Pirate's Cove
Weekly Newsletter - March 5 - March 12
Traduzca este boletín al Español
March is National Women's History Month
Every year March is designated Women’s History Month by Presidential proclamation. The month is set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history.
Did You Know? Women’s History Month started as Women’s History Week
Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.
In 1980, a consortium of women’s groups and historians—led by the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women's History Alliance)—successfully lobbied for national recognition. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980 as National Women’s History Week.
Throughout the month of March, Students will have announcement slides, in-class and school-wide opportunities to learn of the significant cultural contributions from women throughout history.
Principal's Message
Pirate parents and students,
See the updated information in our Hybrid Learning Update for arrival, dismissal, and additional updated information about Phase III. Additionally, information for yearbook sales is found below, particularly in reference to Balfour Image Share.
I highly encourage families to use time from 1:05 to 2:15 to review Tyler SIS with your child. We are about halfway through the semester, and we are seeing many grades that may not reflect students true abilities. If grades are not where they should be, find missing work in Google Classroom and/or reach out to the classroom teacher. Maintaining work and having accurately reflected grades will ensure that students are placed in the appropriate classes next year. If your child has failing or near failing grades, students are expected to attend the students support times from 2:15 - 3:00. This is a time that is available for all students to ask questions, get help, or check in with teachers. Teachers have been in contact with families regarding student grades.
All Remote by choice students will have the opportunity to pick up their new district issued devices starting on March 10th. We will open our Doors at 7:30 AM to students for pick up. Students can come during their lunch periods, study halls, or after school in order to retrieve these devices. Parents, Drop off will be Door 2 and Pick up will be Door 3. When dropping off students, please park in the parking lot and leave the fire lane open.
8th grade families: we are starting to plan our end of year celebrations for our future Wolves or Future Panthers. Stay tuned for information pertaining to 8th grade celebrations, recognition, and high school transition information in future newsletters. Also, there is a spiritwear opportunity below for exiting 8th grade students.
The staff at Plank Junior High is committed to serving the students and parents of the surrounding community. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, and we can work together to find solutions. I can be reached at 630-551-9400 and thaymond@sd308.org. We look forward to partnering with you and your child throughout the year.
Pirates Persevere!
Always in partnership,
Tyler Haymond
Principal
Plank Junior High School
Important upcoming dates
3/10/2021 - In Person Option change deadline @ 10AM
3/10/2021 - Remote by Choice student device Pickup Day 1 - 7:30 - 4:00.
3/17/2021 - Remote by Choice student device Pickup Day 2 - 7:30 - 4:00.
Starting 3/16 - ACCESS Testing for EL Students. (See below)
3/16 - 3/20 - Plank Spirit week
3/29/2021 through 4/5/2021 - SPRING BREAK - No School, no student attendance, no Go Live sessions
4/6/2021 - Teacher Institute Day - No School, no student attendance, no Go Live sessions
4/7/2021 - Students Attendance Day
5/26/2021 - Last Day of School
ATTENTION ALL REMOTE BY CHOICE STUDENTS - DEVICE PICK UP 3/10 and 3/17
We will have the opportunity for all Remote by Choice students to pick up their new district issued devices starting on Wednesday, March 10th. We will open our Doors at 7:30 AM to students for pick up. Students can come before school, during their lunch periods, study halls, or after school in order to retrieve these devices. Parents, Drop off will be Door 2 and Pick up will be Door 3. When dropping off students, please park in the parking lot and leave the fire lane open.
Students must bring their old device and charger with them to exchange for a new device. We cannot exchange for a new device if we do not receive the old device.
We look forward to seeing students on Wednesday!
Home and School Meeting
Plank's next HSA meeting is March 9th at 6:00. Here is the link to participate virtually.
Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences
If you would like to meet with your child's teachers for Spring Conferences, please reach out to them and set up a time. All conferences should be held prior to Spring Break (3/26).
HYBRID LEARNING UPDATE
Phase III Information
Phase III for Plank Junior High Begins April 7 and continues through the end of the school year
Hybrid In-person & Remote by Choice
(Video) (Slides)
(Phase 3 Summary Handout)
Parent Message for Phase 3: 3.4.21
- Parents may change between Hybrid In-Person and Remote By Choice by March 10 at 10am.
