Dear Families,
It's hard to believe that we are approaching the end of the first trimester. As a matter of fact the first trimester will officially end next Friday, November 12, 2021. Report cards are scheduled to be issued online on November 19, 2021. Please make sure that you have your login information for TeacherEase so that you can access your student(s) report card(s).
I also want to remind all families that it is much colder outside now. Please make sure that students are coming to school dressed appropriately for the weather. Many winter weather items, such as hats, gloves, coats, and boots can go missing from time to time. Please label your student(s) items so that we can return lost items to their owners. Have a wonderful weekend!
Kindly,
Jenny Smith, Principal
NEW *Meet Sofia the Snowplow!*
If you haven't heard, we've had some serious excitement at Willow Grove this week! We worked with the Village of Buffalo Grove to adopt a snowplow. The village reached out to us and asked if we would like to name a plow and design an image for the plow that will run its route around our school when it snows. We couldn't pass up that opportunity! Each classroom submitted a name for the snowplow. From all 22 of our classes, we did a drawing and selected three names. All students then voted on the names and we landed on Sofia the Snowplow! We designed an image that represents our school with our beloved mascot, Buddy the Bear, and had all students add their own fingerprint snowflake. The Village of Buffalo Grove took our image and added it to their plow. Earlier this week we had a snowplow parade where students were able to see the final result. There was quite a bit of excitement as the plow roared through our lot and drive, lifting its plow up and down as if it were waving at the children. Enjoy these photos of the event! If you live in the area surrounding our school, keep an eye out for Sofia when it snows!
NEW *Road Work - Potential Impact*
Please be aware that Lake County has notified us that Old McHenry Rd. will be closed (from Hawthorn Woods to Rt. 22) to through traffic beginning Monday, November 8th and is scheduled to reopen on Sunday, November 21st. This will likely impact traffic patterns for the duration of the closure.
NEW *PTO UPDATES*
Thank you to all of the volunteers that made the Halloween parties, Book Fair, and Ice Cream Social such a success!
Please keep a lookout for the Original Works art keepsakes forms that will be coming home in your child’s folder next week. Visit the PTO Blog for more information and exciting news on upcoming events!
NEW *A SECOND HALLOWEEN PARADE VIDEO*
Our District Office came over on Halloween and also captured some beautiful footage of our indoor Halloween parade. You can take a look HERE. Enjoy!
NEW *Law Enforcement Safety Drill*
On November 12, Willow Grove will be conducting a Law Enforcement Safety Drill. We had to reschedule our drill scheduled previously.
In compliance with the New Safety Drill Act, parents have the right to exempt their child from the Law Enforcement Drill.
If you do not wish your son or daughter to participate in the Law Enforcement Safety Drill, please contact me (Jenny Smith) at [email protected]. If we do not hear from you, we will assume your child has permission to participate in the drill.
REPEAT *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 for support.
- 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 include; vacation, sporting events, missing the bus, sleeping in, day before a special individual occasion.
REPEAT *Volunteers & Vaccination Verification or Proof of a Negative Test
As you may or may not know, Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker held a COVID-19 press conference on August 26, 2021, where he issued new rules regarding indoor masking, and signed an Executive Order 2021-20, regarding educational employee vaccination and testing requirements. In the Executive Order which applies to all “school personnel,” volunteers are included in the definition unless they are present for only a short period of time and whose movements of close physical proximity are “fleeting”.
Those who have been identified as a current or upcoming PTO volunteer recently received a survey asking that you provide proof of vaccination and notifying them that if unvaccinated they would need to provide proof of a negative Covid test within 48 hours of reporting to volunteer.
If you have already uploaded proof of vaccination, please disregard this information.
How do I provide proof of vaccination proactively should I choose to volunteer at my student(s) school this year?
By following this link, you may provide proof of vaccination to your school(s).
What if I am unvaccinated but want to volunteer this year?
Unvaccinated volunteers must provide proof of a negative Covid test when you arrive at the school on the day you are scheduled to volunteer. Negative test results are only good for the 48 hours prior to arrival. For example, if an unvaccinated volunteer is scheduled to be in the school the next week, they would have to provide a new test result.
What type of Covid test qualifies?
You may present a negative antigen or PCR test. Home testing kits do not qualify as the test must be observed and documentation of the result provided to you.
Why can’t unvaccinated volunteers take a Covid test at the school?
The BinaxNow test provided to schools is in short supply at this time. As a result, schools have been notified that we cannot use the test for any screening purposes. If we were to do so, they would no longer supply the test to us. We are only allowed to use the test for symptomatic individuals on campus (students or staff) or when a person qualifies for test-to-stay. If and when test supplies increase, those restrictions may be lifted. If they are, we will be in a position to reconsider testing unvaccinated volunteers in our schools at that time.
What is the process for volunteers to either provide proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test?
- Vaccinated volunteers may submit their proof of vaccination at any time by following the link provided and completing the survey and uploading proof of vaccination.
- The list of those who have done so will be made available to the school (principal, assistant principal, administrative assistant, and nurse) and updated periodically by Lubna Andrabi in our district office.
- Unvaccinated volunteers must bring proof of a negative test to the main office on the day they are scheduled to volunteer.
- The main office will make a copy of your negative test.
- The test result must be within the previous 48 hours. The staff at the front desk in the main office will assist you.
What if I am fully vaccinated but forgot to upload my proof of vaccination?
If you have not uploaded your vaccination card, you may provide proof of vaccination when you arrive (vaccination card). We strongly encourage you to upload your card so that you do not need to present it each time you report to volunteer.
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.