Dear Families,
We enjoyed another successful week with students, and we are eagerly awaiting the reinitiation of our hybrid learning model next week. We greatly appreciate the patience of our school community as we navigate this transition. I look forward to seeing some students back in-person within the coming weeks and am excited to see our NEAT Bar technology back in action so that we can simultaneously and effectively meet the needs of our in-person and remote learners. Please make sure to read this week’s blog for additional information, and we hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
NEW *Commitment to 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 *Upcoming Dates & In-Person Learning Report Dates*
Please see the following District schedule, as announced in Superintendent Schmidt’s Jan. 13 SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE, including the Hybrid In-Person Return Schedule/Dates:
- January 18th: No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- January 19th: No School - State Allocated Planning Day
- January 20th: Virtual learning resumes for all students
- January 21st: 1st/2nd Grade students with last names beginning with the letters M–Z who selected the in-person hybrid learning option will report to school.
- January 25th: 1st–5th Grade students with last names beginning with the letters A–L who selected the in-person hybrid learning option will report to school
- January 28th: 3rd–5th Grade students with last names beginning with the letters M–Z who selected the in-person hybrid learning option will report to school
NEW *In-Person Learning Protocols (REVISED)
Families of in-person students, please be sure to review the revised IN-PERSON LEARNING PROTOCOLS. This information contains general expectations, health protocols, and safety protocols for families and their students who will be learning in-person in our schools.
NEW *Classroom & Specials Classes Materials Needed*
In addition to the Specials materials that have been in the Principal’s Message each week, we have asked classroom teachers to do the same. Moving forward we will include THIS LINK to help communicate what materials are needed for the week in all content areas. Please allow some time for the information to be populated by teachers. Expect the 1st and 2nd-grade tabs to updated by Wednesday of next week. Additionally, next week all in-person families will receive an email from their student’s teacher noting the materials that will be needed for their return to school.
New *FREE MEAL PACK PICK-UP*
Free meal pick-up will continue on Mondays and Thursdays at the middle schools, from 11am to 2pm as we begin to transition back to a hybrid learning schedule. However, parents no longer need to pre-order these meals. If you would like to view the menu, you can find it on the district website, labeled as Remote Learning Menu. This menu will no longer appear on the Linq website.
New *IN-PERSON LEARNING MEALS*
If your child is returning to in-person learning and you would like to take advantage of school meals, which will also be free, please pre-order only for the days that your child is in-person, NOT for remote learning days. If your child will be in-person next week on Thursday and Friday (January 21st and 22nd), please place your order online, via the Linq website, by 6:00pm Tuesday, January 19th. For future weeks, please place your orders by 6:00pm Thursday for the upcoming week. SEE MORE INFO about the process to create your account and preorder in-person meals.
Guided, Structured & Individual Learning Communities Lunch Information
ILC (Individual Learning Communities) will continue to have lunch provided for them, without needing to use the order form. If in the future SLC (Structured Learning Communities) and GLC (Guided Learning Communities) return to full-day instruction and there is a need for meal service, your family will receive additional communication.
NEW *Bus Route Times for In-Person Students*
All families who have students who have chosen in-person learning and will be taking the bus will have routing information emailed to them from the District next week.
Families of in-person students in the ILC (Individual Learning Communities), SLC (Structured Learning Communities) and GLC (Guided Learning Communities) have received transportation information. We will continue with the previously communicated information regarding bus routes, pick-up time,s and drop-off times.
NEW *Proactive Population Screening Info for Parents of Students Attending in-person*
Students learning in-person will need to participate in proactive population screening, providing a saliva sample once per week on a designated schedule.
Please CLICK HERE for information about the collection process, the schedule for the weekday your student's sample will need to be provided, and a saliva sample collection demonstration video.
NEW In-Person Lunch Procedures*
Students will eat lunch during the times that are noted in the hybrid learning schedule. That schedule is LINKED HERE for your convenience. All lunchtimes are supervised. All allergy protocols have been considered in the creation of your student's lunch accommodations. Students will be socially distanced while eating with careful considerations taken to ensure that students are doing so in accordance with CDC guidelines and recommendations.
NEW *Approved Snack List*
The District has not revised the APPROVED SNACK LIST from the 19-20 school year. The items the list includes are free of the Top 8 allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.
This list includes the foods that are approved for students' Daily Snacks eaten in the classroom.
IMPORTANT: All items for Daily Snacks– with the exception of fruits and vegetables– MUST be prepackaged to allow staff to easily check that snacks meet the approved requirements.
NEW *Transition Times*
As we return to in-person learning next week, please know that our classroom and Specials teachers will be helping students transition to their next classes at school at various points of the day. This may cause a slight delay in the teacher opening up the Zoom classroom for our remote learners. We thank you for your patience during this brief time frame until the teacher can admit our remote learners to class.
NEW *Arrival & Dismissal Video (Procedures)*
Please watch the video below. The video contains arrival and dismissal procedures for students that are returning to in-person learning on Thursday, January 21, 2021. The locations are similar to our typical arrival and dismissal areas, however, all students must enter through two entrances at Ivy Hall, unless you are arriving after 8:25 am. Our dismissal plans are unchanged regarding the exit areas. The main differences between our typical procedures and these modified procedures are related to arrival and health-screening. Students are being circulated through these two areas of the building because we have a health screening protocol in place to ensure that our students are symptom-free prior to entry. If your student is arriving after 8:25 am, we ask that the student be signed in through the front office. Please accompany your student at sign in, and please wear a face covering when entering the building. Students will be screened before entry. The staff is screening students to ensure that the daily health self-certification form was completed by your family. Passing through a screening area ensures that our students are symptom-free prior to entry because we are cross-referencing the form submission completed by you. Any changes to student transportation should still be completed in accordance with the district policy. Again, please watch the video below as it provides more clarity.
REPEATING *Pre Register for 2021–22 Kindergarten Beginning Jan. 11*
Preregister incoming 2021–22 kindergartners beginning January 11 and no later than January 31 to receive a free T-shirt for your incoming student. SEE MORE INFO
REPEATING *Preordering Free Meals in 2021*
***Preorder by 10 AM on Thursdays***
Pick up pre-ordered meals 11 AM–2 PM on Mondays (3 breakfast/lunch meal packs) and Thursdays (2 breakfast/lunch meal packs) at either Twin Groves or Woodlawn Middle School.
The first step to preorder is for families to create an account online and add each child receiving meals to the account. Please see THIS WEBPAGE for details and brief instructional videos of the account set-up and pre-ordering process.
Please direct questions to Betsy Fresen the District 96 Public Information Coordinator [email protected]
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.