The Crosby Chronicle
Weekly Newsletter ~ March 8-12, 2021
GREETINGS FROM PRINCIPAL FERGUSON!
I hope this newsletter finds you all well, and that you were able to enjoy the beautiful weather outside this past weekend. Last week was an exciting week as we welcomed our first grade students back to in-person instruction. We had 115 kindergarten students start on February 22, and we added another 111 first graders, split between Group A and Group B last week. We are thrilled to welcome back our second and third grade students on Monday, March 8. We expect 112 second graders and 135 third graders to return to the building. These students will be divided into Group A and Group B as well.
I am truly grateful for your patience and understanding as we work through the transportation issues, food delivery, and scheduling changes. These logistics will all smooth out as we get into a routine. Our staff has been so happy to see our Crosby Kids in the building, and I am proud of the amazing things the teachers are doing. Staff members are becoming more familiar with the concurrent teaching as they effectively engage both students in their classroom, and students on Zoom. Remember, this is new for all of us as we have never taught this way before.
Thank you to all of the families for your responses to the surveys. Your feedback has been crucial as we planned for students to gradually return to the building in a safe way.
Just a few reminders regarding the car rider line:
- During Arrival and Dismissal, we want to be sure that our pedestrians (children and adults) are safe.
- Adults, please remain in your car while in the car rider line.
- If you are going to get out of the car, please pull into a parking space in the parking lot and cross at the crosswalk.
- For the safety of our children, please be sure that the children are getting in and out of the car on the sidewalk side of the car.
- Be sure to have your car rider placard displayed on the mirror so it is visible.
- ALL third grade car rider students will be picked up at Door 7. Parents should proceed to Door 7 (Events Entrance) to pick up third grade students and their younger siblings.
Also, we want to be sure that ALL students have a mask on when coming to school. Wearing a mask is an expectation when coming for in-person instruction.
Thank you for your support, and I am so excited to see our students again!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Kathleen Ferguson
Principal
MARCH SCHEDULE CHANGE
In order to accommodate our second round of staff vaccinations, we have made a few changes to this week’s schedule:
Wednesday, March 10–Normal asynchronous Wednesday (no early release) Morning Meeting from 8:00-8:30 and attendance will be taken
Thursday, March 11–All students are dismissed at 12:30 pm. Buildings close at 1:00 pm.
Friday, March 12–Asynchronous day for students and staff. (Teachers will communicate plans and expectations for the asynchronous day with their students.)
STUDENT MEALS & WATER BOTTLES
WATER BOTTLES - Please send a water bottle to school with your child. Students will be able to fill their water bottles by using the bottle fillers or the sink faucet. Students are not permitted to drink from any drinking fountains in the school.
BREAKFAST - All students will receive a breakfast bag when coming in the building for in-person instruction and they will eat breakfast in their classrooms.
SNACK - Students will have a snack in the middle of the morning. Students may choose to bring a snack from home, or they may have the snack provided by the school.
LUNCH - Students who walk home or get picked up will receive meals on their way out of the building. Students who ride the bus will get their meals when they get off the bus. Remote students will still have breakfast and lunch meals delivered each morning if they opted-in for meal deliveries.
WELCOME BACK CROSBY KIDS!
ATTENTION ALL CAR RIDERS!!
For the safety of our students, parents or authorized adults picking up a student must have the car rider tag hanging from their rearview mirror. Additional car rider tags are available in the office. Families may request 2 car rider tags to be assigned to them for multiple vehicles.
If a parent does not have a tag they will be asked to park and go to the office to show identification, and sign the student out.
Only individuals listed as emergency contacts or custodial parents may pick up students from the car rider line, unless there has been an arrangement made with permission for another adult, who is not listed, to pick up the student. Please contact the main office to make arrangements if you have a change in your authorized pick up person.
For the safety of all of our students, please be sure to come to the main office during school hours to pick up a car rider tag if your child will be a car rider.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Expectations for all students and staff:
Masks are to be worn at all times in the building.
Breakfast will be provided when students arrive.
Lunch will be provided for students to bring home.
Attendance will be taken for in-person and remote.
Parents MUST call the office to report a student’s absence.
WHAT ABOUT WEDNESDAYS?
All students will continue to be remote on Wednesdays. Students will attend their classroom morning meeting from 8:00-8:30 am, and attendance will be recorded.
THE NEXT FEW WEEKS
Week of March 8
Kindergarten students follow the same schedule from the previous week
1st graders follow the same A/B hybrid schedule from the previous week
2nd and 3rd graders return to building in “A/B” groups
Monday/Tuesday, 8:00 am - 12:30 pm – Group A in person
Thursday/Friday, 8:00 am - 12:30 pm – Group B in person
Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, 2:00 - 3:00 pm – all students have one hour of remote instruction
All students work remotely on Wednesdays
Week of March 15 - End of School Year
(dependent upon COVID-19 guidelines)
All in-person students in the building Monday/Tuesday
and Thursday/Friday
8:00 am - 12:30 pm – in person
2:00 - 3:00 pm – one hour of remote instruction
Remote students continue remote instruction through Zoom
All students work remotely on Wednesdays
HARVARD BOYS LEAGUE
- Signup is still open online
- If interested, please go to www.Harvardboysleague.com for more information
CROSBY ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
ARRIVAL
- Adult supervision begins at 7:50 am.
