KH: Week of October 21, 2024
👻 Boo!
Reminders
Dear Kimball Hill Parents,
I wanted to share some important reminders about upcoming events and express our sincere gratitude to our school community.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to our PTA for organizing a successful costume drive for students in need. Thanks to your generous donations, every child can enjoy a memorable Halloween.
As a friendly reminder, our hat and glove drive will continue until October 31st. If you'd like to donate, please drop them off or you may send with your child. Additionally, we are always accepting adult-sized gently used winter coats for those in need.
We are truly grateful for the support and generosity of our school community. Thank you for making our school a wonderful place to learn and grow.
Have a wonderful week!
As always, please reach out with any questions, concerns or feedback. Together, we can make a significant difference.
Warmly,
Michelle LaCamera
Kimball Hill Principal
847-963-5200
IMPORTANT DATES
October 19th- Costume Give Away 9-10am
October 21st-October 31st- Winter Hat & Glove Drive
October 23rd- Dine and Donate at Portillos
October 24th- Boo Bash and Book Fair 5:30-6:30pm
October 31st- Halloween Parade 1:30pm
Visit the District 15 Calendar for more information!
Safety News from Dr. Heinz
As you have likely heard on the news or read in the paper, there have been a number of school districts in Illinois, and across the country, that have received social media threats or had students make such comments at school.
Unfortunately, as we settle into Fall, we too have experienced similar threats made by students at some of our schools. Thankfully, these threats have been unfounded, and we have communicated with the schools and families involved. I am writing today to ask that you make time to talk to your child(ren) about school safety and the powerful impact words can have on the comfort and sense of security of others at school.
Parents/guardians, please partner with us and remind your child of the following:
- Written and/or verbal threats of violence or talk of weapons are never appropriate under any circumstances. There is no such thing as a joke when it comes to the safety of every student and staff member in District 15;
- There are significant consequences for using language or posting threats on social media about our school, staff, or classmates. These consequences may include expulsion from school for up to two years;
- Not to reshare social media posts that are threatening or harmful to others;
- Report any threat or other concerning statements through our "See Something, Say Something" campaign on the Bullying/Safety Tip Line found on their Chromebook’s home screen or on the website. Students should do so immediately;
- Use available tools to report threats: call the confidential Safe2Help tip line at (844) 472-3345; text SAFE2 at 72332; email Help@Safe2HelpIL.com; and
- Continue to remind your child that their language and word choice have an impact.
Threats against students, staff, and our school community may be addressed in partnership with our local police departments. When a threat is reported, we will:
- Investigate the threat with school officials and/or local law enforcement;
- Administer a threat assessment, a tool used to determine if a threat is credible, of the student(s) conducted by a team of school and/or district administration, counselors, psychologists, and/or social workers;
- Conduct a home visit by local law enforcement to determine if the student/family has access to weapons and the importance of safe storage of weapons;
- Assign significant consequences for the student(s), up to and including expulsion; and
- Consider whether or not to seek legal charges.
Last week, each of our middle schools shared a brief video message with students, emphasizing the importance of appropriate communication and reinforcing our shared responsibility to maintain a safe and supportive school environment. The message highlighted the serious consequences of making threats, whether written or verbal, and reminded students of our "See Something, Say Something" expectations. Again, we encourage you to discuss this important topic with your child at home to help reinforce this message.
At our elementary schools, our annual “See Something, Say Something” lessons on student safety have been updated to include a more explicit focus on appropriate school topics and conversation, to include how to respond and report any statements that cause concern.
As a district, the safety and security of staff and students will always be our main priority, but it also needs to be everyone's priority. Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our schools safe, and for helping to reinforce the importance of responsible behavior both in and out of school.
Rolling Meadows Halloween Event- click on the PDF below
PTA News
Halloween Costume Giveaway
Saturday, October 19th | 9 - 10 AM
Don't miss the costume drive outside Kimball Hill School and take home a free costume. We have collected over 80 costumes that are looking for kiddos to wear them!
