Dear Families,
Next week we celebrate Valentine's Day on Thursday, February 13th. I'm looking forward to seeing the dance moves your little ones will show us all at the DJ Dance party from our wonderful PTO. If you missed any details about Valentine's Day, take a look below in the repeat information. Most notably, please be sure that your child doesn't include food or candy with Valentines if you're sending them to school to pass out.
Next Friday, February 14th, is a District Half Day for School Improvement. Please carefully review the hours for your child listed in the dates section below. Students in our Pre-K Blended PM session attend during the AM hours, and there is no school for AM Blended/ECSE students.
Best,
Jenny Smith, Principal
Upcoming Dates & Helpful Resources
- February 13 - PTO Valentine's Day Parties
- February 14 - HALF DAY - School Improvement Day
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Kindergarten (including Structured Kindergarten) and Early Childhood Structured: 8:40 AM - 11:45 AM.
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Pre-K Blended Early Childhood/ECSE: Blended/ECSE AM and PM alternate attendance days on district half-days. Even if your child attends PM, if it is a district half-day, they will attend during our AM hours. PM attends on Friday, February 14th (no AM students). Hours are 8:40 AM - 11:10 AM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
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- 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
REPEAT *Safety First at Drop-Off and Pick-Up*
We want to remind everyone of the importance of following our parking and pick-up/drop-off procedures to ensure safety for all:
- Cones at Willow Grove Parking Lot Entrances and Checker & Essington: These are in place to prevent parking that obstructs visibility and creates dangerous conditions. Please respect these cones and avoid parking in these areas.
- Crossing Safely: When parking on Checker, always use the crosswalk at our circle drive exit or walk behind the buses near the entrance. Please do not cross through bus traffic. In addition, a parent/guardian must escort children to the entrance—never let them walk alone.
- No U-Turns: U-turns in front of the school during high traffic times are unsafe and illegal. Police monitor this and may issue tickets.
- No Double Parking: Please find a safe parking spot. Double parking, which we have seen on Checker nearest our school entrance, blocks the roadway and is not safe.
- Safe Traffic Signaling: Always use your blinker when pulling into or out of a spot.
Thank you for your kindness, patience, and commitment to safety. Together, we can ensure a smooth and secure drop-off and pick-up process.
REPEAT *PTO UPDATES*
Information about:
- Contribute to the 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!
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.
