Conley Correspondence

In December and January, your student participated in the second round of District Benchmarking by taking the STAR test in literacy and math, as well as the Aimsweb test for oral reading fluency.

It is our hope to work in partnership with our Conley families to create a culture of readers. Why is being a fluent reader so important? Children who have not developed fast, fluent reading skills begin to fall behind, and for most of them, the gap will continue to grow.

A special Kids Count report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters, summarized its importance:

"Up until the end of third grade, most children are learning to read. Beginning in fourth grade, however, they are reading to learn, using their skills to gain more information in subjects such as math and science, to solve problems, to think critically about what they are learning, and to act upon and share that knowledge in the world around them. Up to half the printed fourth-grade curriculum is incomprehensible to students who read below that grade level, according to the Children’s Reading Foundation. And three-quarters of students who are poor readers in third grade will remain poor readers in high school, according to researchers at Yale University…. The National Research Council asserts that ‘academic success, as defined by high school graduation, can be predicted with reasonable accuracy by knowing someone’s reading skill at the end of third grade.’”

A couple of easy ideas to help support your developing reader:

Turn on television captions: A number of studies have found that captions can boost comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and fluency. This tiny adjustment can have big results: "a child reading at the fifth-grade level who spends two hours a day watching a screen will read the equivalent of 120 pages each day—simply by having captions turned on."

Read aloud to your child: This serves as wonderful modeling for your student, as they hear a fluent reader who reads with expression.

If you do not have a lot of books at home or don't have time for a trip to our local library, check out the app BookSmart that enables parents to access hundreds of books with just a couple of clicks on a smartphone. The app currently offers about 400 books in English and Spanish for children ages three to 12. The app also offers questions about each story to support comprehension and retelling of main ideas and key details.

Other ideas as you read together:

• Repeated reading:

  Have your child read the same passage multiple times to improve accuracy and speed.

• Echo reading:

  Read a sentence or paragraph and then have your child repeat it back to you, mimicking your expression and pace.

• Partner reading:

  Take turns reading sections of a book with your child.

• Choose appropriate books:

  Select books at your child's reading level that are interesting and engaging.

• Reread favorite books:

  Allow your child to reread familiar stories to build fluency and confidence.

• Readers Theatre:

  Assign different roles in a story and have your child read their part aloud as part of a "play".

• Practice sight words:

  Regularly review high-frequency words to improve automatic word recognition.

• Ask comprehension questions:

  After reading, discuss the story to ensure understanding and engagement.

Building YTD: 94.95%

Chronic Absence: 10.64%

3rd Grade YTD: 94.77%

4th Grade YTD: 94.72%

5th Grade YTD: 94.90%

The percentage of students chronically absent has risen since December 2024. Our team will be following up with families of students with chronically absent students at the start of February to offer support to increase their attendance and work collaboratively to create healthy habits.

Does your child like to write? The Young Authors’ program is a great opportunity for our Kindergarten through 8th grade students. The students who participate will have their books judged by community volunteers. One winner will be selected for each grade level at each school. Entries will be due to your child’s school by Friday, March 14, 2025. Classroom teachers will be sharing more details soon!

This Valentine’s Day, we have a heartwarming opportunity to spread love and joy to seniors in our community who could really use a little extra kindness through State Senator Dave Syverson's Annual Valentines for Seniors Card Drive.

For many seniors, especially those who may be isolated or living in care facilities, these heartfelt gestures can be a beacon of light during a time when they might feel most alone. A Valentine’s Day card has the power to brighten their day, reminding them that they are loved, cared for, and remembered. We hope our students will participate by creating festive or decorated handwritten cards, encouraging and uplifting notes, or cheerful drawings.

Please drop off Valentines to our main office by February 7, 2025.

Dear Families:

As part of our ongoing learning series for parents/guardians on planning for their student’s future, our Special Education Talk for November will feature a presentation focused on employment. Our speaker will be Elijah Wedwick, a Career Planner with the McHenry County Workforce Network’s Young Adult Program, will be presenting on the essential skills that employers are looking for in the workforce. Utilizing the McHenry County Workforce Network’s connections with local businesses, he will be sharing the soft skills that our local employers value the most in their employees and discussing how you can begin preparing for success by building these skills now. He will also highlight the services that the Workforce Network has available for Young Adults who are transitioning into the workplace.

See event details below:

Event: Special Education Talk: Transitioning to Adult Services

Topic: Preparing for Success: Essential Skills for the Modern Workforce

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025

Time: 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM

Location: District Office Room 180

650 Dr. John Burkey Dr. Algonquin, IL 60102

Registration is not required, but is strongly encouraged. Please use this link to register.

This event will be recorded for future access and for those unable to attend. If you require any special accommodations or require a translator for this event, please contact Kelly LaTour at klatour@district158.org.

Thank you for partnering to prepare our students for their future. We look forward to expanding our understanding of these topics together.

Best Regards,

Deanna Gill, Ed.S.

Assistant Superintendent for Special Services

cc

Keith Panke, LIGHT Principal

Jill Shadel, Family Engagement Liaison

Kari Breese, Director of Secondary Special Services

Jackie Allen, Director of Elementary Special Services

El Comité de Padres Multilingües (MPAC) de Huntley los invita cordialmente al taller titulado: Salud Mental: Cómo desarrollarla en casa para educar hijos felices, presentado por el psicólogo Ferney Ramírez.

En este taller exploramos cómo los padres pueden fomentar un ambiente familiar positivo que ayude a sus hijos a manejar las altas demandas escolares, desarrollar hábitos saludables, y mejorar la comunicación en casa.

¡No se lo pierdan! Este evento es una gran oportunidad para aprender estrategias clave que promuevan el bienestar emocional de sus hijos y el éxito en la escuela.

Fecha: Martes, 4 de marzo

Hora: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Lugar: Heineman Middle School

725 John Burkey Dr., Algonquin, IL 60102

Contacto: 847.659.6151

February 7: Tie Dye

February 13: Valentine's Parties and Gear

February 21: Conley Spirit

February 28: Crazy Hair

The Huntley 158 Virtual Bulletin Board (VBB) is a way to connect Huntley 158 families with enrichment and educational events and programs in the community. This year, rather than receiving a separate email, families can find these opportunities on the district’s Virtual Bulletin Board webpage in our weekly newsletter. We encourage you to click the link and check out what’s happening for students and families in the community!

To submit a program or event for inclusion on the Huntley 158 VBB, organizations must be not-for-profit or a taxing body based in Huntley 158 boundaries or a surrounding community. Please email your event flyer in PNG or PDF format to kimoore@district158.org and include "VBB" in the subject line. To ensure accessibility for all, flyers must be accompanied by a brief description of your event that includes the name of your event, date, time, location, call to action/website link (if applicable) as well as contact information. Thank you!

3-5 Elementary School in Huntley Community School District 158

Address: Dr. John Burkey Dr formerly, 750 Academic Dr, Algonquin, IL 60102

Conley Main Office: 847-659-3700

Conley Absentee Line: 847-659-3711

Principal: Katie Surjan

Assistant Principal: Jeremy White

Principal's Administrative Assistant: Kathy Michel

Attendance Administrative Assistant: Lindsay Brunschon