4/23/2021
Through an anonymous donation, the Hatch PTO is delighted to give every Hatch Tiger a blanket and a Cold Stone gift card! Thank you to our PTO and generous donor for this exciting surprise!
On Monday April 26th, we will be extending in-person instruction for all our students who are currently enrolled in on-site learning to full day instruction. Please see below for important information regarding this change:
- We will be reverting back to a master schedule similar to a regular year’s schedule. If you have questions about your child’s schedule, please reach out to the teacher.
- Special area classes will be throughout the entire school day, instead of in the afternoon for all students, and will return to their full allotted time. (No asynchronous time)
- Special area classes will push into homerooms where they will teach our in-person learners and live stream with remote students in 1 hour increments vs. the two 30 minute increments over the course of the week.
- We will add transition time between special area classes to allow the teacher to transition from one room to another.
- During the 55 minute lunch period, students will have time in the classroom and time outside for recess.
- While students are in the classroom, they will have a maximum of 20 minutes to eat and a video will be shown to help students keep talking to a minimum while masks are off.
- If a classroom has seating less than 6 feet, we will organize students eating in a way that allows 6 feet distancing during eating.
- While students are outside for lunch recess, each class will have an assigned location that will rotate, similar to classroom recess.
- Students will have the option to bring a nut-free lunch from home or order a lunch, free of charge. Please ensure that your child is able to independently open any food items they bring.
- The school lunch will have limited options: a sandwich, pizza kit, regular or chocolate milk. School lunch will be delivered to the classroom. We will not be able to accept outside food deliveries nor late drop off of lunches for students. Please plan accordingly!
- We are continuing to operationalize band and orchestra lessons. Mr. Barnard or Ms. Shannon will be in touch with details.
- If you would like your child to come home for lunch, we have a system for that option. This has to be a FULL time commitment for the full lunch hour. Please complete this form if you will be selecting this option. We will have a table outside for signing in and out and your child(ren) will be ready for you at the beginning of their lunch period.
- PE with weather permitting will always be outside. Music will be outside (weather permitting.) Both PE/Music, even when outside, the zoomers can participate. We will be using hot spots to support internet connection.
Thank you for your patience and support as we plan for our fourth “first day of school” this year! We will continue with all safety procedures and mitigation including masks, open windows, social distancing, hand washing and sanitizing.
As always at this time of year, we begin to plan for the coming school year. Here is the Student Profile Form for students in K-4th grade. This form is not mandatory, but can be helpful as we try to best meet the needs of all students at Hatch. If you have specific input about how your child learns best that you feel would be helpful as we prepare for the multistep process of classroom assignments, please feel free to complete the form. All parent input is due by April 26th.
Our school is nut free for snack time and lunch. District 97 will continue its nut-safe expectation this school year when we transition to full-day in-person learning. The exclusion of nuts will be adhered to throughout the school day, which includes lunchtime and snacks. There are currently about 250 students in District 97 with severe nut allergies. Keeping our schools nut-free is an important measure to protect these students, as the lunchroom may not be the only space used for meals while we are adhering to COVID-19 safety measures. HatchSchool Nut Procedures- In the event a family mistakenly sends in nuts, this is the procedure we will follow.
- If the main part of their lunch has nuts, we will provide the child with a school lunch (sandwich or pizza kit).
- If it is a small part of their lunch and they have enough to eat without the item containing nuts, we will allow them to eat the rest of the lunch.
What we will do with food items containing nuts:
- Unopened, pre-packaged nut snacks may be placed back in the child’s bag. We will remind them not to bring to school again
- If the food item is homemade or opened, it will be thrown away in the hallway garbage can. Students will then wash their hands.
Art Update: Ms. Breen is excited to have an hour of art once a week, with the students!! They will need to have the following items at school or home:
- Sketchbooks- these were distributed earlier in the year.
- Pencil and eraser
- Markers- including black
- Crayons and/or colored pencils
- Scissors
- Glue Sticks
- Donations of baby wipes for cleaning hands are appreciated.
Book Fair: The Scholastic Online Book Fair benefitting the Hatch Library and Media Center is going on now and will run until Sunday, May 2. Now is the perfect time to get some wonderful books to enjoy this summer!
Library Book Checkout will continue to run during hybrid learning!
- REMOTE STUDENTS: 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.
- IN PERSON STUDENTS: Will checkout library books from our mobile library during their library class time every week! Students will bring their new library book home every week to enjoy and read, then the following week that book should be returned to Hatch. At that time, books returned will be placed in quarantine for 1 week. Please help your student to return their library books every week. Thanks for your support!
Hatch Has Talent 2021 is happening! Open to all 3rd, 4th and 5th graders who would like to show off their talent! All acts will record their performance and submit their videos by May 4th! We will have a school assembly on zoom to share everyone's talent. If your child is interested and has a plan for participating in the Talent Show, then you must fill out this Google Form by April 25th to sign them up! Please look at the Google Form for more information about the Talent Show. If you have any questions please reach out to Mrs. Howe and Mr. Jacobson.
The Hatch PTO is happy to once again offer the Kids Kreations Art Fundraising Activity - A fun way to treasure your child’s artwork. This is an entirely optional fundraiser. This year we are going virtual. Since we were unable to send in physical art for Kids Kreations to scan, you and your child get to choose from any old or new pieces of their art that you have at home. They may, alternatively, choose to create something special for this occasion. You may also choose to use a favorite photograph, photo collage, or special logo. You still have the opportunity to order a wide array of 50+ products with your child's art on it. Hatch PTO will still earn up to 35% profit on anything that you choose to order. The simple uploading of art, photo, or logo will be done by you and the ordering will be online (https://www.kidskreations.us) only. Shipping will be directly to your home, with a flat $8 shipping rate, regardless of the monetary amount ordered. Please see the attached flyers for easy step-by-step directions on how to complete this process. Thank you for supporting Hatch School! Any questions? Please contact Sharon Morgan [email protected] or Kids Kreations directly at 866-652-3770.
