We successfully completed our bus evacuation drill today. We will continue practicing our safety procedures with two more fire drills this fall. Please also see the information below regarding our Erin’s Law Presentations with students, which are also another important safety measure that we are required to follow as a school district in Illinois. 

Erin’s Law Presentations

Our School Psychologist, Tonya Tompkins-Wisz, will be starting our Erin’s Law presentations with classes in October. There will be one lesson per class and it might take into November for her to go into each classroom in the school. Erin’s Law requires schools to teach children, at age appropriate levels, about personal body safety. 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. Please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Tompkins-Wisz or Mrs. Matthews directly if you have questions after reading the letter. Classroom teachers will communicate with parents as to when exactly the lesson will take place in each individual classroom. 

 

Grove Family Picture Wall and Humans of Grove Avenue site!!

We look forward to seeing and adding family pictures that were taken this year to our Grove Avenue Family picture wall in the main hallway of the school! We are also inviting families to submit a little blurb about their family to be included in our Humans of Grove Avenue web page that we have created just for Grove Families! A QR code will be added next to the picture of each family picture up on the wall, which will take individuals to the story of each family. Please click on the link to the Humans of Grove Avenue Google Form to submit your family story to be included on our site and linked to the QR code for your picture. If you did not take a family photo during the Grove Family Pictures, you CAN still participate by submitting a picture and your story to the Google Form!! Family pictures and QR Codes from last year will remain up on the wall. If families who already have a picture up on the wall took new pictures this year, we will replace the existing picture from last year with the newest picture when we receive them, otherwise the previous picture will remain. We would love to have all of our Grove families represented on the wall and web page! Please contact Mrs. Matthews with any questions! 

Fall Assessments

We will be wrapping up our fall assessments and make-up assessments this week. Grove is also piloting the Fastbridge MySaebrs assessment (a social, academic, emotional screener), so students in 2nd-5th grade will participate in this assessment during the last week of September. Please be sure to read the district letter with details regarding our assessments. I have included a link directly to the letter for your convenience.

Upcoming Dates

Saturday, September 23rd - Barrington Homecoming Parade, 10 a.m. and BHS Homecoming 

Thursday, September 28th - All School PEP Assembly 

Monday, October 2nd - Meet the Teacher Parent/Teacher Conference Sign-Up Platform Opens, 8:00 a.m. 

Wednesday, October 4th - 5th Outdoor Education Parent Informational Meeting, 7 p.m. 

Monday, October 16th - District 220 Elementary Fun Run and 5th Grade Mile Race @ Beese Park 

Tuesday, October 17th - October PTO Meeting, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom 

Wednesday, October 18th - Parent Teacher Conferences, 4-8 p.m. 

Thursday, October 19th - Parent Teacher Conferences, 1-7 p.m. 

Friday, October 20th - NO SCHOOL 

Our Grove students did an excellent job practicing our safety drills and procedures this week. We are required to conduct three fire drills per year, so students will participate in two more all school fire drills over the next few weeks. We will also be conducting our bus evacuation practice this coming Friday. 

I encourage parents to talk to their children at home about emergency procedures and safety in their homes following our safety week at school. The following are some suggested steps for families to take with children at home: 

• Plan how to get out of the house if there is a fire, discuss different escape routes, and make sure students know stop, drop, and roll  

• Identify a relocation site to meet as a family in case of an emergency

• Teach kids how to call 911 and post other emergency numbers where kids can easily locate them 

• Identify a trusted neighbor whose door children can knock on to call for help or if they need to get out of the house and need a safe place to go  

• Ensure all fire, smoke, and Co2 detectors have batteries and be sure to have a working fire extinguisher that is easily accessible  

• Put together an emergency kit or first aid kit and make sure children know where to locate it easily 

• Identify a location for the family to go in the case of a tornado

• Discuss kitchen safety and establish guidelines for using kitchen tools and appliances  

Grove Family Picture Wall and Humans of Grove Avenue site!! 

