Click Here for the Weekly PTO Newsletter!

Click here for the weekly PTO newsletter!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Thank you to the PTO for this Exciting Event!

We loved watching the Jesse White Tumblers!  


Building Reader

Click below for ideas on how to support literacy at home!  Check back each month, we issue a new version!  

BUILDING READERS NEWSLETTER, April 2012 issue

March PAW Winners

1st Grade
Reed Rudick
Zahra Malik
Jackson Carlborg
Daniel Olvera
Adonis Osborne


2nd Grade
Evan Smith
Ashtyn Cohen
Brayden Distel
Angel Cuevas


3rd Grade
Drew Miller
Kailyn Choi
Joseph Connolly
Ben Luo
Irene Chang
Halley Gonzalez-Torres
Abigail Hertzberg


4th Grade
Grace McGhee
Elizabeth Noronha
Allison Noronha 
Aditi Rayu
Nicole Zweig
Amanda Apostolopolous
Sean Orozco


5th Grade
Kyle Koppe
Annika Witte
Aedyn Gorenberg
Haley Sachs

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Tuesday's Institute Day!


Teachers throughout the District worked extremely hard at the Institute Day on Tuesday.  The focus of the day was on reviewing our new reading targets that were implemented this year.  As you may recall, these new learning targets originated from the Common Core, which is a set of proposed national targets developed by experts in the field of education.  On Tuesday, teachers had the opportunity to share how they instructed and assessed these targets this year.  Grade level teams revised the targets to make them even more clear and in certain instances they increased the rigor or altered when they would be taught next school year.  The collaboration that occurred on Tuesday was truly exceptional!  It was certainly a day well spent.  

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Jump Rope for Heart!

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Our school is participating in a very special community service program to raise funds for the American Heart Association.  We’re joining the fight against our nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers — cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
On April 16, 2012 from 3:00 – 4:00 pm, we will hold a Jump Rope For Heart event for all third, fourth, and fifth grade students wishing to participate.  These events are held at schools nationwide and not only help students learn about the benefits of regular physical activity and heart health, but they also raise funds to support vital heart and stroke research as well as educational programs.
The American Heart Association is dedicated to helping people live longer, healthier lives.  The money we raise helps people in our community learn how to prevent heart disease and stroke and also helps our local patient care.  Our school will qualify for gift certificates for free physical education equipment based on the amount we raise, and students will qualify for individual thank-you gifts based on the donations they collect.
         Family and friends can support your child’s participation by making contributions. However, we ask that children not go door-to-door or ask strangers for donations. If your child receives any cash donations, please convert those to a check before turning in the collection envelope.  All checks should be made payable to the American Heart AssociationWe would like your child to bring the collection envelope on the date of the Jump Rope for Heart, although no later than Friday April 20, 2012.
To help your child raise money the fun and easy way, you are encouraged to use our online fund-raising tool found at www.americanheart.org/jumpAfter you have completed raising money online, print your child’s online donation report and include it inside the collection envelope.  Refer to the collection envelope for more detailed instructions on how easy online fund raising really is.
         Also, don’t forget to ask your child’s donors if their employers have matching gift programs.  This is an easy way to increase the donations your child collects.  To find out which companies will match donations to the American Heart Association, please visit www.matchinggifts.com/aha.  All matching gift forms should include your child’s name and school name so the donations can be properly designated.
         Jump Rope For Heart is a fun event that helps our children understand the importance of community service and physical activity while helping to save lives.  Our efforts truly make a difference!

      Please sign the Permission Slip so your child can take part in Jump Rope For Heart.


Sincerely,

Mrs. Nihill and Mrs. Smith


PARENT LETTER/PERMISSION SLIP

Monday, March 19, 2012

Calling Parent Volunteers!

Hi Parents - 


Do you have some free time that you would like to share with the school?  We are looking for some parent volunteers to help us organize our Book Room!  The book room is a place that houses multiple copies of text that teachers use to instruct during guided reading.  As our Book Room has grown, we can use some support in improving some organization systems.  A team of CM staff members will begin this project after spring break and would love your support and help as well!  


If you are willing to have your name put on our list to be contacted for future volunteer work in our book room, please email me at kschneider@kcsd96.org.  We will contact you with potential days and times to help support the work.  If it works in your calendar, wonderful!  If not, no problem!  We sincerely appreciate your willingness to become a part of our list!  


Thank you for your support!


Katie Schneider
Principal

Friday, March 16, 2012

Highlight of the Week!

On Tuesday, Mrs. Kim Dahlem, Director of Student Services, and Mrs. Kim Lechner, Assistant Director of Student Services, presented Social and Emotional Learning at Ivy Hall School.  This excellent presentation focused upon the five social emotional learning (SEL) competencies:  self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.  As SEL committee representatives, Mrs. Dahlem and Mrs. Lechner, were excited to share the District's work thus far along with sharing resources for raising caring, confident, and capable children.  For more information about social and emotional learning, please visit The Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership at www.icmhp.org and The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning at www.casel.org. 

Conference Reminder!

Parent – Teacher conferences will be April 4th and April 5th.  Please confirm your appointment time with your classroom teacher.  As the teachers are working diligently to prepare, please remember that conferences are 15 minutes in length and you will be presented with a variety of information about your child’s progress.  Please help the teachers stick the tight schedule to make sure everyone has an opportunity to spend time learning from the classroom teacher.  Thank you!

