1/28/2022
Thank you to our amazing staff for their efforts in getting our students inside quickly and efficiently this week as we worked to ensure our students were safe and warm through our frigid temperatures. Please continue to be patient with drop off. We are doing our very best to get students safely in the building. Here are some reminders to help things function smoothly for all:
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 off is dangerous for students and staff.
Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe!
~Conferences are next week! Our amazing teachers will be providing virtual appointments, Thursday February 3rd, from 12:30-7pm. If you have not yet signed up for a conference time, please reach out to your child’s teacher. Students will be dismissed at 11:00am both Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th. We are still wrapping up our winter assessments and teachers are busy preparing for productive conversations around each child’s learning. We look forward to partnering with you to support your child’s growth!
~As we prepare for the upcoming Parent/Teacher Conferences, we’d like to extend an invitation for you to meet with our specials and support staff as well. Please click on the Specials/Support Staff Conferences link to sign up for a conference spot! This is not mandatory, but our team is available if you have any questions.
~As we continue to contact trace and work to keep schools open, it is very important we have the most updated information on student vaccination. If your child is fully vaccinated and you have not already submitted a copy of their vaccine card, please send that to Nurse Rossi asap. Our SHIELD results this week showed 2 positive cases. We are grateful that so many of our students are able to skip quarantine and stay in school because they are fully vaccinated and symptom free! 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.
~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.
~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. Attached is the flier as well as the links to register and attend the workshop.
~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. You can access more detailed information on this survey in this D97 5Essentials Parent Letter. 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/
D97 Updates
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