Principal's Message ~ January 21, 2022

Dear Families,

It’s hard to believe that we are quickly approaching the end of January.  While it is evident that student learning, engagement, and safety continue to be our main priorities, we make sure to have fun along the way.  Please remember that Tuesday next week is an Early Release for students, and enjoy the weekend ahead.

Respectfully,

Jenny Smith, Principal


NEW *Calendar Reminder - Early Release*

This is a friendly reminder that next week on Tuesday, January 25, we have an Early Release Day. 

Kindergarten dismisses at 2 pm 

Structured: 8:30 am–2 pm 

Blended AM: 8:30–10 am & Blended PM: 12:30–2 pm


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 *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:


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 *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.


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!)*

Pre-registration for 2022–2023 kindergarten is online. Incoming kindergarten students must be 5 years old by September 1, 2022, to register for the 2022-23 kindergarten school year.

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)

RESIDENCY FORM 

HOME LANGUAGE SURVEY

ENROLLMENT FORM 

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 *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.