U46Engage: The Newsletter
December 2020
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 Winter break for all School District U-46 students begins Monday, Dec. 20 and runs through Friday, Jan. 1. Schools are closed during winter break. The District’s headquarters, the Educational Services Center at 355 E. Chicago St. in Elgin, will be open to visitors by appointment only between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. during weekdays. The ESC will be closed Dec. 24, Dec. 25, Dec. 31, 2020 and Jan. 1, 2021.
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Second Semester Teacher Assignments, Schedules and Guidelines
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 Elementary teacher assignments and transportation information (routes and schedules) are now visible in Infinite Campus. Any new teacher assignments for 3rd through 6th graders will go into effect the week of Jan. 11 with in-person Hybrid instruction beginning Jan. 12. Pre-K-2nd grade teacher assignments will remain the same for the second semester.
Any change to middle school and high school teacher assignments as well as Hybrid group designations will be visible in the Infinite Campus parent portal by Friday, Dec. 18, 2020.
Directions on how to access teacher assignments in Infinite Campus can be found
here
.
Districtwide, all students across all grade levels, will be in Distance Learning on Mondays during the second semester, regardless of their preferred learning mode. Mondays will offer students a combination of both synchronous or “live” online instruction and independent or “asynchronous” learning opportunities.
Note that roughly half of our Pre-K-12 students will remain fully in Distance Learning during the second semester as indicated through a parent survey administered earlier this fall while the other half have chosen to participate in the Hybrid Model - a mix of in-person learning and Distance Learning. As such, we developed learning models to optimize the opportunity for student-teacher engagement, whether students are learning remotely or they are in person.
In most cases, teachers throughout our system will be instructing students in their preferred learning model; either in person or remotely. We have tried to limit concurrent teaching; when teachers lead a class of students that are both in person and logging in via computer.
If you have questions about your child’s schedule, please contact your school’s principal.
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January 2021 Pre-K-12 Dates to Know
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Monday, Jan. 4: Classes resume in Distance Learning format for all pre-K-12th graders, including students with special needs
Friday, Jan. 8: Independent learning (Asynchronous instruction) for 7th through 12th graders/Teacher Professional Development Day
Monday, Jan. 11: New 3rd through 6th grade Teacher Assignments take effect. All students remain in online synchronous and asynchronous instruction on Mondays.
Monday, Jan. 11: First Day of In-Person Instruction under the Hybrid Model for Central School Programs and the South Elgin High School Transition program
Tuesday, Jan. 12: First day of in-person instruction under the Hybrid Model, Pre-K-6. Student with special needs return to a two-day Hybrid schedule
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Jan. 11- Jan 15: One day of independent learning (asynchronous instruction) for 7th to 12th graders to be determined by each teacher for purposes of a Hybrid/Distance Learning Planning Day
Monday, Jan. 18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. No classes.
Tuesday, Jan. 19: First day Hybrid for 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th graders as well as all DREAM Academy students. Transition students and middle and high school students with special needs in self-contained classrooms begin a four-day-a-week Hybrid schedule
Tuesday, Jan. 26: First day Hybrid for 11th and 12th graders. Elementary students with special needs who are in self-contained classrooms begin a four-day-a-week Hybrid schedule
Friday, Jan. 29: Institute Day, no classes
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Distance Learning Schedules
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Small School Model Schedules
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The Small School Model is named to reflect that this option is only made possible by small class sizes, generally within our schools with single sections for grade levels or programs. We are able to keep the class intact and it is not necessary to divide students into an “A” and “B” section for in-person instruction because they already have fewer than 15 students in the class who selected Hybrid. Teachers under this model will lead the small section of students, whether they are in Distance Learning or in the Hybrid Model. This model is only used at elementary schools.
Sample schedules for students in the Small School Model can be found under
u-46.org/backtoschool
or by following this direct link:
K-6 Small School Model
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Our Specialized Student Services Department was the first to welcome back students in early October and continued to bring in small groups of students until the District called for an adaptive pause in mid-November, per county health guidance. We recognize the critical importance of providing in-person instruction and services for all students, but especially for those with special needs. Our Specialized Student Services Department will again take the lead in our Hybrid Model, phasing in four days of in-person learning time for our students in self-contained classrooms the week of Jan. 19 and Jan. 25. Separate communication will be shared with families with students in these programs.
