Although I know this week wasn't what we had all planned it to be, I hope you all found some enjoyment. I was so thankful for the weather over the last three days. The sunshine and warmer weather were much needed!

As we have recently learned, Remote Learning will now continue through the end of April. Both the state and D303 have created Remote Learning Plans that have guidance related to content, curriculum, and communication. Elementary schools across D303 will be distributing technology devices to K-2 students. You will see information below regarding both device distribution as well as the Remote Learning Plan for D303.

If you have pictures of your family connecting with classmates or each other, and wouldn’t mind sharing, I would love to use our Ferson Facebook page as a way to highlight our families and help us all stay connected. Feel free to email me some photos at kristina.mcknight@d303.org and I will share them.

Take care and be well,

Kristy McKnight

In keeping with Governor Pritzker’s announcement earlier in the week that the statewide closure for all school districts has been extended through April 30, District 303 will resume remote learning for students on Monday, April 6. Please take a few moments to watch a video message from Superintendent Dr. Jason Pearson about the District 303 response to COVID-19 and our remote learning plan.

The Illinois State Board of Education has created recommendations for school districts about instruction, grading, content selection and delivery, and social-emotional needs. District 303 has incorporated recommendations from the state into our remote learning plan that is included in this message. The following items summarize the components of the plan as it relates to student learning.

Remote Learning Plan

• Student learning that aligns with District 303 curriculum will be delivered through a District supported Learning Management System (LMS) such as Google Classroom, Schoology, Seesaw, or email.

• In an effort to respond to students and their academic needs, staff members will be available between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm.

• Teachers will use a variety of methods to stay connected with students, including: Google Classroom, Schoology, videos, emails, and phone calls.

• Teachers will collaborate with their course and grade-level teams to develop activities and tasks that are aligned with the curriculum and instructional units throughout the duration of remote learning.

• Assessments will be based upon a student’s progression of skills and abilities.

• Students who have not yet demonstrated proficiency will be provided with opportunities to continue learning and receive additional feedback to support their learning.

• Remote learning activities can assist students with increasing their grade, but will not have an adverse effect on a student’s grade.

• Competency-based grading and reporting will continue for grade K-5 during remote learning.

• During remote learning days, District 303 will continue to use the letter grade structure for students in grades 6-12 throughout the remainder of the semester.

• Remote learning days count as student attendance days. On Monday mornings, students in grades 6-12 will receive a brief survey they are expected to complete by noon that records their intended participation in learning for that week and their attendance. Elementary teachers will record attendance based on student participation in the remote learning assignments and activities.

• Remote learning details are outlined in the remote learning plan. Specific information for your child's classes and courses will be shared by the school and teacher.

To support remote learning, D303 is making devices available to students in grades K-2 who need an additional device at home. Devices will be available for pick-up at your child’s school according to the schedule listed below. If you feel your family has sufficient personal devices available or your child can share a D303 device with a sibling, you do not need to pick up an additional device.

Kindergarten and first grade students will receive an iPad, while second grade students will receive Chromebooks. All devices distributed by D303 are equipped with internet filtering to help keep students safe. These filters do a good job blocking students from inappropriate content. If you have any concerns about improper content being accessed on any district device, please contact D303 IT support at https://helpdesk.d303.org/chat/ and we will address your concern.

iPads will be equipped with a selection of applications to assist with remote learning that should be familiar to many students. Chromebooks will allow students to access online services and applications similar to those used in their learning experiences at school.

All District 303 devices are password protected. Parents will receive the passwords during device pick-up. Our youngest students do not always know or remember their account passwords. Please know that help is immediately available for password resets, and other issues during business hours M-F at https://helpdesk.d303.org/chat/

Device Pickup Process:

Clean, disinfected devices will be distributed to families at the direction of D303 staff from a responsible socially distanced pickup point, directly inside your child’s school. The following procedures are being put into place to make device pickup available in the safest possible manner.

• Devices have not been physically touched by D303 staff after being cleaned and placed in the distribution carts.

• Distribution areas are deep cleaned every evening during this process.

• Please know your child’s teacher’s name, and if possible, student ID number, to speed up the pickup process.

