WELCOME TO THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR!
It is with great excitement that the Willow Grove staff welcomes you to our school. At Willow Grove, we take great pride in serving Kildeer Countryside School District’s youngest learners and starting them on the path of lifelong learning. We are eager to welcome your child and family into our community. Our partnership in your child’s education is of the utmost importance to us. This is the eighth year I have proudly been serving as the principal at Willow Grove and my twenty-second year in this wonderful district. Every year has truly been an honor and privilege.
This is our weekly Principal's Message, which is the place to keep up with everything going on in our school. You'll find that this, along with your child's teacher updates and District eNews will be a main channel of communication, and it's delivered to your email box each Friday. We have all sorts of things to share with you so you are aware of opening events and the workings of our school. You'll notice the titles of each section will start with "NEW" or "REPEAT." I keep relevant information that has already been shared after all of the new updates. You can skip the repeating information if you know you are all caught up or reference it as needed. Of course, this week, everything is new, so be sure to go through all of this important information.
Teachers and administrators have been working tirelessly over the summer months to prepare for this school year participating in various learning activities. I could not be prouder of our staff for their dedication. With your partnership, we know all of our Willow Grove students can "Count on Us" for an exciting and successful school year.
The staff and I are looking forward to meeting all of our students and seeing some returning from early childhood. We deeply value our partnership with you and are so appreciative of your support. Please never hesitate to reach out with questions. It is our goal to help your child have a positive and learning-filled year!
Kindly,
Jenny Smith, Principal
Your Office Team
Jenny Smith, Principal
Megan Payne, Assistant Principal
Kourtney Collette, Administrative Assistant
Kathleen Brady, Office Support
Meg Osinski-Ealey, Nurse
NEW *Important August Dates & School Attendance Hours*
Please make sure you have noted the important dates indicated on our school calendar. You’ll find information on all student attendance days, such as our daily program hours, days off, early release days, and district half-days.
*If you have children at other schools you may see there is a new family tour at elementary buildings. Willow Grove doesn't do this, as almost all families are new. A self-guided tour is included as part of our Meet the Teacher Day explained below. You will also get to see the building on Curriculum Night.
Wednesday, August 16th - Meet the Teacher at Willow Grove from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM. More information is provided below.
Thursday, August 17th - First day of school. This is a half-day. Student hours are as follows:
- Kindergarten (including Structured Kindergarten) and Early Childhood Structured: 8:40 AM - 11:45 AM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
- Blended Early Childhood/ECSE: Blended/ECSE AM and PM alternate days on half-day attendance days. Even if your child attends PM, if it is a district half-day, they will attend AM hours. AM attends on Thursday, August 17 (no PM students). Hours are 8:40 AM - 11:10 AM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
Friday, August 18th - Full day of school. Student hours on this day and all full days are as follows:
- Kindergarten (including Structured Kindergarten): 8:40 AM - 3:05 PM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
- Blended Early Childhood/ECSE AM: 8:40 AM - 11:10 AM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
- Blended Early Childhood PM: 12:35 PM - 3:05 PM. Parent drop-off begins at 12:25 PM.
- Early Childhood Structured Learning Classroom: 8:40 AM - 2:40 PM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
IMPORTANT: If you are dropping your child off, it is always encouraged for your child to be dropped off closest to the time doors open at 8:25 AM or 12:25 PM for PM Blended Early Childhood.
Monday, August 21st - Curriculum Night. Curriculum Night is for all student families and is a PARENT/GUARDIAN ONLY evening of attendance. The evening is from 6:30-7:30 PM. You will be able to hear from me and our Assistant Principal, Ms. Payne, and also meet and hear from the star of the evening, your child's teacher!
Tuesday, August 29th - District Early Release Day. Student hours are as follows:
- Kindergarten (including Structured Kindergarten): 8:40 AM - 2:05 PM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
- Blended Early Childhood/ECSE AM: 8:40 AM - 10:10 AM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
- Blended Early Childhood PM: 12:35 PM - 2:05 PM. Parent drop-off begins at 12:25 PM.
- Early Childhood Structured Learning Classroom: 8:40 AM - 2:05 PM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
NEW *Food & Willow Grove*
Daily Snack for All Programs (Kindergarten, Blended, and Structured)
Children have daily snack time in their classrooms. Snacks must be from the Approved Snack List.
