Dear Families,
In just a few short weeks we will have the opportunity to meet with you at Family Educator Conferences. The conference dates are Thursday, October 5th from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM and Friday, October 6th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM. See the information below for more details on how to sign up.
We had a couple of "firsts" this week! Those students who eat lunch with us at Willow Grove and whose parents opted to purchase it enjoyed our first Dessert Day through our PTO today. Thank you, PTO, for all the work to organize and distribute this special treat to kids at lunch today. We also had our first AND second fire drill! We had a fire drill planned, which you saw in last week's message, and the kids were amazing in our practice run. Today we had an unexpected alarm which turned out to be a false alarm and no problem, and we were so very impressed with our students and staff for following our procedures absolutely beautifully. We were so proud and so was the fire department!
Kindly,
Jenny Smith, Principal
September At-A-Glance
- Mon., September 25 - No School - District Holiday
October At-A-Glance
- 5 - NO SCHOOL School Improvement Day - Fall Family/Educator Conference
- 6 - NO SCHOOL - Fall Family/Educator Conference
- 9 - NO SCHOOL - District Holiday
- 24 - EARLY RELEASE DAY
District 2023-2024 School Year Calendar
Willow Walk - Thursday, September 28, Spirit Day
Details are below for our Willow Walk coming up next week on Thursday. This is a great day to show your Willow Grove spirit by wearing our school colors, any combination of purple, gray, white, or blue. Of course, if you have a Willow Grove t-shirt, we love to see those, too!
NEW *Fall Family/Educator Conferences*
Fall conferences will open at 6:00pm on Tuesday, 9/26. They will close at 4:00pm on Wednesday, 10/4. You will receive an email form School Messenger with the link to Meet the Teacher that will allow you to access the scheduling platform. After scheduling the conference, you will receive a confirmation email from Meet the Teacher that contains the link you will use to access the virtual conference. If you wish to have the conference in-person, you must notify the teacher by October 3rd. If the teacher does not receive notification, he/she will expect the conference to take place virtually.
The conference dates are Thursday, October 5th from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM and Friday, October 6th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.
Staff Availability:
- Classroom teacher
- Related service providers (if applicable)
- PE teacher (Grade K)
- Library/Expo Lab teacher (Grade K)
If you are unable to schedule a conference with a specific teacher, please remember that conferences are not the only time to communicate with teachers. Please feel free to reach out at any time.
REQUESTING AN IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
If you want to have an in-person conference with the teachers, you must notify the teachers via email by the end of the day on Tuesday, October 3rd.
NEW *Halloween Costumes*
It’s hard to believe it’s already time to talk about Halloween, but here we are! Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I especially love watching your children in all of their excitement! It's important that you know the parameters about costumes as you are choosing the perfect one for our school celebration! There is also an opportunity for you to view our parade I’d like to share with you.
Costumes
As you are choosing or creating a costume for your child, please keep them school-appropriate. No blood or gore and no bare tummies in school. Children may not wear masks. Weapons, real or pretend, are never allowed on school grounds. No cigars or cigarette items. Please keep hair coloring and make-up simple. I can't wait to see what you come up with!
Halloween Festivities
9:15 AM - Parade - Parents may stand on the front sidewalk to view our parade! If there is rain, we will need to cancel the outdoor parade. We cannot allow parents in the school to view the indoor parade, for obvious security reasons. Let's cross our fingers for a beautiful fall day!
9:45-10:30 - Party (Kindergarten, Structured, and AM Blended/ECSE) - Only approved PTO parent volunteers may enter the building for the classroom parties. Approved volunteers may not swap with a different person or bring relatives/siblings. Our room parents put together a fun celebration in each classroom and we thank you so much!
