Important Updates from Walsh School
March 2021
By now, you have likely heard that the Board of Education approved an extension of our current instructional day when we return from spring break. Our in-person day will be extended to 3:30 beginning April 6th.
Following are items of interest for when we return on April 6th:
- Lunches will be eaten in the rooms, with masks only lowered to eat and drink, otherwise, the mask does need to remain on at all times inside. A supervisor will be in each room, monitoring lunch and social distancing.
- A short recess will immediately follow lunch. Our goal is to be outside for a mask break as often as possible. Students will be allowed to remove their masks and play outside, socially distanced, of course. Unfortunately, we will not be accessing playground equipment at this time.
- Daily dismissal at the doors will take place at 3:25. Please note the change. I encourage you to be extra cautious when driving and walking around the school parking lots at dismissal, as there are many moving parts, including busses, cars, and pedestrians.
- Every Wednesday, beginning April 7th, we will have an early dismissal to allow for common teacher planning and collaboration time. Dismissal will be at 2:50, so pick up at the doors will be at 2:45 on Wednesdays only.
- There will be no changes to the Early Childhood schedules.
As we make plans to increase the time for student learning in the building, it is important for us to share the way the extra hours will impact our remote learners, too. I am pleased to report that our teachers are teaching beyond the Illinois State Board of Eduction recommendations at this time. Teachers report that the time spent in whole group and small group instruction during "screen time" is appropriate at this age, and students are progressing. So taking all this into consideration, kindergarten remote schedules will not need to change after spring break, meaning there will not be additional hours added onto their day. First grade remote learning may increase to 2:30, depending on when the teacher has scheduled their learning breaks. Teachers' office hours remain until 3:30.
Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.
Take Care,
Mrs. Martin
Social-Emotional Support
We know that this time can be very challenging for families and students. Please know that if your child is experiencing any social or emotional concerns throughout this difficult time, we are happy to help. Please contact Dr. Duffy-Hook, our School Social Worker, via email at jduffyhook@d92.org if you would like to set up a time for a check-in with your child. We are all in this together and are here to support you.