U46Engage: The Newsletter

February 2021

U46Engage Session to Focus on COVID, Online Safety

The U46Engage webinar series continues this week with an evening focused on  “COVID: Schools, Prevention, Vaccine.” Scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, it will feature school leaders and health professionals in an insightful conversation about COVID-19. They will discuss the protocols followed in the District to keep students safe, offer some tips and strategies you can use at home, and share information on where our communities stand in terms of COVID-19 vaccination rates. It will be streamed in both English and Spanish. To register for the English webinar, visit http://bit.ly/COVID-eng or for the Spanish webinar, visit http://bit.ly/COVID-spn .

To watch recordings of past webinars, or download the presentation slides, click here . Watch u-46.org/webinars for details to be shared soon on the March 11 webinar focused on a new online safety tool for U-46 parents. 

Join Us for a Black History Month Event on Feb. 25

While U-46 aims to celebrate Black history throughout the school year, our schools and the District have been recognizing the history and contributions of Black Americans throughout the month of February, which is designated as Black History Month. 

As part of this celebration, we invite you to join a special program at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25 entitled "Resilience Personified: Celebrating Black Excellence, Fortitude and Culture.” Simply click here to register: http://bit.ly/BHMU46

The free event is being held virtually and is open to all members of the U-46 community. Brittany Barber, a local educator, blogger, and community leader will offer a keynote address that promises to challenge and inspire our U-46 community.  

During the program, U-46 will also be honoring African-American students who are excelling in 6th, 8th, and 12th grades as well as students who participated in a November forum about their experiences as black students in U-46.  They have been invited to participate with their families. We hope you’ll join us for this special evening.

Make Your Voice Heard in 5Essentials Survey

Can you set aside 15 minutes this week to help improve the school culture and learning environment at your children’s schools? 

That’s all it will take to complete the 5Essentials Survey, a research-based survey that provides a unique opportunity for teachers, students, and parents to have a voice in improving our schools. 

This survey generates reports to help drive school improvement on the five leading indicators or “essentials” – effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environment, and ambitious instruction. Schools in U-46 use this valuable feedback to make changes and create new programs. For instance, at Ronald D. O’Neal Elementary, the survey led to additional gatherings called “Parent Cafes” and a “Neighborhood Reads” initiative for families. 

The 5Essentials Survey is completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child. It is available in English and Spanish and can be taken on your mobile phone, tablet, laptop or computer. To take the survey, please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the parent survey. 

If parents have more than one child at a school, they may complete one survey for each child at that school.  Parents with children enrolled in multiple schools can take the survey for each school. Make sure to hit “submit” once the survey is complete to ensure your responses are recorded. 

U-46 has designated Feb. 22-Feb. 26 as “5Essentials Week” to encourage parents to take this important survey. Please help U-46 and our schools by sharing your experiences and input this week!  

Registration Fees to be Waived for 2021-22 School Year 

The U-46 School Board of Education on Monday (Feb. 22) approved a one-time waiver of all K-12 instructional fees for the 2021-22 school year. The decision means the District will cover the cost of these registration fees, totalling about $2.3 to $2.5 million. School District U-46 Superintendent Tony Sanders and the Board of Education agreed the measure would provide relief for families, many of whom have struggled financially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The instructional fees can range from $48 to nearly $300. The decision excludes optional fees such as for Driver’s Ed and other athletic sports participation; those types of fees will still be collected. 

Local Artists Sought to Enter Logo Contest

The Community Advisory Council is looking for a new logo to go with its new name! The organization, formerly the Citizens’ Advisory Council, is holding a logo contest open to the entire community and student entries are encouraged. Please submit entries to face.u46@gmail.com by March 31, 2021.  A CAC committee will bring the top three finalists to its general meeting on April 8 for a vote.