Dear families,
What a day! We had so much fun celebrating Halloween with your children today. Thank you to our PTO and room parent volunteers for the special touches everyone contributed to make our parties a hit. The indoor parade was adorable, as well, and families were emailed links to videos to take a peek in on the fun.
Have a safe and fun Halloween this weekend!
Kindly,
Jenny Smith, Principal
NEW *Picture Absentee/Retake Day is MONDAY, Nov 1*
If you would like a child to have their picture retaken, send your child to school with any prior picture purchase you made to return. Make sure your child's teacher is aware you are wanting a retake so they know to take your child to have their picture taken. Students who were not enrolled or were absent on our prior picture day will also have their pictures taken.
This is a prepay site and ordering will be closed at Midnight the day of Picture Day to process the orders. If parents missed prepaying they will have a chance to order pictures with their child's Ticket Code. When placing an order after Picture Day with a Ticket Code a shipping fee will be added on and picture packages will be shipped directly to the home. Ticket Codes will be delivered with the bulk picture package order approximately three weeks post-Picture Day.
NEW *IDPH Guidance Update*
Our top priority is to keep kids in school with as little disruption as possible and we need your help and support to do so. As we head into colder fall and winter weather and we begin to spend more time indoors, we encourage you to stay vigilant when it comes to health and safety measures. The recent interest survey indicated that the parents of over 1,600 District 96 students are interested in scheduling vaccination appointments for their 5-11-year-olds as they become available in the coming weeks. However, we are mindful of the continued risks that COVID presents to the school community and families of KCSD 96. The Illinois Department of Public Health has released guidance on how to celebrate more safely during the 2021 Fall season.
Guidance on Celebrations from the IDPH
As we continue through Fall and head into the holiday season, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is issuing updated guidance to help people celebrate more safely as we continue to battle COVID-19.
Masks
Masks are currently required, per Executive Order, in all indoor public locations in Illinois. A costume mask is NOT a substitute for a well-fitting mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wearing a costume mask over a face covering to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is not recommended because it could make breathing more difficult. Safer options include choosing a costume that does not come with a costume mask, or find a costume that incorporates a face covering.
Trick-or-Treat
Trick-or-treating outdoors in small groups is best, but if outdoors is not an option, there are steps people can take to make indoor trick-or-treating safer. Those handing out tricks or treats indoors should open doors and windows as much as possible to promote increased ventilation and wear a mask. It is also important for everyone handing out or receiving treats to wash their hands.
Alternatives to door-to-door trick-or-treating can include setting up tables in a parking lot or other safe outdoor area where individually wrapped treats can be set out or holding an outdoor costume parade for kids along with a parent/guardian.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19, do not participate in any Halloween or Fall events.
More information on Halloween and Fall Guidance is on the IDPH website at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/Halloween.
NEW *To all parent volunteers for Gym Helper in PE*
Due to Covid mitigations, we ask that you do not bring any other children when you come to volunteer at Willow Grove. Thank you for understanding.
NEW *PTO BLOG*
Make sure you check our blog to see if you were a raffle winner at our Ice Cream Social!
This week's updates includes information about Original Artworks fundraiser, Dessert Day, Box Tops, volunteer opportunities and more!
CLICK HERE for this and more on the PTO blog!
REPEATING *New Attendance Information*
Attendance is one of the most powerful predictors of academic achievement and having your student in their seat, ready to learn for the entire school day will benefit them, their classmates, and our whole school community. Let’s work together to make sure your child has great attendance and can get the most out of their learning opportunities this school year.
OUR PROMISE TO YOU
We know that there are a wide variety of reasons that students are absent from school, from health concerns to transportation challenges. There are many people in our building prepared to help you if you or your student face challenges in getting to school regularly or on time. We promise to track attendance daily, to notice when your student is missing from class, communicate with you to understand why they were absent, and to identify barriers and supports available to overcome challenges you may face in helping your student attend school. Our parent handbook reflects legislative updates from the state and is ready for you to review.
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
We miss your student when they are not at school as we value their contributions to our school community. If your student is going to be absent, please contact the school in advance. If an absence was unplanned, please contact the school please contact the school office as soon as possible.
HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER
Send your child to school unless they are truly sick, such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, contagious rash or showing any other COVID like symptoms.
Avoid appointments and travel when school is in session.
Keep track of your child’s attendance.
Set a regular bedtime and morning routine (including limiting how late your child may use any electronic devices) and finish homework and pack backpacks the night before.
Have a back-up plan for getting to school in case something comes up (this could be alternative bus routes, roads, or a plan with family members, neighbors, or other parents).
Communicate with the school about how we can work together to support your child’s attendance.
OUR DUTIES UPON A STUDENT’S ABSENCES
If your child has five unexcused absences we will reach out via phone and follow up with an email.
If your child has seven unexcused absences we will schedule a conference with you and your child to create a student success plan and help continued supports.
After 10 days of unexcused absences, and our supports and interventions haven’t helped get your student to school consistently, we are required to file a petition and you will be notified by formal letter that the case will be forwarded to the truancy department and the Lake County ROE, alleging a violation of RCW 28A.225.010, Illinois' mandatory attendance law.
WHAT IS EXCUSED AND WHAT IS UNEXCUSED:
Excused: Medical appointment, illness, quarantine, death in the family, mental health day, religious holiday
Unexcused: Most other reasons for absence including vacation, sporting event, missing the bus, sleeping in, day before a special individual occasion.
REPEATING *O’Hare PCR Results*
If you do not receive your child’s PCR results over the weekend, we apologize for the inconvenience.
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.
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.