- Choice will only need to be recorded if changing from the current learning environment.
- A form is available in Tyler for parents to complete the change request- Directions Are Here (Spanish)
Plank Junior High
In-person:
- Groups A and B will combine and attend on Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri (4 days per week)
- Self Contained Special Education students in ISP and LSP programs will be in person all 5 days
- Arrival and Dismissal times will not change
- First Hour starts at 8:05 AM
- Student dismissal is 1:05 PM
- Wednesday will remain remote learning day for all other students (Go Live! Sessions)
- Student Support Time will still occur on Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri from 2:15 to 3:00
Distancing at Plank
- Current classrooms at Plank can hold 15 students and a teacher with 6 foot distancing
- Class sizes in Phase III may exceed 15-20 students in many classes
- PLEASE NOTE: Six foot social distancing will not always be possible because of the combination of student cohort groups
- Lunch will remain a lunch study hall
- In order to adhere to group size recommendations, students may have their lunch locations change at the start of Phase III
Remote by Choice: There will be no changes from the current schedule
How to change requests for the In-Person Learning Option in Tyler SIS on a cell phone
1. Log into your Tyler Portal.
2. On the left click on the e-Forms link, then on the top of screen click options.
3. You will see the Phase 3 option click to update.
The Deadline to make changes to In-Person Learning is March 10, 2021. For distancing, , transportation setup, and teacher created seating charts, this date is firm. We cannot make exceptions to in person learning after March 10 at 10 AM
Instrucciones para cambiar su opción para la Fase 3 con su celular en Tyler Portal.
1. Inicie su sesión en su Tyler Portal.
2. A la izquierda, haga clic en el enlace de formularios electrónicos, luego en la parte superior de la pantalla, haga clic en opciones.
3. Verá la opción de Fase 3, haga clic para actualizar, no olvide enviar antes del 10 de Marzo de 2021.
ACCESS Testing at Plank
March 8, 2021
Dear parents/guardians,
This is an important update regarding the ACCESS test. Every year the State of Illinois requires English Learner students (even if your student refuses services) to participate in a test of English Language Proficiency called the ACCESS. This year is no exception and we are required to administer the ACCESS test to English Learners. The test is planned to begin March 15th, 2021. Please see this attached letter in English and Spanish that explains about the ACCESS Test.
During testing, all of the same health precautions will be followed as for in-person instruction: wearing masks, social distancing, increased sanitizing of areas, and materials, etc. Students will be tested during the times they are in-person. This may mean that some of your student’s instruction will be interrupted to complete testing.
If your student is in the REMOTE-BY-CHOICE learning environment, we encourage you to consider bringing your student to school on testing days. Transportation will not be provided, and you will be responsible for dropping off and picking up your student at their school on testing days. See the schedule included in this document.
If you are interested in bringing your REMOTE-BY-CHOICE student to school to test, you must contact the person listed below no later than March 12, 2021:
Mrs. Bailey Campbell, Assistant Principal
Email: BCampbell@sd308.org
Phone: 630-551-9412
Spring Testing Dates
Below are the upcoming testing dates. We will keep families informed as we get more information from the state and move forward with planning our schedule.
- ACCESS Testing (this is only for select students)-- March 15-26th - SEE ABOVE
- IAR will start after Spring Break
- ISA will take place after IAR (8th grade only)
- NO Spring STAR testing
Arrival and Dismissal
In order to limit the traffic on Secretariat, I have attached an updated traffic map for drop off and pick up for Plank. Please adhere to the flow of traffic on the map so that we can expedite student arrival and dismissal for all families. Note that the traffic is one-way for this pick up for the safety of all of our students and staff.
Arrival - Enter through the Churchill entrance. Proceed from Churchill to Plank along the service road. Turn into the drop off area, and pull up to the Yellow Line, indicated by a stop sign on the map. Please do not block crosswalks so that we can safely move students. Once you have dropped off your child, please continue to exit out through the Churchill exit. The Plank exit needs to remain open for bus traffic.
