Dear Families,
We celebrated the 100th Day of School today! So many of you found or created the most amazing shirts to send your little ones to school today. We were in awe of your creativity. We also had many parent volunteers drop in to assist in the fun of recognizing the 100th day. This just made for a day full of smiles and joy and we can't thank you enough for making it even more special.
Have a great weekend,
Jenny Smith, Principal
February At-A-Glance
16 - HALF DAY School Improvement Day
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Kindergarten (including Structured Kindergarten) and Early Childhood Structured: 8:40 AM - 11:45 AM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
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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 on their designated days. On February 16, ONLY PM attends and hours are 8:40 AM - 11:10 AM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
19 - NO SCHOOL - District Holiday
23 - Report period ends
27 - EARLY RELEASE DAY
District 2023-2024 School Year Calendar
NEW *5Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians*
Beginning January 30th through March 29th, District 96 invites you to share your thoughts on the inner workings of your child’s school. On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago.
As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school. Your participation will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide our improvement. Parent identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.
Please visit http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/ to begin the parent survey. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or [email protected].
NEW *Don’t Miss ‘Addressing Toxic Achievement Culture’*
On February 7, District 96 co-hosts the Parent Network Program "Addressing Toxic Achievement Culture.” In this virtual session, author Jennifer Wallace will talk about how we can "teach our kids to strive toward excellence without crushing them.”
This session begins at 7 p.m.
To register, go to http://tinyurl.com/VAPLDToxicAchievementCulture.
“Addressing Toxic Achievement Culture” is hosted in collaboration with District 102, District 103, and District 125, and the Vernon Area Library.
REPEAT *PTO Updates*
In the latest edition of the PTO Blog, the Spirit Wear drive is coming back later this month, Valentine’s Day Party sign-up, and more.
REPEAT *Valentine's Day*
Valentine's Day will be celebrated during PTO classroom parties at all elementary schools, including Willow Grove, on Wednesday, February 14th. Your child's teacher will send home any classroom-specific information related to Valentine's Day. Valentines are already popping up in stores. If you choose to send valentines to school and include an item with your child's valentines, please note for the safety of our students only non-food items are permissible. This practice is consistent for all classrooms in District 96 elementary schools and Willow Grove.
REPEAT *24-25 Kindergarten Registration Open*
Are you the parent of a kindergarten student or friends with someone who is? Please help us get the word out! Kindergarten registration is now open for the 24-25 school year. Families who complete registration by April 30th may attend Kindergarten Kick-Off in May at Willow Grove Early Learning Center and receive a free t-shirt while at the event! Kindergarten Kick-Off is an exciting event designed to welcome and introduce incoming kindergarten students and their parents/guardians to Willow Grove, supporting a successful transition into school and kindergarten. Please follow this link to learn about the steps to register. Fully registered families will receive additional information about Kindergarten Kick-Off and more in early April.
If your child is already attending Willow Grove in the early childhood program, you will automatically receive a registration link in March for kindergarten. Please wait until you receive that link to proceed with registration. You will still want to complete the registration process by April 30th to receive your child's free t-shirt and attend Kindergarten Kick-Off.
Please note that your child must be 5 years old by September 1st, 2024 to attend kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year.
REPEAT *PTO Updates*
In the latest edition of the PTO Blog, the Spirit Wear drive is coming back later this month, Valentine’s Day Party sign-up, and more.
REPEAT *ACCESS Testing - Kindergarten/English Learners 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.