Weekly News from Kimball Hill
November 16, 2020
Message from the Principal
Dear Kimball Hill Parents & Guardians,
I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather this past week.
As you already know, this past week, our students celebrated our Veterans in a variety of ways. Included is a picture from our 2nd grade students; as well as an attachment link below from our 4th grade student's tribute to all the Veterans.
I am proud to share that this past week, we were able to implement concurrent learning with our kindergarten through 4th-grade classrooms. The staff at Kimball Hill has done an excellent job navigating the new platform for delivering instruction. We want all students to be engaged in learning every day. At this time, we have teachers in our building that do not currently have students in their classroom who live-stream daily. Due to this, please allow for 24 hours for us to implement concurrent instruction in classrooms where the teacher is not currently live streaming daily. While we will do our best to provide your child with access quickly, there are a few logistics that need to be planned for when changing platforms. Please contact your child’s teacher and communicate extended absences to the main office.
Just a reminder this Friday, November 20th is our school-wide Pajama Day. All in-person and virtual students are invited to participate in wearing their favorite pajamas to school (slippers will not be allowed due to safety reasons). We will also be celebrating through a school-wide virtual Cougar Rally on Thursday. We are so proud of our students for meeting our school-wide behavioral goal.
This week, we will also begin the second trimester of the school year. In a few short weeks, families will be invited to meet with their child’s teacher to discuss their progress. As you know, Parent-Teacher Conferences were scheduled virtually this year. If you do not have a scheduled time yet, please contact your child’s teacher. Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place on Monday, November 23rd (12:00pm-8:00pm), and Tuesday, November 24th (8:00am-12:00pm). This is a non-attendance day for students.
As always, please reach out to me any time with questions or concerns at lacamerm@ccsd15.net or call the school at 847-963-5200.
Warmly,
Michelle LaCamera
Report Card Information
This year, all student report cards will be available to parents digitally through the Infinite Campus parent portal. Report cards will be available to view online on the following dates:
Grades 1-6: Friday, November 20 @5:00pm
Schools will not provide paper copies of the report card. In the event that a family cannot use the Infinite Campus parent portal, parents are asked to contact their child’s school for a paper copy.
To access your child’s report card, please view these instructions.
Material Pick Up for Virtual ONLY Students
REVISED from Superintendent Heinz: District-Wide Adaptive Pause November 18-January 5
In our last communication to you following our November 11 Board of Education meeting, we shared the District will be taking an Adaptive Pause beginning the week of November 30 to curb the spread of COVID-19 following the Thanksgiving holiday. This action was taken as we know members of our staff and community, as discussed at the meeting, may attend family gatherings resulting in more potential transmission within our schools. The pause, we felt, would allow time for people who may contract COVID during such celebrations to become symptomatic before returning to school and therefore continue to isolate. Since that decision was shared at the Board meeting on Wednesday evening, some important developments took place that have caused us to modify not only our thinking, but our plan regarding in-person learning during the month ahead.
On Friday, November 13, the Cook County Department of Public Health issued a stay at home advisory. This is not a mandate, but a recommendation based upon public health guidance. The advisory goes into effect Monday, November 16 and will last at least 30 days.
In light of this advisory going into effect, we have heard from many staff members and parents that do not feel safe remaining in school during this stay at home advisory period. Although we have worked hard on our ongoing mitigation efforts, sharply rising community numbers and the county’s attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 are what prompted this advisory to be implemented and for us to reconsider our plan.
Over the weekend, we surveyed our staff to ask if they felt students should learn remotely in light of the advisory being issued. Nearly 80 percent of staff responded “yes.”
While I know there are varying opinions on this subject ranging from full support to stay open for in-person instruction to advocating for a return to remote learning, the thoughts and feelings of all stakeholders are something we must continue to take into consideration when proceeding with our plans through the remainder of the year. Our staff has worked hard during this trying time, and they are becoming increasingly concerned for their own safety due to the recent surge in positivity rates and health department advisory.
In light of the stay at home advisory, District 15 will implement an Adaptive Pause District-wide beginning Wednesday, November 18. According to the CCDPH, the Pause will last at least 30 days. District 15 will not resume in-person instruction until Winter Break concludes. We will reevaluate conditions during the break period and will inform everyone if we will be resuming school on Tuesday, January 5 as scheduled, or if the Adaptive Pause will need to be extended.
During the Adaptive Pause, students will all learn remotely, as we did to start the 2020-21 school year. Materials will be sent home with students on Monday and/or Tuesday to prepare for remote learning. Most staff will also be working from home during the Adaptive Pause period unless they choose to teach or work from their classroom or office spaces. More information will be provided to staff this week.