We look forward to seeing and adding family pictures that were taken this year to our Grove Avenue Family picture wall in the main hallway of the school! We are also inviting families to submit a little blurb about their family to be included in our Humans of Grove Avenue web page that we have created just for Grove Families! A QR code will be added next to the picture of each family picture up on the wall, which will take individuals to the story of each family. Please click on the link to the Humans of Grove Avenue Google Form to submit your family story to be included on our site and linked to the QR code for your picture. If you did not take a family photo during the Grove Family Pictures, you CAN still participate by submitting a picture and your story to the Google Form!! Family pictures and QR Codes from last year will remain up on the wall. If families who already have a picture up on the wall took new pictures this year, we will replace the existing picture from last year with the newest picture when we receive them, otherwise the previous picture will remain. We would love to have all of our Grove families represented on the wall and web page! Please contact Mrs. Matthews with any questions! 

NEW Information from Specials Classes

Updated this week! Click on the link to the newsletter and take a few minutes to see what children are doing in each of our special areas!! 

Fall Assessments 

We will be wrapping up our MAP assessments in grades 2-5 this coming week and continuing our Fastbridge Assessments for kindergarten and first grades in ready and math. Grove is also piloting the Fastbridge MySaebrs assessment (a social, academic, emotional screener), so students in 2nd-5th grade will participate in this assessment during the last week of September .Please be sure to read the district letter with details regarding our assessments. I have included a link directly to the letter for your convenience.

Upcoming Dates

Monday, September 18th - Grove Creativity Project begins for 3rd-5th graders 

Monday September 18th - Running Clubs begins for 1st and 2nd Grade 

Tuesday, September 19th - September PTO Meeting, 9:15 a.m., Room Parent Meeting, 10:30 a.m. 

Tuesday, September 19th - Running Club begins for 3rd & 5th grades 

Thursday, September 21st - Running Club begins for 4th & 5th grades 

Thursday, September 21st - New Family Mixer, 4-6 p.m. on the K-ground 

Friday, September 22nd - Bus Evacuation Drill 

Saturday, September 23rd - BHS Homecoming 

Monday, October 16th - District 220 Elementary Fun Run and 5th Grade Mile Race @ Beese Park

 

Thank you to all of our parents and caregivers who attended our Parent Curriculum Night on Thursday evening! It was fantastic to see so many parents in attendance and we look forward to continuing to partner with you this school year! We hope to see many Grove families at our first family event of the year, which is sponsored by our Grove PTO, Family Movie Night!  All are welcome to attend!! 

Safety Week - September 11th- September 15th

This week is our annual Safety Week in District 220. The goal is to raise awareness about school safety among our students, parents, staff and community members.

Throughout the week, our students will participate in various activities and safety drills in order to ensure that everyone is prepared in the event of an emergency.  I have included the break-down of the week for your information below. Parents will receive a notification each evening from the district with a link to the video that will be shown as a part of our morning announcements each day. 

Please note, the lock-down video will not be included in our morning announcements on Wednesday, as this video is intended for students in 4th-12th grades only. Our classroom teachers will discuss the drill at an age appropriate level with students in kindergarten through 3rd grade in order to prepare them for the drill prior to it occurring on Wednesday morning. I have linked in a parent letter specific to this drill for parents to review. The letter provides you with a few more details regarding lockdowns if you would like to discuss with your child ahead of time.  

Monday, September 11th – Welcome to Safety Week: See Something, Say Something   

• Video of the day shown in classrooms - Introduction to Safety Week 

• See Something, Say Something explained on morning announcements 

Tuesday, September 12th – Weather Emergencies

• Video of the day shown in classrooms

• Classroom discussions about weather emergencies

• Shelter-In-Place (tornado) Drill 

Wednesday, September 13th – Law Enforcement Drill - Parent Letter 

• Video of the day shown in classrooms (4th & 5th grades only) 

• Class discussions about Lock-Down procedures 

• Lock-Down Drill with Barrington Police Department  

Thursday, September 14th – School Evacuations 

• Video of the day shown in classrooms

• Class discussion about evacuation procedures

• All school Evacuation (Fire) Drill

Friday, September 15th – Transportation Safety 

• Video of the day shown in classrooms

• Class discussion about Bus, Bike, and Train Safety 

• Bus Evacuation Drill (will be held on 9/22) 

Grove Family Picture Wall and Humans of Grove Avenue site!! 