Information about Class Placement for Next Year!


Creating balanced class lists that meet the needs of all students is a tremendously difficult job that takes many hours of thoughtful dialogue between classroom teachers, administrators, and other staff members.  We at Country Meadows take it very seriously.  The process for class list creation is as follows:
    • First, teachers think about the social and academic needs of each of their current students while recording pertinent information to assist in the decision making process.
    • Next, teachers meet together as grade level teams to form class lists that are balanced in terms of academic, social, and emotional needs as well as considering friendships and other areas.  This is no easy task and often takes several meetings.  Teachers consider each child’s personality, academic needs, friendship patterns, etc. as they make a match for each individual child.  Specialists and the specials team collaborate with the teams as needed during this process as well, and I attend each of these meetings.
    • Each grade level team types a draft set of class lists that are then submitted to me.  One at a time, I will consider each student and his/her placement.  At this time, parent input is also considered.  Any changes in the draft lists are reviewed by the classroom teachers to ensure balance.
    • Final class lists are then created in August with summer changes for move ins/outs reflected.
This process happens at grades 1-4.  Willow Grove creates the class lists for our incoming kindergartners enrolled there and I will add in students who attend private kindergartens.  Our 5th grade team actively works with Woodlawn to provide data and input related to placement decisions as well.
We strongly believe that this detailed and collaborative process creates learning environments that benefit all students.  It is a delicate balancing act which takes much consideration and thought by professionals who know and care about your children.  Our goal is to create balanced class lists that promote the success of each child.  Please know that your child is placed in a classroom for very specific reasons.  The process benefits all students.  Because of the input and thought given by teachers, parents, and administrators, we are very reluctant to make changes once this process occurs, as removing or moving one child can disrupt the balance of a class, impacting all students.  
I welcome any insight you wish to share about your child’s strengths, needs, and learning style. I will take into consideration pertinent information about your child’s learning style and needs, received on or before FRIDAY, APRIL 27th, 2012. While we welcome your input, specific teacher requests will not be honored.  Please put your thoughts in writing and address them to me (Katie Schneider) either via hard copy letter or email (kschneider@kcsd96.org).

Friday, March 9, 2012

We won - District 96 Foundation - KIDS Grants!

The District 96 Foundation awarded two KIDS grants to Country Meadows Elementary School!  


We are honored that 4th Grader, Arushi Nair, won a grant to provide our school with multiplication resources!  Arushi's innovative grant will help so many boys and girls learn this great skill!  


Also, Mr. Southwell's 3rd Grade classroom applied for a grant to purchase science books in Spanish for our school library.  We are so excited that they also won!  


We are so thankful that this great organization provides our students will this great opportunity!


For more information, click here:  
http://www.district96.k12.il.us/about/foundation.htm

Social Emotional Learning Presentation

Parents, 
Please mark your calendars for next Tuesday, March 13th at 7:00pm.  At Ivy Hall, we will be hosting a presentation about Social Emotional Learning.  This presentation will focus on our work with students beyond academic learning.  You will learn about the five social emotional competencies and our plans for supporting students.  Please attend, it promises to be an informative evening!  Click here for more information:  http://www.district96.k12.il.us/highlights/SEL_031312.pdf

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night!

To the Parents of 5th Graders: 
Mark your calendars for

Monday, April 23rd at 7pm!

Mr. Grana, Mr. Murphy, and the Woodlawn Staff
 are excited to share all about Woodlawn with you!
They will also be available to answer your questions.  
Please meet in the Woodlawn Gym.

*Please note, this is a date change due to an accidental double booking.  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.    

Saturday, March 3, 2012

PAW Winners for the Month of February!

Congratulations to all of the students for a job well done!  

Grade 1:
Alexa Falcon
Kevin Jimenez
Camila Maya
Olivia Steinbrink

Grade 2:
Emilee Bianchi
Nina Belconis
Daniel Cabrales
Tyler Julian
Ava LaCroix
Charlize RIos
Jessica Salgado
Aeddon Woods

GRADE 3:
Mindy Huang
LIla Miaolo
Cole Maynard
Brenda Ortiz
Cole Pendelton
Rohit Pemmasani
       
Grade 4:
McCrae Anderson
Dylan Chae
Ellie Chestler
Julissa Garcia
Lupita Jacobo
Keontis Osborne
Zach Taylor
GRADE 5:
Payton Anderson
J.D. Angelos
Ryan Miller
Madison Rudick
Jay Stegall

Friday, March 2, 2012

ISAT Begins Next Week!

ISAT
When we return from the long weekend, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will participate in annual ISAT testing beginning Wednesday, March 7.  The test schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, March 7—Reading
Thursday, March 8—Reading and Math
Friday, March 9—Reading and Math
Monday, March 12—Math and Science (4th)
Tuesday, March 13—Science (4th)

It is CRITICAL that students are in attendance for testing.  While we can do make-up tests, it is best for students to be in attendance on testing days, barring illness.   Please make sure that your child gets a good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast, and a “pick me up” talk about giving 100% effort and doing your very best on the tests.  It’s a challenging and stressful time for all, but with a positive attitude, we will shine in showing our knowledge!