October 2, 2020

  • Posted October 2, 2020
October 2, 2020

October 2nd

Dear Families,

Happy October! If you have not done so already, make sure that you get signed up for a Family Educator Conference for next week. This is a wonderful opportunity to check-in on your child’s progress together and determine next steps for the remainder of the trimester. 

Over the next few weeks, there will be a lot of information in order for us to have a successful return for hybrid learning. We thank you ahead of time for thoroughly reading the information and/or watching the videos. This will answer many of your questions and is a great way to stay up-to-date on the most recent information.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead! 

Fondly,

Bob Hanrahan

Specials Materials

Click the link here to learn what materials are needed for specials classes (Physical Education, Exploration lab, Music, Art) next week.

NEW *Upcoming Calendar/Schedule Reminders*

  • Thursday, October 8th is an Early Release.  Students will follow this schedule, and remote learning will end at 2:00pm.
  • Friday, October 9th there is no school as staff will be engaged in Family Educator Conferences.  Learning will resume on Monday, October 
  • Monday, October 12th, there is no school.
  • Tuesday, October 13th, there is no school due to the recent approval of a Remote Planning Day for all staff.

NEW *Commitment to Partnership*

As emphasized in Superintendent Schmidt's message sent on Tues., Sept. 29, implementing a hybrid in-person learning model is and must be a partnership. 

We know that some surrounding districts or schools that began their in-person learning plan have had to revert to full remote for a period of time. In many situations, this has been due to positive cases about which families were not truthful with the school or with the health department regarding symptoms and the diagnosis or with those conducting the contact tracing process.  

We are confident that the District 96 community will rise to the occasion and partner with us to ensure safety and success. Please think carefully about your commitment to our partnership before sending your kids to school.  

NEW *Updated Student Schedules and In-Person Learning Protocols*

UPDATED SCHEDULES will take effect for ALL of our students on the following schedule: 

  • Kindergarten – schedule effective beginning Oct. 15
  • Elementary – schedule effective for Grades 1–5 beginning Oct. 19 
  • (NOTE: Hybrid in-person learning begins for Grades 1 and 2 on Oct. 19. Hybrid in-person learning begins for Grades 3–5 on Oct. 29)
  • Middle – schedule effective beginning Oct. 29

For those returning to schools in the hybrid model, please review the IN-PERSON LEARNING PROTOCOLS thoroughly, so that you are prepared to complete and submit the required one-time annual self-certification and acknowledgment of protocols via a link in an email communication you will be sent after Oct. 5.

NEW *Updated COVID-19 Metrics*

This UPDATED COVID-19 METRICS is the information “dashboard” that maintains transparent and open communication around COVID-19 metrics. As a user of the dashboard, the District has access to COVID-19 data as recommended by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium. We review this data daily, update the dashboard weekly, and consider this data in making many decisions.

NEW *Wait List for Conference Sign-Up*

At this time, some of our staff members have a fully booked conference schedule. If you continue to be on the waiting list, feel free to reach out and set-up a brief phone conference with the staff member for another time. Thank you for understanding!

REPEAT  *D96 Calendar Change*

Please note the following addition to the current school year calendar:
NO SCHOOL Tues., Oct. 13 – State-Approved Remote Learning Planning Day
District 96 staff will use this day for professional development related to staff preparing for the transition to a hybrid model.

REPEAT *School Exclusion & Health Form Requirements*

Please know that students who do not have the necessary health forms on file will be excluded from school on October 15th.  Please see the information below for specific details and health form deadlines.

Health form requirements vary by grade level and for new/returning students. New to District 96 (all grade levels)? See MORE INFO regarding grade-level specific health form requirements.

All students entering Kindergarten must have their CERTIFICATE OF CHILD HEALTH EXAMINATION/IMMUNIZATION FORM (signed by the physician) on file in the school office by October 15, 2020.

All students entering Kindergarten must have their Vision Examination Form by October 15, 2020.

REPEATING *Tech Hub*

KCSD96 Family Technology Hub! The District 96 Family Technology Hub is designed to guide families through technology tools related to Enhanced Remote Learning. On this site, you can find links to the recordings and the corresponding Slides decks for the parent/family informational sessions from last week. You can also find tutorials on how to use  ZOOM, Schoology, Seesaw, Clever, Notability, and other iPad essential tools for student learning. Additionally, there is a link to email the technology support desk. Please save or bookmark this site. It will be updated with tools, resources, and tutorials through remote learning to better support your family.