D91 Blended Learning Survival Guide
2020-2021 School Year - Version 2
Dear D91 Parents and Guardians,
We are pleased that we are able to reopen our buildings on Monday, January 11, 2021, for students who chose the district’s blended learning option in the Fall 2020 learning options survey. Students who have chosen remote learning will see a change in their classroom schedules as the class returns to the blended learning schedule.
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to the greatest extent possible, we will continue to utilize the procedures that had been in use previously. These measures include wearing a mask when at school and in other public places, washing or sanitizing your hands throughout the day, practicing social/physical distancing of at least 6 feet, and more. It is our hope that by following the procedures and protocols in our Roadmap to Reopening document we will be able to keep our buildings open for on-site learning and keep our staff and students healthy.
We are using several metrics to guide our decision making:
- weekly percent positivity rate
- weekly number of new cases per 100,000
- weekly number of new cases
- weekly number of youth cases
- number of CLI (COVID like illness - among staff & students)
- number of positive cases (building & district-wide)
- staffing levels at each building
Last fall, we were successful in offering blended learning from September 28 through November 13th. As we reopen for our second period of blended learning, we want families to know that we will do everything in our power to keep our building open. However, doing so will require a huge commitment from every one of us to follow all mitigation procedures. Even with our best efforts, there may be a future occasion(s) when we will need to implement short-term closures to prevent/contain the spread of COVID-19 in our schools. We will continue to monitor metrics daily and will do our very best to give families as much notice as possible, should we need to close. We encourage all families to keep in mind a backup plan for child care in case we need to close one or both of our buildings for a period of time. If this were to happen again, all students would resume remote learning for the duration of the closure.
We are very excited and are looking forward to having students back in the buildings! This survival guide is being shared again in order to put the information needed to navigate this transition in one central resource.
Sincerely,
The D91 Admin Team
Schedules
Students assigned to the "Green" learning group will attend in person on Monday and Thursday and participate remotely on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Students assigned to the "Gold" learning group will attend in person on Tuesday and Friday and participate remotely on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Students assigned to the "White" learning group will participate remotely every day, Monday through Friday.
A limited number of students may be selected for the "Blue" learning group based on their educational program and support services schedule.
In addition, LASEC students will follow a Mon/Tues OR Thurs/Fri attendance schedule, thus moving away from our Green and Gold schedule beginning on Monday, January 11, 2021.
Whenever a student is participating remotely, he or she will have access to Google classroom instructional activities and/or live streamed teaching with the grade/content teacher(s). Please note that those who are not attending in person will follow a schedule that closely mirrors the in person schedule with some differences. For instance, PE will not be live for home learners on M,T,R,F. In addition, there may be times during the day where independent work sessions and non-instructional transitions are not streamed. Each grade level will provide a detailed schedule to students and their parents.
On Wednesdays, ALL learners, regardless of group assignment, are learning remotely. As a result, the Wednesday schedule looks different from the other days of the week. Each Wednesday, students have fewer sessions with their homeroom/content teachers and more time engaged in social emotional learning, library activities and more.
Due to the streaming aspect of our learning plan, we ask that both blended and remote families be flexible as we welcome some students back for in person learning. Especially the first two days, the teachers will be assisting students with the transitions involved in entering the buildings for the first time. As a result, some academic streaming times may be curtailed as we return to the blended learning schedule.
Actual schedules will vary by grade level;
please see communication from homeroom teachers / grade level teams.
PACKING FOR A BLENDED LEARNING DAY
Well Fitting Mask
Water Bottle
Backpack
Lunch
Gym Shoes & Jacket
Personal Headphones
Kelvin Grove Supplies
Arrival and Entering the School(s)
- Families are encouraged to drop off at Kelvin Grove FIRST and then head to Milne Grove.
- Students must wear facial coverings before exiting vehicles or coming onto school property. Students may not arrive on school property prior to 8:20am. Parents are encouraged to remain in their vehicles or leave school grounds after escorting their child to the school building. Social distancing and masks are required for EVERY person on school grounds.
- Students will enter buildings at assigned doors based upon their grade level; see list below. Students should not play on playgrounds or congregate outside the buildings.
- Students shall stand on designated markings to maintain appropriate social distancing of at least 6 feet between students.
- Students will have temperature checked by infrared thermometer by a staff member; if temperature is within normal limits, they will head straight to their classrooms upon arrival (after screening). If an elevated body temperature is detected, the student will be referred to the building nurse for further evaluation.
Students will be required to sanitize their hands after having their temperature checked by a staff member.
Upon entering the classroom, students shall place their backpacks and coats/jackets on their assigned chair or desk.
