The Grove Grizzly

Be sure to also check out the information in the Grizzly regarding our upcoming Safety Week and Family Movie Night! Tickets and concession packages are on sale now!! Please note, tickets are not included in movie night packages and must be purchased separately. PTO is also looking for sponsorships, see the flyer below!! Thank you for your support of Grove Avenue School.

Please mark your calendar with the following important information:

Friday, September 27th - Early Release for Elementary Students: 8-10:45am

Thursday, March 20th - Early Release for Elementary Students: 8-10:45am

Thursday, April 17th - Early Release for Elementary Students: 8-10:45am

**Every Wednesday Elementary School Dismissal is at 2:10pm

If your child has a change to their dismissal transportation on early release days, please inform the front office and classroom teacher.

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. 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. If you need directions to add school time to your child's Apple Watch, please click here.

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.

During the first half of 2024, more than 2,500 community members collaborated on a plan to continue to improve Barrington 220's aging school buildings. The final $64M community-driven plan will go to you, the voter, for approval as a referendum question on this November 5 election ballot. If successful, the referendum will:

● Increase Safety & Security throughout Barrington 220

● Build a New Community Auditorium at Barrington High School

● Enhance STEAM and Instructional Spaces for Students

Join us at one of our upcoming community meetings to learn more about the referendum, tour current spaces, and see why these improvements are needed:

● 6pm Monday, Sept. 9 at Barrington High School

● 6pm Wednesday, Sept. 18 at Station Campus

● 6pm Thursday, Sept. 19 at Barbara B. Rose Elementary

● Noon Saturday, Sept. 28 at Barrington High School (immediately following the homecoming

parade)

National Bullying Awareness Month is coming up in October, and we'd like to take this opportunity to let you know what we are doing to create a safe and supportive school environment for all. By being accepting, kind and inclusive, you can help make the world a better place. To learn more about See Something, Say Something, bullying prevention and policies here in District 220, click here

As part of safety week, our School Psychologist, Tonya Tompkins-Wisz, will be starting our Erin’s Law presentations with classes in September. There will be one lesson per class and it might take into October 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 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.

Due to a change in school code by the Illinois State Board of Education, this school year a medical note is required for parents/guardians who select the: “MEDUE: Medical/Dental Appointment” excuse option for their student in Infinite Campus or call their student out of school for a medical/dental appointment.

The revised school code defines "valid cause" for absence as the following: Illness, including the mental or behavioral health of the student; attendance at a verified medical or therapeutic appointment; appointment with a victim services provider. Please note that the student’s absence will be marked unexcused in Infinite Campus until a medical note is provided.

We understand this is a change in practice from previous years. Please know that our front office is here to help answer any questions or concerns you may have.

We are excited to kick off the year with outdoor education in all grade levels. You will be hearing more from your child's teacher shortly regarding their area of study, date, and time of the related field trip. Below are the dates we look forward to getting a little dirty.

9/11 or 9/12 - 2nd Grade Grigsby Prairie

9/11 or 9/13 - 3rd Grade Wormery Center

9/12 - Kindergarten Crabtree Nature Center

9/17- First Grade Crabtree Nature Center

9/23 - 4th Grade Flint Creek Savannah

10/22 & 23 - 5th Grade Camp Timber-lee

September 9th - 13th - Safety Week

Friday, September 20th - Grove Family Movie Night, 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, September 24th- PTO/Room Parents Meeting with special guest Superintendent Dr. Craig Winkelman, 9:15 a.m., Grove Multi-Purpose Room (MPR)

Thursday, September 26th - Families New to Grove Mixer, KGround (Primary playground), 4-6 p.m.

Friday, September 27th - Early Release day for Students Elementary Day: 8-10:45am

Saturday, September 28th - Homecoming

The Family Movie Night fundraiser is just 2 weeks away on Friday, September 20th - featuring the movie Elemental!

We will have a taco truck, ice cream truck, concessions & some pre-show music featuring our very own DJ Denis Billen! See the flyer below for more details and come ready to have fun!!

• Family Movie Night Tickets & Sponsorship opportunities are available here: https://tinyurl.com/2024MovieNightTickets
• Let's make this night a success! Sign up to volunteer with set-up, during the event or with clean-up: https://tinyurl.com/2024MovieNightVolunteers

For all Kindergarten and new families that have joined our school this year, the Grove Ave PTO would like to invite you to join us for a play date! Join us on Thursday, September 26th from 4:30-6pm on the K-ground for the Grove New Family Mixer! See the flyer below for more details.

• Kindergarten families - 4:30-5:15pm
• New families - 5:15-6:00pm

Meet other Grove families! Enjoy a treat with new friends! Learn about the fun PTO activities coming this year!

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

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

Dr. Winkelman, Superintendent of Barrington 220 schools and Dr. Carpenter, Assistant Superintendent of Barrington 220 schools will be at Grove's PTO General Meeting on Tuesday, September 24th at 9:15am in the MPR to share information about the Referendum project and help answer any questions from our community.

If you would like to ask a question ahead of time or are unable to attend the meeting, please share your questions here. Thank you!