Return to Full Day Instruction
Updates and Information
Preparing for Our Return to Full Day Instruction
This mid-week newsletter provides important information regarding our return to full-day instruction on Monday, March 8, 2021. When we return on March 8th, we will use the following mitigations to create a safe environment:
- Students will be seated 3 feet apart (or greater) in all classrooms
- Dividers will be placed on shared tables at all times (in addition to the lunch dividers)
- With the exception of lunch, students and adults will wear a tight-fitting mask at all times. (Parents are encouraged to pack an extra mask every day.)
- Students will continue to practice hand hygiene throughout the school day
- Students will have their own materials in the classroom (no shared supplies)
- PE, music, and recess materials will be sanitized between classes/sessions
- Only essential adults will be allowed in the building (e.g. no parent volunteers at this time)
Daily Certification Forms are Changing!
Please note that you will need to complete a different daily health certification form for your child once the AM & PM sections are gone.
You can find a link to it here (bit.ly/FullcertSP) and the district has made a helpful video showing you how to fill it out if you're not as familiar with the process or want a refresher!
QUARANTINE EXPLANATION
There are a number of different scenarios that may require your child to be quarantined, ranging from 24 hours to 14 days. Please watch this short video from the district explaining the details and differences.
Arrival and Dismissal Times and Locations
Please do NOT drop students prior to 8:35 a.m. as that is the time staff are on duty to assist students. Students are expected to be in their classrooms by 8:45 a.m.
Arrival - 8:35-8:45 a.m. (class starts at 8:45 a.m.)
Our live morning announcements will be displayed in classrooms promptly at 8:45 a.m. If your child arrives after 8:45 a.m., please have them enter through the front doors.Dismissal
M/T/Th/F: 3:25 p.m.
W: 2:25 p.m.
Students will exit the same doors that they used to enter into the building.Grade Level Entry and Exit Assignments:
K - Front entrance
1st Grade - Exterior Door #15 - Adjacent to the driveway just north of the school
2nd Grade - Exterior Door #13 - Adjacent to Kenmore/Hackberry
3rd Grade - Exterior Door #12 - Adjacent to Kenmore/Hackberry
4th Grade - Exterior Door #6 - Off of Rosewood Avenue
5th Grade - Exterior Door #5 - Off of Rosewood Avenue
Entry and Exit Assignments for Grades K-5
Drop-off/Pick-Up Procedures
DROP-OFF
- Kindergartners and 1st Grade students should be dropped off in the circle driveway and proceed to their assigned entrance.
- 2nd and 3rd Graders should be dropped off at the Kenmore and Hackberry intersection and proceed to their grade level entrance.
- 4th and 5th Graders should be dropped off on Rosewood Avenue and walk to the blacktop and proceed to their grade level entrance.
- Children will perform hand hygiene at their grade level entrance and proceed to their classroom.
- If a child has not been certified by a parent in advance, a staff member will take their temperature and ask screening questions prior to letting them enter the building.
PICK-UP
- Kindergarten and 1st Grade parents/caregivers should pick up their child in the front circle. (Walkers can meet their caregivers near their grade level door.) Please have your child's Name, Grade, and Teacher in the passenger side window to help us with a smooth pick-up routine. Click here for a car sign template to use.
- 2nd and 3rd Graders will meet their parents/caregivers at Hackberry and Kenmore.
- 4th and 5th Graders will meet their parents/caregivers on Rosewood. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to stay in their vehicles to keep traffic flowing west on Rosewood.
Planning Ahead for Traffic
- Drives should refrain from using cell phones when on or around school property.
- Drivers should not get out of their cars along the curb to assist students. Our staff is happy to assist and open doors with child safety locks.
- Be careful not to block cross walks where students will be crossing the street.
- Exercise patience and understanding, especially during the first week!
Lunch and Recess Times
Our new lunch schedule allows us to minimize the number of children outside during lunch recess. We will have two 55-minute lunch blocks with three grades attending each lunch/recess block.
Each class will be split into two groups. Group A will remain in the classroom with a designated supervisor and will eat lunch while Group B plays outside. After approximately 25 minutes, Group A will move outside and Group B will return to the classroom for lunch.
If you choose to pick up your child and take them home for lunch this is a commitment for the full 55-minute lunch block and will be required 5 days a week. These students will be signed in and out from the South Park foyer. A parent/adult must come into the foyer and sign your child in and out each day.
Below is the lunch/recess schedule:
- 11:25 - 12:20 - K, 1, 2, 3
- 12:25 - 1:20 - 4, 5
Lunch Procedures
- Please make sure you send a lunch with your child each day. If your child does not have a lunch, we will ask that you pick your child up and take them home to eat. Creating a safe place for students to eat outside of the lunch hour will be very difficult.
- Each student will use their designated three-sided divider during lunch.
- All students in the lunch group will open containers and prepare their lunch. Please send your child with containers that they can easily open with minimal assistance.
- After all students have opened their lunches/containers, the supervisor will ask students to remove their masks and begin eating.
- Students will be asked to eat with minimal conversation to ensure the safety of all.
- Supervisors will assist students in throwing away garbage in large cans that do not remain in the classroom.
- All students will sanitize their hands after eating.
ALL LUNCHES MUST BE NUT-FREE
- In order to accommodate lunch in our classrooms, we will be temporarily designating our classrooms as open food areas per our District 109 Food Allergy Management Plan; however, all classrooms will remain nut-free.
- Peanuts and tree nuts will not be allowed as part of your child’s lunch, so please plan accordingly in order to provide a safe learning environment for all students and staff.
- If you have concerns about your individual child and other necessary accommodations pertaining to food allergies, please do not hesitate to contact South Park nurse, Nora Moskos, our assistant principal, Janet Gruenwald.
RECESS DETAILS
- We have created three designated play zones outside for recess using the blacktops and playgrounds. Grade levels will remain together in one play area for the full recess.
- All students and staff will wear a mask during recess.
- Students may play on the playground equipment or engage in non-contact activities.
- We will put out hula hoops, jump ropes, playground balls, and other similar items for students to use at recess.
- Students may play games such as Four Square, HORSE, Hop Scotch, and catch.
- Students may not play games such as tag, soccer, football, or basketball.
- Students may bring books or materials for coloring outside.
- Our recess program will evolve over the next few weeks as we establish and teach students safe play procedures and activities.
- Students will sanitize their hands after recess.
It is very important that students are prepared to go outside every day for recess and PE. Please have students dress appropriately in a coat, hat, gloves, boots, and pants, as we will go outside each day unless it is unsafe due to cold (temperatures under 20 degrees or 15 degrees with the windchill) or ice/excessive snow.
Bus Riders
- Information regarding bus routes is available on the DPS109 website on Friday, March 5th.
All bus riders will have an assigned seat to promote social distancing.
Students must wear a face covering on the bus.
- At arrival, Kindergarten and 1st-grade students will be walked from the bus to their exterior door upon arrival. 2nd-5th grade students will walk independently from the bus drop-off to their exterior door.
Staff will assist students in lining up at dismissal
For questions regarding transportation, please email transportation@dps109.org
Dr. Marcie Faust
Email: mfaust@dps109.org
Website: southpark.dps109.org
Location: 1421 Hackberry Road, Deerfield, IL, USA
Phone: 847-945-5895
Twitter: @mfaust