Dismissal - Enter through the Churchill entrance. Proceed from Churchill to Plank along the service road. Turn into the pick up area, and pull up to the Yellow Line, indicated by a stop sign on the map. Please do not block crosswalks so that we can safely move students. Once you have picked up your child, please continue to exit out through the Churchill exit, or exit through the Plank exit. The Plank exit needs to remain open for bus traffic.
If you have specific questions, please contact the main office 630-551-9400.
5 Essentials Survey
Every year we ask parents, students, and faculty to complete a survey to help drive improvement at Bednarcik. The survey helps identify areas of strength and those in need of improvement. Please take 10 minutes to provide feedback for us. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
*Make sure to use Kendall for the county.
AVID at Plank
AVID Elective Selection for the 2021-22 School Year
Attention current 7th grade students
AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. It is a college readiness system of support with a structured approach to a rigorous curriculum that will help develop students’ academic skills, such as reading, writing, and organizing, and engages students through inquiry and collaboration. Students selected for the AVID elective class are hardworking and determined to do their best in school and reach their goals, and like to work collaboratively with their peers. Additional information can be found at avid.org.
AVID Student Characteristics:
AVID targets students in the academic middle (students earning mostly B and C grades)
have the desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard
regular attendance and minimal discipline problems
students who are capable of completing rigorous curriculum, but may be falling short of their potential
typically, AVID students will be the first in their families to attend college, and many are from low-income or minority families.
must be a voluntary decision by the student, NOT the parent
completed application and participation in oral interview is required
Students enrolled in the AVID elective course will:
be enrolled in at least one honors/rigorous class
participate in weekly tutorials
learn academic and social skills not targeted in other academic classes
attend presentations from college and career related speakers
attend field trips to local colleges
participate in a positive peer group
We encourage anyone who believes the AVID Elective class may be a good fit to complete the application and participate in the selection process. Applications are due to Mrs. Gannon by Wednesday, March 19, 2021, after which we will then begin the student interview process and selection process for the 2021-2022 school year.
Check out the Plank AVID Recruitment Website to learn more about AVID at Plank!
Contact the Plank AVID Coordinator if you have any questions:
Caitlin Gannon, cgannon@sd308.org, (630) 551-9414
Viewing schedules in Tyler SIS - Lunch period Study Halls
Parents - You can see your child's second semester schedule in the Tyler Parent Portal. One thing to check is the lunch study hall with location and instructor. Students are all assigned a lunch study hall with an instructor. Students will need to have their updated second semester schedules so they know the locations of their lunch study hall. Some students may have "staff" as their instructor: This means that Mr. Lewis, Mrs. Campbell, or Mr. Curtis will be the supervisor during that lunch study period.
Plank Spirit Week - 3/16 through 3/20
Tuesday 3/17 --Wear green for St. Patrick's Day
Wednesday 3/18-- Aloha Day --Bring the sunshine
Thursday 3/19-- 60 degree beach day… Beach Day Hat Day, Sandals or Sock Day
Friday -- Downs Syndrome Awareness Day -- 3/21, Celebrate Wear Blue and Yellow
10 things for a successful second semester
1. Students should find a spot in the house to keep their device charged. Dedicate an area to store their device and keep it plugged in to maintain the charge.
2. Students should restart their device to clear cache to improve performance during classes. Restarts will usually help with many of the technical problems that our devices encounter. Updates to hardware and software usually are prompted from a restart as well. Holding down the power button will turn the Chromebook off and on.
3. Students need to change their default passwords. There is an increase of work that is being "borrowed" from student user accounts. In order to ensure account security, change your login password from the SD308 Default. Directions can be found on this page.
4. Students need to log into Tyler SIS Portal to review grades and missing assignments regularly.
5. Set alarms to help maintain prompt attendance to remote classes. If you have Amazon or Google Devices (Echo, Alexa, or Google devices can have verbal prompts to set alarms at certain times.)
6. We are finding a correlation between cameras on, engagement in class, and grades. If grades aren't where you would like them, check with your teacher to discuss a plan of making grade improvements.
