E-News for KCSD96

As we move through September, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to each of you for your involvement and support this school year. Your feedback has been invaluable, and we’ve made great strides in organizing opportunities for our community to share thoughts through various communication initiatives.

One key insight we've gathered is the appreciation for our principal newsletters. Many of you have expressed how critical these updates are, highlighting their value in keeping families informed. In response, we will be shifting our approach to releasing E-News once a month-- while still maintaining our weekly Principal Blogs. E-News will be sent out on the third Friday of each month. You will be receiving the next E-News on Friday, October 18th.

This change allows us to enhance the connection between our families and schools while ensuring you receive the information that matters most.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support! Together, we are making a difference in our community.

Sincerely,

Kildeer Countryside School District 96

As many of you know, our community is currently experiencing various road construction projects, which are impacting bus transportation through Safeway. We want to assure you that these delays are beyond our control, and we are committed to minimizing the disruptions as much as we possibly can.

To keep you informed about any transportation delays, our front offices will send out timely updates via text message. To ensure you receive these important notifications, please opt-in to our mass messaging system by sending a text of “Y” or “Yes” to our school’s short code number, 67587. If you’ve already enrolled and received text messages from us in the past, you don’t need to text again—you’re all set!

We understand that traffic delays are not ideal. If you're ever in a situation in which a late afternoon bus is causing you to want to pick up your child from school, please ensure that you contact your child's front office as soon as possible. It's critical that they are aware of your plans to pick them up.

If you drop your child off and/or pick them up from school, we kindly ask you to allow a little bit of extra travel time for you and your family. This extra time can give you peace of mind, and can help you stay safe on the roads.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we navigate these challenges together. Your partnership helps us keep everyone informed and safe!

October 3rd: NO SCHOOL (District Holiday)

October 10th: NO SCHOOL (Family/Educator Conferences)

October 11th: NO SCHOOL (Family/Educator Conferences)

October 14th: NO SCHOOL (District Holiday)

October 22nd: Early Release Day

Family/Educator Conferences are RIGHT around the corner! Students will not be in attendance on October 10th and 11th, so our wonderful educators can meet with parents and guardians. This not only is a great opportunity to share academic progress, but it's also a chance for us to make meaningful connections in order to support a student's learning both during the school day and outside of it.

KCSD96 uses Meet the Teacher to organize Family/Educator Conferences. Meet the Teacher will go live to parents on Monday, Monday, September 23rd at 5:30pm and will close on Monday, October 7th at 4pm. Please use this link to fill out your information, your student information, and sign up for a conference timeslot. Please ensure that your contact information, including your email, is correct. If needed, you may be able to edit your conference timeslot using a link sent directly to your email.

If you must make a change to your conference timeslot after October 7th at 4pm, and the online booking system through Meet the Teacher is closed, please contact your school's front office.

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.

Technology plays an important and evolving role in your child's education. It's critical that you and your family have open discussions about your use of technology. KCSD96 is hosting its annual "Family Tech Talk” in the Educational Development Center (downstairs of Ivy Hall Elementary at 1072 Ivy Hall Lane, Buffalo Grove). This discussion is scheduled for Tuesday, September 24 at 7pm. Presenters are Director of Information Technology Services Bob Hanrahan and School Resource Officer Edyta Zuk. Mr. Hanrahan will talk about the district and its technology initiatives. Officer Zuk will discuss online safety awareness and tips.

If you have questions, contact the Community Parent Liaison, Lubna K. Andrabi, at lkhan-andrabi@kcsd96.org.

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: lkhan-andrabi@kcsd96.org.

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: lkhan-andrabi@kcsd96.org.

Friday, August 2nd

Friday, August 9th
August 16th, 2024
August 23rd, 2024
August 30th, 2024

September 6th, 2024

September 13th, 2024