- Students should not arrive before 7:50 am.
- There is no supervision available before 7:50 am.
- The first bell will be at 8:05 am.
- The second bell will be at 8:10 am.
- After the second bell, students will be marked tardy and will need to come to the office for a pass to class.
- If there is a late bus, the students will not be marked tardy.
- Upon arrival CAR RIDERS and BUS students will enter the building through the following doors:
First Grade - DOOR 2
Second & Third Grade - DOOR 1 (main doors)
School staff will be assigned to arrival duties in order to receive students off the bus or from their car, and safely assist them to the correct door and their classroom.
School staff will assist students and manage traffic.
Please be patient and kind with arrival and dismissal employees. They are doing their best to maintain safety.
WALKERS
- Walkers may enter through Door 12 which will be open until 8:05 am.
- After 8:05 am, walkers must enter Door 1, and check in at the office.
CAR RIDERS - DROP OFF IN THE MORNING
Cars will drive through the parking lot and pull around to the front of the school to enter the car rider line.
Cars will be directed to pull as close as possible to DOOR 2 where students will be dropped off.
For everyone's safety, students will not be allowed to get out of the car until the car has moved past the crosswalk.
Cars will not be allowed to stop in front of DOOR 13 OR DOOR 1 to drop off students.
Staff will be present on the sidewalk to receive students and escort them to DOOR 13, DOOR 2 AND DOOR 1.
For the safety of everyone and flow of traffic, drivers must remain in their cars at all times.
If your student needs assistance getting out of the car, please park in the parking lot and walk with your student across the crosswalk, following the crossing guard to the sidewalk.
BUS RIDERS - DROP OFF IN THE MORNING
Staff will greet students as they arrive off of the bus and escort students to DOOR 13, DOOR 1, OR DOOR 2. (following grade level assigned doors)
Students will be greeted by additional staff when entering their assigned doors.
Students will receive a breakfast bag as they enter the building, and they will walk to their classroom. Students will have breakfast in their classroom.
DISMISSAL
For the safety of all students, we will dismiss students in an organized manner. Please be patient as you wait for your child in the car rider line. They may still be walking from their classroom to the dismissal location.
- Please call the office with any dismissal changes prior to 11:30 am so we can be sure to notify the classroom teacher of the transportation change for that day. We understand that emergencies happen, and this may not always be possible, but it is best if we know in advance so we are able to have your child in the right place for pick up.
- It is best to notify your child's classroom teacher as well if there is a change for that day.
- Office Pick Up: Parents picking up students prior to 12:00 pm will park in the parking lot and enter the main office to sign students out. This is used for early pick up when appointments occur. There will be no office pickups unless it is before 12:00pm and the office has been notified by the parent/guardian beforehand. In case of an emergency, please be sure to contact the office.
- The 3 ways for your child to be dismissed from school: Walker/Car Rider/Bus Rider
WALKERS
- Staff will escort walkers from the building at Door 12 to the north end of the bus loading zone, and students will be supervised until the end of the Crosby sidewalk.
- Students will be dismissed at 12:30 pm.
CAR RIDERS
Car riders in grades K-2 will be released from DOOR 2 when staff calls students by radio.
Car riders in grade 3, with their younger aged siblings, will be released from DOOR 7 when staff calls students by radio.
There will be no office pickups unless it is before 12:00pm and the office has been notified by the parent/guardian beforehand.
Please park in the parking lot if you are picking your child up before the 12:30pm dismissal time.
Cars must pull all the way up to the end of the sidewalk in front of the school, or as far as they can if other cars are in front of them. There will be staff present to direct the flow of traffic.
As cars pull up, they must have the numbered placard visible (ex. hanging from the rearview mirror).
Students will be released according to the car placard and their matching car tag attached to their backpack.
Students will be released as cars move past the crosswalk and not before.
Staff will escort students to their car after all cars have come to a stop.
Students should not cross the yellow line on the sidewalk at any time while cars are still moving.
All car riders will be held indoors until their driver approaches the front of the car line and the student is called by radio.
Parents must remain in cars when picking up students.
Parents will not be permitted to walk up to the door to pick up their student. They will be directed to the office to sign students out as an office pick up if they come to the door.
BUS RIDERS
Staff will walk students to their bus and help supervise until all students are loaded safely onto the bus.
THE "COUNSELING CORNER" ~ MRS. SPAULDING & MRS. ALTMANN
Hello Crosby Families!