Kindergarten & Structured Program Lunch
Unlike snacks, where you must pack items from our Approved Snack List, students may bring anything in for lunch, as lunch is out of the classroom. We have safety measures in place during lunch for children with allergies. If you have questions, please contact our school nurse by calling our main office. Additional details about lunch are included in the video and Frequently Asked Questions in the Parent Resource section of this letter, below.
Birthdays
We do not allow food to be passed out to children for birthdays. It is not required to send anything for your child’s birthday to share with the class. If you choose to send something in, it must be a non-food item. Examples include a sticker or pencil.
NEW *Approved Snacks: What Parents Need to Know*
The District has revised the APPROVED SNACK LIST. The items on the list are free of the Top 8 allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. This list includes the foods that are approved for students' daily snacks. Daily snacks for your children must be from this list or they will be sent home.
IMPORTANT: All items for daily snacks, with the exception of fruits and vegetables, MUST be prepackaged to allow staff to easily check that snacks meet the approved requirements.
Director of Educational Services, Jennifer Dunne, also has provided responses to FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) about foods approved for daily snacks/special events.
For your convenience, find links to the District 96 Approved Snack List and Approved Snack List FAQs on the homepage of the District 96 website and the homepage of each school.
Lunches packed from home may contain any food items and do not need to be from the Approved Snack List. If your child is bringing in lunch, snacks must be packed separately from lunch. Please label lunch bags and snacks with your child’s name.
NEW *School Lunch Program*
Families will receive an email on Monday, August 7th, from Kildeer96 Food Service with a subject line of “D96 Food Service Information” that will include information on the District's online meal pre-payment system and online application site.
To learn more about the school lunch program, please visit our District Website. Within this link, you will find menus and how to complete pre-payment for meals. Applications for free and reduced meals are available on the District’s website. If you have any questions, please contact the school office at 847-541-3660 or [email protected].
NEW *Lost and Found*
Our lost and found accumulate items very quickly. To avoid the loss of costly coats, bike helmets, lunch boxes, water bottles, you name it, please label everything with your child’s name. We periodically review items in the lost and found that have not been retrieved and provide any labeled items back to our students. Thank you for your help!
NEW *Arrival & Dismissal*
Most little ones are SO EXCITED to jump on the bus. Some are scared, and that's OK. With practice, they quickly see it isn't such a scary thing. Showing love and a sense of confidence in your child and our school is helpful with this transition. Let them know that their Willow Grove teachers will meet them at the other end and that you will meet them back home at the end of the day. Having your child ride the bus will greatly help with our arrival and dismissal times of the day. We have limited parking, and ALL parents dropping off or picking up their children will need to park and walk their child to the main entrance of our school. There is no driving drop-off lane for parents. This includes families in our Blended and Structured Learning Program. Never park in the circle drive, which is for buses and emergency vehicles only. For parents that choose to drop off and/or pick up their children, we have assigned doors you will bring your child to or collect them from.
Blended Preschool and ECSE AM/PM - AM drop-off and pick-up are at the main entrance. PM drop-off is at the main entrance. PM pick-up is at door 18, to the right of the main entrance when facing the building.
Kindergarten - Main entrance
Structured Program (Early Childhood and Kindergarten) - Teachers will contact you with these details.
Parents may not enter the school. Parents may not walk children to their classrooms. It is our utmost priority to maintain a safe and secure environment.
If someone other than a parent or legal guardian is picking up your child, you must let the office know ahead of time (NOT a teacher email).
Parents may not pick up their child unannounced at dismissal time. If you need to pick your child up at dismissal, and this has not been communicated to us in your child's regular dismissal plans, you must notify us in advance (by 2:00 PM) by calling the office--NOT EMAIL. If you haven't notified us, we will send your child home on the bus and you'll need to get home to meet them. I also ask that if your child is a regular bus student, not to alter their dismissal plan if at all possible, especially as your children are getting used to our routines. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!
Anticipate delays in transportation our first couple of weeks of school. As buses get used to new routes and traffic patterns settle at the start of the school year, pick-up/drop-off times will become more routine and efficient. We ask that you please are patient with us and the drivers. Thank you!
Changes to Dismissal Plans
Please contact the school office at least 1 hour prior to dismissal in the event that your dismissal plans change. Your child will be at the designated dismissal location unless the school is notified in accordance with the above. Please notify the office in writing in accordance with the district handbook (review handbook language). Please see Section 9.4 in the Parent/Student Handbook regarding permission for students to ride other buses, as in most cases, this is not allowed (review handbook language).
