Dear Families,
The kindergarten students are loving practicing for the musical performance coming up in May. They are having a blast practicing in both music and PE. There are details for attendees below. Don't miss it! Have a wonderful weekend!
Kindly,
Jenny Smith, Principal
NEW *Calendar Reminders*
Friday, April 15 - No school for all. We resume school on Monday, April 18.
Friday, April 22 - HALF DAY ATTENDANCE: Friday, April 22 is a half-day with student dismissal at 11:45 AM for students in kindergarten and the structured learning classroom. We alternate early childhood attendance on half-days. Only PM Blended students attend 8:30-11:00 AM on April 22. There is no school for AM Blended/ECSE.
NEW *Kindergarten Music Performance May 6 -Additional Details*
Parents, you are welcome to attend as we celebrate our kindergarten year on Friday, May 6. Two attendees or fewer per child may attend. The doors will open ten minutes prior to each performance. Parents will enter the gymnasium doors located in the South parking lot. There are two doors that will open at the same time. Parents may line up at either marked door. Parents exit out the same doors, promptly at the end of the show. It is important to note that we are unable to arrange student pick up or early dismissal immediately following the performance as we cannot manage this safely. Kindergarten students stay until our regular dismissal times where dismissal is managed safely for all students. If you have questions about this for a specific need, please call our office. We are looking forward to this memorable event!
At Willow Grove and throughout District 96, the safety of students is always our number one priority. As such, please expect to see a police officer on-site while we have many visitors enjoying the performance. We regularly partner with our school resource officer for the security of our students.
Two attendees or fewer per child may attend. We prefer no siblings to minimize our audience size, however, if you need to bring a child to be able to attend, we understand. Children should never be pulled out of school to attend. Please remember we will share a video for other family members to view at your discretion.
Date: Friday, May 6
Showtimes:
Musical Performance 1 (9:30-10:00): Hibbs, Preskill, Rabin, Derry, Holzman
Musical Performance 2 (10:30-11:00): Schmidt, Longman, Filippo, Casas-Maya
Musical Performance 3 (1:15-1:45 PM): Wittenberg, Chappas, Santucci, Dolan
If you are unable to attend, know that we do record the events and send them to parents, as well.
Student Attire: The theme for the show is SPRING! Please dress your child in spring-colored clothing for the event. An outfit (shirt with shorts or pants or a dress) with any spring colors (i.e. light blue, yellow, pink, white, pastels, etc.) is perfect.
NEW *Monday, April 18, Willow Grove Spirit Day!*
This coming Monday, April 18, children are encouraged to wear Willow Grove wear, purple, and/or gray to show their Willow Grove spirit!
NEW *Law Enforcement Safety Drill*
On April 19, Willow Grove will be conducting a Law Enforcement Safety Drill.
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] and your child's teacher. If we do not hear from you, we will assume your child has permission to participate in the drill.
NEW *PTO UPDATES*
Pizza Bingo Silent Auction is Thursday, April 28th from 6-8p! Please visit your MTK account to order Meal Deals for your family. Prices will be up to double at the door, so be sure to take advantage of our pre-ordering form.
Thank you for visiting the D96 PTO Volunteer Fair this week! Your support for all our schools' PTOs is greatly appreciated! Willow Grove is still in need of an Executive Board for next year. Please see our blog for open positions and how you (or someone you know) may go about filling one!
Future events and updates can be found on our blog...have a great weekend!
CLICK HERE FOR OUR PTO BLOG FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE AND OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS!
REPEAT *2022-23 KINDERGARTEN KICK-OFF EVENT - MAY 3*
Kindergarten Kick-Off is an opportunity for all FULLY REGISTERED incoming kindergarten students and families to tour Willow Grove and for incoming kindergarteners to experience an activity in a classroom. Families must be fully registered by Monday, April 18, to receive the invitation link for the event. Kindergarten Kick-Off sign-up closes on Tuesday, April 19. During the time children are in classrooms (30 minutes), parents will meet with Willow Grove Principal, Jenny Smith, for Kindy 101 to learn about Willow Grove and common questions families have.
