E-News for KCSD96

Friday, August 2nd

November 22nd, 2024

Dear KCSD96 Community Members,

As we prepare for Thanksgiving Break, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each of you. This season reminds us of the importance of coming together, appreciating one another, and reflecting on the meaningful learning opportunities we've had this year.

I am incredibly thankful for our students, whose curiosity and enthusiasm inspire us every day. Watching them grow, learn, and succeed is the greatest reward in our work.

To our families, your unwavering support and partnership play a vital role in creating a strong foundation for our schools. Your involvement, encouragement, and trust make a difference in the lives of your children and our community.

To our dedicated teachers, staff, and administrators, your hard work and commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and enriching environment for all students do not go unnoticed. You are the heart of this district, and I am deeply grateful for your service.

To our Board of Education, I would like to thank you for your outstanding contributions to our district as a whole. November 15th marked Board of Education Member Appreciation Day, and I am so grateful to Board President Marc Tepper, Vice President Mike Burns, Board Secretary Dina Manka, Dr. Amy Feygin, Renee Klass, José Rivera, and Cynthia Zarkowsky. We deeply appreciate their commitment to enriching our students' education.

Finally, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve as your Superintendent. It is a privilege to work alongside such an exceptional community committed to excellence and care for one another.

May this holiday season bring happiness and warmth to your homes. Thanksgiving Break begins Wednesday, November 27th and we look forward to seeing our students and staff again on Monday, December 1st. Our next E-News will be sent to our KCSD96 Community on December 20th.

Sincerely,

Katie Sheridan

Superintendent

KCSD96

Important Dates

NOVEMBER 2024

November 27th NO SCHOOL, DISTRICT HOLIDAY

November 28th NO SCHOOL, DISTRICT HOLIDAY

November 29th NO SCHOOL, DISTRICT HOLIDAY

DECEMBER 2024 & JANUARY 2025

December 10th EARLY RELEASE DAY

December 20th LAST DAY OF SCHOOL BEFORE WINTER BREAK

December 23rd through January 3rd NO SCHOOL, WINTER BREAK

January 6th SCHOOL RESUMES

KCSD96 24-25 Calendar Available in Multiple Languages

Click this link and hit TRANSLATE at the top of the screen. You will be able to choose from multiple languages.

Woodlawn AP Greg Bays approved as Woodlawn Principal Starting 25-26 School Year

We are pleased to share some exciting news from this week’s Board of Education meeting. After an extensive search and careful consideration of a highly talented group of candidates, the Board has officially approved Greg Bays as the new Principal of Woodlawn Middle School, effective July 1, 2025.

Greg has already made a significant impact since stepping into the role of Woodlawn Assistant Principal this past summer. His proactive leadership and commitment to building meaningful relationships have been evident in his work in supporting the educational experiences of all of our students. Greg’s wealth of experience also includes roles as Dean of Students, Department Chair, Athletic Coach, and 14 years of teaching. Above all, Greg’s personal mission is clear: “To be a compassionate, present, and optimistic leader who believes all voices matter and strives to make everyone feel valued.” His dedication to this mission has already made a positive impact at Woodlawn, and we are excited to see him continue to build on this vision in his new role.

This exciting new chapter for Greg comes as Principal Greg Grana will retire with the district after an impressive 20+ year career here. We are deeply grateful for Principal Grana’s outstanding leadership and unwavering dedication to our district, and we know that the transition to Greg Bays as Principal will be a smooth and successful one.

“We are so excited to see Greg Bays step into the role of Principal at Woodlawn. His deep commitment to students and staff, along with his strong leadership, will ensure a smooth transition and continued success for the school. We have full confidence that Greg will excel in his new role and will sustain the tradition of excellence at Woodlawn,” said KCSD96 Superintendent Katie Sheridan.

Please join us in congratulating Greg Bays. KCSD96 will soon begin its search for the next Assistant Principal at Woodlawn.

Photo below: Superintendent Katie Sheridan, Greg Bays, and Greg Grana.

Inclement Weather Procedures

As we approach winter, we want to take a moment to remind our families of our KCSD96 Inclement Weather Procedures. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our practices, and begin to prepare for the potential for cold, snow, and ice this school year: https://www.kcsd96.org/superintendent/inclementweatherprocedures It's always a great idea for families to make a game plan prior to any extreme winter weather occurring.

This link includes helpful information about:

Inclement Weather Communication Procedures at KCSD96
Inclement Weather Scenarios:

School Closed
Delayed Start*
Planned Early Dismissal

We would like our staff to take a close look at the Delayed Start option. This is a section we have added to this webpage this year. On days when snow/ice accumulation/power outages present an issue in the morning but improve through the day, we may announce a Delayed Start. This decision would allow our schools to open 2-hours late (120 minutes). On those dates, all bus route pick-up times would be pushed back precisely 120 minutes. Dismissal times would remain the same per our published calendar.

Again, no immediate inclement weather is on the horizon but we want to make sure to communicate this information with you early and often. If you have any questions, please contact your school principal.

Make Sure You're Receiving District Text Messages!

This service designed to keep families in the loop with all District communication throughout the school year including school closings, severe weather notifications, safety alerts, and more.

You can participate in this free service* just by sending a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our school’s short code number, 67587.

Parents and guardians, if you've already enrolled and remember receiving text messages in the past... no need to text YES again! You're already enrolled and will continue to receive texts. Thank you for staying in the loop!

Helpful Reminder: Visitor Policies

We love having the opportunity to have approved visitors in our schools for mystery reader and other opportunities throughout the school year. That's why we want to take a moment to remind our wonderful family community that our visitors that they are required to check in *and* check out at every visit. Please remember to bring a photo I.D. with your name on it (Drivers License, State Issued, Passport, or Green Card are acceptable.)

Additionally, visitors are required to refrain from taking photos of any child that isn't their own. The only exception to this is for PTO representatives who are serving in a yearbook capacity. Thank you for respecting the privacy of our school community. If you have any questions, please ask your school front offices.

Video Series: Superintendent Sheridan on the Street!

KCSD96 is excited to bring you a new video series called, "Superintendent Sheridan on the Street"! It's an opportunity to showcase our students and staff having fun, enhancing their learning, and making meaningful memories in their schools. Warning... this video contains many ADORABLE student interviews! In this first edition of the video series, Superintendent Katie Sheridan visited students at Prairie Elementary during their Fall Parade. Tune in to see all the fun!

Upcoming Parent Opportunities

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.

COMING UP: New to KCSD96 Parents/Guardians are invited to Coffee & Conversation!

KCSD96 is excited to host another "New to KCSD96: Family Coffee and Conversation"! This is an opportunity for parents and guardians of newly registered students to ask questions and share information about their transition in a casual and fun way.

This year’s Coffee starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 3rd, at Ivy Hall Elementary School, 1072 Ivy Hall Lane, Buffalo Grove in the Educational Development Center (EDC).

It is an informal opportunity for new parents and guardians to ask questions and share their thoughts — with other parents and staff — about their experiences in the district. New parents/guardians who missed the New Family Tours in August are encouraged to attend this conversation. Those who did attend the tours are welcome to join this conversation to share how they are adjusting to District 96.

Coffee and other refreshments will be served.

For planning purposes, RSVP at https://forms.gle/BhyqUTF2xFitcBah8.

This is an event only for parents and guardians.

TEP

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:

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.