Dear Families,
We’re excited to share that Willow Grove had the honor of welcoming Dr. Tony Sanders, the State Superintendent of Education, during his recent tour of our district! Accompanied by District 96 leaders and myself, Dr. Sanders had the chance to see some of our classrooms in action and witness the amazing work happening here every day.
From the hands-on learning and play that builds creativity and critical thinking to the strong connections our teachers foster with students, he was impressed by the vibrant learning environment that makes our school so special.
We’re proud to have had the opportunity to showcase just a small glimpse of the incredible learning and growth happening here. Thank you for your ongoing support in making our school a place where children thrive!
Best,
Jenny Smith, Principal
Upcoming Dates & Helpful Resources
- January 29 - 100th Day of School Celebration!
- February 13 - PTO Valentine's Day Parties
- February 14 - HALF DAY - School Improvement Day: For pre-school Blended classrooms, only Blended PM attend. PM Blended students attend 8:40 - 11:10 a.m.
- February 17 - NO SCHOOL District Holiday
- February 18 - EARLY RELEASE DAY
- February 21 - Report period ends, EC-Grade 8
- February 28 - NO SCHOOL Institute Day & Trimester 2 report cards issued
2024-25 School Year Calendar & Hours
NEW *PTO UPDATES*
Important updates this week, including:
- Contribute to the Spring Stock the Lounge Wishlist
- Information for Valentine's Day approved PTO volunteers
- Seeking Pizza Bingo auction item donations
- Renewals are due for Dessert Day (lunch students only). Must purchase to continue!
NEW *Help our Library!*
We’ve noticed that many books are missing from our shelves, and we need your help! If you have any library books at home, please return them as soon as possible so others can enjoy them too. Let’s work together to keep our library thriving and our books circulating. Thank you for your support!
NEW *Cold Weather Reminder*
Just a brief reminder to send your children prepared for the cold temperatures and label, label, label! We check for labels on Lost & Found items and help them find their owners. Thank you!
NEW *KCSD96 Parent Network: Please Join Us!*
To sign up for the digital presentation of The 5 Principals of Parenting with New York Times bestselling author Dr. Aliza Pressman on February 5th at 7pm, please visit this link. This event is free and open to the public! Learn more about charting a manageable course for raising good humans, aligning with your own values and your child's temperaments.
NEW *Reminder: School Closure Communication*
With our first significant cold snap of the winter officially behind us, it's important for us to revisit our Inclement Weather Procedures when it comes to communication. You likely read a message from Superintendent Katie Sheridan this week explaining that school would be OPEN on Tuesday, January 21st. Please note that communicating a decision to stay open was under a special circumstance. Since it was our first weather event of the year, Superintendent Sheridan and her team wanted to put an extra layer of proactive communication in parents' inboxes.
Moving forward, KCSD96 families will only hear from the district if there is a school closure, delayed start, or planned early dismissal. If a decision to close access to our schools is reached, the District will:
- Send a robocall/text/email home to families (please be sure you are signed up or subscribed to receive text notifications)
- If your contact information changes, please be sure to notify the administrative assistant at your student’s school to update our database with your new email/phone number.
- Post on our KCSD96 Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram accounts
- Post a banner with a notification of school closing on the KCSD96 website
- Alert School Closures for local news/media outlets
REPEAT: ACCESS Testing
Parents and guardians, please be aware that 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 in the coming weeks. Each school’s testing schedule is unique and will only impact students who take the ACCESS test.
REPEAT *Valentine's Day*
Since Friday, February 14th, is a district half-day and we have both AM and PM early childhood classes, all Valentine's Day celebrations at Willow Grove will take place on Thursday, February 13th. Your child's teacher will share any classroom-specific details related to the holiday.
Valentine's items are already appearing in stores! If you choose to send valentines with your child and wish to include an item, please ensure it is a non-food item for the safety of all students. This guideline is consistent across all District 96 elementary schools, including Willow Grove.
REPEAT *Begin 2025-2026 Kindergarten Registration Today!*
Kildeer Countryside School District 96 is excited to welcome kindergarteners for the 2025–2026 school year! Get the process started TODAY! To ensure all students have the opportunity to build a strong and consistent educational foundation, children who are five years old on or before September 1st of a given school year will be enrolled in Kindergarten. Children who are six years old on or before September 1st of a given school year will be enrolled in first grade. For more information, please visit: https://www.kcsd96.org/wg/kindergarten-registration. Please note registration for all other grades at KCSD96 will begin on March 4th.
Registration Timeline:
- January 2025: Begin the registration process by emailing all required documents to Cristina Castro, Administrative Assistant at Willow Grove Early Learning Center, at [email protected]. If you have a student currently enrolled in Pre-K at Willow Grove, you do not need to resubmit these documents.
- March 4, 2025: Registration opens for all KCSD96 students. For incoming Kindergarten families, the district will send online registration links to Kindergarten families who have had their documents approved.
- March 18, 2025: Dual Language Program Virtual Parent Night from 6-6:30pm. This is for parents of incoming Kindergarten students who are interested in learning more about the program. Meeting link to be provided.
- April 15, 2025: Early Bird Discount Ends for Registration. Dual Language Lottery due date.
- April 29, 2025: Virtual Dual Language Lottery at 5pm. Meeting link to be provided.
- April 30, 2025: Complete registration by this date to attend the Kindergarten Kick-Off event at Willow Grove Early Learning Center. Registered families get the sign-up right away once they are fully registered.
- May 14, 2025: Kindergarten Kickoff will be held at Willow Grove. This event is sign-up only for families who are fully registered by April 30. Students will receive a free t-shirt at the event! Families registering after April 30 will not receive the free t-shirt.
Required Documents:
- Child's birth certificate, passport, or visa
- Parent/guardian driver's license or passport
- Recent (within 30 days) mortgage statement, signed lease, or property tax bill
- Recent (within 30 days) utility bill
- Completed Enrollment Form, Residency Form, and Home Language Survey (available in multiple languages)
Please review the Health Requirements and submit the necessary health forms by the specified due dates.
For questions, contact Cristina Castro at [email protected] or call (847) 541-3660.
Dual Language Opportunity
Interested in having your child obtain a bilingual education? The KCSD96 Spanish/English Dual Language Program is a unique and enriching opportunity in our region-- providing an opportunity for students to develop a deep academic proficiency in two languages. In the Dual Language Program, 50 percent of the academic curriculum is delivered in Spanish, and 50 percent of the academic curriculum is delivered in English.
If families are interested in the Spanish/English Dual Language Program Lottery, they must indicate so during the virtual registration process starting in March. The deadline is April 15th. The lottery will be hosted virtually on May 5th. For more information, please visit: https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/dual-language-lottery
KCSD96 will be hosting a Virtual Parent Night from 6 to 6:30 p.m. on March 18, 2025, for parents of incoming Kindergarten students who are interested in learning more about the Dual Language Program.
