Dear Families,
If you have not done so already please check your email as you should have received MAP testing reports via email on Wednesday, January 13, 2022.
Respectfully,
Jenny Smith
Principal
NEW *UPDATE ON PCR Testing SCHEDULED FOR TODAY*
All Willow Grove students received their testing kit today to return to school on Tuesday for testing.
Thank you for your patience as our vendor O’Hare Labs works to expand its capacity to meet additional testing requests. District 96 is one of many entities that has asked to increase their PCR testing frequency. As a result, O’Hare Labs is working diligently to accommodate the unprecedented increase in the demand for testing. The typical timeline is 48 hours, however, nearly all PCR labs are seeing a spike in specimen testing requests. Therefore, the delayed delivery of results that we are experiencing is due to this spike in the demand for specimen testing. O'Hare Labs has added an additional lab this week, so we are hoping to see a faster turnaround time very soon.
Finally, as a reminder, O’Hare Labs is your point of contact regarding specimen questions for individual student lab results.
If you have any questions regarding your results (e.g. you haven’t received your results) feel free to contact O’Hare Labs by email at [email protected]
NEW *IDPH/ISBE COVID-19 INFORMATION*
On January 11, 2022 the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released new COVID-19 information related to school exclusion and test-to-stay protocols. Please find all updated information on our website.
NEW *Calendar Reminder - MLK Day*
Monday, January 17th is Martin Luther King Day. There is no school on this day.
NEW *News from Mrs. Martinez in the Learning Center*
Please remember to return ALL library books each week. You can return them on ANY day. Happy Reading!
Each classroom at Willow Grove has a Makerspace cart- our students use these carts to create fun projects. We are in need of some supplies- please send any of the following items to school with your student:
NEW *PTO UPDATES*
Start cleaning out your bookshelves! The WG PTO is hosting a book drive for Bernie’s Book Bank. It will begin on January 19th and run through the 31st. Send books with your child or drop them off in the vestibule. Please note that we can’t accept religious books, dictionaries, activity books, cookbooks, textbooks or books that are damaged.
Please help us Stock the Lounge! In place of the January Cocoa Bar, we will be showing our appreciation to the amazing teachers and staff at Willow Grove with a Stock the Lounge event in February. A sign-up will be available next week on Facebook and the PTO blog for those who would like to contribute.
CLICK HERE FOR OUR PTO BLOG FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE AND OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS!
REPEAT *Vaccination Cards for 5-11 yr olds*
You can provide vaccination verification after your child has received his/her full vaccination. Click HERE to complete the upload.
REPEAT *Zoom Resource & Tech Trouble*
This information will be repeated weekly for families to access as needed. It is relevant for children who are approved for remote learning due to Covid-related quarantine or in the event of a remote severe weather day for all children.
ZOOM Resource - Remote Learning & Possible Emergency Weather Day
Please review this Zoom Tutorial Video Link with your child to prepare for remote learning. This is for students who have been approved for remote learning or in the event of an emergency weather day for all children.
Tech Trouble
If you are experiencing technical trouble on the iPad, here are a few tips that can help resolve the error you are receiving.
The first step is to completely remove Zoom through the iPad settings. Deleting Zoom from the Home Screen is NOT thorough enough to resolve this issue.
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down to General
- Go to the right column and Select iPad Storage
- Scroll down to Zoom
- Delete the Zoom App
- Open the Self Service App and reinstall Zoom
If the issue persists after this we would recommend following the next few steps.
Reset Network Settings:
- Go to Settings
- General
- Go to the right column and scroll down to Reset
- Reset network settings: The device will restart and you will have to reconnect to your home wi-fi afterward.
Next:
- Go to settings
- Scroll down to Safari
- Scroll down to Clear History and Website Data
If you're still seeing that error after all of these steps then you may need to troubleshoot your network next. Unplugging your modem and router from power for 60 seconds and plugging it back in can sometimes be enough.
Please email [email protected] for further tech issues or additional support. Please also let us know at the school by calling our office, so we can inform your child's teacher. Call our office at any time with any questions. We completely understand any difficulties you are having and appreciate your patience as we troubleshoot your issue.
As a reminder, remote learning via Zoom will begin on the second full day of absence and is only available for students who meet one of the following requirements.
- Student is asymptomatic (no symptoms) after receiving a positive Covid test result
- Student is unvaccinated, asymptomatic, and under mandatory quarantine after being identified as a close contact to a confirmed positive Covid case.
- Student is unvaccinated, has traveled internationally and is under mandatory quarantine upon returning home.
REPEAT *PRE-REGISTER FOR 2022–2023 KINDERGARTEN (and Get a Free Willow Grove Student T-Shirt if you register in January!)*
Pre-registration for 2022–2023 kindergarten is in-person OR online. Incoming kindergarten students must be 5 years old by September 1, 2022, to register for the 2022-23 kindergarten school year.
In-Person Pre-Registration Option:
When: Thursday, January 13, 2022, 5–7 PM drop-in (Parents may also pre-register online during the month of January for the free T-Shirt)
Where: Willow Grove Early Learning Center, 777 Checker Drive, Buffalo Grove, IL
Parents of incoming kindergartners will need to prove residency with required documents and District forms and to complete a brief online pre-registration form. Incoming kindergartners do not need to be present for the pre-registration event.
Required documents:
• CURRENT monthly mortgage or lease statement or property tax bill AND
• CURRENT utility bill AND
• Student’s birth certificate, passport, or visa (photocopy not accepted) AND
• Parent or Guardian photo ID (Passport or Driver’s license)
Online Pre-Registration Option:
You do not have to attend in person to pre-register. Details coming soon. Please continue to watch for updates in the Principal's Message and on our District 96 website.
Click here to learn more about Kindergarten in District 96.
Questions? Please contact our D96 public info coordinator at [email protected] or 847.459.4260, ext. 8022.
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 *Symptoms, Close contacts, Quarantine & International Travel Guidelines*
If you have any questions about symptoms, close contacts or quarantining please visit the IDPH Decision Tree posted on the District 96 COVID-19 webpage.
Additionally, as winter break approaches, please note the guidelines for unvaccinated individuals and international travel posted on the District 96 COVID-19 webpage.
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.