Dear Families,
It's been a busy week! After our fire drill was postponed due to bad weather, we made it up the next day with sunny skies. The students and staff did an amazing job! Students were quiet, quickly exited the building, and followed the directions from their teachers. The fire department was impressed with the efficiency of our fire drill, given the little ones we have and so many experiencing a drill for the first time. Great job, Willow Grove Bears!
The Willow Walk brought us all together as a school family and we loved having so many of you cheer us on. Thank you for coming! The kids loved getting to see our mascot, Buddy the Bear, at our big event. He cheered all the students on as they came through the gym where the music was pumping. At the sight of Buddy, there was pure joy and excitement. It was perfect weather for all to enjoy the walk. At the end, classrooms got to take a classroom photo with Buddy the Bear!
A special thank you to our Willow Walk volunteers! Some, captured here:
We also had an exciting day at Willow Grove celebrating some of our students with Warm Fuzzies. You can read all about it in this message, below.
Kindly,
Jenny Smith, Principal
Upcoming Dates & Helpful Resources
- Thursday, October 3 - NO SCHOOL - District Holiday
- Thursday, October 10 - NO SCHOOL - School Improvement & Fall Family/Educator Conferences
- Friday, October 11 - NO SCHOOL Family/Educator Conferences
- Monday, October 14 - NO SCHOOL - District Holiday
- Wednesday, October 16 - Picture Retake Day (details below)
- Tuesday, October 22 - EARLY RELEASE DAY
- Thursday, October 31 - Halloween Parade & PTO Party (details below)
2024-25 School Year Calendar & Hours
NEW *Willow Grove Warm Fuzzies*
We kicked off Warm Fuzzies today! This is one way we recognize students for their positive behaviors. At Willow Grove, we focus on three positive pillar behaviors that students learn from our school pledge:
These character pillars are something we regularly embed into our work with children. Additionally, each month has a special theme, like "giving greetings and partings" and "showing expected behaviors." When students demonstrate anything tied to our pledge or monthly theme in an outstanding way, adults in the school recognize them with a Bear Paw. Children are ecstatic to earn Bear Paws and so proud of their actions, as are we.
To further recognize our students, we close each month by recognizing a couple of kids per classroom. All students are recognized by the end of the school year. They earn what is called a "warm fuzzy." These are proudly hung from the child's backpack to celebrate the exemplary behaviors and learning they have demonstrated. When students earn a warm fuzzy they come to the office to collect it from Assistant Principal Ms. Payne, some special guests (explained below), the one and only Buddy the Bear, some Willow Grove staff, and me! We display warm fuzzy recipient names on our whole school bulletin board for the month.
There is something very special about the warm fuzzy your child is receiving. The Warm Fuzzy Project is a collaborative partnership between Willow Grove and the Exceptional Learner's Collaborative (ELC). The ELC is a special education cooperative, of which District 96 is a part. They support students, their teams, their families, and our community in navigating the learning of students with exceptional needs. Students who are in high school and in the transitional program serving ages 18-21 designed, made, and delivered the warm fuzzies directly to Willow Grove. They make over 60 warm fuzzies a month for us! The partnership serves our students by recognizing their positive behaviors. It provides valuable vocational skills for students working at ELC. Some of our former Willow Grove students are even part of this special project! We are honored to be supported by these exceptional students and the ELC administration and staff.
REPEAT *Author Visit & Book Signing Opportunity*
Thank you to our PTO for providing an author visit at Willow Grove! Rekha Rajan is visiting Willow Grove on October 18th. If you are interested in having a book signed by the author please use the following Amazon links to purchase the book/s and then send the book/s to school with your child by October 14th. Please write your child’s name and classroom teacher on a post-it note and attach it to the inside cover of the book/s.
Please also fill out this Google form so that we can make sure the books are signed by the author.
If you have any questions please email Mrs. Martinez.
REPEAT *Halloween, Thursday, October 31*
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 IDs 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.
REPEAT *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.
REPEAT *PTO Update*
Be sure to check out our blog for information about the upcoming Scholastic Book Fair and Ice Cream Social (Oct. 21-24). We're looking for volunteers and would love your help! This and much more in our BLOG!
REPEAT *Parent Engagement Opportunities - GCI and TEP*
KCSD96 is dedicated to fostering strong partnerships with our community, offering a range of opportunities for parent engagement. Through these programs, we empower parents to actively contribute to and enrich the educational environment for all of our students. This information, including meeting dates for the 24-25 school year, will be sent to all families in Friday's E-News. We encourage our teachers to relay this information to families who may be interested.
Guiding Coalition of Interculturalism
GCI is a learning community that reflects and connects the KCSD96 values of diversity and inclusion; aligns parents, educators, and students in cultural and educational experiences; and engages with a wide audience. This year our Bilingual Parent Advisory Council will merge with GCI to create a more cohesive group focused on cultural diversity, inclusion, and language support. We will align their missions to create a unified group that addresses both interculturalism and bilingual education and create one communication platform for parents, educators, and community members. GCI meeting dates for the 24-25 school year are:
- October 1st, 2024
- November 12th, 2024
- January 21st, 2025
- February 25th, 2025
- April 22nd, 2025
Meetings are at 6:30pm in the Educational Development Center at Ivy Hall Elementary (1072 Ivy Hall Lane). Please fill this Google Form to indicate your interest. For questions, please contact, Community Parent Liaison: [email protected].
Thought Exchange Partnership
TEP offers parents the opportunity to share their thoughts and receive information about instruction, programs, and district initiatives. TEP is a committee that seeks parent feedback in developing student discipline policies and procedures related to the Student Handbook and provides information and feedback to the Board. District 96 values two-way communication, and a deep understanding of parent perception supports district planning and communication. TEP meeting dates for the 24-25 school year are:
- October 8th, 2024
- December 10th, 2024
- January 28th, 2025
- March 11th, 2025
- May 6th, 2025
Meetings are at 6:30pm in the Educational Development Center at Ivy Hall Elementary (1072 Ivy Hall Lane). Please fill this Google Form to indicate your interest. For questions, please contact, Community Parent Liaison: [email protected].
REPEAT *PHYSICALS AND IMMUNIZATION FORMS DUE by 10/15*
Please ensure that all physicals and immunization forms are turned into the school nurse by October 15th.
REPEAT *Retake Picture Day Information*
We have a retake day on Wednesday, October 16th, for any student who missed our original picture day (absent or newly enrolled) or whose parent chooses a retake option. If you are choosing to have your child retake their picture, please make sure you see the information that was provided in your child's picture envelope. They are available to students with eye closure, glass glare, bad expression, or photographic error. You will also need to email your child's teacher so they are aware.