Superintendent's Corner 😎 🏫 😎
Avoca School District 37 - January 24, 2021
In this issue ...
- Schedule Selection Form Window: February 1 - February 5
- Vaccinations Update
- Learning Schedule (for 2021-22) Committee & Process
- Spring Break 2021 Survey
- Good News - Student Designed Mask for Sale
- More Student Voices - Amplify Avoca
Schedule Selection Form Available February 1 - February 5
We will issue an actual selection form on February 1 and families will have 1 week to complete the form. Remote Learning is an option we are required to offer.
However, we have not yet concluded if we can offer a schedule where students grades 3-8 would be able to attend every day. We continue to analyze any number of factors and will discuss these with the Board on January 28. Please see p.2 of my memo to the Board on January 14 for a brief outline of the challenges to offering onsite learning every day. Click here for that memo.
And be on the lookout for the Schedule Selection Form coming out February 1.
Vaccinations Update
While some teachers are now able to sign up for their first shot via pharmacies (Jewel-Osco, Marianos, Walgreens, CVS), these spots are filling quickly. Demand is far outstripping supply.
We are waiting for plans to be finalized by the Cook County Health System and the Regional Office of Education that would have school personnel vaccinated at one of seven high schools in Suburban Cook County. We hope that vaccinations can begin in the next 14 days via this plan.
It could also be that vaccinations begin sooner through another group providing them, but the lack of coordination and clear, consistent communication has made it difficult to know what will happen next or when.
If all school personnel are vaccinated prior to Spring Break, that could affect our decision making about the schedule we institute for the remainder of the school year.
I know we all share a sense of frustration in how vaccinations have been rolled out, and please know that I am on multiple calls a week seeking the most expedient pathway to get our staff vaccinated. Thank you for your patience as these events unfold.
Learning Schedule (for 2021-22): Committee & Process
The committee will review the schedules, draft its own feedback related to advantages and disadvantages to the draft schedules and will develop surveys for feedback from staff, parents, and students. Those surveys will be refined and go out the week of February 15.
Survey results will be shared in Parent and Staff Focus Groups and additional feedback sought the week of March 1.
Survey and Focus Group feedback will be shared with the full committee the week of March 8. At that time the committee will draft a full report outlining the advantages and disadvantages of the draft schedules.
The Avoca Education Association and the Administration will refine and finalize that report to the Board and it will be presented to the Board in April. The Board will make a decision about the 2021-22 schedule by the end of April 2021.
To see the latest memo to the Board and draft calendar, please click here.
Spring Break 2021 Survey
At this time, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH), continue to issue guidance that travelers to areas with heightened COVID infection rates will need to quarantine for at least 10 days upon return and prior to going to school or work. As of today, that essentially means anyone traveling out of state would be required to quarantine upon return from Spring Break.
Please click on the link below for a survey meant to assess the number of families traveling during Spring Break. These numbers then influence the Administration's decision making regarding how to evaluate can best operate after Spring Break. As of the date of this survey, it is the intention of the Administration to hold onsite learning the week after Spring Break. Any student signed up for onsite learning who needed to quarantine would be served like any student absent for illness.
Please complete one survey per student enrolled. Click here for the Spring Break Survey.
Student Designed Mask for Sale - Profits Go to Viking Fund
Spearheaded by Marie Murphy Visual Arts Teacher Kelly Sabatini, the recent mask design contested produced 30+ submissions. The winners were:
1st place - Alice Katrich
Runner Up: Harrison Skoglund
Alice's 1st place design was printed onto masks made by Home Run Consultants, an Avoca family owned business. They are now available for purchase for $8 per mask, which comes with 2 filters. $2 from every sale goes to The Viking Fund, chosen by Alice to receive the profits. Read more about it in the press by clicking here.
AND Order Your Mask Today
For cash and check payments, please mail to: Avoca School District 37, 2921 Illinois Road, Wilmette IL 60091, ATTN: Susan Lovell or drop off payment at the Superintendent's Office at the same location. For credit card payments, order at the Webstore by clicking here and going to The Viking Fund page.
Contact Us
Email: osburnk@avoca37.org
Website: www.avoca37.org
Location: 2921 Illinois Road, Wilmette, IL, USA
Phone: 847-728-4128
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avoca.schools37
Twitter: @AvocaOsburn