This week marked National Read Across America Day. To celebrate, we would like to share this virtual library! There are 50 books pictured and students can click on any one of them to be taken to a read-aloud on YouTube. These stories feature a multitude of racial and cultural backgrounds, and they address a variety of social-emotional topics. As some students return to school and others continue learning from home, we know that keeping social-emotional learning at the forefront is crucial.
Here are just some of the topics addressed in this library: friendship, self-esteem, growth mindset, appreciating differences, respect, anti-bullying, making good choices, loss, academic skills, positive self-talk, kindness, and empathy. Social-emotional learning is a lifelong process; we hope you enjoy listening to some of these beautiful stories with your student! If you find that your child could use some extra reinforcement with certain social-emotional skills, or if you’d like more book recommendations, please email us!
Have a wonderful week!
Your School Counselors,
Allison Altmann and Kortni Spaulding
THE "SOCIAL BUZZ" ~ MS. LORENA VILLAGOMEZ & MR. BRANDON BARRY
Hi Crosby Families!
We are so happy to have students back at Crosby! Though it’s behind the mask, we can still see their beautiful smiles as they greet us in the morning. The transition from home to school has gone smoothly for our students, and many have shared their excitement when they recognize us from seeing us in their Chromebook!
As many of you know last Friday, March 5th, Crosby participated in the state mandated Erin’s Law presentation. For two years our school has hosted the program Be Seen and Heard 2.0 by Victor Pacini. This is a program aimed at preventing child sexual abuse.
The program was designed to create an age-appropriate, safe and engaging environment where students learn about the difference between safe and unsafe touch, safe and unsafe secrets, and the importance of having trusted heroes. Students learned about these through song and dance, and though it was through Zoom the energy of the students and our presenter was felt all around the building.
Students K-3rd grade listened to the book Be Seen and Heard, which tells the story of Littleboy and his unsafe secret. If you would like to read the story with your student here is the link for the e-book: http://www.victorpacini.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/20160608-213845-BSH-E-BOOK.pdf
If you are interested in learning more about Victor Pacini and the Be Seen and Heard program you can visit the website: https://programs.victorpacini.com/bsh-conversation
If you have any questions regarding the presentation or questions about how to have a conversation with your child about this topic, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
We hope you are all doing well and as always please reach out with any questions or concerns!
RESOURCES:
McHenry County Crisis Line number 800.892.8900.
You can also visit https://www.mc708.org/resources/ for more mental health resources.
Mobile food pantries: https://solvehungertoday.org/get-help/distributions/
Harvard Community Food Pantry: Tuesdays from 9:30-11:30 am and from 1:30-5:00 pm. Located on 6817 Harvard Hills Rd, Harvard IL 60033. You will need an ID to receive assistance.
Please call or email us if you have any questions or if you need assistance finding these resources.
Sincerely,
Ms. Lorena Villagomez
Mr. Brandon Barry
School Social Workers
Return to school updates for Crosby Elementary School.
Please use this link to find the return to school update documents.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION INFORMATION 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION FOR FALL 2021 BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 1, 2021
Do you have a child who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2021?
Do you know a neighbor with a child coming to kindergarten in the fall?
If so, please share this information!
Kindergarten Registration for the 2021-2022 school year will be done online this year through PowerSchool.
For more information, visit www.cusd50.org/kindergarten.
PARENT COMMUNITY LIASION ~ MRS. VANIA DEALMEIDA
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, March 8 - WELCOME SECOND AND THIRD GRADE STUDENTS
Wednesday, March 10 - Asynchronous Day
Thursday, March 11 - Early Release @ 12:30 for all students/ No Remote Classes in the afternoon
Friday, March 12 - Asynchronous Day
END OF THIRD QUARTER
Monday, March 15 - START OF FOURTH QUARTER
Wednesday, March 17 - St. Patrick's Day
School Board Meeting - 7:00 pm
Friday, March 19 - Third Quarter Grades Available in PowerSchool
Friday, March 26 - Early Release @ 12:30 / No Remote Classes in the afternoon
Monday, March 29 - Monday, April 5 - NO SCHOOL - SPRING BREAK
RICHARD D. CROSBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Principal - Mrs. Kathleen Ferguson kferguson@cusd50.org
Asst. Principal - Mr. Paul Brass pbrass@cusd50.org
Social Worker - Mr. Brandon Barry bbarry@cusd50.org
Social Worker - Ms. Lorena Villagomez lvillagomez@cusd50.org
Parent Community Liaison - Mrs. Vania DeAlmeida vdealmeida@cusd50.org
School Counselor - Mrs. Kortni Spaulding kspaulding@cusd50.org
School Counselor - Mrs. Allison Altmann aaltmann@cusd50.org
Email: kferguson@cusd50.org
Website: https://www.cusd50.org/crosby/
Phone: 815-943-6125