Busing Expectations
Please review bus expectations with your child. Here is our bus book you may read with your child. Strongly communicate to your child the importance of sitting in their seat and never standing until it is time to get off. Please review the following with your child so they know what to expect:
- Stay seated in your seat until it is time to get off the bus. The seats are designed to keep you safe. You must stay in your seat.
- Talking voice is acceptable. No screaming or yelling.
- Hands and feet to self at all times
- No eating or drinking
- No toys
- Follow the directions and reminders of the driver
NEW *Student Picture Day*
Willow Grove’s picture day is Friday, September 8th. More information to come as we near the date. We have a retake day on Friday, October 13th, for any student who misses photos or whose parents choose a retake.
NEW *Class Placement Information & Bus Information*
Your child’s class placement and bus information (if applicable) will come to you electronically on Friday, August 11th after 3:00 PM. A team of staff members worked diligently to make sure each child was placed in the classroom in which he or she will find success. We know you appreciate the fact that, with such careful thought and consideration put into these decisions, including your input, no changes will be made and we thank you for your support.
If you do not receive a notification, please email our administrative assistant, Mrs. Collette, at [email protected], or give us a call in the office at 847.541.3660.
NEW *Alternate Dismissal Arrangements - Kindergarten Only*
Alternate Dismissal Arrangements: At Willow Grove, all kindergarten students are assigned a bus route, which will be provided by email just before the start of the school year. If you are planning on routinely picking up your child from Willow Grove or have alternate arrangements other than our bus, please complete our ALTERNATE DISMISSAL PLAN. If you do not complete this, we will assume your child will be taking the bus home every day. We need this information by this Sunday, August 6. Call the office right away if you miss the August 6th deadline and need to update us. Again, complete the Alternate Dismissal Plan ONLY IF your child will not be taking the bus home daily. Alternate arrangements must be consistent week-to-week, meaning you can have a different plan on different days of the week, but it needs to be consistent every week.
Questions or changes in the schedule? If the information you provide should change prior to or during the school year or you have any questions, contact the Willow Grove Office at 847.541.3660.
Blended Early Childhood: Busing is not an option for families of tuition-based students. All tuition-based students (non-IEP) must provide their own transportation.
NEW *Health Form Deadline*
The district website lists today, August 4th, as the deadline for immunization forms. All immunizations should be completed to avoid school exclusion. Please refer to the D96 Student Health website for more information.
New *Meet the Teacher - Wednesday, August 16th*
Meet the Teacher is for all students and caregivers to attend - Kindergarten, Blended AM/PM, and Structured. The event is on Wednesday, August 16th, from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM.
All children must be supervised by their caregiver for the duration of the event.
At the Meet the Teacher event, parents and kids will meet their teacher, see their classroom, and while there, may tour around our building. The PTO will also be there and you can check out all the things they have to offer. Families should bring their child’s supplies to drop them at school this day. Click here for the school supply list. If you ordered from the PTO, those will be shipped to your home for you to bring in. We will also have parents confirm dismissal plans and once confirmed, you’ll receive an ID/Bus tag that your child will need to have attached to their backpack prior to arriving for their first day of school. It’s used for us to ID your child right away and during arrival and dismissal procedures. If you’re unable to attend the Meet the Teacher event, your child will receive their bus tag on their first day of attendance. Please make sure your child’s backpack very clearly has their name somewhere so we can identify each child as they enter the building. Do not rely on your child being able to tell us.
NEW *Kindergarten Parent Resources*
Here are some resources to support you and your child as you begin the school year.
Willow Grove Kindergarten Welcome Video
Parent Frequently Asked Questions - This will give you plenty of information to get you off on the right foot!
Kindy 101 - Parent presentation from Kindy Kick-Off in May of 2023
NEW *PTO News*
Each week you'll find highlights and a link to the PTO Blog right here on the Principal's Message. This year we have a wonderful parent team ready to lead and provide amazing opportunities to volunteer, get involved, and enhance our environment by hosting exciting events to keep an eye out for. A huge thank you in advance from the Willow Grove admin and staff team!
From Your PTO...
We're excited to share news and happenings throughout the year via the Willow Grove PTO Blog. We’ll be kicking off the year with a Back-to-School Stock the Lounge event, there's the Boo-Hoo/Yahoo Breakfast planned for the first day of school, perfect for connecting with other parents and sharing those emotional moments, and that's not all—there's even more exciting info waiting for you! Stay connected and inspired by checking out our latest blog post. Don't miss out!