Dear Families,
This week some of our 1st and 2nd-grade students returned to in-person learning. It has been a joy to have students back at school. Everyone was wearing big smiles behind their masks, which were visible through “smiling eyes.” Teachers spent Tuesday, January 19th preparing for the return to in-person learning and refamiliarizing themselves with the NEAT Bar technology, which provides a full classroom view to students at home. Next week, we look forward to adding the 3rd - 5th-grade students who will return to in-person instruction.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Principal Hanrahan
IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR PARENTS OF IN-PERSON LEARNERS
- Parents of in-person students must submit the Annual Self-Certification Form BEFORE their student can attend in-person.
If the Annual Self-Certification Form has not been submitted for an in-person student and the student comes to school, the student’s parent will be called to pick up the student.
- Students in Early Childhood–Grade 2 must bring their saliva samples to school on the designated day it is due.
Parents whose students do not bring their saliva samples will be called to come to the school and bring their student’s sample collection vial, barcode label, and plastic baggie and assist their student in collecting the sample.
The schedule for saliva sample collection for EC–Grade 2 is as follows:
- Monday: Ivy Hall Grades 1-2 (Last names A-L)
- Tuesday: Ivy Hall Grades 1-2 (Last names M-Z)
See MORE INFO regarding saliva samples and collecting them.
• Daily Self-Certification is a requirement for in-person attendance.
To access the required Daily Self-Certification Form, you need to log into TeacherEase each day your student will attend in person to submit self-certification.
This VIDEO gives instructions, including how to access the daily self-certification form using your cell phone (iOS or android).
If you will be using your home computer to send daily self-certification, we suggest that you bookmark the TeacherEase website. The link is: https://www.teacherease.com/common/login.aspx
PREORDERING FREE MEALS FOR IN-PERSON LEARNERS
If your child is participating in in-person learning next week (Jan. 25–29) and you would like your student to receive free meals in the building on those in-person days, please pre-order using the Linq website (onlineordering.linq.com). Find info about how to create your account and order HERE.
Important Notice: The preordering opportunity has been EXTENDED for the week of Jan. 25, 2021, only. Please place your preorders by 6 p.m. on Sun., Jan. 24. Preorder ONLY for the days that your child is learning in-person in the school building. (Do not order for the remote learning days.)
For all subsequent weeks, please place your orders by 6 p.m. on Thursdays for the week ahead. (For example, be sure you have placed your preorder for the week of Feb. 1–5 no later than Thurs., Jan. 28 at 6 p.m.)
These meals are free to all students through the Summer Food Service Program of the USDA. This program is anticipated to be in place through the end of this 2020–2021 school year.
UPDATED *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 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 *PTO Blog*
As always, please check out our PTO blog for updates. You can visit this blog by clicking the link here.
REPEATING *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. PLEASE NOTE: If you send your child to school without their sample on their designated collection day you will be asked to come to (school) with your child's testing materials to collect the sample from your child before they enter their classroom, or pick your child up to change to remote learning. I encourage you to set reminders and alarms on your phone or whatever means to best support this routine.
REPEATING *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.
REPEATING *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.
REPEATING *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.
REPEATING 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.
REPEATING *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.
REPEATING *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.
REPEATING *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.