never eat on the bus. We will not have snack during our kindergarten half-day schedule.
- Please do not send any toys or personal play type belongings to school. These tend to get lost on the bus and also cause a learning distraction.
- Children may bring individual water bottles to school. Water fountains will only be operational to fill water bottles and not as water fountains. Cups will be made available for those who do not have a bottle at school on any given day. Water bottles from home should not be glass and should have a spill-proof top. Children should not take water bottles out on the bus as they roll on the floor and cause a potentially dangerous situation. Please label your child's water bottle with his/her name.
- Remind your child to never stand on the bus or get out of his/her bus seat unless they are getting on or off. Children should always remain seated in their assigned seats and out of the aisle.
- MOST IMPORTANTLY: Parents must do the DAILY self-certification for their child & WEEKLY population screening saliva collection and send with the child to school on the designated day of the week (PM students on Tuesdays; AM students on Wednesdays).
NEW *Proactive Population Screening Info for Parents of Students Attending In-Person*
Students learning in person will need to participate in proactive population screening, providing a saliva sample once per week on a designated schedule.
Please CLICK HERE for information about the collection process, the schedule for the weekday your student's sample will need to be provided, and a saliva sample collection demonstration video.
PLEASE NOTE: If you send your child to school without their sample on the designated day (PM students on Tuesdays; AM students on Wednesdays) you will be asked to come to Willow Grove with your child's testing materials to collect the sample from your child before they enter their classroom, or you will need to pick-up your child and change to remote learning. I encourage you to set reminders and alarms on your phone or whatever means will best support this routine.
NEW *Bus Route Times for In-Person Students (In-Person Learners)*
For all families who have students who have chosen the in-person and will be taking the bus, routing information will be emailed to parents from the District next week.
NEW *Daily Self-Certification for In-Person Learners*
Parents must submit a daily self-certification prior to their student being allowed to attend in person.
Parents will need to download the TeacherEase app if they haven't already in order to access the daily self-certification form. Please see this video for further instruction: (Dist 96: In-Person Parent Video Instruction).
NEW *Masks for In-Person Learners*
- Send your student to school with a comfortable mask that complies with CDC/ISBE guidelines, ensuring that the face-covering fully covers the mouth and nose and that the covering fits snugly against the sides of the face with no gaps.
- There will be extra masks at school for students who need one or whose masks become unusable during the school day.
- Please refer to the CDC guidelines regarding safe and appropriate masks
- Please note the CDC does not recommend the use of a gaiter as a face covering and will not be permitted.
- Alternate face coverings will be provided to students on a case-by-case basis (e.g., a mask with clear window for lip reading, and face shields, when warranted).
- If students are using a washable face-covering rather than a disposable mask, we ask that parents/guardians please wash the face-covering regularly.
- Some very rare situations preclude a student from wearing a face covering, as indicated by a physician. We will address these situations with families and their physician on a case-by-case basis.
NEW *Commitment to Partnership for In-Person Learners*
We know that some surrounding districts or schools that began their in-person learning plan have had to revert to full remote for a period of time. In many situations, this has been due to positive cases about which families were not truthful with the school or with the health department regarding symptoms and the diagnosis or with those conducting the contact tracing process.
We are confident that the District 96 community will rise to the occasion and partner with us to ensure safety and success. Please think carefully about your commitment to our partnership before sending your kids to school.
REPEATING FINAL SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED TONIGHT, JAN 15 *Willow Grove Virtual Cultural Fair - Together, WE are Willow Grove! Parents*
As a reminder, mark your calendars for the evening of February 18th at 6 PM for our virtual cultural fair family event. We cannot possibly do this event without the contributions of families, as this event is centered around our Willow Grove community.
We are now opening the survey to collect what families will contribute. The survey will close on January 15th. CLICK THIS SURVEY LET US KNOW YOU'LL CONTRIBUTE TO MAKE THIS NIGHT A SUCCESS!
There are so many ideas for how you can share about your family to have your child participate in this event and learn about one another. For more information and inspiration, see the "Repeating" information below. Contributions will be due by January 31. Once we have the list of volunteers on January 15th through our survey, we'll share instructions with families for submitting what they are sharing.
