The Grove Grizzly

The start of our new school year is quickly approaching. Our learners are scheduled to return to school in the next few weeks. I hope that your family had the opportunity to enjoy all of the travel, fun activities, and relaxation that we all aspire to enjoy each summer! It is a privilege to serve the Grove community as the next building Principal. This year, we are transitioning to Smore for Grove Grizzly communications. You will notice Smore communications can be translated into many languages using the on-screen translation menu at the top of the page. We hope this new format provides you with the opportunity to stay informed about Grove and PTO news! This special edition of the Grizzly features the annual Principal Back to School Letter. Please click below to read the Back-to-School correspondence.

Classes will resume for grades 1 through 5 at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, August 19th. All kindergarten students will start on Wednesday, August 21st at 8:00 a.m. Students should bring the following items with them to school on the first day:

• Backpack and Gym Shoes

• School-issued iPad and Earbuds (returning students in grades 1-5)

• Packed lunch bag OR plan to buy lunch at school

• Water Bottle

• Fresh fruit/veggies or cheese for a snack

• A great book to read (grades 2-5)

• Excitement for an amazing year!!!

All car riders and walkers should be dropped off and picked up on Grove Avenue. Bus riders will continue to be dropped off and picked up in the circle drive at the main entrance of the school. Upon arrival, students will 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. Starting at 7:55 a.m., students will enter the building, and all classes will begin at 8:00 a.m. Please note there will not be supervision on the playgrounds until 7:40 a.m., so students should not arrive before 7:40 a.m. Any students who arrive at 7:55 a.m. or after will need to enter the building at the main entrance by the office and must be accompanied by an adult to sign the child in for the day. This procedure is in place to maintain the safety of our students and ensure that all students are accounted for in our daily attendance.

We request that parents communicate with their children in the morning before leaving for school with any changes to students’ plans for going home. Should a last minute change arise for how a student will get home, parents should communicate the change by calling the main office to ensure that the message is received and can be communicated to classroom teachers and children, as classroom teachers may not see an email message in time. Please be sure to view the linked video of our arrival and dismissal procedures for Grove Avenue if you are planning on dropping off or picking up your child. It is critical that all parents or caregivers follow these procedures in order to ensure a smooth drop off or pick up process and to keep all children and adults safe. Please share these procedures with individuals who will be aiding in transporting students to and from school.

Bus route information is now available through the My Ride K-12 (formerly Ride 360) app. Parents should only rely on information from My Ride K-12 for up-to-date bus information in the 2024-25 school year. PLEASE NOTE - kindergarteners who ride the bus home in the afternoon will need to be met by a parent/caregiver at the bus stop, unless they are riding the bus with an older sibling. If you have forgotten your parent portal log-in or wish to set up a new account, please call the Infinite Campus Help Desk at 847-842-3580.

We anticipate that Grove’s intermediate playground will be completed by mid to late September. Safety fencing has been installed to mark the footprint of the new playground and subsequent drainage retention. Students in grades 3-5 can utilize the basketball courts and open soccer fields during recess until the playground project is completed. We extend thanks to Barrington 220 and Grove PTO for supporting this exciting project.

All personal electronic devices such as cell phones or smart watches must remain in students’ lockers or can be given to classroom teachers for safe keeping throughout the school day. This minimizes disruptions and distractions to the instructional day and maintains a productive learning environment for all students. We'd like to communicate the district's existing personal electronic devices expectations to minimize distractions and enhance face-to-face classroom connections:

Digital Mobile Devices are not permitted in learning environments. Devices must remain powered down and out of sight during class time.

This year, our food service program will continue to offer breakfast and lunch. There will also be a milk-only option for those who bring their lunch from home and want milk. In addition to the daily lunch options, sunbutter and jelly will be available everyday. The menu will be shared on the District website. Please note that the menu items are subject to change based on availability. As a reminder, the cost for a school lunch this year is $3.45 (milk included) and $0.85 (for milk alone.) The cost for school breakfast is $1.80. The application and fees for Free/Reduced is located in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal (select ‘More’ on the left hand Menu and then click on ‘Meals Benefits’). Students purchasing meals will pay for them using their lunch cards, which will be kept in the classrooms and brought down each day. Students purchasing breakfast will provide their name and ID # to the kitchen staff; no card is needed.

Each classroom has a designated snack time each day. Students are permitted to bring in fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, or a cheese stick for snack time. Please send your student with a healthy snack and a refillable water bottle on the first day of school. Classroom teachers will share additional information about snack procedures. Carbonated beverages are not allowed. Please continue to keep in mind that food-related birthday treats are NOT permitted at Grove. In addition, classroom teachers limit using food as a reward. We will have food for special celebrations, such as our holiday parties and our annual pancakes and pajamas for the Family Reading Program, but celebrations with food will be kept to a minimum. Parents can expect to be notified ahead of time if a teacher is planning something curriculum-related or a special event that will include food. Safe alternatives will be provided to students when necessary.

As we prepare to start the school year, it is important that students and families establish regular routines to maximize student attendance to school. For younger learners, sometimes this means helping students feel more comfortable about a transition away from home and caregivers. Please note that for students who struggle to maintain regular attendance, parents/families will receive additional communication, conference requests, and other interventions to support regular school attendance, in accordance with state law.

