Singing at Barnes & Noble

You've heard about our concert on December 7th at the Barnes and Noble in Lincolnshire.  If you have any questions, please contact Jesse Rathgeber.  Just as a reminder, here are the times for performances:

6:30 - 6:40 1st grade

6:45 - 6:55 2nd grade 

7:00 - 7:15 3rd grade

7:20 - 7:35 4th and 5th grade

7:40 - 7:55 CM Singers

Upcoming Dates!

Check out our important upcoming dates on our first ever CNN (Cubs News Network) broadcast!

This is put together by our 5th grade Tech Club...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj_IDUZgIhY&feature=youtu.be

Tis the Season for Head Lice, unfortunately...

As winter weather has arrived, now is a good time to remind your children not to share hats, headbands, scarves or earmuffs with their friends as this can lead to an increased transmission of head lice.  Head lice continues to be one of the most common communicable conditions among children, and outbreaks are possible whenever and wherever children gather.  Since the onset of head lice is typical this time of year, it is a good idea to watch for signs that your child may have lice such as frequent head scratching. If your child has lice, there are a variety of treatments available.  Please check the District website, www.kcsd96.org, under the  “Family Resources,” “Student Health” link for specific information on head lice and District 96 practices.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from

the staff at Country Meadows!

We are so thankful for many things at CM!  Our students are wonderful and our parental support is unbelievable!  We are also incredibly thankful for a Board of Education that is unwavering in their belief in and support for doing what is best for kids at all times! 

We hope that you have a relaxing and safe holiday with friends and family!  

Visiting Educators!

On Wednesday, over 20 educators from Wisconsin spent the day at Country Meadows to learn about the educational process from the very best. Each staff member spent time speaking with this group (while your child was in specials) about the work that we do and how we do the work. Here are some of the comments that were left behind...

Celebrations from our PLC Visitors (I highlighted some of my favorites!): 

• Over and over again I kept coming back to the thought of “our children.”  In other words, everyone at CM perceives every student as one of “ours.”  That sense of collaboration is incredible and inspiring!

• Wonderful Staff!  Everyone was helpful and approachable.  Thank you for sharing all your experiences!
• Everyone on staff presented themselves in a confident and professional manner.  It was a great day - thank you for sharing your classrooms and ideas with us.  
• I feel so inspired!  I can’t wait to go back and start to implement the ideas I learned from you.  Everyone was so knowledgeable and helpful.  Thanks for a great day!  
• A special thanks to each team for taking the time to teach us today!  Have a great rest of the year!
• I love the way that everyone is on the same page! This must have take an enormous amount of work and dedication!  We are working towards what you are doing and hope we have the same results!
• You are all very knowledgeable and seem to love teaching.  
• The norms established within collaborative teams to promote efficient problem solving are very impressive!  
• Thank you to the specials from spending some time with us!  A big thanks to the whole staff - very friendly.
• Awesome day!  All teachers are so dedicated and on the same page.  Visiting is A MUST for all educators!  
• The staff is very positive and knowledgeable.  Everyone seems very excited about what they do!!
• Thank you all!  It was very informative!  Thank you for opening up your school to us!  
• The staff was very friendly and welcoming!  The school is an extremely inviting place!  Classrooms had a flow and consistency throughout the building, even the look of the classrooms (anchor charts) is similar.  The staff was open to questions all day, helpful constantly!  
• I loved the common sense approach of the teachers.  The acknowledgement that this level of greatness  is a “messy” process was reassuring and encouraging.  
• Thank you for opening your classrooms and disrupting your schedules to share what you do.  Wonderful job explaining.  Thank you for answering our questions - it feels doable!  
• I loved Team Read!  The 1st grade teachers/aides were amazing.  Thanks for sharing the great use of time and structure to meet ALL students needs.  
• Everyone was very well informed about your Professional Learning Community.  It was a pleasure to learn from your staff. I am amazed at the collaboration involved and positive attitudes.  
• The level of competence and passion in all of the “presenters” was wonderful!  The classrooms show how much the students are involved in the learning process!  Each classroom exceeds challenge and extensions!  
• I enjoyed listening to as many teaching staff as possible today.  Everyone is very positive!  
• Thank you to all staff for giving of their time and talents and helping us expand our understanding!

What Happened to the 70* Temps?!

Please make sure your child is coming to school dressed warm enough to stand at the bus stop and go outside for recess at lunch.  We do go outside for recess nearly every day (unless it's raining of course).  

The following language is from the Student Handbook: 

The children have outdoor recess during each school day except in the most inclement weather; therefore, the children’s outdoor clothing should be appropriate for the weather that day. Weather permitting, students go outside for recess every day. In winter the temperature and wind chill and weather conditions will be monitored throughout the morning. The weather ebsite and playground will be checked and outside supervisors consulted to determine whether conditions are appropriate for children's outdoor recess. When the temperature or wind chill is below zero degrees, students will be kept inside for recess. When the temperature or wind chill is 0–10 degrees, students may go outside for a shortened recess period. If a student has a doctor's note or a medical condition, he or she may stay inside in the building office for recess.

Determination of whether children will have outdoor recess will be made prior to each recess period, based on the weather at that moment and in the judgment of the principal or his or her designee.  Any request for prolonged indoor recess MUST come from the child’s physician.

Good News!

GOOD NEWS FOR D96 PARENTS WHO PREPAY THEIR STUDENTS’ LUNCHES ONLINE

District administrators shared your feedback with the staff of MealsPlus and the following improvement is the result: The $100 payment cap on LunchPrepay.com has been removed.Parents will no longer need to make multiple payments for amounts over $100. (Note: The $1.95 transaction fee per payment still applies, however.)