YOU MUST BE FULLY REGISTERED AND SIGN UP TO ATTEND. For information on registering your incoming kindergartener, CLICK HERE. If you are fully registered and do not believe you've received the link to sign up for Kindergarten Kick-Off, call the Willow Grove office for support or email [email protected].
REPEAT *Current Kindergarten Families - First Grade Volunteer Opportunities*
As kindergarten families look ahead to first grade, consider getting involved in your child’s elementary school PTO. Board positions are open in many schools and there are always volunteer opportunities. Following are the PTO links to learn further information and contact emails if you’d like to reach out and see how you can get involved.
Country Meadows PTO Information - [email protected]
Ivy Hall PTO Information - [email protected]
Kildeer PTO Information - [email protected]
Prairie PTO Information - [email protected]
REPEAT *Kindergarten Families Only: FIRST-GRADE Parent Input for Class Placement (2022-2023)*
We are collecting first-grade parent input for placement at this time through Friday, April 29, 2022. Entering kindergarten families for the 2022/23 school year will be able to provide input through a link being emailed to families. Families must be fully registered to receive the link. This information is only for First-Grade families for the 2022/23 school year.
Creating balanced class lists that meet the needs of all students is a tremendously difficult job that takes many hours of thoughtful dialogue between classroom teachers, administrators, and specialists. At Willow Grove, we take this process very seriously. The process for class list creation is as follows:
- Teachers reflect on the social and academic needs of each of their current students while recording pertinent information to assist in the decision-making process.
- Grade level teachers, the principal, specials area teachers, and specialists meet together to form class lists that are balanced in terms of academic, social, and emotional needs as well as considering student relationships. This is no easy task and often takes several collaborative discussions. Our dedicated team of educators considers each child’s personality, academic needs, friendship patterns, etc. as they make a recommendation for each individual child. A draft of class lists is created while considering parent input.
- Class lists are then revised in August and changes are made to include students who move in or out of the district over the summer.
Willow Grove staff creates the class lists for incoming 1st graders to all District 96 elementary schools.
We strongly believe that this detailed and collaborative process creates learning environments that benefit all students. It is a delicate balancing act that takes much consideration and thought by professionals who know and care about your children. Our goal is to create balanced class lists that promote the success of each child. Please know that your child is placed in a classroom for very specific reasons. The process benefits all students. Because of the input and thought given by teachers, specialists, parents, and the principal, we are very reluctant to make changes once this process occurs, as removing or moving one child can disrupt the balance of an entire class, impacting all students.
I welcome any insight you wish to share about your child’s strengths, needs, and learning style. I will take into consideration pertinent information received on or before FRIDAY, APRIL 29th. Please remember, while we welcome your input, specific teacher requests and friendship requests will not be considered due to the complexity of this process.
I cannot express enough how important it is that your thoughts are provided through this 2022-23 First Grade Parent Class Placement Input Survey. As you can imagine, we receive a lot of parent input, and verbal information and multiple emails are impossible to track. The information you provide in the survey will remain confidential.
REPEAT *Reproving Residency for Kindergartners and 5th graders*
In KCSD 96, each year, parents of current Kindergartners and 5th graders are required to reprove their district residency.
To re-prove residency, parents are asked to provide three items to the Administrative Assistants at their child’s current school:
- Current monthly mortgage OR lease statement OR property tax bill OR Warranty Deed AND
- Current utility bill (e.g., water OR electric OR waste collection) AND
- Proof of Residency Form (completed and signed)
Please CLICK HERE for questions or email [email protected].
REPEAT *2022-23 REGISTRATION OPENED THIS WEEK!*
Registration now open for the 2022-23 school year
Registration is now open for the 2022-23 school year. This week, parents and guardians of returning students and pre-registered Kindergartners were emailed a notification with a SnapCode to complete their registration process.
Register today to avoid the $20 late fee (per child) to be charged on registrations completed after April 15.
If you have questions about the 2022-23 Registration Notification email, please email [email protected] or call 847-459-4260, ext. 8022.
For information on registering a new student, CLICK HERE.
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.