1-21-22
We are so happy to be back in person with our students! While this week was a short week, we were able to arrange for SHIELD testing on Wednesday. We only had 3 new cases and luckily all close contacts were vaccinated with no symptoms and were able to stay in school! Thank you to all our families for your ongoing patience and support as we navigate this current surge.
Click here to check out the December/January edition of the Tiger Tribune, Hatch School's very own newspaper, put together by our amazing students.
An author visit with George O'Connor- The 4th and 5th grade students have an exciting opportunity to virtually meet George O'Connor, author of The Olympians graphic novel series! This virtual author talk will take place Monday, January 31st at 10 am. During this time, George O'Connor will give a 15-minute author talk, a 15-minute "draw-along", and a 15-minute Q & A time. All purchased books will be autographed and delivered to Hatch by March 8th. Order forms will be sent home with students and are also attached to this email…Ms. Stringham also has copies in the library. Please email [email protected] with any questions.
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 2021-22 Illinois Parent Survey Visit:
http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/
The Diversity Committees of Beye, Hatch, Irving, Lincoln and Mann and the Collaboration for Early Childhood Proudly Present a Black History Month Workshop in February. There are two sessions for families to sign up and attend together based on the age of their child. Please click here to see the flyer as well as the links to register and attend the workshop.
Morning Car Drop Off Lane Reminders:
- Please be patient in the drop off line, with colder temperatures we have longer lines.
- Please have your child ready to leave your car with a mask on, please have their backpack and lunch box easily accessible.
- Please stay in your car, we have staff to help kids out of cars and with doors if they are unable to do it themselves.
- Please let your child out of the car in front of the school at the main doors, please wait in the line to let your child out until you are at the entrance. It is icy along the curb, and we do not want children hurt.
- Please have your student exit from the right side of the car.
- If you need to park, please pull up at or past the playground, there is ample parking available.
- If dropping off, please allow extra time. Speeding through drop is dangerous for students and staff.
Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe!
WINTER WEATHER REMINDERS: With winter officially upon us, we want to share a few important updates/reminders for families:
*NEW in 2021-22: District 97 believes it is important for students to have opportunities for physical activity and play time during the day—even during the cold winter months. This winter, students will be permitted to go outside for recess when the wind chill or temperature is 15 degrees or higher. The district utilizes the Wind Chill Chart developed by the National Weather Service.
- It is important that students dress in warm layers when cold temperatures are expected. Students should remember to bring hats, gloves/mittens, scarves, coats, snow pants and boots. It is recommended that families label these items with their children’s names,
- Our staff will carefully monitor students while outside and take the necessary steps to ensure students are appropriately clothed/prepared for the cold weather, watching out for signs of frostbite and other cold-related issues.
- In order to preserve our classroom pods and COVID-19 safety protocols, schools 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.
D97 Update
The Collaboration for Early Childhood’s Parent Leadership Training program is a 7-week series that includes community visioning, leadership qualities, goal setting and asking for and providing mutual support. The program is led by local parents and coaches participants to become leaders in their own community. Parents, grandparents and caregivers can leverage leadership skills and tools to help them be their child’s first and most important teacher. The next Parent Leadership Training Group will start on Tuesday, Jan. 25 with an information session. CLICK HERE to for more details >>
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 9, 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.”
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