7. Re-establish a schedule during the remote portions of the school week. Check Tyler SIS and Google Classroom regularly for completed and missing work, and preview work prior to your student submitting it, if possible during the day.
8. Students need to utilize the provided support time with teachers. If they are having trouble with work, not understanding, or falling behind, Student Support Time is available with ALL teachers from 2:15 to 3:00 during Hybrid Phase II.
9. Students are to keep cameras on during instruction. This helped our teachers and students during remote learning. The expectation to have students keep their Chromebook cameras on, unless permission is given from the teacher. Be aware that Google now has filters that will blur backgrounds for added privacy for students.
10. Contact teachers if there are questions about attendance. Our attendance secretary makes the calls, but often doesn't have the details about why attendance was recorded as it was.
Student Support Time
During our Hybrid Schedule, Student Support Time will be from 2:15 to 3:00 every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Please encourage your child(ren) to reach out to staff and request help if/when needed.
Plank Staff Shout Out
Staff Shout Out Form
Students and families can complete this form.
Yearbook Information
Pirate families!
Time to order your 2020-2021 Plank Yearbook!
Yearbooks are $20.00 a book, plus a $1 fee. Sales are open until 3/19/21. Order using the link below. Because of summer distribution, we will not be able to have cash sales. All orders will need to be placed online.
https://www.balfour.com/illinois/oswego/plank-junior-high-school
New this year! Plank's yearbook can upload photos directly from a cell phone!
TO UPLOAD PHOTOS FROM YOUR MOBILE DEVICE:
❖ Anyone can download the free Balfour ImageShare app by going to the App Store and typing in ‘Balfour ImageShare’ app. You will just set it up with your name and password.
● Search for Balfour Image Share in your app marketplace
● Download the app
● Enter our project number 119194 and a create your own password.
(OPTION: point your web browser to images.balfour.com to upload photos from your computer)
Image Reminders:
● The yearbook staff will review all photos & determine final yearbook content.
● We cannot guarantee that all submissions can be used in the book.
● Images should be in JPEG or PNG format, RGB - maximum file size is 20MB per
image
Mass Vaccine events - Volunteers needed
The Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Village of Oswego, Kendall County Health Department and Oswego Community Unit School District 308 is doing 2 Mass Vaccine clinics in Oswego on March 14 & 21st at Oswego East High School and need many volunteers.
We will have the 2nd dose clinics for these vaccines on April 11 & 18 and will need volunteers on these days also.
Shifts will go from 8 am to 3 pm and we need you there the entire time. If you are licensed to administer shots, we will need to have a copy of your license on file and all volunteers will need to fill out a volunteer form.
Lunch will be provided. You can sign up for 1, 2, 3 or all 4 clinics. We appreciate your time! You will receive your job assignment when you check in on the day of the clinic.
All volunteers must be 18 and over.
Please click the link below to volunteer. Once we receive your registration, volunteer forms will be sent to you to be filled out and sent back.
When
Sunday, March 14, 2021 at 8:00 AM CDT
-to-
Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 3:00 PM CDT
Add to Calendar
Where
Oswego East High School1525 Harvey Rd
Oswego, IL 60543
Parent Resources
Follow the links to access the parent resources that we have available.
- A Parent's Guide to Google Classroom - A step-by-step guide to help parents that are unfamiliar with accessing Google Classroom.
- Google Classroom Cheat Sheet for students - Shake Up Learning
- Google Meets Expectations - Many teachers use these expectations within their Google Hangout Live Meets.
- Google Suite Tutorials - A collection of Google tutorials that students will be using with their teachers during remote learning. There are dozens of resources here that cover almost anything you need to know about using Google Suite.
- Parent's Guide to Student Portal - Tyler 360 document that outlines Student Portal access and features.
- Parent's Guide to Google Suite Applications - From Google Docs to Google Meets, this is a guide for parents to use as a reference for all of the available Google Suite Applications.
Kendall County Community Food Pantry
The Oswego Location of the Kendall County Community Food Pantry is the first Friday of every month from 6 - 7:30 pm at East View Academy, 4175 Route 71, Oswego. Bring your ID with your address. Please come out to receive a variety of food items, including fresh produce, bread, meat, boxed and canned goods. Food will be delivered directly to your car. We look forward to seeing you!
