E-News for KCSD96
Friday, February 21st, 2025
Dear KCSD96 Community Members,
Spring Break is here! I would like to start off by giving a big shoutout to our students and staff who took advantage of every last minute together-- engaging in meaningful learning opportunities, making memories, and experiencing academic success. We hope that each family had meaningful Family Educator Conferences, connecting with teachers and learning more about their student's growth this year.
This E-News is packed with a lot of important information. Please ensure that you and your family review the following sections:
- Reminder: Important Dates
- KCSD96 Middle School Student Recognition
- Our Investment into Facilities
- Registration for 25-26
- School Supply Lists
- Transition to Middle School Parent Opportunity
- Timely and Meaningful Consultation
- 5Essentials
- Join our Team
We hope everyone has a wonderful spring break doing things that bring you and your family joy. We look forward to seeing our students again on Monday, March 31st!
Katie Sheridan
Superintendent
Kildeer Countryside School District 96
KCSD96 community, please note that there has been a 24-25 school calendar that has been circulating that erroneously left off a Half Day in April. Please know, there will be a Half Day for students on April 17th. This half-day was included in the 24-25 calendar that was approved and adopted by the Board of Education prior to the start of the school year.
Half Day Schedule for April 17th: Kindergarten (including Structured Kindergarten) and Early Childhood Structured: 8:40 AM - 11:45 AM. 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 AM hours. PM attends on Thursday, April 17th (no AM students). Hours are 8:40 AM - 11:10 AM. Parent drop-off begins at 8:25 AM.
If you like to download the calendars and keep them in your home, we kindly ask that you download the link below and print it. It is important that families plan for the upcoming Half Day accordingly. Thank you!
On behalf of the entire Kildeer Countryside School District 96 community, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to our middle school students!
The Twin Groves 8th Grade Girls Basketball Team AND the Woodlawn 8th Grade B Girls Volleyball Team both placed first in conferences! Additionally, we honored individual wrestlers at both schools for placing 1st in conference and/or placing at regionals and above. Also, our music students at both Twin Groves and Woodlawn received an incredible score of 1+ at IGSMA (Illinois Grade School Music Association). And, we had students from both schools place in the top 5% (including two in the top 1%!) at AMC8 (American Mathematics Competition). With Math Counts, we recognized students who moved on to state.
Their hard work, dedication, and commitment have truly paid off, and we are incredibly proud. I had a wonderful time meeting with students, hearing more about their experiences, and awarding them with certificates of achievement & medals.
Once again, congratulations on this well-deserved achievement!
Kildeer Countryside School District 96 continues its capital improvement plan, which launched back in 2013. The plan, organized and overseen by the Facilities Department and guided by the Board of Education, has focused on sustainability, energy efficiency, and modernized learning environments. As a district committed to academic excellence and innovation, KCSD96 recognizes that well-maintained facilities, upgraded technology, and energy-efficient systems directly impact student engagement, comfort, and overall well-being.
Starting back in 2014-2017, LES classrooms were constructed at middle schools-- specifically to foster student collaboration and technology accessibility (*LES stands for Learning Environment Study). This significant undertaking was carried out by selected middle school faculty, staff, and a Board of Education representative to recommend improvements to physical classroom spaces to enhance learning.
Another noteworthy timeline is the district’s solar energy initiative. In 2016, the Board of Education approved a plan to install solar panels, and by 2020, 3,068 ground-mounted solar panels were installed at the Country Meadows/Woodlawn campus. This project now provides 92% of the campus’s energy needs and accounts for approximately 25-30% of the district’s total energy consumption.
KCSD96 also has focused on upgrading its facilities to enhance energy efficiency. The district has replaced heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems with high-efficiency models, installed LED lighting in classrooms and parking lots, and upgraded windows and doors to improve insulation. Throughout the district, you'll also find technology improvements to server rooms to support our one-to-one learning. HVAC systems, windows, and lighting have been upgraded, in addition to new flooring. When it comes to the exterior of our buildings, all parking lots have been replaced within the last 13 years.
For some of our district's oldest learners at the middle school level, capital project improvements have included new locker rooms, fitness rooms, and the installation of the tracks outside both Woodlawn and Twin Groves. Across the rest of our elementary schools, you will find ADA accessible playgrounds. For our youngest learners, Willow Grove opened its Kindergarten expansion in 2016-2017 and began offering full-day instruction for students.
Most recently in 2024, KCSD96 unveiled the Twin Groves Collaboratory, a state-of-the-art learning space designed to foster hands-on learning in STEM. The space includes a Makerspace, Noisy Lab, and Sound & Video Lab, providing students with innovative opportunities for creativity and collaboration. A similar Collaboratory is set to open at Woodlawn Middle School in the fall of 2025, with construction occurring throughout the summer.
Not only do these improvements directly benefit our students, but they also are designed to improve collaboration between our staff. In the summer of 2025, the district renovated its MAT Room in Ivy Hall Elementary. This state-of-the-art space features two monitors, two projectors, new seating, and a flexible wall to combine two spaces into one. This is where the district hosts professional development for teachers, collaboration for administrators and meetings for the Board of Education.
There is much to celebrate at KCSD96. Our students and staff benefit from state-of-the-art facilities, ensuring a top-tier learning environment. What makes this even more significant is that the capital projects plan has been fully funded internally, without the need for additional tax dollars—a point of great pride for the district. At KCSD96, we are committed to excellence in everything we do.
Dr. Amy Feygin, KCSD96 Board Member, recently delighted students at Ivy Hall as a Mystery Reader, sharing Ada Twist, Scientist. The story perfectly complemented the class’s Social Studies unit on inventions and innovation, sparking curiosity and excitement among students. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect learning with storytelling, making for a truly special experience!
Kildeer Countryside School District 96 is excited to welcome kindergarteners for the 2025–2026 school year! 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. In addition to the information below, we have more details on our website.
Registration Timeline:
STARTING NOW: Begin the registration process by emailing all required documents to Cristina Castro, Administrative Assistant at Willow Grove Early Learning Center, at ccastro@kcsd96.org. If you have a student currently enrolled in Pre-K at Willow Grove, you do not need to resubmit these documents.
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!
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 ccastro@kcsd96.org or call (847) 541-3660.
Each year, KCSD96 invites all recognized private/parochial school officials and known parents of homeschooled students to attend a virtual meeting with Jennifer Dunne, Assistant Superintendent of Special Education, in which information about plans for working with students with disabilities in the upcoming school year are discussed. This meeting is called the Timely and Meaningful Consultation (TMC). The next meeting will be held on on May 7th at 3:30pm. Please reach out to Jennifer Dunne at jdunne@kcsd96.org for the Zoom link to the meeting.
Parents of students attending a private or parochial school or students who are home-schooled and need further information regarding evaluation and/or services should contact the Special Education Office at 847-459-4260 for any additional questions.
