The Grove Grizzly

As we continue the season of Gratitude, I wanted to make sure you know how important your family is to the Grove community. It is an honor to serve as Grove's principal and I am proud of the work the staff does everyday to enrich the lives of the students. I am also proud of the parent partnerships we have in our community. Our Grove students are truly remarkable and I am thankful for their dedication to their own learning and social development.

Due to the fact that we will only have a two day week prior to Thanksgiving, this is the last edition of the Grizzly for November! The next Grizzly will be the week of December 2nd! As a result, I hope everyone enjoys a wonderful Thanksgiving Break filled with relaxation, time with family and friends, good food, and fun!

Please use this form to recognize a staff member in November. When submitted, it will generate a certificate (sample provided in the form) that we will print and present to the staff member.

Throughout November, our students and staff are focusing on developing the Character Strong trait of Gratitude and the Learner Profile trait of Communicating Effectively. By recognizing the hard work and dedication of our staff, we foster a positive school culture and highlight the vital role they play in shaping our students' experiences. Your feedback and input are essential in ensuring our staff feels appreciated and supported.

We look forward to hearing from you and celebrating the outstanding efforts of our team! Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support.

Mr. Waters is collecting already recycled soft, plastic water bottles (such as the ones from Costco "Kirkland Brand") for an upcoming art project. Donations will be accepted in the Art Room. Thank you!

As we head into winter, we would like to remind families of Barrington 220’s inclement weather protocol. In the event of inclement weather, the Superintendent of Schools will implement one of the following three scenarios:

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 occasions 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.

eLearning

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.

• 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. 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.
• Middle/High School: Students will have access to their assignments through the normal electronic method of Schoology. They should have an assignment/learning experience for each class.
• Barrington Transition Program: Students will follow their daily schedule, including alternative activities in place of the community components of the program. BTP staff will communicate electronically with students.

Inclement Weather Communication

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

Emergency Notification TEST this Friday

Barrington 220 will send out a TEST of the Infinite Campus emergency notification system on Friday, Nov. 15 at around 6pm. If you do not receive this test within 30 minutes of 6pm, please email Campus Messenger at campusmessenger@barrington220.org

Our weather is starting to shift and get colder with our first sightings of snow coming soon, 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 more 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.

The Barrington 220 Fine Arts Department proudly presents the 5th Annual Winter Wonderfest! Winter Wonderfest runs December 13-14, and it will be an open house with activities happening primarily inside the new front atrium addition at BHS. The event will include DJs, carnival games, holiday crafts, hot chocolate for purchase, and more! Tickets are now available through our online box office.

Our first marking period was over last week. As a result, our teachers are currently working on report cards and the reports will be released to parents electronically via the Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26th. Report cards are NOT printed in paper form, as we went GREEN several years ago, so parents must access the reports via IC.

Barrington Giving Day is a Non-Profit organization that invites families in the 220 School District to a Giving Day event where they receive food, warm coats, hats/gloves, blankets, books, toys, and other much-needed items. Over 900 families in our community are in need of help. There are collection boxes in the main entrance of Grove where new or gently used/like new coats may be dropped off from now until December 2nd. Our PTO will be sponsoring a special classroom lunch celebration for the class that donates the largest number of items.

Grove Ave is partnering with Barrington Giving Day in asking students & families to donate new or gently used coats. The drive runs from November 1st - December 2nd. Students can bring the coats to their classrooms where teachers will be collecting them. The classroom that collects the most coats will receive a celebration lunch sponsored by the PTO!!

Please remember that school STARTS at 8 a.m., which means that students need to arrive prior to 8:00 a.m. in order to be ready for instruction to begin. Students can arrive starting at 7:40 a.m. and enter the building at 7:55 a.m., giving them time to unpack, chat with their friends and teachers, and get settled prior to instruction starting. If your child arrives at 8:00 a.m. or after, please be sure to bring your child to the main entrance and come inside with your child to sign him/her in for the day. This is a safety measure for our students, as we need to make sure we know when students have arrived and can accurately account for them with our attendance in the morning.

All car riders should arrive by 7:55 a.m. on Grove Avenue. Upon arrival, students go to either the primary playground (kindergarten-2nd grade) or intermediate playground (3rd - 5th grade) for our morning recess from 7:40 a.m. - 7:55 a.m. Supervisors are on the playgrounds in the morning starting at 7:40 a.m. If there is not a school staff member present on Grove Avenue after 7:55 a.m., parents must drive around to the main office to drop their child off and come inside to sign them in for the day. Please do not drop students off and leave them unattended on Grove Avenue in the morning after staff have gone inside, as this is a safety concern for our children.

Please ask your child to check the lost and found for any items before they are donated during Thanksgiving break! Enjoy the video from Mrs. Kaczanko!

School is in session for two days during the week of Thanksgiving. It is important that students are in attendance on Monday, November 25th and Tuesday, November 26th!

Tuesday, November 26th- Report Cards Available for Parents in IC, 5 p.m.

Wednesday, November 27th - NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Break

Thursday, November 28th - NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Day!!

Friday, November 29th - NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Break

Wednesday, December 4th-- JOUST, 5th grade musical, 6:30 PM in the Gym

Tuesday, December 10th-- 6:00 PM Band/Orchestra/Choir Concert in the Gym

Thank you to all of our Donuts with a Grownup volunteers and Sponsors who truly made it a sweet event for our families!

Last PTO Meeting of 2024 will take place on Tuesday, November 19th @9:15am in the Multipurpose Room. Everyone is welcome!

Handmade Holiday - Only 4 spots left on Tuesday, November 26th!

Students have an opportunity to create an art project with the teachers of Kaleidoscope school of art! These winter themed projects will be framed, gift wrapped and returned to Grove ready to give to someone special. https://tinyurl.com/HolidayHandmade2024

Barrington Giving Day - Winter Coat Drive

Grove Ave is partnering with Barrington Giving Day in asking students & families to donate new or gently used coats. The drive runs from November 1st - December 2nd. Students can bring the coats to their classrooms where teachers will be collecting them. The classroom that collects the most coats will receive a celebration lunch sponsored by the PTO!!

Top 3 Classes:

Mrs. Blackowicz's 3rd Grade - 25 coats

Mrs. Wicman's 3rd Grade - 11 coats

Mrs. Scanlan's Kindergarten - 6 coats

Click here for the latest flyers on upcoming events and other PTO Information!

General Questions? Email us at: GAvenuePTO@gmail.com

We are launching our new characteristic, Gratitude, this week, which will continue through the month of November. This is a wonderful way to reflect as a family about the abundance of kindness, opportunities, and good wishes we have in our lives. We will encourage our students to appreciate the people and things that make their lives so special.

Join us in celebrating our October Character Strong Responsibility Award recipients!