• Please observe directions on posted signs and follow guidance from D303 staff to keep safe social distancing and allow for efficient device distribution.

• School entrances and exits where pick-up takes place will be propped open to avoid unnecessary contact with door handles.

• Tape lines will indicate proper line distancing from the sidewalk into the building. PLEASE observe the taped areas when lines form.

• If you observe a line entering the building, please remain in your vehicle or stay at a safe distance until there is room.

• Pickup times are for the distribution of devices only. No access to the rest of the building for personal belongings is available..

Device Pick-up Schedule:

We are asking families to pick up devices at their child’s school according to your last name and the schedule listed in the chart below. If your schedule does not allow this, you may pick up the device during any scheduled time at your child’s school. To accommodate the large number of families whose children attend Davis Primary, there is an extended pick up schedule for those families.

• Live Chat will remain available M-F from 8 am - 4 pm
• Phone support is also available at (331) 228-4357. Families should leave a message and expect a timely call back during business hours.

Device Exchange for families will resume, if necessary, at TMS on 4/6. Please use the live chat for device assistance if you have a need. Up to date tech information can be found on the technical support resource page.

These are unprecedented times, and it's inspiring to see communities rising to the challenge. However, not everyone has the resources to "shelter in place" especially the millions of people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Living paycheck to paycheck is hard when millions of businesses around the nation are closing down indefinitely, and hourly workers (including those dependent upon tips) are the hardest hit. In particular, families with kids whose primary meals happen at school are especially vulnerable when those schools shut down.

With this in mind, Expensify.org is going to temporarily redirect all of its charitable funds to Expensify.org/hunger. With its ability to reimburse volunteers directly in real-time, Expensify.org is uniquely positioned to help families in need immediately. Until today, this fund was focused on paying off kids' "lunch debts" , but with schools closed around the nation, that isn't the top priority. Instead, we're devoting everything to a new program: matching SNAP grocery purchases up to $50 per family. It works like this:

1. Purchase food as normal with your SNAP card

1. Download Expensify on iOS or Android, for free

1. Join the Expensify.org/hunger policy

1. SmartScan the receipt, which will tell us how much you paid and show that it was paid for with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card

1. Submit it to volunteer@expensify.org

1. Set up your bank account to receive the funds

1. So long as we have funds available, we will reimburse up to $50 per family (one time), the very next day.

To be clear, we can't commit to reimbursing every single person in need — we have no idea how many people will do this, and unfortunately, we don't have unlimited funds. We also don't know how long this crisis will last and how far our brand new charity's resources will stretch. But we're going to do what we can with the funds donated on behalf of Expensify Cardholders via the Karma Points feature, as well as by the extremely generous donors who have signed up for our Corporate and Personal Karma programs.

This is a truly global crisis, and it is only beginning. We all need to work together to weather the storm, and on behalf of Expensify.org's many generous members, we're eager to help.

(Washington, D.C., March 24, 2020) – Be on the lookout for potential scammers using the COVID-19 situation to steal personal information, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) warned Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants today. USDA is issuing this warning after receiving reports of several possible SNAP fraud attempts.

“While many organizations are seeking to help communities respond to COVID-19, SNAP participants should be suspicious of any unknown individual or organization that requests their confidential information,” said Brandon Lipps, Deputy Under Secretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, which administers the SNAP program at the federal level. “This is a difficult time for us all, and we certainly don't want to see bad actors taking advantage of those in need.”

Examples of confidential information include social security number, bank information, or a participant’s SNAP EBT card or PIN number. In one potential scam, a website asked SNAP recipients to enter their personal and bank account information to qualify for COVID-related monetary assistance.

If SNAP participants are unsure if a request for information is legitimate, USDA advises they contact their local SNAP office. If they do not know their local SNAP office, participants should contact their state agency. State contact information is available at https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/state-directory.

To stay on top of potential scams, please visit USDA’s SNAP scam alert webpage at https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/scam-alerts.

If you believe you are the victim of identity theft, contact your local police department regarding procedures for filing a report. You may also file a consumer complaint online with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://www.ftc.gov. FTC is the federal agency responsible for protecting consumers from identity theft scams.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that leverage American’s agricultural abundance to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food to eat. FNS also co-develops the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.