Thank you for your cooperation and support as we made the transition to a hybrid model. Our remote students and families have been patient and kind as we learn a new way of providing instruction once again. Our hybrid families were extremely considerate of our teachers in following the safety protocols and new procedures. Every day we will get better and better at this new normal. Once again, our Hatch community has come together to make things work! We are so grateful!
Here are a few reminders for hybrid families to help us improve our procedures and keep everyone safe:
As a reminder, all hybrid learning students must be self-certified every morning no later than 7:15 am using the CrisisGo form sent to your email. If you habitually do not certify your child for entry, your child may be asked to return to remote learning. Please let the office know if your child is staying home on a particular day, but complete the form every day to prevent them being flagged in the system. Thank you!!
Cold weather expected! Today began a period of frigid temperatures that is expected to continue through next week. Hybrid families, please send your child as close to their line up time as possible so they are not waiting in the cold. Please do NOT be late for drop off or pick up. We do not have the option to bring students inside. If you choose to keep your child home and have them participate remotely, please just let the office and your child’s teacher know. We have updated the times for entering the building in the hopes of getting students in just a little bit faster. The new times are listed below. Please see the map to double check your time.
Previous Entrance Time New Entrance Time
7:50 7:50
7:55 7:53
8:00 7:57
8:05 8:03
Please allow your child to line up independently. Only staff and students are allowed in the line up areas for both entrance and dismissal. Please stand across the street or away from the line. Thank you!
We are unable to accept visitors currently, so please do not drop off forgotten items. We will make adjustments for students in the classroom as needed.
Playground will be closed in the morning and at dismissal to maintain the integrity of our classroom pods.
Next week, all Valentine’s Day celebrations will be virtual in the afternoon on Thursday, February 11 so that ALL students can participate together. Please do NOT send valentines of any kind to school. We are not able to pass out nor share materials of any kind. Feel free to wear red, pink, or white to celebrate!
Please be sure to complete this year’s Illinois 5Essentials Survey! This is a unique opportunity to not only provide feedback to the school and district, but to support Hatch on a larger scale. School-level reports will be generated if at least 20 percent of parents respond to the survey. It should only take approximately 10 minutes to complete. If parents have more than one child that attends the same school, they may elect to participate multiple times. For parents with children enrolled in multiple schools, we recommend that they participate in the survey for each school. Thank you for your support!
To take the 2020-21 Illinois Parent Survey Visit:
2021 Illinois Parent Survey
Link to survey: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/
Library Book Checkout will continue to run during hybrid learning! Please make sure to fill out this new Google Form for all book requests. Click here to learn all about when and how students will receive their books and how students can return their Hatch library books.
Sarah Mendez
Hatch School Principal
1000 N Ridgeland Ave
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 524-3095
D97 Updates:
Keep D97 Safe: Please Avoid Non-Essential Travel: Travel increases the risk of exposure to the coronavirus for our students, staff and community. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. The Cook County Department of Public Health recommends that residents avoid all non-essential activities, including school and work, for 14 days upon their return to suburban Cook County. If staff, students or families travel out of state for more than 24 hours, they should not report to school. The district's quarantine requirements are outlined in our Framework for Reopening Schools.
FLYER: COVID-19 and Travel Guidance for District 97 Students and Staff >
Wanting to confirm information you've heard regarding our schools? Oak Park District 97 is committed to providing accurate and timely information. Our new Fact Checker will be updated consistently based upon common questions and concerns to ensure you have access to the key facts that interest you most.
Responding to a Positive COVID-19 Case: In the event that a District 97 student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they must immediately notify their school nurse so they can initiate our response protocols and begin contact tracing. In an abundance of caution, the school will place the affected classroom in an adaptive pause for 14 calendar days, meaning students will participate in remote learning. We will also notify the school community via email, and information will be updated weekly on the District 97 COVID-19 dashboard. Click here to view our COVID-19 response procedures >
When to Stay Home from School/Work: We ask that our entire District 97 community help keep our schools safe by adhering to our COVID-19 guidelines. This includes students/staff staying home if they:
Are feeling sick
Have tested positive for COVID-19
Are waiting for a COVID-19 test result
Are a close contact of a positive/probable COVID-19 case
Have traveled for more than 24 hours out of state.
Click here for our "When to Stay Home" flyer >
Winter Weather - Emergency Closing Information: Winter is here and that means there may be times when District 97 schools close due to weather-related conditions or other emergency situations. We make every effort to keep our schools open, but circumstances beyond our control sometimes make it unsafe for our students or staff to get to school safely.
New this year: Rather than closing school on days when it would be unsafe for students and staff to get to school, we will notify our employees and students’ families that the district will have a Remote Learning Day. Because all of our students are already equipped with iPads or Chromebooks, making the temporary shift to remote learning should be fairly seamless. This also means that there will be no need to extend the school year further into summer to make up for lost days.
Whenever possible, District 97 will seek to make and communicate decisions regarding weather-related closings by approximately 8 p.m. the day before. This will include notifying stakeholders if the forecast or conditions warrant additional monitoring prior to making a final decision. If the forecast changes or conditions deteriorate after 8 p.m., we will let people know about the status of classes and/or afterschool activities no later than 5:30 a.m. the next day. Visit our Emergency School Closing Information webpage for more information.
Cold Weather Reminders: With frigid temperatures expected in the Chicago area over the next week, we also wanted to share a couple of reminders for families:
In order to preserve our classroom pods and COVID-19 safety protocols, we will not be able to allow students to enter their buildings early in cold weather. Please arrive at the designated time and ensure that students are dressed in warm layers.
In the event of single-digit temperatures or wind chill, students will remain indoors during the school day. Elementary students will still be provided a snack break of no more than 15 minutes, following the school safety protocols for COVID-19.
Next Meal D97 Meal Distribution: Meals will be provided free of cost this fall to any District 97 student in need. Each bag of food will contain five breakfasts and five lunches.
Meal distributions will be held every Tuesday, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Longfellow Elementary School (for Julian and feeder schools), 715 S. Highland Ave., and Brooks Middle School (for Brooks and feeder schools), 325 S. Kenilworth Ave.
D97 Breakfast/Lunch Menus - February 2021
D97 to Host Virtual Parent-to-Parent Circle Series: District 97 families are invited to join our upcoming Virtual Parent-to-Parent Series, which will be facilitated in partnership with the E-Team of Oak Park. Events will be held:
- Wednesday, Feb. 18, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 18, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 29, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The sessions are designed to build community among District 97 parents and guardians and provide support as we navigate hybrid learning. The intention is for parents/guardians to attend all three sessions to help build a consistent community, but if you cannot make the first session you may still attend the others. Please let us know your availability in the registration form so that we can plan accordingly.The deadline to register is Tuesday, Feb. 16. To sign up, please visit https://bit.ly/D97ParentCircles.