Cultural Fair "All About Me" Student Submissions
We are hoping to collect something from every student to showcase every family on our evening! Please CLICK HERE to get the template for your child and family to create an "All About Me" visual representation. The template includes an example and several layout options for designing this. It may be done with photos or drawings. It can be completed electronically, like the example, or you may print the template and take a photo of your finished product to submit. These will be due by January 31. Directions for submitting these will be forthcoming.
REPEATING *Together, WE are Willow Grove! Virtual Cultural Fair Coming in February!*
On the evening of February 18th, we’ll be hosting a virtual family event, showcasing the many families and cultures represented in our school community. We hope to encourage our students to learn about other cultures, to celebrate what makes us all unique and to recognize cultural traits that we share. We cannot do this without your support and are looking for parents who would like to share information from your family, around the country, and even the globe with our students and families. With our format being virtual this year, we are looking for families to submit videos, photos, or pdf activities that families will get to experience together.
Examples include:
- Performances (dance, singing, music)
- Recipes - could be video or written recipe or photos
- Reading a children's picture book that your family enjoys (could be in a language other than English)
- Activities - pdf coloring page, game board or instructions, art activity instructions, origami, etc.
- Videos or photos of your family celebrating a holiday or special traditions
- Collage of photos
Our evening will include a full school zoom gathering to kick-off the evening, followed by a choose-your-own-adventure path exploring family submissions to celebrate our school community. We will work with families prior to the event to provide instructions for uploading videos or submitting pdf activities. We'll then close the evening as a group.
With many holidays falling around this time of year, we wanted to bring this exciting opportunity to your attention, as it may be something to plan for or capture over break or in the upcoming months.
Families can share about traditions and anything that is special to your family. We are all unique and can learn from one another. We are so excited about this event! We hope that you’ll consider sharing with our school community. We would all love to get to know you more and learn from you! More on this exciting event to come.
Here are some of the ideas staff will be sharing, in an effort to give some inspiration:
- Mrs. Smith will be sharing a family recipe for Pfeffernusse cookies, which is a traditional Christmas cookie that is German-based but also is found in Scandinavian countries and Denmark. Mrs. Smith is German, Norwegian, and Swedish, so it's no wonder this cookie is special in her family!
-Mrs. Smith and her kids will read a story that was a family favorite when her kids were the same age as Willow Grove students.
-Mrs. Smith will share ways stories of her family are gathered and passed onto continued generations. She'll even share a funny story or two!
-Miss Longman will read the Channukah story, Meet the Latkes!
-Mrs. Scoville will read the story of The Christmas Pickle and show her pickle ornament for a German tradition she does every year.
-Mrs. Scoville will share about an old ravioli recipe that her Great Grandmother, from Italy, made.
-Mrs. Santucci will read one of her favorite stories about an Italian immigrant who comes to America with a special item from Italy. Then she will show you how to make ravioli using a special item her grandma brought to America from Italy, too!
REPEATING *Pre Register for 2021–22 Kindergarten Beginning Jan. 11*
Preregister incoming 2021–22 kindergartners beginning January 11 and no later than January 31 to receive a free T-shirt for your incoming student. SEE MORE INFO.
REPEATING *Preordering Free Meals in 2021*
***Preorder by 10 AM on Thursdays***
Pick up preordered meals 11 AM–2 PM on Mondays (3 breakfast/lunch meal packs) and Thursdays (2 breakfast/lunch meal packs) at either Twin Groves or Woodlawn Middle School.
The first step to preorder is for families to create an account online and add each child receiving meals to the account. Please see THIS WEBPAGE for details and brief instructional videos of the account set-up and pre-ordering process.
Please direct questions to the public information coordinator [email protected]
REPEATING *Tech Hub*
The District 96 Family Technology Hub is designed to guide families through technology tools related to Enhanced Remote Learning. On this site you can find links to the recordings and the corresponding Slides decks for the parent/family informational sessions from last week. You can also find tutorials on how to use ZOOM, Schoology, Seesaw, Clever, Notability, and other iPad essential tools for student learning. Additionally there is a link to email the technology support desk. Please save or bookmark this site. It will be updated with tools, resources, and tutorials through remote learning to better support your family.
Please email [email protected] with any tech-related support needed.