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Gifted Education and Universal Screening
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In School District U-46, we screen all third and sixth graders to identify students for possible participation in
gifted programming
. This testing process, known as universal screening, measures students’ abilities and potential as opposed to traditional assessments that measure achievement. Importantly, it ensures we are honoring and identifying the talent and abilities present in all populations.
We have delayed our universal screening process, which usually begins in November, in hopes that we can administer it in person. That means all 3rd and 6th grade students will (still) be considered for gifted placement. We will provide more detailed updates to families of 3rd and 6th graders later this winter.
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 The District is implementing some shifts in the Pre-K-12 Hybrid schedule for the second semester during a handful of weeks to adjust for weeks when there is one less instructional day due to a holiday, most often on a Monday or a Friday. We are making these shifts in order to ensure equal in-person instruction for students who are in both the “A” and “B” hybrid groups.
During these specific weeks, the Hybrid "A" students will attend on Monday (usually a Distance Learning Day) and Tuesday and "B" students will attend on Wednesday and Thursday.
This shift of our “A” and “B” groups will occur the following weeks:
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The week of January 18 (Monday, Jan. 18 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day/no school)
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The week of January 25 (Friday, Jan. 29 is an Institute Day)
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The week of February 15 (Monday is Presidents’ Day)
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The week of February 22 (Friday, Feb. 26 is an Institute Day)
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The week of March 15 (Friday, March 19 is a Remote Learning Planning Day)
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The week of April 5 (Monday, April 5 is the last day of Spring Break)
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The week of April 19 (Friday, April 23 is a Remote Learning Day)
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The week of May 10 (Friday, May 14 is an Institute Day)
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The week of May 31 (Thursday, June 3 is a Professional Development Day)
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 All students, parents and staff members are expected to follow all safety measures that have been previously communicated; wear a mask, maintain six feet of distance between others at all times, and wash hands frequently.
Masks and face coverings are required to be worn by all staff, students, and parents/guardians that are waiting at the bus stops and on all students and staff riding our buses. Masks need to be worn properly; over the mouth, nose, and chin. A mask can be a homemade face covering, or disposable face covering. The bus driver will have additional masks on the bus to accommodate students and staff.
Social distancing of at least six feet should be maintained by staff, students, and parents/guardians while waiting at the bus stop. Staff, students, parents/guardians should stand a minimum of 12 feet from the road while waiting for a bus. This is the national standard for any conditions.
We will be seating one student per seat, unless students live in the same household, in which case they can sit together. Students and/or staff will have assigned seats. The seating assignments must remain the same to and from the destination for consistency purposes. Our District and county contact tracing teams will refer to these seating charts if positive COVID-19 cases are confirmed so it’s important that they are used and remain accurate.
Students will board and exit the bus in a manner that will limit the amount of passing within the bus to limit possible time in another person’s personal space. This means that students
will be entering the bus from back to front and exiting the bus front to back in a slower manner to accommodate the recommended social distancing between passengers. The only exception to this is the boarding order for kindergarten students. All kindergartener students will be seated in the front of the bus in order to ensure they are met at the bus stop by the authorized individual(s) as indicated on their kindergarten tag. If however, there is a sibling/student living in the same household also riding the bus, the sibling/student may sit in the front of the bus in the same seat as the kindergarten student.
Remember to watch our
Safety Video
about all our safety measures in place. More details about our transportation department’s safety measures and cleaning procedures can be found on the transportation page of our COVID
website.
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Curbside meal distribution at select elementary schools will resume service on Jan. 4. Details on locations will be shared in January and updated at
u-46.org/food-distribution
. Secondary schools with curbside meal distribution will also resume Jan. 4, from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Fridays. Friday meal distribution will include weekend meals.
All students in attendance at school for classes will be provided a free take-home grab and go breakfast and lunch.
Students in attendance for all-day programs will be provided free breakfast and lunch at school. Students participating in all-day childcare programs will be provided free breakfast, lunch and supper. Families with questions are encouraged to reach out to Food & Nutrition Services:
elenahildreth@u-46.org
or
shellycastillo@u-46.org
or through
Let's Talk
.
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Distance Learning Days During Inclement Weather
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The District will be communicating some new plans and procedures regarding how we will shift to online learning during poor weather and/or other conditions. Remember that students and staff should continue to bring home essential teaching and learning materials, including laptops, in order to be prepared for any change in plans due to anything from weather to the pandemic. Look out for this communication following the winter break.
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Sample schedules for students in the Distance Learning model can be found under u-46.org/backtoschool or by following these direct links:
