12/17/21
Thank you to all the parents who helped out with our holiday celebrations. It was wonderful to see all the children sharing in the festivities together as a school community! This year’s holiday sing was virtual and pre-recorded. We’d love for your family to join in the fun. Please check out our holiday celebration here.
A student in grade 1 and a student in grade 5 who was last in our school building on December 14th, 2021, tested positive for COVID-19. We are sending this notification for your awareness, and you do not need to take any further action at this time. If you have been identified as a close contact or the case was in your child’s classroom, you should have received a separate notification from Nurse Rossi or myself with additional information. As a reminder, we can slow the spread of COVID-19 as a school community by getting vaccinated, social distancing whenever possible, wearing masks in public, washing our hands thoroughly, and avoiding close contact with people who are sick. Thank you to our families for their kindness and patience as we worked with the health department to communicate the required steps.
As a reminder, the rules for quarantine change once a person is fully vaccinated. Regardless of vaccination status, you must let Nurse Rossi know if your child and/or a family member has COVID. Please follow the guidance below after your child has had their second dose:
Submit Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination After Second Dose
According to the Centers for Disease Control and state/local health officials, fully vaccinated individuals do not have to quarantine due to potential COVID-19 exposure as long as they are asymptomatic. Additionally, achieving a high rate of vaccination will strengthen our overall safety plan and will put the district in the best possible position to reconsider other mitigations as conditions improve in our community.
To help us reduce any unnecessary quarantines and accurately track our student vaccination rate, District 97 requests that families submit proof of vaccination for their students as soon as they have received their second dose. There are two options:
- IF YOU HAVE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT: Fill out a brief Google Form and upload a copy of the student’s vaccination card. CLICK HERE to access the Hatch vaccine form.
- IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT: Email a copy of your student’s vaccination card to Nurse Andrea Rossi. ([email protected]). Please include the child’s full name and grade.
Students Who Participated in Clinics at District 97 Schools
If your student completed their vaccine series at one of the school-based clinics, a staff member should have taken a photo of their vaccination card following the second dose.
- If your child's card was documented, no further action is needed.
- If your child's card was not scanned or photographed, or if your child did not receive their second dose at a school clinic, please email a copy of the card to your school nurse.
If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Rossi. Thank you for your support and partnership in keeping our schools safe!
We understand that many of the clinic appointments filled up quickly, and some families were not able to secure appointments at their schools. Please know that we are in close communication with the health department and will notify our families should more appointments become available.
COVID-19 vaccines for children and adults are also widely available at most national pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens and Jewel-Osco, and through many healthcare providers. Vaccines can be found by visiting www.vaccines.gov, texting your ZIP code to 438829, or calling 1-800-232-0233. For more information about COVID-19 vaccination opportunities in Oak Park, visit www.oak-park.us/vaccine. Oak Park residents who need assistance getting a vaccine can email the Health Department at [email protected] or call 708-358-5499. Additional information about the COVID-19 vaccine is available from the CDC and the Illinois Department of Public Health. If you have questions about the vaccine, please CLICK HERE for an FAQ document prepared by the Village of Oak Park.
The junior Bravo performance workshop on January 8, 2022, is open to any 3rd - 5th graders at Brooks Middle School. Please click here and here to see the fliers. Registration is taking place on their website here.
December 20 - January 3rd - Winter Break, No School. Classes resume on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.
As we head into winter recess, please encourage your child to make some time for reading during their break. The Hatch staff and I would like to wish you all a safe and relaxing winter vacation. Happy Holidays! We will look forward to seeing the students back in school on Tuesday, January 4th!
D97 Updates
Parent Information Session - Early Admission to Kindergarten/First Grade
For families who are seeking early admission to kindergarten or first grade, the district will be hosting a Virtual Parent Information Session on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The session will include a presentation that outlines the process and requirements. Click here to view the event flyer
For more information about the process for early admissions, please visit https://www.op97.org/teach-learn/acceleration/early-entrance.
Information about Acceleration Opportunities in District 97
Looking ahead to the spring, District 97 is preparing to implement the Single Subject and Whole Grade Level Acceleration process for students eligible for acceleration in the 2022-23 school year.
District 97 believes that all students should be challenged and supported to develop to their maximum potential. For students who demonstrate they may benefit from accelerated placement, we provide opportunities to participate in an instructional setting that is usually reserved for students who are older or in higher grades than the child. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Single subject acceleration
- Whole grade acceleration
In accordance with the Illinois Accelerated Placement Act, District 97 has continued to refine procedures to ensure equitable access to acceleration opportunities for all students. New this year: all students who are grade eligible to take the Illinois Assessment for Readiness (IAR) must participate in the assessment in order to be deemed eligible for acceleration. The IAR is a critically important measure in determining the mastery of grade level standards and must be considered by the school team along with other sources of data.
Referrals for single-subject and whole-grade acceleration will be accepted from March 1 to May 15 of each school year. The general process is outlined HERE.
Information about the District 97 Accelerated Placement Program, including definitions and timelines, can be found at http://www.op97.org/acceleration. We will send additional communication to families as we near the opening of our referral and application windows next year. Additionally, Family Acceleration Night will be held Wednesday, February 7, 2022, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This information session will provide an avenue for families to share questions as well as receive information about the acceleration process. Please find additional information in the information session flyer.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us by visiting our Let’s Talk page (bit.ly/D97LetsTalk) and clicking the button labeled “Acceleration.”
COVID-19 Symptom Checklist and Instructions for Symptomatic Students
In October, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education released updated guidance and an updated exclusion decision tree. As a result, we have updated some of our protocols and required documents for symptomatic students. CLICK HERE for a one-page summary of the required steps and testing for students who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
Reminder: Stay Home When Sick!
Staying home when sick is essential to keep COVID-19 infections out of schools and prevent spread to others—regardless of vaccination status. Symptoms that should be monitored daily by ALL District 97 staff, families and students are:
- Fever (100.4 or higher)
- New cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue from unknown cause
- Muscle or body aches from unknown cause
- Moderate/severe headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea