Dear Families,
We had so much fun giving our silent auction winners their special Willow Grove prizes this week! I know I had fun with my principal for the day, whose message is included below. These auction prizes are always such a special memory. Again, thank you to our PTO for a year full of memories!
Parents, thank you so much for this wonderful school year! This will be the last Principal Message of the school year, as next week our last day for the 2021-22 school year is Thursday, which is a half-day. It has been our honor to work with your children this year. We're so proud of how far they've come! For some students in early childhood, we'll get to see you next year. Our kindergarten students are moving to first grade at our fabulous District 96 elementary schools. I know their learning will continue to grow in leaps and bounds! Thank you, families, for your partnership this year. Your contributions to learning are immeasurable! Teachers, I want to thank you for an incredible year of learning and the love and support you give to our students every day. You're an incredible team!
Have a fun and safe summer, everyone!
Best,
Jenny Smith, Principal
Dear Families,
Hi! I am Robby and I got to be Principal of the Day! This was a prize from the PTO silent auction. I went to all the classrooms to look for expected behaviors and Peace Corners. Every classroom had a Peace Corner! I like them because they help kids have time and a quiet spot if they need some help and feel sad or angry. Our teachers give us ideas of things to do in the Peace Corner to feel better. I also practiced the quiet signal in some classrooms. I had the most fun talking on the walkie-talkie and being with Mrs. Smith!!
We can't believe next week is our LAST WEEK of school before summer! Only 3 more days of school because there is no school on Monday. Make sure you keep looking at the Countdown below so your child can participate on special days.
Thank you,
Mr. Robby, Principal for a Day
NEW *Calendar Reminder*
Monday, May 30 - No school
Our last day of school, Thursday, June 2, is Half-Day dismissal.
- KDG & Structured dismiss at 11:45 a.m.
- PM only attends for Blended and attends from 8:30 AM-11:00 AM (No AM Blended).
NEW *Summer Enrichment*
Take a look at our Summer Enrichment Page for students. Families can access summer activities and Summer Reading information using this site.
Families will find sections arranged by:
* EC/K-2 Grade Level Activities
* 3-5 Grade Level Activities
* 6-7 Grade Level Activities
Additionally, families are reminded of the Curriculum Resources website, which provides a treasure trove of fun, educationally-rich activities and resources for children and parents.
(Link: tinyurl.com/KCSD96CurriculumResources)
Enjoy your summer break!
NEW *Fire Drill*
Well, the rain hasn't been at all cooperative this week for our final drill! The final drill will be on the next dry day, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday of next week.
NEW *PTO UPDATES*
Yearbooks
While we are crossing our fingers and toes that yearbooks will arrive in time for the kids to take home next week, it is likely that yearbooks will need to be distributed at a later date this summer, to be communicated via the Willow Grove PTO and Willow Grove Kindergarten Parents 2021–2022 pages on Facebook. We will set up a table at Willow Grove for you to pick up your child’s/children’s book(s).
If you are unable to pick up during this time, we will hold the book at Willow Grove for EC students heading to kindergarten, or send the book to your child’s/children’s next school (Ivy Hall, Kildeer, Country Meadows, or Prairie). If you will be leaving D96, please email [email protected] to let us know and we’ll coordinate when the books arrive.
The PTO board would like to extend a big THANK YOU to everyone for a wonderful school year! We have had many successful events, dessert days, fundraisers, and so much more thanks to your endless support!
If you will have a child attending Willow Grove next year and would be interested in volunteering for the PTO, we still have one open position on the board for a VP of Fundraising. Please email [email protected] if you are interested in more information!
REPEAT *Blast off to Summer Countdown*
REPEAT *REGISTRATION & TECHNOLOGY*
If you have not enrolled your student(s) for the 22-23 school year and are planning on doing so, we ask that you do so as soon as possible. Accurate and up-to-date registration numbers impact our staffing plan and our ability to prepare for the 22-23 school year.
Students in Kindergarten through Grade 7 will keep their iPads over the summer. If you have enrolled your student(s) for the 22-23 school year already, your student’s iPad will continue to work over the summer.
If you have not enrolled your student(s) for the 22-23 school year and your student is not in summer school or ESY, your student’s iPad(s) will be deactivated after the last day of school and will not function until registration has been completed.
Once you have registered your student for the 22-23 school year, please email [email protected] and include your student’s enrollment information. The district technology department will verify enrollment and re-activate your student’s iPad(s).
REPEAT *PROOF OF RESIDENCY REMINDER - CURRENT KINDERGARTEN FAMILIES*
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
- This Proof of Residency Form (completed and signed)
Learn information for other questions. Questions? Call or email Mel Lundeen, our Willow Grove Administrative Assistant.
REPEAT *Last Call for Library Books*
Parents if you happen to see any school library books at home please return them to school as soon as possible. With school drawing to a close for the year we need to begin cataloging and checking the inventory for the school library
REPEAT *Registration Reminder*
A big thank you to those of you who have already registered your student for the 22-23 school year. For those of you who haven’t yet, we need your help! We staff our buildings based on completed registration. We like to keep class sizes low so that students have the best possible experience and the only way we can do that is by having the most accurate information. If you have not registered yet, please take a few minutes to complete this important process. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the school office and we would be happy to help at [email protected].
REPEAT *Summer 2022 iPad Information*
All Buildings:
- Students in grades K-7 will keep their iPad and all peripherals over the summer unless they are not returning to D96 for the 22-23 school year.
- Any non-returning students will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.
- Families who exit out of D96 after the last day of school will need to return all of their technology to the District Office over the summer. Any device not returned will be placed in lost mode and will not function.
- Over the summer, some apps and services will continue to work at the student’s 21-22 grade level. Apps and websites like Dreambox, Lexia, Typing Agent, (etc) will be available to use over the summer but are not guaranteed to work at all times. The technology department will only be supporting the use of these apps in ESY or Summer School.
- As we get closer to August, we will roll-up student data and new services. Apps will also become available to them relative to their 22-23 grade level.
Willow Grove Specific:
- EC iPads will be collected at the end of the year. We ask that devices and peripherals (charging cable, charging brick, and case) that are kept at home be returned to Willow Grove and made available for collection no later than Wednesday, May 25th. Note that EC students do NOT receive Logitech Crayons.
- Current Kindergarten students will keep their iPads over the summer. New grade-level content and services will be made available on their iPads sometime in August.
- Any non-returning students will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.
Middle School Specific:
- 8th Grade iPad collection will happen on Wednesday, May 25th. Students will be expected to turn in their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon.
- Any non-returning students in grades 6 and 7 will need to leave their iPad (inside of the case), charging cable, charging brick, and Logitech Crayon, with the building Tech Aide for collection.
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]
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.