We look forward to seeing and adding family pictures that were taken this past week to our Grove Avenue Family picture wall in the main hallway of the school! We are also inviting families to submit a little blurb about their family to be included in our Humans of Grove Avenue web page that we have created just for Grove Families! A QR code will be added next to the picture of each family picture up on the wall, which will take individuals to the story of each family. Please click on the link to the Humans of Grove Avenue Google Form to submit your family story to be included on our site and linked to the QR code for your picture. If you did not take a family photo during the Grove Family Pictures, you CAN still participate by submitting a picture and your story to the Google Form!! Family pictures and QR Codes from last year will remain up on the wall. If families who already have a picture up on the wall took new pictures this year, we will replace the existing picture from last year with the newest picture when we receive them, otherwise the previous picture will remain. We would love to have all of our Grove families represented on the wall and web page! Please contact Mrs. Matthews with any questions! 

Information from Specials Classes

New this year, our Specials Team will be sending out periodic newsletters to share what is happening in Art, Library, Music, PE and STEM! The newsletter was sent directly to families last week, but if you didn’t have a chance to check it out, be sure to click on the link to the newsletter and take a few minutes to see what children are doing in each of our special areas!! 

Student District Devices 

Please take a moment to help ensure your child’s iPad is set-up and being used properly. It is important that our students remember that their iPad is a school device. As a result, students should not have Apple IDs on their school iPads. Please take the time to Remove any Apple IDs that may have been installed on your child’s district device. These are not permitted as they often cause issues with apps that are necessary for school and they give children access to things they should not have on their devices (ex. additional Apps that are not appropriate for school, pictures from other devices). Please keep in mind if a student has an Apple ID on their iPad and they are having issues using school apps, the iPad may need to be wiped in order for our school technicians to do any troubleshooting. 

Screen Time is a great tool for monitoring and limiting your child’s iPad use. If you want to add Screen Time, please do so by following the District’s directions. If you use Screen Time on your child’s device, be sure to allow the apps that your student uses for their classes in school. 

Students in Elementary should not have a passcode of any kind on their iPad. Teachers and staff should be able to access their iPads at any time. 

If you have any questions please refer to the One to World contract and reach out to your child’s teacher or to Mrs. Matthews.

Fall Assessments 

We will begin our fall assessments with students this coming week. All students in grades 2-5 participate in the MAP Assessments for both reading and math. All students in grades K-2 participate in Fastbridge Assessments for reading and math. Fastbridge assessments will begin the week of September 11th. Grove is also piloting the Fastbridge MySaebrs assessment (a social, academic, emotional screener), so students in 2nd-5th grade will participate in this assessment during the last week of September .Please be sure to read the district letter with details regarding our assessments. I have included a link directly to the letter for your convenience. I have also included a link to the MAP Assessment letter for our 2nd-5th grade students. 

Upcoming Dates

September 11th - 15th  - Safety Week 

September 12th - Fastbridge Assessments Begin 

Friday, September 15th - Family Movie Night 

Tuesday, September 19th - September PTO Meeting, 9:15 a.m., Room Parent Meeting, 10:30 a.m. 

Thursday, September 21st - New Family Mixer, 4-6 p.m. on the K-ground 

Friday, September 22nd - Bus Evacuation Drill 

Saturday, September 23rd - BHS Homecoming 

Grove Movie Night Volunteers!!  

Family Movie Night is fast approaching! The Grove PTO is in need of volunteers to help make this event a fun evening! Please review the available slots by clicking on the link to sign up. Thank you!