We are so proud of our Hatch Tigers! They did an amazing job engaging in the first week of school and adjusting to virtual learning. Check out one way our staff welcomed students back on Tuesday with this video. Please know that we understand that this is a new normal for our students and will be responsive to their changing needs. The first week is all about building relationships and teaching students the virtual learning expectations. As we transition into a more academic focus, please reach out to your child’s teacher directly if there are specific pieces of the experience that are either working very well or not. Your feedback is important to us as we design our delivery of services around responsive practices!
Thank you to all our families for helping students experience a successful first week. Starting next week, we are beginning to assess student skills, levels and learning behaviors. Please support us in this work by allowing your child to attempt tasks independently in their classes even if they struggle a bit. The teacher is constantly observing learning behaviors in order to determine next steps for each student. We appreciate your help as we navigate virtual learning and assessment!
I also wanted to share another quick video from D97 welcoming all of our staff and students to the 2020-21 school year!
Please join us for the Hatch Curriculum Night on Wednesday, September 9th : K-2 will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and 3-5th will be held from 6:30-7:30. During our Curriculum Night, you will have the opportunity to hear about the various learning experiences we have planned this year. There will be two sessions per grade level so that families with more than one child can attend each classroom presentation. K-2 Session A will run from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Session B will run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 3-5th Session A will run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Session B will run from 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. If you do not need to attend two classroom sessions, I highly recommend you visit our Library, Music, Art, PE, and Spanish teachers. We have an amazing fine arts team that would love to share their curriculum and programming information with you!
Setting Up the Student iPad
Thank you for everyone's patiences as everyone adjusts to all the amazing new technology! If you could please take a few minutes over the weekend to confirm the following is set correctly on your student's District 97 iPad it would be greatly appreciated!
The correct date and time are set
The iPad has been renamed as the child's name
The child is signed into Google Drive
Here is the iLearn Remote Learning Website full of helpful videos on how to use the iPad
*Just a reminder that after a great week of learning you should power your iPad off completely once a week so it can receive updates when it reopens!*
Oak Park Public Library Cards
Two apps that are on the student iPads are Libby and Hoopla! Both of these apps offer ebooks and audiobooks directly to the iPad at no cost! They borrow the books just like they would from the library! In order for your student to have access to these apps they need an Oak Park Public Library Card! In library class with Mrs. Howe next week, she will be showing grades 2 - 5 how to set-up Libby and Hoopla. It would make everything run smoothly if you could please make sure your student has written down their OPPL card number and 4 digital pin number. If you need to sign-up for card, reset your pin, or figure out what card number is, the Oak Park Public Library can help! If you want to learn more about Libby and Hoopla check out these How to websites from OPPL!
Hatch Habits
This week on Wednesday morning the teachers shared the Hatch Habits of Remote Learning with all the students! Learn all about the Hatch Tigers will BE RESPECTFUL, BE RESPONSIBLE and BE SAFE during the 2020-2021 school year here!
News from Nurse Rossi
Welcome back! A Hatch Virtual Health Office has been created. Check out the information. I am available by phone, email, and Zoom. My contact information is in the virtual health office. Do not hesitate to contact me for any questions or concerns.
GET THE FLU SHOT! This year is especially critical to get a flu shot. Along with wearing masks, and physical distancing, flu shots help keep us safe.
We hope you all enjoy the long weekend! There is no remote learning on Monday, September 7th, due to the Labor Day holiday. We will resume our learning schedules on Tuesday, September 8th.
Sarah Mendez
Hatch School Principal
1000 N Ridgeland Ave
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 524-3095
D97 Back-to-School Fact Sheet
Check out this fact sheet (or click the image below) for important D97 Back-to-School information!
Share Your Back-to-School Photos!
District 97 families—we want to see your back-to-school photos! You can share your photos by tweeting us (@OakPark97, use the hashtags #MyD97 and #OakPark97) or emailing them to [email protected]. If you email us photos or videos, we will make sure they comply with the board policies and laws that govern issues such as privacy, appropriate use, etc. before they get posted.
Free/Reduced Lunch Application
We know that a common experience for many families during this health crisis is the loss of jobs and income. This change in income may qualify your children for free or reduced-price meals. We encourage all families who currently qualify to take a few minutes to complete the National School Lunch application as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please email the district's food service coordinator, Carla Ellis, at [email protected].
PTO Reminders
The first PTO meeting of the year will be September 15 featuring two fantastic speakers on Executive Functioning and how to help set your kids up for success with remote learning. The PTO is also looking for volunteers for various positions, most requiring just a few hours a month (if that!) of your time and Hatch SpiritWear is going on sale! Check out Sunday's Hatch Happenings newsletter for all the details. If you're not on the list yet, sign up here.