Click on this tip sheet from Barrington Youth and Family Services for some Back to School Tips.

We continue to keep the safety and security of our students and staff as our highest priority. Specific bus procedures and security measures for parents to keep in mind when they come to Grove are listed below.

• Visitor Check-In: All visitors must present a valid government-issued photo identification when checking in at the main office. Visitors are required to wear a visitor badge at all times while in the building. Please note, we do not permit visitors to enter the building via Grove Avenue or any other entrance. All visitors must come to the school’s main entrance located off of Illinois and Cook Streets to check-in at the main office.

• Item Drop-Off: We have a shelf in the foyer at the main entrance for parents/guardians to drop off items for children during the school day, and school staff will then make sure that the item(s) are delivered to students.

• Bus Security Measures: Students in elementary grades K-5 will again scan on and off the school bus each day using an ID Card clipped to their backpack by a red plastic coil keychain. New ID cards for the 2024-2025 school year will be handed out to families during Meet the Teacher on August 16th. Students who are unable to attend on August 16th will receive their ID Card on the first day of school. Returning students should continue to use the red coil keychain that they received previously. A limited amount of replacement coil keychains will be available at the school office for a $2.00 replacement fee. New students will be issued a red plastic coil keychain with their ID.

Please click on this link for the District 220 school year calendar and make note of the days there are no student attendance. Also, please note there are three early release days spread throughout this school year. The first early release day is Friday, August 30th. Elementary students are released at 10:45 AM on these early release days.

Class Placements: Class schedules and transportation assignments will be available on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal on Monday, August 5th after 8:00 AM. Please note, posted class assignments will only be available for families who have completed online registration. Please reach out directly to the district office registrar at 847-842-3534 if you do not see this information in IC on Monday, August 5th.

Meet the Teacher: We can’t wait to see all our K-5 students! Please plan to attend our Meet the Teacher event on Friday, August 16th from 2:00-2:45 p.m. Returning students in grades 1-5 should bring their math summer study workbooks and reading logs with them to turn into their new teacher at the Meet the Teacher event. PTO will provide a spirit wear pop up shop and popsicles on the primary playground! Thank you, PTO!

Spirit Day: Our PTO has several fun, school spirit-related activities planned for students during the first week of school. The week will culminate with an all-school spirit day on Friday, August 23rd. Students and staff are encouraged to wear our school colors red, black, and white, or Grove spirit wear to school on the 23rd!

Parent Curriculum Night: Our staff is eager to share details about the school year and each of their unique classrooms with you on Thursday, September 5th during Grove’s Parent Curriculum Night, beginning at 6:30 p.m. At this time, you will have an opportunity to get to know your child’s teacher and receive an overview of the grade-level curriculum and classroom expectations. The evening will be an in-person event. More specific details regarding the schedule for this evening will be coming soon. We view this evening as an important opportunity to communicate with parents, and we look forward to your participation.

School Pictures and Family Pictures: Fall pictures for students will be held during the school day on Thursday, August 29th. We will be offering our annual Family Pictures throughout the evenings of Tuesday, August 27th and Wednesday, August 28th. Family pictures taken on these evenings will be added to our Grove Family picture wall in the main hallway of the school. Additional details and a sign-up for family pictures will be coming soon!

PTO Back to School Family Movie Night: The Grove PTO will be hosting a Back to School Family Movie Night to be held outside on the grounds of Grove for all of our families on Friday, September 20th. More details are coming regarding this fun filled evening for our entire Grove community!!

We will continue to communicate via our new Grove Smore newsletter to convey information from the office, school staff, and our wonderful PTO. In addition, please follow the Grove Facebook Page and @GroveAve220 on Twitter to see snapshots of the day-to-day activities going on in our school. Even if you followed us before, please refollow @GroveAve220 on Twitter! In order to get to know the Grove community better, I invite you to complete this short survey regarding your learners and your Grove experience.

As part of Framework 220, Health and Wellness, District 220 will implement Character Strong into our daily learning schedule. In preparation for our district adoption of Character Strong, our staff read Houston Kraft’s book Deep Kindness over the summer. I invite our Grove adult learners to join our learning community by reading this book alongside us this fall. More information about Character Strong will be shared at Grove’s Parent Curriculum Night!

Research supports the importance of family involvement in education. Family involvement in education is linked to higher rates of school attendance, better grades, higher performance on testing, and much more. Family involvement increases student success mainly because of the partnership you form with the school.

Our Grove Avenue Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) is integral to this ongoing partnership. It supports the school in achieving the above and creates events and activities for all of us to come together as one school community. Together, the PTO and Grove staff strive to model a committed partnership focused on creating engaging, supportive, and fun educational experiences that empower personal excellence in every learner.

If you are new to Grove the PTO will help acclimate you to Grove, help you stay informed on upcoming PTO/School events, and get you connected. One of the best ways to make new friends in a new community is to volunteer and work together on common activities or events as well as come to the PTO meetings!

General Questions - email contact for PTO:

GAvenuePTO@gmail.com