Save The Date Career Day 2021! The DivCo team is currently planning on holding career day virtually this year! We’d like to have 2 speakers from each class speak for about 20 minutes followed by a 10 minute Q&A. Being virtual will have its benefits as guest speakers can be remote and login to students zooms, opening up opportunities for parents who might not have been able to participate otherwise. Right now the tentative date is June 8, 2021 at 8:30-9:30 a.m. More info to come.
D97 Updates:
Updated Contact Tracing Procedures - Responding to a Positive Case: In anticipation of our shift to full days of on-site learning, the District 97 nurses and safety and security manager have updated our contract tracing process to align with the latest guidance provided by the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Department of Public Health and the Oak Park Department of Public Health.
Beginning April 26, designated seating charts will be used for all classrooms to streamline and accelerate the contact tracing process when a person tests positive. This will allow nurses to focus their contact tracing investigation on those who are designated close contacts and follow the associated guidance for quarantine requirements. A close contact is defined as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, starting from two days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, two days before getting tested) until the time the patient is isolated.
As a result of our updated process, schools will no longer automatically quarantine entire classrooms when a positive case is identified, and will instead focus on isolating close contacts. Full classroom and/or school quarantines may still be possible depending on the outcome of contact tracing; nurses will work closely with the Oak Park Department of Public Health to determine if additional safety measures are needed.
The following communication procedures will be used for positive cases, beginning the week of April 26:
- The principal will send an email notification to all students and staff of the affected classroom that there was a participant in the class who tested positive. All new cases will then be publicly reported on the district’s COVID-19 Metrics Dashboard.
- If the participant(s) are determined to have been close contacts and/or significant exposure, they will be contacted separately by the school and told to quarantine for 14 full days from their last contact with the case. The nurse will clear those close contact participants on a case by case basis to return to school/work.
We will continue to work closely with the Oak Park Department of Public Health to take any and all measures necessary to protect the safety of our school community.
Remote Learning Planning Day on May 7: District 97 will utilize its last Remote Learning Planning Day on Friday, May 7. There will be no student learning on that date. The Illinois State Board of Education has permitted each school district to utilize up to five Remote Learning Planning Days during the 2020-21 school year. These days provide staff with additional professional learning and collaboration time in support of hybrid learning.
Registration Information for 2021-22 School Year in D97
Online registration for the 2021-22 school year in District 97 will officially launch on Monday, April 26. Please visit https://www.op97.org/hr/student-registration for complete details.
Returning Students: Registration will be entirely online April 26 through May 31 for returning students who are currently in kindergarten through seventh grade. The parent/guardian listed as PG1 in PowerSchool will receive an email from [email protected] with their student’s snapcode and instructions to register. Emails will be sent in waves beginning April 26. Returning Student Registration Information
Note: In order to register, Oak Park renters must have a lease that covers August 31, 2021, or the student’s first day of school.
VIDEO: "The ABCs of Registration are 'D-E-F'"
CLICK HERE for a brief video that outlines the District 97 registration process!
As you begin the process, remember that the "ABCs" of registration are "D-E-F."
- D - Documents: All required documents must be scanned and ready to upload before starting registration.
- E - Early: Registration is a longer process and we ask that families register early!
- F - Finish: Registration is finished once you receive a confirmation email from the district.
New Students and Kindergarteners: Families who wish to enroll new students or kindergarteners must first gather all required documents and make an appointment to have them reviewed. At your appointment, the registrar will explain the online process, verify your documentation and child's grade level, and enter the student into the online registration system. After your appointment you will receive an email for each student with a unique link to submit that student’s registration information. Information for Incoming Kindergarteners
Appointments can be scheduled using this link:
https://registration.powerschool.com/family/gosnap.aspx?event=3548&culture=en
OPEF: While in-person fundraisers are still out of reach, the Oak Park Education Foundation is planning a virtual evening that is sure to impress. OPEF Makes Magic, featuring world class magician Dennis Watkins, is set for Friday, May 21st at 6:30pm. This is an interactive magic show like none other and is good fun for the whole family. Tickets for this event are FREE and our goal is to reach as many new families as possible. We are hoping to raise $25,000 in proceeds from raffle ticket sales and event donations to match a grant we received to expand our BASE Camp scholarships to more families now and in future summers. We hope you'll join the fun and register here!
Now Hiring: School Lunch Supervisors: To support our students and staff during the school day, we are still seeking more parents and community members to serve as lunchroom/recess supervisors through the end of the school year. It's easy to apply, and your time would have a direct impact on our ability to provide full days for our students. Click here to learn more and apply.
SAVE THE DATE: D97 Virtual Summer Step Up Program: District 97 is holding a Virtual Step Up Summer Program for students in Grades 1-8 (students who are in kindergarten through seventh grade during the 2020-21 school year). The program will run July 26 through Aug. 5, 2021 (8:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. OR 12 pm. - 2:30 p.m.). Summer Step Up is designed to support any District 97 student that could benefit from revisiting grade level standards from the previous year. Additional information and sign up forms will be shared by schools in May 2021.
Next Meal D97 Meal Distribution- Tuesday, April 27: 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.