I know this decision will come with mixed feedback from our parents, staff and the larger community, with some in support of the plan and others against it. I certainly understand the challenges that working parents will face who rely on our schools for childcare and the overall stressors of fully remote learning. Navigating educational plans during the ups and downs of this pandemic has come with no “right” answers or perfect solutions. In the end, I have to make decisions based upon the health and safety of everyone in our buildings, both students and adults.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
en espanol
En nuestra última comunicación con usted después de nuestra reunión de la Junta de Educación del 11 de noviembre, compartimos que el Distrito tomará una Pausa Adaptativa a partir de la semana del 30 de noviembre para minimizar la propagación de COVID-19 después de las vacaciones del Día de Acción de Gracias. Esta acción se tomó porque sabemos que los miembros de nuestro personal y la comunidad, como compartió en la reunión, pueden asistir a reuniones familiares, lo que puede resultar en una mayor transmisión potencial dentro de nuestras escuelas. Sentimos que la pausa permitiría que las personas que contraigan COVID durante tales celebraciones se desarrollen síntomas antes de regresar a la escuela y, por lo tanto, continúen aisladas. Desde que se compartió esa decisión en la reunión de la Junta el miércoles por la noche, ocurrieron algunos desarrollos importantes que nos han llevado a modificar no solo nuestro pensamiento, sino nuestro plan con respecto al aprendizaje en persona durante el próximo mes.
El viernes, 13 de noviembre, el Departamento de Salud Pública del Condado de Cook emitió un aviso de permanencia en el hogar. Esto no es un mandato, sino una recomendación basada en guías de salud pública. El aviso entrará en vigor el lunes, 16 de noviembre y tendrá una duración de al menos 30 días.
A la luz de la entrada en vigor de este aviso, hemos escuchado a muchos miembros del personal y padres que no se sienten seguros al permanecer en la escuela durante este período de aviso para quedarse en casa. Aunque hemos trabajado mucho en nuestros esfuerzos de mitigación en curso, la subida repentina y acelerada del número de casos en la comunidad y el intento del condado de minimizar la propagación de COVID-19 son lo que impulsó la implementación de este aviso y lo que causó la reconsideración de nuestro plan.
Durante el fin de semana, encuestamos a nuestro personal para preguntarles si sentían que los estudiantes deberían aprender de forma remota a la luz del aviso que se emitía. Casi el 80 por ciento del personal respondió "sí."
Sé que hay diferentes opiniones sobre este tema que van desde el apoyo total hacia la apertura a la instrucción en persona hasta la defensa de un regreso al aprendizaje remoto, los pensamientos y sentimientos de nuestro personal son algo que debemos seguir teniendo en cuenta al proceder con nuestros planes durante el resto de 2020. Nuestro personal ha trabajado tanto durante este tiempo difícil, pero están sintiendo el estrés de una pandemia en curso y están cada vez más preocupados por su propia seguridad debido al reciente aumento en las tasas de positividad y los avisos del departamento de salud.
A la luz del aviso de permanecer en casa, el Distrito 15 implementará una Pausa Adaptativa en todo el Distrito a partir del miércoles, 18 de noviembre. Según el CCDPH, la pausa durará al menos 30 días. El Distrito 15 no reanudará la instrucción en persona hasta que concluyan las vacaciones de invierno. Reevaluaremos las condiciones durante las vacaciones e informaremos a todos si reanudaremos la escuela el martes, 5 de enero, según lo programado, o si será necesario extender la Pausa Adaptativa.
Durante la Pausa Adaptativa, todos los estudiantes aprenderán de forma remota, como lo hicimos al comenzar el año escolar 2020-21. Los materiales se enviarán a casa con los estudiantes el lunes y/o martes para prepararse para el aprendizaje remoto durante la pausa adaptativa. La mayoría del personal también trabajará desde casa durante el período de Pausa Adaptativa, a menos que decidan enseñar desde su salón de clases. Se proporcionará más información al personal esta semana.
Sé que esta decisión vendrá con comentarios mixtos de nuestros padres, el personal y la comunidad en general, algunos a favor del plan y otros en contra. Ciertamente comprendo los desafíos que enfrentarán los padres que trabajan y que dependen de nuestras escuelas para el cuidado de sus hijos y los factores estresantes generales del aprendizaje a distancia. Navegar por los planes educativos durante los altibajos de esta pandemia no ha tenido respuestas "correctas" ni soluciones perfectas. Al final, tengo que tomar decisiones basadas en la salud y seguridad de todos en nuestros edificios, tanto los estudiantes como el personal.
