Happy Winter Break!
Dear Parents,
As we head into winter break, I would like to extend a sincere thank you from all Prairie staff members for your support during this most unusual school year. We appreciate how you are helping your child navigate online learning and that you recognize the hard work we are doing on our end. Educating your child is always a team effort and, this year, it is even more so.
We would all rather be at school in-person learning, but it's important to note that there have been many celebrations in the remote environment. In a recent meeting, teachers shared the following celebrations about Zoom life. "I feel that I know my students so well seeing them at home. It provides me a deeper level of understanding about them." Many teachers mentioned that they are building relationships not only with their students but with the whole family, "It's fun when a sibling pops into class to say hello. I really enjoy getting to know everyone at home." Another teacher shared that her students are so excited to introduce their pets to the class and that it's neat to see the love they share for their four-legged family members. "Students are doing really well in the remote environment," shared a different staff member, "their independence skills have really grown since the beginning of the year." Student and staff skills around utilizing technology in the learning environment have soared as well providing an expanded platform for academic conversations. With these celebrations, it is clear that relationships continue to be strong and that learning is in full swing.
We all wish you a relaxing winter break where you can spend the time as you wish doing fun family activities. Happy holidays and a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year to all!
Kindly,
Christine Pfaff & The Entire Prairie Staff
NEW *Materials Pick Up*
On Friday, January 8th from 8:00am - 3:00pm we will be having a materials pick-up for items needed for the 2nd trimester. Students will need these materials whether we are in a remote or hybrid learning environment. Materials will be set up in the vestibule of the school. The doors will be unlocked so there is no need to ring the bell. Materials will be organized by the classroom teacher's name and then alphabetically in the box. Please remember to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Thank you for your continued support in retrieving these materials.
NEW *Superintendent’s Message*
The following information was shared via email on December 16, 2020, however, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the information shared by Superintendent Julie Schmidt at last Tuesday’s board of education meeting. LINKED HERE is a video presentation and other information, including a review of additional mitigation measures that lower the risk of transmission in our schools. There will be future updates on January 6th and January 12th. If conditions allow there will be an announcement for the reinitiation of the hybrid/in-person model. Please read Superintendent Schmidt’s message and view the video to learn more.
NEW *Lunch Bunch*
We are excited to offer students an extra opportunity to socialize with their classmates. We will be starting a “Lunch Bunch” on January 5, 2021. One time per week, students can stay logged into their classroom teacher's Zoom link during the lunch break. A support staff member will supervise this time for students to socialize with their classmates. This is an optional activity and students can choose to join for the whole lunch period or part of the lunch period. Please see the schedule below for the day of the week your child's class “Lunch Bunch” will take place.
NEW *Kindergarten Registration*
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
NEW *GIRLS ON THE RUN 2021*
Attention Parents/Guardians of 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Girls!
We are excited to announce that for its 10th Season, Prairie is offering Girls on the Run!! GOTR International took the summer to create a great virtual program and since right now D96 is fully remote, and could be hybrid again when the metrics change, our GOTR will be FULLY VIRTUAL this year. Meetings will be 45-60 minutes online after school twice a week (on Wednesday from 3:30-4:30 and Thursdays 4:00-5:00pm. The program will also include 20-30 minutes of offline independent work. The season will start in early March, go through early May, and culminate with our own Celebration or a GOTR virtual movement challenge (depending on health and safety conditions).
If you would like to indicate your interest for your girl to participate please CLICK HERE to fill out this form by January 18th. If you need more information about GOTR in general, please visit their website www.girlsontherun.com or GOTR Chicago: www.gotrchicago.org. If you have general questions for GOTR-Prairie, please contact Erin Sauer at [email protected].
REPEATING *ComEd Bill Payment Assistance Options*
ComEd has provided bill payment assistance options for families experiencing financial hardship. Please find info HERE.
REPEATING *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.
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.