Dine & Donate at Portillos
October 23rd | 5 - 8 PM
Join us for our October Dine & Donate at Portillos! Mention Kimball Hill PTA when you order or use code Portillos11 if you are ordering online.
Boo Bash!
Thursday, October 24th | 5:30 - 6:30 PM
We are bringing "trunk or treat" inside this year for a Cougar Boo Bash! After walking through the Boo Bash, please visit the Book Fair in the library or purchase some Lincoln Land popcorn to benefit our 5th graders! If your family would benefit from a sensory friendly timeslot, we will have that available from 5:15 - 5:30.
Reflections National PTA Art Contest
Entries due: October 25th
Make sure you have your Reflections Art Contest entries turned in by October 25th! We can’t wait to see what our creative Cougars create! You can turn in your entries at the Kimball Hill office or to your child's teacher.
Read the Official Rules: https://tinyurl.com/KHReflections24
Fill out the entry form: https://tinyurl.com/KHReflectionsForm24
HALLOWEEN PARADE & PARTY REMINDERS👻 🎃 🍭
School Wide Parade 1:30-1:45 pm
Students in Pre-K to 5th grade will be parading in their costumes outdoors. Parents are invited to watch the parade from the designated grassy area outside the yellow line, as shown in the attached picture. Please note that the outdoor parade is weather-dependent and will not be rescheduled if it's inclement. In case of bad weather, the parade will be moved indoors for students only. We hope for favorable weather conditions for this fun event!
Classroom Party 1:50-2:50 pm
After the Halloween parade, students in Pre-K to 5th grade will enjoy a classroom party sponsored and organized by our PTA and parent room representatives. School dismissal will be at 3:05 PM.
Students are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes to school for the day. We look forward to seeing our students dressed in festive Halloween or fall attire. However, we strongly emphasize the importance of choosing costumes that are comfortable and appropriate for a school environment. Costumes that do not adhere to our guidelines will not be permitted. Please carefully review the costume guidelines before selecting your child's outfit.
For students who do not celebrate Halloween, they will have the opportunity to participate in a fall-themed independent activity in the library.
Page 22 - Parent/Student Handbook
Per the Student Handbook: Students are permitted to wear costumes on Halloween as long as their attire complies with the above student appearance policy and meets the following set of expectations for a school setting:
Children should not wear bloody, gruesome, or especially scary costumes. Costumes involving fake blood are not allowed.
Actual weapons, look-alike weapons, toy weapons or weapon-like objects are not allowed.
Masks that cover the face and head are not allowed.
Costume make-up is allowed provided it does not cover the student’s entire face. Staff members must be able to identify students.
Costumes that could be offensive or perpetuate a stereotype about someone’s culture, gender, heritage or religion are not allowed.
Celebrations must be with non food/candy items
Parents can find potential non-food ideas on the district website.
Thursday, Oct 31, 2024, 01:30 PM
Kimball Hill Elementary School, Meadow Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL, USA
Veterans Day Reminder- PLEASE RSVP by NOVEMBER 4th
Looking ahead, our annual Veterans Day assembly is coming up on November 11th, a special event to honor our community veterans. We want to give advance notice for those that may want to participate. f you have a beloved veteran in your family you'd like to honor, we invite you to submit a picture for a slideshow during the assembly. You can drop the picture into this Veterans Day photos folder or email it to leachm@ccsd15.net. All pictures must be submitted no later than November 4th.
Space at the assembly is limited, but we'd be honored to welcome veterans themselves, along with 1-2 additional family members. If you'd like to attend with your veteran, please RSVP for Veteran. The sign along assembly is tentatively scheduled for the afternoon and will be shared with those signed up. Of course, if you prefer to only share a picture, that's perfectly welcome and deeply appreciated!
Students will learn about the sacrifices these brave individuals made for our country, and will participate in a school-wide sing-along of songs they've practiced in Music class. To show our spirit, we encourage all students to wear red, white, and blue on that day!
