2/4/2022
Thank you also to all the families who attended our virtual conferences. Our dedicated teachers worked long and hard to prepare for the many conference meetings in addition to navigating another switch to eLearning. We truly appreciate your time and partnership as we do our best to meet the needs of all our students!
~The Hatch staff wants to ensure that we used Parent/Teacher Conferences effectively and that the time spent together discussing your child(ren)’s progress was helpful. The goals of Parent/Teacher Conferences are to effectively promote open lines of communication between home and school, keep parents informed about their child(ren)’s progress—both academically and socially— and to develop cooperative strategies that can ultimately benefit every student. As we look to grow our practices, we are asking for your feedback. Please take a few moments to answer the questions in this Post Conference Survey from your child’s teacher about your experience during Winter Conferences. This feedback will be used to enhance your future experience during this time. Thank you in advance for your support.
~Just a reminder that if your child will be absent, please be sure to copy [email protected] on any emails you send so that we can mark your child’s absence appropriately. Thank you!
~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/
~We are very happy to report that our SHIELD results this week only yielded one new case of covid. Our current student vaccination rate is 82%! Thanks to this high number, many of our students who have been considered close contacts have been able to stay in school without disruption as they are fully vaccinated and symptom free. The Oak Park Health Department is hosting a vaccine clinic for anyone age 5 and older from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 5 at Oak Park and River Forest High School. Register at https://events.juvare.com/IL-IDPH/fpqdb/. Individuals can sign up for their primary vaccine series or for a booster dose. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. If you are coming for a booster dose, please bring your vaccine card with you. For more local COVID-19 vaccine information, visit www.oak-park.us/vaccine. If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Rossi. Thank you for your support and partnership in keeping our schools safe!
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.
PBIS
This week our students practiced their skills of managing their emotions when they were faced with different scenarios. Fifth graders learned to resist the urge to seek revenge, fourth graders learned to manage test anxiety, third graders practiced handling accusations, second graders practiced calming down when they’ve made a mistake, and our kindergartners and first graders learned how to calm down strong emotions and feelings. All of our grade levels have catchy songs that help them remember to stop, name their feeling, and calm down. Ask your child to sing it to you! Almost all grade levels have home links this week:
Kindergarten- Calming Down Strong Feelings
First Grade- No Home Link
Second Grade- Handling Making Mistakes
Third Grade- Handling Accusations
Fourth Grade- Managing Anxiety
Fifth Grade- Resisting Revenge
~Each year we strive to improve the school experience we provide to our students. In order to do so, we need your input. I’d like to invite you to our next “Virtual Coffee with the Principal” on Friday, February 11th at 8:15 am. The zoom link is included below. This is an informal gathering. Please feel free to stay 5 minutes or 45 minutes as your schedule permits. See you then!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://op97-org.zoom.us/j/81587470736?pwd=bUV4cTN2TEJ4RHBjREsxODM3dy9LZz09
Meeting ID: 815 8747 0736
Passcode: tigers
~DePaul University’s Department of Family and Community Services is offering access to additional resources for our families Please see the list of free winter talks focused on a variety of mental health topics.
We are excited to introduce you to Tetyana Krutsik, our DePaul Care Coordinator. Please see this flyer for more information.
D97 Updates and Reminders
Vaccine/Booster Opportunity in Oak Park on Saturday, Feb. 5
The Oak Park Health Department is hosting a vaccine clinic for anyone age 5 and older from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 5 at Oak Park and River Forest High School. Register at https://events.juvare.com/IL-IDPH/fpqdb/. Individuals can sign up for their primary vaccine series or for a booster dose. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. If you are coming for a booster dose, please bring your vaccine card with you. For more local COVID-19 vaccine information, visit www.oak-park.us/vaccine.
CLICK HERE for the CDC guidance related to the COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
IMPORTANT: Calling Your Child In Sick from School
Please support our school nurse by LEAVING A REASON when you call your child in sick from school. Our nurse follows up on every absence call when a specific reason is not provided. If your child is staying home due to reasons unrelated to COVID-19, sharing that information in the message helps the nurse determine whether a call is necessary. When calling please slowly state:
- Your Name
- Your Child’s Name
- Your Child’s Grade and Homeroom/Advisory Teacher
- Reason for the Absence
- Best phone number to reach you
We appreciate your assistance with this process!
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