2-2:45 - Party for PM Blended
Blended and ECSE Program - Blended will have 2 parties (one for AM and one for PM). Again, only PTO-approved volunteers may attend the party. Blended PM parents may bring their child in just for the parade if they'd like. Parents must provide transportation to and from the school parade. Students must leave after the parade and return when their typical program starts. If you choose to bring your child to the parade please notify your child’s teacher so they know to expect your child. You will drop them off in the office and pick them up there after the parade. Please bypass the line for scanning ID’s for the party and come right in to retrieve your child.
Important Notes for PTO-Approved Halloween Party Volunteers
Parents attending the parties may not bring additional family members, other children, etc. We need everyone to abide by this and will have to ask you to leave if you come with other attendees. For your sake and ours, please do not put us in this situation. We have many individuals entering our building for the party and cannot accommodate additional individuals. This includes "trading" with another individual for the approved volunteer.
Every PTO volunteer approved to come into our school MUST have their license or ID scanned through our security system to enter. You have to bring this with you or you will not be able to enter. There is always a very long line at this first party, so please anticipate this. We highly encourage PTO room party volunteers to swing by Willow sometime in the month of October before October 31st to have their license scanned, which will speed up the process. The more people who come in early to be scanned, the shorter the line! You may also come in the day of the Halloween party BEFORE THE PARADE to have your license scanned. We will clear out the office just before the parade starts, so please come early, as the lines are long for this first party.
NEW *SMART Watches*
Many SMART watches have similar capabilities to SMART phones (game, voice, and text capabilities). If a SMART watch becomes a distraction or is used for communication, it may be confiscated and stored in the office to remove the distraction from the learning environment. Essentially, we will treat the SMART watches like a cell phone. Confiscated equipment may be picked up in the office at the end of the day by the student(s). If a pattern of distraction occurs, parents may be asked to pick up the technology.
New: Willow Grove PTO Updates
In the latest edition of the PTO blog, room parent openings are still available, the first PTO Dine Out Night of the year, the ice cream social, and more! Visit the PTO blog for more details.
Click here for the Willow Grove PTO Blog!
Repeat: Erin’s Law - Early Childhood
An Illinois law known as Erin’s Law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness/prevention curriculum for Early Childhood through Grade 12. This was previously communicated as K-Grade 12. My apologies for this error.
Opt-Out Procedures
As previously shared, the presentation to Willow Grove kindergarten students will be during the school day on Monday, September 11th. Students in the ECSE, Blended, and Structured early childhood program do not attend the September 11th presentation. Our school social worker pushes into those settings to provide a developmentally appropriate presentation for our youngest students on September 29th. If you prefer that your child not attend this prevention education session, please submit your written request to [email protected].
Repeat: Willow Walk - Thursday, September 28, 2023
On Thursday, September 28, we will be having our annual "Willow Walk." Due to the age of our students, this is a reasonable walk designed just for them! The walk will promote positive school unity and give us all a brief activity to enjoy as a school family. This is not a 5k-like event. This is much shorter given the age of our students.
Please be sure to dress your children for walking in mind and for the weather. We will go out if it is cold. If it is rainy, we will try to schedule a rain date. Let's cross our fingers for a beautiful day!
Children will be provided with water after the walk (thank you, PTO!).
Parents may view the walk from the designated viewing area. The viewing area is on our front sidewalk/grassy area surrounding the flagpole, along Checker Dr. Do not stand on the circle drive or walk onto our campus during the walk. We must maintain a safe and orderly environment for all children. The walk begins at about 9:30 and kids will circle past the viewing area one time for you to cheer them on!
A Special Note for Parents of PM Blended Early Childhood Students
As we want this to be an opportunity for all of our students, you are welcome to bring your child to attend. Please bring your child to the Willow Grove office at 9:30 a.m. where they will meet their teacher to participate in the walk. You may view the walk from our designated viewing area (grass near the flagpole) and come to the main office after the event to collect your child. If you would like to bring your child to the walk, please email his/her teacher to let them know, so they know who to expect.
Repeat: Picture Day Information
We have a retake day on Friday, October 13th, for any student who misses photos or whose parents choose a retake.