GROVE Cold Weather Procedures

Our weather is starting to shift and get colder with frost on the ground earlier this week, so we want to make sure parents are aware of our procedures for students being outside as it gets cold! During the winter months, our students will go outside for recess as much as possible. If the temperature or wind chill is zero degrees or below the students will remain inside for recess. When the wind chill or temperature is above zero students will be outside. As a result, please be sure to send your children to school fully dressed to be outside for recess. It is also recommended that students bring layers such as sweatshirts and sweaters to take on and off throughout the day. Please be sure to put your child’s name somewhere on all items so that they can easily be identified and returned to students if they drop them or lose them in the school! 

I am hopeful that snow will not be upon us for a while, but wanted to share our procedures for recess when there is snow. In order for students to play in the snow at school, they must have a winter coat, snow pants, boots, gloves, and a hat or earmuffs, as we want them to stay dry and be able to return to the classroom in the afternoon and concentrate on learning. We will try to have extra items for students at school in case they forget, but it is beneficial for students to bring all of these items each day during the winter so they are prepared no matter what. When there is enough snow on the ground, students will be able to participate in sledding at school, so they must be properly dressed! In addition, students should have a pair of gym shoes to wear during the school day while in class and in order to participate safely in P.E. each day. 

Barrington 220 Inclement Weather Protocol

Information was sent out this week from the district regarding our Cold Weather Protocols for winter. Please click on the link to view the official district Inclement Weather Webpage for details regarding our procedures. A few basic details that I want to highlight and make sure parents are aware of are listed below: 

• School closings due to inclement weather or other unusual circumstances will be announced on the district website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Families will also receive a text, phone call and email through the Infinite Campus automated emergency notification system.

• There are three potential scenarios that will be implemented in the event of inclement weather:

• School Canceled: All school buildings will be closed and students will make up the inclement weather day at the end of the school year. 

• Early Dismissal: There may be some rare occasion where it will be necessary to dismiss school early. On these days, middle and high schools will dismiss first. Elementary school students will be released at their regular dismissal time. 

• e-Learning: All school buildings will be closed, however students and staff will complete the school day from home. This would eliminate the need to make up days at the end of the school year. Teachers will check their usual electronic communication methods throughout the day during regular school hours, to support students. Students will have five (5) school days to complete their assigned work for the day and receive additional assistance from their teacher as needed. 

• Elementary Schools/ELC: Early childhood through fifth grade children will have access to their assignments through their teacher’s usual electronic communication method of See-Saw or Schoology, and/or will follow their IEP eLearning plan. Additionally, kindergarten through fifth grade students will receive assignments for Specials (art, music, physical education, library, and STEM) that they would typically have for the day from their teachers. 

District 220 SEL Survey for 2nd-5th Grade Students

In order to learn more about the experiences of students at school and continue to monitor and improve programming for children in the areas of Social and Emotional Learning, District 220 is asking for students to complete an online survey that will be administered starting this week through November 3rd. This experience is similar to the SEL surveys conducted over the last three years by the district. Please see the official letter from the district regarding the survey. 

Principal/Parent Book Study

During our Parent Curriculum Night, I shared that I will be hosting a Principal/Parent Book Study! The book study will be on Thursday, November 3rd at 6 p.m. at Grove! Please RSVP for the event on the Parent/Principal Book Study Google Form so I can plan accordingly for the structure of the book discussion and the space needed. I will be providing light refreshments and snacks as well! I hope you will join me in this discussion as we continue to work on our goal of belonging for all in our school community. The book we will be discussing this year is Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown.  

Halloween Celebrations - 2022

We are looking forward to having a great Halloween this year at Grove! Exact details and a schedule for the festivities for the day were shared in previously Grizzly newsletters and can be accessed by clicking on the link to Halloween celebration details. Please read the section about costumes carefully! 

Halloween Parent Volunteers: Any parent who signed up with the PTO to volunteer to help with the classroom parties must submit their name, child’s name, and classroom teacher on the Halloween Volunteer Google Form in order to have a badge pre-printed for entrance into the building. Badges will be available on the day of the party at our check-in table. If you have not had your valid driver’s license scanned by the main office this school year, you will need to come into the office ahead of time to have your I.D. scanned so that a badge can be printed for you. If you are unable to come in prior to the date of the party, be sure to bring a valid driver's license to be checked in at the main office on Halloween; however, please know that there will likely be a wait for badges to be scanned and printed. We will not admit adults into the school without a visitor’s badge. This is for the safety of our students and staff and we greatly appreciate the cooperation of our parent community with this procedure!

 

Parent volunteers will be permitted to go down to classrooms to drop off supplies at 1:10 and then may watch the start of the parade. Following the start of the parade, volunteers can then enter the classrooms to set up around 1:15 and 1:20 p.m.

Reminders

• Erin’s Law Presentations are going on in classes in October and November. Please be sure to click on the link to our official letter regarding Erin’s Law to learn more about the Law and what will be covered in the lessons.

• Breakfast is available in the MPR each day for $1.50. Links to the breakfast menus can be found on our district Elementary School Lunches webpage! 

• Music Concerts are back! See the letter from Mrs. Boyer for more information! 

Upcoming Dates

Monday, October 31st - Halloween Parade 1:15 p.m. and Parties 1:45 p.m. 

Thursday, November 3rd - Principal/Parent Book Study - 6 p.m. at Grove 

Thursday, November 3rd - End of First Trimester 

Friday, November 4th - NO SCHOOL, Teacher Institute Day 

Tuesday, November 8th - NO SCHOOL, Election Day 

Thursday, November 10th - Donuts with a Grown-Up, 7:00 a.m.  

Tuesday, November 22nd - Report Cards Available to Parents in Infinite Campus  

Wednesday, November 23rd - NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Break 

Thursday, November 24th - NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Day! 

Friday, November 25th - NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Break