Students must report directly to their homeroom classroom and will not be allowed to gather or socialize with peers in the hallway. Students must walk on the right hand side of the hallway or stairwell, following the directional markings on the floor.
Parents must be available to return to school immediately if their child(ren)
are exhibiting any of the COVID related symptoms upon arrival to school.
Milne Grove
At Milne Grove, all students are dropped off at the front of the school and will walk to the designated entry door. Walking parents must leave their child at the queue.
Student entry doors by grade level:
K- Door C (rear, east corner of building)
1- Door B (front, east corner of building)
2- Door G (rear, west corner of building)
3- Door A (front, west corner of building)
Specialized transportation - Door B
Kelvin Grove
At Kelvin Grove, parents may drop off using one of the three parking lots on campus. Student entry/exit doors by grade level:
4-Door #1
5-Door #3
6-Door #4
7-Door #5
8-Door #18 (between Door 4 and 5 - Old Oasis Entrance)
Specialized transportation-Door #11
Dismissal and Leaving the School
Staff will monitor students’ exit from the building. As they exit, students must maintain 6 feet of social distance between their peers as they await the arrival of a parent or guardian. Students that are walking will not be allowed to congregate and are expected to leave school grounds immediately. Masks must continue to be worn outside, as movement is not directed and may lead to close contact with others, until students are inside their vehicles or off school grounds.
Milne Grove
At Milne Grove, the plan is differentiated by grade level and mode of transportation. We will have plenty of staff outside to make sure children find their rides; please email Mrs. Koziol if you need an arrangement other than those listed below:
ALL SIBLING PAIRS WILL MEET OUTSIDE THE OFFICE AND DISMISS THROUGH THE GYM TO THE BACK CAR LINE - THIS IS REGARDLESS OF GRADE ASSIGNMENT BELOW.
MG Car Riders:
3rd grade will exit out Door A to the front pick up line (west side)
1st grade will exit out Door B to the front pick up line (east side)
2nd grade will exit Door F to the rear pick up line
PK and K will exit Door E to the rear pick up line
MG Walkers:
Families that plan to meet their children on foot must not congregate at the exits. Instead, please wait on a yellow line on the sidewalk between Doors A and B at the front of the school.
Students who are walking alone will exit Door A or B depending on whether they are walking east or west on 7th.
Kelvin Grove
Health Office Information
How do I submit my child's health certification BEFORE each in person attendance day?
Please see the screenshot provided below. As you can see, the app provides a clickable button at the bottom of your screen (on the right for web users). Please complete this form for EACH child in your household that is attending in person. Families do not need to complete this step on remote learning days.
Please note - your app may include an orange heart icon instead of an orange bar.
Medication Guidelines 2020
In the absence of a nurse to administer medication, Mrs. Dragosh and Ms. Brewer can administer any OTC medication at Milne Grove and Ms. Scott at Kelvin Grove. All prescribed medications must be given by an administrator:
Mrs. Koziol at Milne Grove
Ms. Rae at Milne and Kelvin Grove
Mr. Jennings at Kelvin Grove
Mr. Spencer at Kelvin Grove
Mrs. Gray at Kelvin Grove
COVID RELATED EXCLUSION GUIDANCE
Parents and Guardians,
School District 91 will be using the exclusion guidance provided by IDPH found below to determine quarantine and isolation procedures. Please note that we will only be notifying you if your student was a close contact of a positive COVID case. We will not be notifying you of COVID-like symptoms, only positive cases. If your child is showing symptoms of illness in the morning, please keep your child home. Contact either building school nurse to get further instructions on when your child can return to school.
Sample Notification Letter
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
Breakfast & Lunch Ordering Information
Through the SFS Program, ALL D91 students eat for FREE through REGARDLESS OF INCOME.
THE MEALS ARE 100% FREE OF CHARGE FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS - All you need to do is OPT IN by contacting your food service manager, Mrs. Dennis at MG extension 2117 or Mrs. Latham at KG extension 1164:
Options include:
- In person meals on blended attendance days AND/OR
- Meals to pick up for at home / remote learning days
Families that do not respond will be automatically opted in for meals on in person attendance days to ensure all children have a meal at school. To get started with this meal program, log into ParentSquare and complete the form or complete the paper form and return ASAP. You will not order meals by day, just say yes or no for the full month. Please see the attached menu.
Please click on the Fall 2020 D91 Meal Program link below for full details.
If you have questions, please contact:
Mrs. Dennis, Lunch Coordinator at Milne Grove
815-838-0542, ext. 2117
jdennis@d91.net
Mrs. Latham, Lunch Coordinator at Kelvin Grove
815-838-0737, ext. 1164
tlatham@d91.net