Grove Avenue Principal Blog

Family Reading Program

Our Annual Family Reading Program will launch this Thursday, March 4th!!! We are excited to hold our kick-off with all students during the school day on Thursday. At that time, students will view a special pre-recorded performance by our Grove staff and then the fun activities and expectations for the program will be explained to students. I will be sending out an official letter with details for parents about the program on Thursday as well!!

Materials for the Family Reading Program will be distributed to in-person learners while they are in school. As of right now, we have two scheduled materials pick-ups planned for distance learners. The first pick-up for materials will be this coming week. Parents can pick-up materials for students starting Thursday, March 4th and families will want to have the materials by the end of the day on Friday, March 5th. This will include our all-school book, student reading logs for the duration of the program, and a chart to keep track of when they meet their weekly reading goals. The second pick-up is scheduled for Friday, March 12th. This pick-up will include the materials for the weekly rewards. There will be several opportunities for distance learners to come into Grove to participate in activities should they opt to do so, however, they will be able to participate in everything via distance if they opt not to come in at all. We will also be including our students who are assigned a teacher from another building in all activities.

CogAT Assessments for 2nd and 5th Grades

The CogAt Testing window for our 2nd – 5th Grade students is opening on Monday. Parents with students in those two grades should access the official CogAT Assessment Letter (English and Spanish) for an explanation of the assessment and additional details about the testing. Details regarding assessments for both in-person and distance learners are included in the letter.

Grove students will review the practice tests with their classroom teachers this week in order to become familiar with the format of the test and the types of questions that they would be presented with during the assessment. Students will then participate in the actual testing the week of March 8th. I encourage parents to ensure that their child(ren) get a good night's sleep and have a healthy breakfast during the week while the assessments are taking place.

SAVE THE DATES – Parent/Teacher Conferences

We will be holding out spring parent/teacher conferences on Wednesday, March 17th from 4-8 p.m. and Thursday, March 18th from 3-7 p.m. I will be sending an official letter with details regarding conferences to parents this coming week but wanted to make sure that parents are able to plan accordingly in order to schedule conferences during the conference days designated by the District.

5 Essentials Parent Survey

The 5 Essentials Survey is parents’ opportunity to evaluate Grove Avenue School according to five “essential” areas critical for school success, including but not limited to ambitious instruction, supportive environment, and leadership. The online survey is open now through April 15th and is accessed by clicking here. PLEASE NOTE: Because Barrington 220 is based in Lake County, choose "Lake" from the county drop down menu, then select our school.

Illinois public schools are required by the State of Illinois to take the 5Essentials survey once every two years. The survey data becomes part of each school’s Illinois School Report Card listing, which is a public website provided by the Illinois State Board of Education. Barrington 220 will receive results from the survey in the spring of 2021, and they will be publicly posted on our Illinois School Report Card the following fall.

Thank you for your participation in this important survey. We appreciate and value your feedback.

Official 5 Essentials Letter in English

Official 5 Essentials Letter in Spanish

Week 5: Resources for Parents to Help Support Reading and Writing at Home

The Teachers’ College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP), creators of our reading and writing programs, have developed numerous videos for families and caregivers to bring more joy into literacy learning. They draw on numerous years of experience and research in providing ideas for supporting reading and writing at home. We will highlight a few videos each week in upcoming newsletters, and encourage parents and caregivers to listen to or watch these short videos. In addition, we will be launching our annual Grove Family Reading Program this week in hopes to also bring some excitement, joy, and motivation to reading! To access all videos created by TCRWP and additional resources, please refer to this link.

All Grades Levels: 6 Ways to Help Your Child Find Success with At-Home Learning and Establish Executive Functioning Skills That Will Last a Lifetime: Shanna offers parents six simple ways to help their child plan, organize and take charge of their remote learning, from having a quick morning meeting to orient to the day’s work to reflecting on work habits and time spent on each task. These tips for improving work habits are useful across grades.

All Grade Levels: Ways to Help Your Child Build a Strong Vocabulary: Hareem shares simple steps parents can use to help a child “own” a vocab word, using belligerent as an example. The steps are quick and doable, like “clap out the syllables” and “scrawl it on the back of an envelope.”

Spanish: Utilizar las listas de la compra, ir de compras y cocinar como oportunidades para aprender / Turning Grocery Lists, Shopping and Cooking into Learning Opportunities: En este video, Jody muestra cómo los padres pueden utilizar las tareas cotidianas como crear listas de la compra, ir al mercado para comprar comida y cocinar la cena como oportunidades de aprendizaje. / In this video, Jody shares how parents can take everyday tasks such as creating grocery lists, going shopping for groceries, and cooking dinner into learning opportunities.

Social Emotional Support for Students

As our students continue to navigate our consistently changing landscape due to COVID 19, we are continuously considering how our children are coping and their overall mental health. Please know that our school and district are here to support our students who are struggling and may benefit from additional resources. Please see the attached letter regarding this and view the short video explaining how families can access the online META app that is also available to connect students with counselors while at home. Please also keep in mind that parents can contact our school based support directly by emailing our Social Worker, Mr. Walcott, at cwalcott@barrington220.org or our School Psychologist, Tonya Tompkins-Wisz, at ttompkins@barrington220.org.

Upcoming Dates

Monday, March 1st - CogAT Assessment Window Opens for Grades 2 & 5

Monday, March 1st - 5th grade boys basketball game at home vs. Rose

Tuesday, March 2nd - 5th grade girls basketball game at home vs. Rose

Tuesday, March 2nd - Luxe Warehouse PTO Fundraiser, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. and online!

Wednesday, March 3rd - School Board Candidate Forum, 9-11 a.m. via Zoom

Monday, March 4th - Family Reading Program Kick-Off

Thursday, March 4th - 5th grade boys basketball game at home vs. Hough

Thursday, March 4th - Virtual Parent University, Cultivating Resilience During COVID-19 @ 7 p.m.

Friday, March 5th - 5th grade girls basketball game at home vs. Hough

Monday, March 8th - Speech Tournament, 4:00-6:15 p.m.

Tuesday, March 9th - CogAT Assessment Day

Tuesday, March 9th - Speech Tournament, 4:00-6:15 p.m.

Thursday, March 11th - CogAT Assessment Day

Thursday, March 11th - 5th grade girls basketball game at home vs. Countryside

Friday, March 12th - CogAT Assessment Day

Friday, March 12th - Family Reading Program, Week #1 Reward

Friday, March 12th - 5th grade boys basketball game at home vs. Countryside

Wednesday, March 17th - Spring Parent Teacher Conferences, 4-8 p.m.

Thursday, March 18th - Family Reading Program, Week #2 Reward

Thursday, March 18th - Spring Parent Teacher Conferences, 3-7 p.m.

Friday, March 19th - Friday, March 26th - No School, Spring Vacation

Monday, March 29th - School Resumes

Parent/Teacher Conference Dinners for Teachers

The Grove staff will be working long hours during their Spring conferences. The PTO customarily provides them with dinner to enjoy during these late evenings. Normally we would reach out to parents for donations of different food items but because of the continuing safety concerns, we are asking if parents could make a monetary donation to sponsor a meal for a teacher. Donations will also fund snacks and beverages for staff to enjoy on both days. For more details, please go to:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044DAEAE28A2F58-spring

Thank you for helping us show how much we appreciate our Grove teachers and staff!