Dear Families,
Happy September! We have had another great week at Willow Grove! Our students did a great job taking the NWEA MAP assessment, and results will be shared with families on September 17th.
Kindly,
Jenny Smith
Principal, Willow Grove Early Learning Center
NEW *Upcoming Calendar Reminders*
This is a friendly reminder that there will be no school on Monday, September 6th and Tuesday, September 7th. We look forward to seeing students back at school on Wednesday, September 8th.
NEW *Information for parents that have opted out of kindergarten bus transportation services*
As a reminder starting on Wednesday, September 8th, kindergarten parents that opted their child(ren) out of bus transportation may drop off at the school at 8:10 instead of 8:25. This is ONLY for parents that opted out of bus transportation through January AND need to drop at an earlier time. We are asking that all other morning drop-offs respect the current time and wait until 8:25 to support traffic flow and ensure sufficient supervision for students. Thank you for your help with this.
NEW *Contact Tracing Clarification*
Contact tracing is completed when a confirmed COVID-19 case is reported. If a student is identified as a close contact, families will be notified. Contact tracing in District 96 is based on the current IDPH definitions of close contact which are included at the bottom of the D96 Quarantine Decision Making Matrix that has previously been shared with families.
● In classrooms, hallways, etc., close contacts are defined as being closer than 3 feet with inconsistent masking of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes over a 24-hour period.
● In the lunchroom, close contacts are defined as being closer than 6 feet with inconsistent masking of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes over a 24 hour period.
● In general, individuals who are solely exposed to a confirmed case while outdoors will not be considered close contacts.
As part of the contact tracing protocol, we check with the classroom teachers, specials teachers, and related services staff to ensure that no student was unmasked, for more than 15 minutes cumulatively, within a given setting. If this is the case, additional close contacts would be identified and notified (i.e. snack, water, etc.). Please note that this may mean a student who sits 3 feet away from a confirmed positive case in the classroom setting (consistently masked) IS NOT identified as a close contact, while a child who sits within 6 feet of a confirmed positive case at a lunch table (inconsistently masked) IS identified as a close contact.
District 96 does not define what a close contact is, rather follows the IDPH definition. Likewise, District 96 does not alter contact tracing or notification protocols, rather strictly follows those provided by the IDPH.
NEW *Student Handbook Update - Change to Transportation *
Please note the following update to the Student Handbook.
Changes to Assigned Transportation
A change in a child's typical bus routine must be communicated through a written and signed parent note or email given to school office staff before noon on the morning the parent will be picking up the child after school ~ rather than having the child ride the bus. (Due to the young age of Willow Grove students, all Willow Grove parents must call the main office to make changes). Otherwise, the child will follow his/her typical transportation routine.
NEW *Bus Survey Information*
As a reminder, the survey to opt-out for bus transportation through January is due on Wednesday, September 8th, 2021.
NEW *O’Hare PCR Results*
If you do not receive your child’s PCR results over the weekend, we apologize for the inconvenience. We understand that this was an issue across the district last week.
Please feel free to contact O’Hare Labs by sending an email to [email protected]. This email is monitored frequently each day and is the preferred method of contact. Please be sure to include your child’s First Name, Last Name, DOB, and test date in the email.
If preferred, you can also call the Call Center at (800) 604-0197 Monday-Saturday between the hours of 10am-5pm.
NEW *MAP Reports*
While the bulk of MAP testing has been completed, the remainder of the window will be used for make-up testing. MAP reports will be sent to families on Friday, September 17th.
NEW *PE Helpers*
Mrs. O’Gara, our Physical Education teacher, is inviting parents to volunteer as a gym helper for their child’s P.E. class! If you are interested, please e-mail her at [email protected] and she will schedule a day for you. Please give her a few options and she will let you know which day is available. Gym helper days will begin on Monday, September 20th, 2021. You will only help out with your own child’s class. Each family is allowed to have one gym helper day each month. Both parents are welcome to come. When you arrive to the gym, you may then sign up to be a helper one day for the following month.
On nice weather days, our kindergarten students will be having PE outdoors, so please have your children dressed appropriately. Also, please send your child with gym shoes every day. Sandals, crocs, boots, and gym shoes that have open tops are not safe to wear for class and therefore any child wearing them will have to sit out. Thank you!
NEW *Daily Snack*
When choosing your child’s snack, please be sure that your child’s snack is a quick and easy to eat snack and is from the approved snack list. Please do not pack multiple items.
NEW *Picture Day*
Picture day for all students at Willow Grove is September 30. Retakes are on November 1. More information on this will come in a future message.
NEW *PTO Updates*
-THANK YOU for your Dessert Day orders! Please see the calendar on your MTK account for the Dessert Day schedule.
-Room parent mtg 9/8 at 10 AM - via Zoom...volunteers please watch your emails for the link this weekend.
-General PTO Mtg 9/9 at 10 AM - any PTO member is welcome to attend via Zoom. Please contact [email protected] in order to receive the meeting link.
-Arlington Heights Portillos Fundraiser 9/29 5-8 PM
-More details about this and more in our BLOG!
REPEATING *Covid Metrics*
To stay up-to-date this school year on local metrics, please visit the COVID DASHBOARD for District 96. Our priority remains to keep our students safe and follow guidance from the CDC. If your student is identified as a "close contact", you will be notified individually through the contact tracing process.
REPEATING *Simultaneous Student Pick-Up from Willow Grove & Elementary Schools*
Please know that we understand that some families may have concerns related to picking students up from Willow Grove and an elementary school building. Please know that all principals are aware of this concern, and no child will ever be left unattended. We appreciate your best effort in picking your children up in a timely manner, and we appreciate you adhering to our current dismissal times. If when you arrive at a building your child is not waiting outside with an adult, please park and come to the front office. If you will be after 3:15 to a specific location, please call and inform the office of your ETA.