Dear Families,
Spending time in classrooms, I have the privilege of seeing students doing a wonderful job, with routines in place, and working hard on academics, while also building strong classroom connections. In just a few short weeks our staff will have the pleasure and opportunity to update you at conferences! We can’t wait!
Kindly,
Jenny Smith, Principal
New *Thought Exchange Partnership*
The District 96 Thought Exchange Partnership (TEP) offers parents opportunities to give feedback and receive information about District instruction, programs, and initiatives. Understanding parent perceptions is helpful for planning and communicating. Contact District 96 Community Parent Liaison Lubna Andrabi, 847.459.4260, ext. 8136, with questions. In particular, the District invites parents who have students enrolled at Willow Grove Early Learning Center to consider joining the Thought Exchange Partnership. The first meeting is scheduled for October 21, 2021, from 7:00-8:30 via Zoom.
NEW * Erin's Law*
An Illinois law known as Erin’s Law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness/prevention curriculum for Early Childhood through Grade 12.
Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96 researched and observed best practices and programs for delivering this instruction, selecting Victor Pacini to present Be Seen & Heard ©.
The focus of this developmentally appropriate and interactive program is to teach children skills to keep them safe from danger or abuse. Concepts discussed will include distinguishing safe from unsafe touches, safety rules at home and school, saying NO, safe/unsafe secrets, and telling a trusted adult, as well as reinforcing that an adult’s touching him or her is not the child’s fault. For more information about this presentation please CLICK HERE.
The presentation to students will be during the school day on September 30.
Early Childhood Blended & Structured Learning Note: Students in the Blended and Structured early childhood program do not attend the Victor Pacini presentation. Our school social workers push into those settings to provide a presentation for our youngest children. If you would like further information about the content, please contact Beatrice Chen for Blended or Katie Casey for structured.
If you prefer that your child does not attend this prevention education session (Early Childhood or Kindergarten), please submit your written request or your questions to me at [email protected].
NEW *Family Educator Conferences*
The conference dates are Thursday, October 7th from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM and Friday, October 8th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.
We will be using Meet the Teacher as an electronic sign-up for conferences. A School Messenger email will be sent to families on Monday, September 20th at 6:00 PM with a link to sign up for conferences.
Conferences will be held over zoom unless parents request an in-person conference using the instructions below. A document with all the staff zoom links will be sent out on Wednesday, October 6th at 2PM.
REQUESTING AN IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
After selecting the teachers you wish to meet with and choosing a time for each conference, Meet the Teacher will prompt you to save the appointment and ask if you want to add a message for the teacher. If you want to have an in-person conference with the teachers, you must notify the teachers via this messaging feature (see picture below).
Parents will have the option to sign up with the classroom teacher as well as specials teachers and any related service providers their children see.
NEW *Willow Walk - October 6*
On October 6, we'll be having our third 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 9:30 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 (grass near 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 and can pick them up in the office.
Willow Walk Parent Volunteer Opportunity
We have limited volunteer positions if you are interested. If you are interested in volunteering, CLICK HERE. Sign-up closes on Friday, September 24th, and spots are first-come, first-serve, based on the date/time of completing our volunteer request form (previous link). Please read and consider all information on the sign-up survey prior to completing it. Volunteers need to be only the adult, no siblings or guests may accompany volunteers. We will confirm with all who offer to volunteer the week of September 27.
NEW *PTO News & Updates*
There is a lot happening...don't miss out!
- Parents please take note - SEPTEMBER DESSERT DAY IS NOW ON THE 24th! Due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to move our first Dessert Day back one week. For parents who still want to order, we will be reopening the order form on your Membership Toolkit (MTK) so your child may participate!
- Also on MTK this week, stay tuned for ways to help feed our Willow Grove staff this fall during Family/Educator conferences on Oct. 7th.
- There is still a need for room parents and holiday party volunteers for some classrooms. Please contact Stacey Busch VP of Room Parents if you're interested. Her email can be found on your MTK account.
- Arlington Heights Portillos Fundraiser 9/29 5-8 PM. Mention "Willow Grove Fundraiser" when you order, and 20% of your order goes back to our school!
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.