Gracias por su continuo apoyo y comprensión.
Erin's Law
Just a reminder every year The Comprehensive Health Education Act often referred to as “Erin’s Law” was passed by the Illinois state legislature on January 24, 2013. This law requires that age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault prevention education is included in grades pre-kindergarten through 12.
Your child’s teacher will provide age-appropriate lessons on personal safety awareness and prevention. There will be a classroom-based lesson informing students about how to protect themselves from being a victim, identifying people you can trust, handling unsafe situations, and dealing with methods abusers use to keep victims silent.
To provide you with information about the law, parent information about the topic and a preview of what your student will learn in class, materials including the PowerPoint lesson to be used in class are available on the district website. There will also be copies of the classroom lesson materials available in the school office. These can be emailed to you at your request. Please contact your school’s office to request an electronic copy of these materials should you wish to review them.
If you do NOT wish your child to participate in the “Erin’s Law” lesson, please email your child’s teacher by 11/16 and indicate as such. If we do not hear from you, we will assume your child has permission to participate in this program.
Please feel free to contact me If you have any questions or concerns about the “Erin’s Law” lesson. Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to provide learning opportunities to improve the safety and well being of our children.
REQUEST TO OPT-OUT OF ERIN’S LAW PRESENTATION
In your email, please include the following by ---------------------.
Student Name:
Parent Name:
Today’s Date:
NO, I do NOT give permission for my child, to participate in the Erin’s Law classroom-based presentation for the 2020-21 school year.
Fecha
Estimados Padres y Tutores:
El 24 de enero de 2013, la legislatura del estado de Illinois aprobó la Ley de educación integral para la salud, a la que a menudo se hace referencia como "Ley de Erin". Esta ley requiere que la educación para la prevención del abuso y la agresión sexual apropiada para la edad esté incluida en los grados de prekinder a 12.
Antes de las vacaciones de invierno, su escuela proporcionará lecciones apropiadas para la edad sobre prevención y conciencia de seguridad personal. Habrá una lección que informará a los estudiantes sobre cómo protegerse de ser una víctima, identificar a las personas en las que puede confiar, manejar situaciones inseguras y lidiar con los métodos que usan los abusadores para mantener a las víctimas en silencio.
Para brindarle información sobre la ley, información para los padres sobre el tema y una vista previa de lo que su hijo aprenderá en clase, los materiales que incluyen la lección de PowerPoint que se utilizará en clase están disponibles en el sitio web del distrito. También habrá copias de los materiales de las lecciones disponibles en la oficina de la escuela. Estos se pueden enviar por correo electrónico a su solicitud. Comuníquese con la oficina de su escuela para solicitar una copia electrónica de estos materiales si desea revisarlos.
Si NO desea que su hijo participe en la lección "La ley de Erin", envíe un correo electrónico al maestro de su hijo e indíquelo como tal 11/16 . Si no tenemos noticias suyas, asumiremos que su hijo tiene permiso para participar en este programa.
No dude en ponerse en contacto conmigo si tiene alguna pregunta o inquietud sobre la lección "La ley de Erin". Gracias por asociarse con nosotros mientras continuamos brindando oportunidades de aprendizaje para mejorar la seguridad y el bienestar de nuestros niños.
SOLICITUD PARA EXCLUIRSE DE LA PRESENTACION DE LA LEY DE ERIN
Nombre del estudiante:
Nombre del padre:
Fecha:
NO, NO doy permiso para que mi hijo participe en la presentación de Erin’s Law para el año escolar 2020-21.
Important Dates to Remember
November 19th: Cougar Rally school-wide student celebration- virtual
November 20th: School-wide celebration- Pajama Day (slippers are not allowed for safety reasons)
-Report Cards available through parent portal at 5pm
November 23rd & 24th: Parent/Teacher Virtual Conferences
November 23rd-27th: No School for students
November 29th-December 4th: Adaptive Pause (In-Person Closure)- Remote Learning for ALL Students
December 10th: KH Picture Day- more information to follow
District 15 Helpline Available
Do you need help and are not sure who to contact? Do you have concerns or worries about yourself or others? The District 15 helpline is only a call or text away Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Our student services staff are available during these stressful times. Call or text:
English: 847-460-2099
Spanish: 847-460-2129
Calls or texts received outside of these hours will be answered the following workday. You can reach out about multiple topics, including but not limited to:
Social or emotional concerns;
Resources such as food, housing and transportation; or
Ideas on how to support your child
Contact the Principal
Michelle LaCamera
Kimball Hill School
2905 Meadows Dr.
Rolling Meadows, 60008
847-963-5200