Willow Bend School News
September 5, 2021
A Note From Mr. Harris
The 2021-22 school year is off to a great start! Each classroom community has taken time to develop a positive climate and culture where all students feel comfortable and safe, therefore available for instruction. I am so very proud of our students for their adaptability, flexibility, and resilience as we once again ask them to comply with things that we know are cumbersome and difficult for them. Kudos to you for supporting our efforts and promoting the positives with both your words and actions. Our home / school partnership is invaluable to us and we appreciate the efforts you have made to help keep us in school.
Please keep in mind that despite our efforts, there remain variables that are out of our control. We have all seen the direction the metrics are heading and many of us have heard about mitigations that may be introduced on a more global level. While school is the best place for your child to be, there may be occasions when your child could be excused from attending. Please consider your options and devise a plan for your children, should they be in quarantine or isolation. Also, as a reminder, “students will only be offered concurrent learning if testing positive for COVID-19, if deemed a close contact to a positive case by the school nurse, or if presenting a letter from the health department indicating that the student is a close contact to an individual outside of school.”
In keeping with the practice of keeping our students safe, District 15 schools conduct safety drills during the school year. We will be practicing drills for fire/evacuation, inclement weather, bus evacuation, and hard and soft lockdowns. All drills will be announced and presented in an age appropriate manner to all students. If you anticipate your child to have difficulty participating in any of our drills, please contact your child's teacher and also fill out the form below in this newsletter. Our first Lockdown drill is scheduled for Tuesday, September 14th.
Sincerely,
Mr. Harris
Upcoming Dates to Remember
Monday, September 6th - Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, September 8th - Board of Education Meeting 7pm @ WRS Jr. High
Monday, September 13th - Picture Day
Tuesday, September 14th - Lockdown Drill - AM
October 11th - Columbus Day - No School
October 12th - Student Non-Attendance Day - No School
Parent Orientation - Wednesday, September 8.
6:00 - 6:25 - Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade
6:30 - 6:55 - Third and Fourth Grade
7:00 - 7:25 - Fifth and Sixth Grade
Joining Virtually will be at these designated times as well.
*We will be sending out information for Parent/Teacher Conferences (in November) some point after Parent Orientation.
School Safety Drills/Lockdown Opt Out
District 15 is strongly committed to school safety. Each year, school are required by by Illinois School Code to conduct the following drills:
Three evacuation drills. One of the three evacuation drills must be supervised by the fire department.
One bus evacuation drill.
One severe weather/shelter-in-place drill.
Two law enforcement (lockdown) drills. One of these two law enforcement drills must be a staff initiated lock-down. The schools also conduct an annual drill review meeting with principals and representatives from police and fire departments to continuously improve each school’s readiness to respond to an emergency and/or crisis situation.
House Bill 2400 (The School Safety Drill Act) states:
All lockdown drills will be announced to all school personnel and students prior to the commencement of the drill.
Schools will provide sufficient information and notification to parents and guardians in advance of any lockdown drill that involves the participation of students.
Schools will provide parents and guardians an opportunity to exempt their child for any reason from participating in the walk-through lockdown drill.
Schools will provide alternative safety education and instruction related to an active threat or active shooter event to students who do not participate in a walk-through lockdown drill to provide them with essential information, training, and instruction through less sensorial safety training methods.
Building administrators will notify families of upcoming drills at least one week in advance of the drill. If you prefer your child does NOT participate in the yearly required lockdown drills, please complete this form. Please submit one form for each of your children you are opting out.
District 15 Career Fair
District 15 will be holding a Career Fair on Tuesday, September 21, 2021 from 12:00-3:00pm at the Palatine Library, 700 N. North Ct. in Palatine. Please encourage anyone you know looking for employment to come apply onsite. Available positions include:
- Bus Drivers - no experience necessary; paid training; free benefits (employee only); pension; paid holidays
- Substitute Teachers and Substitute Program Assistants - set your own schedule!
- Full time Program Assistants
- Office and Library Clericals
- Maintenance/Laborers/Custodians
- And more!
Please contact Chanell Lopez at lopezc@ccsd15.net or Lori Thum at thuml@ccsd15.net with any questions.
New Pick Up Procedures
Bus Transportation
Parent/Student Handbook
The 2021-22 Parent/Student Handbook is now available online! You can view it here.
The annual handbook is a summary of Board of Education policies governing District 15. The complete School District 15 Board of Education Policy Manual is available for public review at the District office and on the District 15 BoardDocs website. State and federal laws require school districts to notify parents and students about certain rights, responsibilities, and procedures; you will find that information in this handbook. This handbook may be amended during the year.
The handbook offers information pertinent to the District as a whole. Some programs and procedures may differ from school to school, based on the size and location of the building, the grades served, the facilities available, and the programs conducted at the school. Your school administrators will inform you of these additional procedures. The handbook is intended to be a handy resource, but is not meant to take the place of personal communication between home and school. Please feel free to call your child’s school if you have any questions on programs or procedures, or consult your school’s website.
Willow Bend Elementary School
Website: www.ccsd15.net/WB
Location: 4700 Barker Avenue, Rolling Meadows, IL, USA
Phone: 847-963-7300