For more information please call 630.636.3667 or click HERE.
Supporting Students and Families
The Student Services team at Plank has compiled a list of valuable resources for families to use. These resources are available to all of our families. There are two forms that can be completed to provide assistance if needed during the summer. We miss you, Pirates!.
This form is a short survey for families. Fill out the family form here.
To visit our Student Services resources Page, please click here.
Set up a time to meet with the Plank Counselors!
Our Plank counseling team is using a new scheduling tool this year. It allows students and parents to directly book a meeting with us. Follow the links below to access the editable schedule to meet with one of our counselors. They also created and released the Counselors Corner Newsletter. If you have questions, reach out to our counseling team below!
Mrs. Gannon (students with last names A-L) cgannon-sd308.youcanbook.me/
Mrs. Hlavacs (students with last names M-Z) khlavacs-sd308.youcanbook.me/
Mrs. Modaff (students with last names M-Z) jmodaff-sd308.youcanbook.me/
Attendance Guidelines
Plank Attendance Guidelines
630-551-9401
Please leave a message on the Attendance Line noting the reason for the absence. Include all symptoms or the reason for the absence if it is not illness related. Students need to be called in if they will miss a partial day. Please note the class/classes that will be missed in addition to the reason for the absences.
Teachers are keeping attendance through their hangout meet times, as well as their Wednesday attendance forms. If you have questions, please reach out to the individual teachers about these procedures. If your child was experiencing technical issues with devices, please reach out to the main office to talk with our attendance secretary.
Study Hall and Study Dynamics are classes that do not meet, and there is no need for attendance to be taken. If students have questions during this time, they can reach out to that Study Hall teacher to have questions answered through email.
There is the 2:15 to 3:00 Student Support time at the end of the day. Teachers may be reaching out to students and families to encourage additional support as we get into the school year. This is a time when students will be able to access their classroom teachers for help.
Important People to Know
Administration:
Principal
Tyler Haymond 630-551-9410 thaymond@sd308.org
Assistant Principal
Dr. Marcus Lewis 630-551-9411 mlewis@sd308.org
Assistant Principal
Bailey Campbell 630-551-9412 bcampbell@sd308.org
Student Support Lead Teachers
Lead Special Education Teacher
Carrie Quinn 630-551-9497 cquinn@sd308.org
EL Coordinator
Guadalupe Gallardo Escobedo 630-551-9466 ggallardoescobedo@sd308.org
Secretaries:
Principal Secretary
Laurie Williams 630-551-9409 lwilliams@sd308.org
Registrar/Discipline Secretary
Camille Simmons 630-551-9418 csimmons@sd308.org
Attendance Secretary
Asusana (Susie) Montes-Mijarez 630-551-9408 amontesmijarez@sd308.org
Student Services:
Counselors:
Caitlin Gannon 630-551-9414 cgannon@sd308.org
Students with last names A-L
Kelly Hlavacs and Jen Modaff 630-551-9415 khlavacs@sd308.org, jmodaff@sd308.org
Students with last names L-Z
Dr. Tawanda Kitchen 630-551-9483 tkitchen@sd308.org
Restorative Practice Counselor
Social Workers:
Regena Alonzo 630-551-9405 ralonzo@sd308.org
Marguerite Slinger 630-551-9416 mslinger@sd308.org
Building Nurse:
Kristin Jenkins 630-551-9402 kjenkins@sd308.org
Important Resources
Transportation: 630-636-2999
Tyler Parent Portal login/access questions: tylerhelp@sd308.org
Waiver of Fee questions: Kaitlyn Dolenak 630-636-3662
Free/Reduced Lunch Application Status: Paola Lares Luna: 630-636-3663
Plank Junior High School
Email: thaymond@sd308.org
Website: https://www.sd308.org/plank
Location: Plank Jr. High, Secretariat Lane, Oswego, IL, USA
Phone: 6305519400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plank308/?scrlybrkr=2abf877d
Twitter: @Plank308