Weekly Communique
October 22, 2021
Thoughts from Dr. Pacatte
In the past few weeks, I have noted a decline in positive cases throughout Lake County. The numbers specific to our school district zip codes have also been declining but a bit slower than the county over all. As a result, I have been in discussion with our building administrative team regarding a slow return to allowing some visitors back into our schools. Any positive cases we have experienced are not connected to activities taking place in our schools, and we recently experienced our first week of the year with zero positive cases. This is all good but not a reason to forget we are still in the pandemic.
We are starting to allow some activities with visitors, after regular school hours, when the bulk of our students are at home. These activities involve smaller numbers of students and the number of visitors allow us to monitor appropriate use of the mitigations. Each event is considered on an individual basis. There are many moving parts. We are considering the number of people we anticipate to be in attendance, the ability to distance folks, and our ability to contact trace, should anyone test positive after the event.
As an example, both of our middle school programs are holding their NJHS ceremonies in their gyms and allowing each student to bring 2 family members. The student and their guests will be seated in a triad spaced throughout the gym so there are no close contacts and no need to contact trace beyond the family involved, should someone become positive for COVID. The ceremonies will be shorter than pre-covid.
Indoor sports have started, and while we are fielding teams, we are not allowing spectators at the start. As an example, a basketball game requires us to allow students from other schools, where we do not control the mitigation programs, into our schools for an athletic competition. We also have to provide adequate seating and spacing for the teams not playing while the games take place. The 8th grade teams have to be spaced and seated while the 7th grade teams play and then vice versa. Two games run in total 90 - 100 minutes. We also have to provide enough supervision to make sure students are following our mitigations including spacing, mask wearing, and the ability to contact trace, if necessary.
We will be monitoring our metrics and those of the conference members’ schools, to see what happens as a result of indoor sports. We are also evaluating how we can accommodate all of the athletes and future spectators. I am fervently hoping to be pleasantly surprised and have minimal disruption to instruction for our students and be able to invite spectators to our games in the coming weeks
We are streaming as many events as possible so our families can watch the events from home. Provided our metrics remain stable, we will begin to look at other activities such as parent volunteering, guest speakers, and indoor music performances, which I know many parents would like to see return as well.
Please watch for more information to come out in the coming weeks regarding visitors to our schools.
Covid-19 Update
Tweet of the Week
#d56achieves
Unity Day
Mrs. Carnduff's students stand together against bullying! They had an anonymous donor that purchased orange masks for the whole class.
Gurnee Fire Department Visits Spaulding School
Members of the Gurnee Fire Department visited Spaulding School this week. Students learned about fire safety, including smoke detectors; calling 9-1-1; having a safe place to go outside your house in case of fire; not being scared of fire fighters; and how to stop, drop, and roll.
PTO NEWS
Viking District 56 Bands Fundraiser
Viking Drama Pasta Dinner
Northern Illinois Food Bank
Get enough groceries to last a big family for FREE.
Follow these steps to shop My Pantry Express online:
1. Choose a pick-up location
2. Select and order groceries
3. Receive order in the car at the pick-up site
Parents don't even have to leave the car at the pick-up.
Message from Board of Trustees of the Warren-Newport Public Library
The Board of Trustees of the Warren-Newport Public Library District is seeking applicants for a vacated seat on the Board. The appointee will serve from January 2022 to May 2023. Interested candidates are encouraged to review information about the WNPLD Board and submit the application available on this page.
Required Qualifications: Candidates must reside in the Warren-Newport Public Library District and be a registered voter.
Desired Qualifications: The Board seeks a candidate who can contribute to WNPLD’s commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). These efforts will include WNPL outreach and programming for underserved communities. An ideal candidate will have knowledge and insight of one or more of these communities, as well as the ability to collaborate with other members of the Board to influence the way that WNPL achieves its EDI goals.
Appointment Timeline: The Board would like to accept applications through October 27, 2021, interview candidates in executive session at the November 2, 2021, Committee of the Whole meeting, and approve the appointment at the November 16, 2021, Regular Board Meeting. The new Trustee will be sworn in at the January 4, 2022, Committee of the Whole Meeting.
Length of Appointment and Election: The appointment will last until the May 16, 2023, Regular Board Meeting. The appointee may run in the 2023 election for any of four four-year seats, though this is not a requirement for being appointed.
For more information and an application, please visit this page.
27th Annual Jon Callaghan Turkey Trot
Message from the Gurnee Police Department
We need your help!
The Gurnee Police Department has been nominated for the Aftermath K9 Grant! Both of our K9s retired this year, and your votes can help us obtain a grant for a new Gurnee K9. Voting is only open for one week, October 19-26, and there are 3 ways you can vote each day. Here's how you can help:
1. Visit https://m.lndg.page/fMWKdK?sre=NBAP5lI0m9jLm
2. Visit their Facebook at Aftermath Cares and like their post. Mention you are voting for Gurnee PD!
3. Visit their Instagram at @AftermathK9Grant and like their post. Mention you are voting for Gurnee PD!
4. Come back each day and vote for Gurnee on the three sites!
Share this post, spread the word, and let's work together to win a grant. #GurneePd #AftermathK9grant
Gurnee Demons
Gurnee Demons Travel Basketball
Entering our 6th Season.
See our website for tryout info starting on Monday, October 25th.
Gurnee School District 56
Email: returningstudent@d56.org
Website: www.d56.org
Location: 3706 West Florida Avenue, Gurnee, IL, USA
Phone: 847-336-0800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GurneeD56
Twitter: @GurneeD56