Dear Families,
We're looking forward to seeing families at conferences next week. Please remember if you are coming in person you need to let your child's teacher know. In addition, I like to give families a heads-up that our system requires we maintain an on-time schedule. If you are late for your child's conference, the teacher still needs to stop the conference at the pre-scheduled end time.
This week we are excited to share about some upcoming clubs kindergarten students may take advantage of. We're sorry that these are for kindergarten-age only. The content for these clubs is at a kindergarten developmental level and the scheduling can only be done after school, which doesn't align with our half-day early childhood format. We help students who go to clubs get to their club of attendance after school. If a parent/guardian has a change of plans for a given week, we need them to call the office and tell us where their child needs to go (bus/Clubhouse/people pick-up) instead of the club. A parent/guardian must pick their child up when the club is over each week (no transportation provided).
On Wednesday, our school community thanked our custodial crew for all their hard work each and every day. We appreciate all they do to keep Willow Grove safe and clean.
Kindly,
Jenny Smith, Principal
Upcoming Dates & Helpful Resources
- 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 *Kindergarten STREAM Club!*
A science, technology, engineering, art, and math club, with activities based on a themed read-aloud each week. Join us in our love of literacy as we learn how to work together, problem-solve, and get creative! This will be organized and run by Miss Kamysz and Miss Wittenberg, both instructional coaches here at Willow Grove.
STREAM Club will take place on Thursdays from 3:15 - 4:15 pm. Session 1 will be 8 weeks running from November 14th to January 30th (with a few holiday weeks off). Week 1: Nov. 14, Week 2: Nov. 21, Week 3: Dec. 5, Week 4: Dec. 12, Week 5: Jan. 9 Week 6: Jan. 16, Week 7: Jan. 23, Week 8: Jan. 30
Please note that each session only has 24 spots, which are filled on a first come first serve basis. If your child does not get a spot now, they will be placed on a waiting list and/or can sign up for session 2 starting in February (sign up coming later). To the extent we are able, based on available spots, we will prioritize students who didn’t get in the first round on the second round if you sign them up again.
Please fill out THIS FORM by October 25th, if you would like your child to participate in session 1 of STREAM Club!
NEW *Kindergarten Bears that Care Club!*
Willow Grove is excited to announce the start of our Bears That Care Club! This club will meet once a week and will center around our monthly Bears That Care themes. Students will participate in engaging, hands-on activities that will foster skills in areas such as friendship, working together, and peer leadership as they learn to be Willow Grove Bears that show kindness, respect, and responsibility.
Bears That Care will be facilitated by Mrs. Felleson, a kindergarten teacher, and will meet once a week on Wednesdays from 3:15-4:00 pm. The first session will run from October 16th through December 18th (no meeting on November 27th or December 5th). Please note that there are only 20 spots, which will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. If your child is interested in joining but does not get a spot now, they will be placed on a waiting list, or you can sign up for the second session (exact start date and sign up coming later). To the extent we are able, based on available spots, we will prioritize students who didn’t get in the first session for the second session if you sign them up again.
Please complete THIS FORM by October 11th if your child is interested in being part of our Willow Grove Bears That Care Club!
NEW *Kindergarten Art Club*
Willow Grove is excited to announce a weekly Kindergarten Art Club! This club will be on Thursdays from 3:15-4:15 PM and run by Miss Wisneski, a Kindergarten teacher. Each week in Art Club students will learn about a different art style or medium and complete a project that pairs with it. Students will also learn about a different famous artist each week. This is the place to explore your creativity and get artistic!
Session 1 will be as follows:
- Week 1: Thursday, 10/17
- Week 2: Thursday, 10/24
- Week 3: Thursday, 11/7
- Week 4: Thursday, 11/14
- Week 5: Thursday, 11/21
- Week 6: Thursday, 12/5
- Week 7: Thursday, 12/12
- Week 8: Thursday, 1/9
- Week 9: Thursday, 1/23
- Week 10: Thursday, 1/30
- Week 11: Thursday, 2/6
- Week 12: Thursday, 2/13
Please note that there are only 20 spots available on a first-come, first-serve basis. To the extent we are able, based on available spots, we will prioritize students who didn’t get in the first session for the second session if you sign them up again.
Please complete THIS FORM by October 11th if you are interested. We'll announce sign-up for session 2 later.
New *Fire Drill*
We have our second fire drill coming up on October 16th. If the weather doesn't cooperate, we'll reschedule it as soon as possible after October 16th. The students did such a great job the first time around. They'll be pros this time!
NEW *Family Educator Conferences Sign-Up*
Families, please make sure you're signing up for Family Educator Conferences! Sign-ups will close on Monday, October 7th at 4pm. Once again, we are using Meet the Teacher as our scheduling platform for Family Educator Conferences taking place on Thursday, October 10th (5:00-8:30) and Friday, October 11th (10:00-1:30). All conferences are virtual via Meet the Teacher’s platform unless you contact the staff members and notify them. If you miss the deadline to sign-up for a spot before Monday, October 7th at 4pm, please reach out to your school's office before Thursday to set up a time to meet.
Click on THIS LINK to sign in to Meet the Teacher.
For those who may be trying to sign-up for a conference using a mobile device, please know that you may encounter issues navigating the platform. For best results, it is recommended that you try to access the link on a laptop or computer.
NEW *PTO Update*
Be sure to check out our blog for information about the upcoming Scholastic Book Fair and Ice Cream Social (Oct. 21-24), teacher conference meal support, an upcoming Dine Out Night, and our Halloween parties.
VERY IMPORTANT: Our Scholastic Book Fair is a CASHLESS event! Be sure to learn about the e-wallet feature in our blog.
Be sure to further details in our BLOG!
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 *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.