Family Reading Program 2021
We had a fun kick-off to the Family Reading Program throughout the day on Thursday! Information about the program was emailed to parents on Thursday. Students were also provided with a copy of the book The Pet War by Allan Woodrow (one copy per family, sent home with the youngest sibling in a family) with the intention of every family reading the book together! Our One Book, One Grove initiative will not only connect families, but our entire Grove community throughout the course of the next five weeks. Students will be able to discuss the book with parents, neighbors, classmates, and any other Grove students! We are encouraging families to read the book in the best way that works for their family. This may include parents reading to children, siblings taking turns reading aloud to the family, or a child reading to their parents! This year, we have also obtained the blessing of the author for Grove staff members to record themselves reading the chapters for students to listen to throughout the course of the program. Please access the link provided in the Grizzly email blast to access the weekly recordings and listen to the chapters! These recordings are meant for Grove students and families only! The first weekly reading log will be due on Thursday, March 11th and students will receive their Family Reading Program t-shirts on Friday, March 12th for meeting the all classroom goal. Supplies for the weekly rewards for distance learners will be available for pick-up in the Grove foyer on Friday, March 12th. We can’t wait to see all the students and staff in their shirts! Happy Reading!!!
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. Please be sure to read the official letter with details regarding conferences. The “Meet the Teacher” sign-up will open to all parents on Monday morning at 8 a.m. Links to directions for parents to sign up are included in the letter!!
When signing up, parents will need to indicate whether they plan to attend the conference in person or would prefer a conference via Zoom. Conferences will be scheduled for 20 minutes, with 15 minutes of that time being used for the conference and 5 minutes being used for cleaning between conferences. All parents coming in for in-person conferences will be required to complete a COVID screener before being allowed to enter and must be wearing a mask. Please access the screener document online, print and complete, and bring it with you to the conferences. We will continue to practice social distancing guidelines. Also, we are trying to limit the number of people in the building on these days, therefore, two parents will be permitted to attend per child. However, children will not be permitted to enter the building on these days. As a result, if this is not possible for your family, please sign-up for a Zoom conference.
CogAT Assessments for 2nd and 5th Grades
The CogAt Testing window for our 2nd – 5th Grade students is open. 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 reviewed the practice tests with their classroom teachers this past week in order to become familiar with the format of the test and the types of questions that they will be presented with during the assessment. Students will participate in the actual testing this coming 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.
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 6: 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.
Third - Fifth Grade (and beyond): Finding Inspiration In Home For Generating Ideas: Natalie shares ways parents can support their children in coming up with ideas to write about - even when you are cooped up at home.
EC - First Grade: Playing Games - Letter and Word Scavenger Hunt: Katie shares quick and easy ways parents can reinforce early reading development in young kids.
Spanish: Narración oral/ Oral Story Telling: Stephanie comparte unas ideas con los familiares de cómo pueden contar cuentos con los niños para desarrollar el lenguaje oral, lo cual apoya su aprendizaje de lectura y escritura. Habla de usar memorias de la familia para volver de contar momentos valiosos y usar fotos para recordar. (Stephanie shares ideas with family members about how to storytell with kids in order to develop oral language, which supports learning in both reading and writing. She talks about using family memories to retell treasured moments and using pictures to help remember).
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 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
Tuesday, March 16th - March PTO Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
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
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!
FINAL CALL for yearbook pictures! Our yearbook is looking awesome! We still have a few opportunities for your child to show us their beautiful faces! See below for a complete list of pictures we still need. Please send all your pictures to groveaveyearbook@gmail.com; attention Bree Heick, by March 31st. We can't wait to share this year, in pictures, with all of you! Thank you for your support in making the 2020-21 yearbook a success.
cogat practise test.
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