Dear Families,
Thank you so much for attending your child's conference! We appreciate your partnership as we work together to make this a wonderful year of growth and learning for your child.
I have to give a HUGE shout-out to our wonderful PTO and all of the families that contributed to the conference teacher hospitality meal. It filled our hearts and our bellies! We were blown away by your generosity! We definitely feel the love and appreciate you so much!
As a reminder, there is no school on Monday, October 14. We look forward to seeing the students back at school Tuesday morning.
Kindly,
Jenny Smith, Principal
Upcoming Dates & Helpful Resources
- Monday, October 14 - NO SCHOOL - District Holiday
- Tuesday, October 15 - Author visit books due to school
- Wednesday, October 16 - Picture Retake Day
- Thursday, October 17 - PTO Dine Out Day at Dirty Dough
- Tuesday, October 22 - EARLY RELEASE DAY
- Thursday, October 24 - PTO Scholastic Book Fair & Ice Cream Social - 5:30 PM-7:00 PM
- Thursday, October 31 - Halloween Parade & PTO Party
2024-25 School Year Calendar & Hours
NEW *Parent Network*
PARENTS, please join us! On October 24th, Educator/Author/Speaker Michael Brandwein will be speaking at 7 pm at Twin Groves Middle School. In partnership with D102 & D103, Brandwein will present, "Talking it Out: How to Have Great Communication with Your Kids to Build Positive Relationships, Model How to Express Feelings, and Facilitate Problem-Solving". Please join us for a nationally acclaimed, highly entertaining, practical presentation that is packed with specific things to do and say to improve family communication and teach your children (of all ages) essential skills for life. We look forward to seeing you there!
NEW *Student-Family Directory now live*
The KCSD96 Student-Family Directory is now LIVE. To access it, please click HERE. As you may remember, parents opted in to be a part of the directory during the student registration process. Please note that the Directory is provided solely for the convenience of families to contact one another for the purpose of promoting individual connections among families. It is not to be used for solicitation nor for commercial use of any kind. Additionally, contact information should never be used or distributed with ill intent or to harm.
NEW *Physicals and Immunizations due 10/15*
IMPORTANT: All physicals and immunization forms are due this upcoming Tuesday to the front office/school nurse. More information can be found HERE. If you have any questions, please reach out to the school nurse. We have made multiple email attempts and phone calls to families who still need to provide this, so check your email if you are unsure. Thank you!
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NEW *PTO Update*
Be sure to check out our blog for information about the upcoming Scholastic Book Fair and Ice Cream Social and an upcoming Dine Out Night.
VERY IMPORTANT: Our Scholastic Book Fair is a CASHLESS event! Be sure to learn about the e-wallet feature in our blog.
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 15th. 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 *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.
REPEAT *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!