Dear Families,
We closed the week enjoying the winter parties put together by our PTO and volunteers. Thank you all for the creativity and fun you brought to our students. They had a blast! We also appreciated everyone's understanding and patience this week, given the water main break and then the weather-related early release today. We know a change of routine is never easy. We sure are closing out 2022 with a bang!
As a reminder, all schools are closed from Friday, December 23, 2022 - Friday, January 6, 2023. We look forward to welcoming students back on Monday, January 9, 2023.
We hope you all have a wonderful and safe winter break, filled with special family memories.
Warm wishes,
Jenny Smith, Principal
*January Dates to Know*
DISTRICT CALENDAR DATES:
Monday, January 9 - Students return to school
Monday, January 16 - No School, MLK Day
Tuesday, January 24 - Early Release Day
BUILDING ACTIVITY DATES:
Friday, January 13 - Warm & Wooly Day!
Friday, January 20 - PJ Day - Making this fun day up from our school closure day! Please make sure your child wears shoes, not slippers.
NEW *Warm & Wooly Day! ~ Friday, January 13*
Our students in Early Childhood and Kindergarten start back at Willow Grove with a math unit that incorporates a theme of sweaters, mittens, winter hats, etc. We thought it would be fun to have a day to make connections with what the whole school is wearing for a day. Friday, January 13, is "Warm & Wooly Day!" If you would like your child to participate, dress them in something warm and wooly! A sweater, sweater vest, winter hat, or just adding a scarf is perfect! If you want your child to participate specific for their grade level (anything warm and wooly will make the connection), this is how it's broken down:
Early Childhood - Mittens and scarves
Kindergarten - Sweaters and vests
NEW *ACCESS Testing - Kindergarten Only*
The State of Illinois requires identified English Learner (EL) students to annually participate in the ACCESS testing to determine current English language proficiency in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Our ACCESS testing window will occur from 1/17-2/22. Each school’s testing schedule is unique and will only impact students who take the ACCESS test. Students taking ACCESS do not need to prepare anything ahead of time.
NEW *PTO News*
REMINDER WINTER PARTIES
Our winter parties are scheduled for December 22nd! The parties are scheduled for 10:00am-10:45am for all kindergarten classes and all AM sections of our blended, ECSE, and our structured classes. Parties will be held from 2:00pm-2:45pm for all PM sections of our blended and ECSE classes. Please note that per district policy, only volunteers on the volunteer list will be permitted in the building (sorry no siblings, friends or relatives). Also, note that all parties in the district are snack free, so no food may be brought in or sent home with students in goody bags
MOVIE NIGHT
Our PTO Movie Night is scheduled for January 27th from 6:00pm-8:00pm! We are excited to come together and enjoy a movie together as a school community for the first time since 2020!
Please check Membership Toolkit (linked below) if you would like to sign up to volunteer.
YEARBOOK
If you did not purchase a yearbook during registration, it’s not too late!
Please reach out to us at [email protected] if you would like to order a yearbook or if you are unsure whether or not you purchased a yearbook during the registration process.
Also, please email us your photos of the Willow Grove Cultural fair that took place last week to the email address above. There is a chance your photo may end up in our yearbook!
ORIGINAL WORKS
The original works orders have been submitted and orders are scheduled to ship next week.
REMINDER TO CONNECT WITH THE PTO
Remember to check the Willow Grove PTO online at the links below for the latest PTO news and events.
Willow Grove PTO Membership Toolkit
REPEAT * Coming Up: Pre-Registration for Incoming 2023-24 Kindergartners*
District families with incoming 2023-24 kindergartners are asked to be on the lookout for pre-registration information being shared in a few weeks.
The 2023-24 Kindergarten pre-registration is open to students who live within District boundaries and who will be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2023.
This year’s Kindergarten Pre-Registration will be conducted online; parents will be emailed a link to start the process. (Families needing to pre-register their child in-person may contact Kimberly O’Neill, administrative assistant at Willow Grove Early Learning Center, at [email protected].)
For the online Kindergarten Pre-Registration, parents will need to supply:
- Proof of their identity
- Proof of their child’s birth (birth certificate or passport)
- Proof of District residency (current mortgage, lease or property tax bill)
- Current utility bill
Incoming Kindergartners who are pre-registered during this Pre-Registration period will receive a special Willow Grove Kindergarten T-shirt. (The T-shirts are not available after this pre-registration period.)
Learn more about Kindergarten in District 96 HERE.