Full in-Person Return Update
From Principal Chisausky 3/22/2021, Walker School
Dear Walker Families,
As spring break is soon approaching and we cast our eyes on the full in-person return to Walker on Monday, April 5, I’d like to communicate some very important details about our plan to welcome everyone back to the full day schedule. First of all, I’d like to recognize our entire Walker staff, and especially the District custodial staff, for the many hours of planning, adjusting, and preparing our school for the safest experience possible in these unusual times. I also want to thank our parents for your patience and confidence in us while we put all the pieces of this puzzle together to ensure our students learn, grow, and enjoy the fruits of all this labor! Ultimately, it is our shared passion for working with children that drives the creativity and perseverance coordinating this new schedule for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year!
Please be sure to read on as this communication contains a lot of necessary information for planning for our students to fully return to Walker after spring break.
Your partner in your child's education,
Eric Chisausky
Walker School Principal
630-861-4604
Seating Charts and Distance Between Desks
Based on today’s enrollment numbers, we are now able to share that all District 181 classrooms have 4 feet or more of distance between students (center to center). If you have specific questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me. All students will have consistent seating charts throughout their learning day and lunch periods.
Arrival/Dismissal
Our Arrival/Dismissal process will look almost the same as the current schedule with a few important notes.
Grade level designated entrances/exits will remain the same:
KAM/KPM - Fuhrman: Kindergarten Door west of main entrance
KPM - Eggers: Southwest Event Door by blacktop
Grade 1: Southwest Event Door by blacktop
Grade 2: Main Entrance
Grade 3: Northeast Door by teaching parking lot
Grade 4: Northwest Door by teaching parking lot
Grade 5: Northwest Door by gym, teaching parking lot
IMPORTANT Re Traffic flow and drop-off/pick-up
Please expect slower traffic patterns as we double our enrollment and maintain our safety protocols.
Students may only enter/exit vehicles from the school sidewalk along the Walker car loop.
Continue staging traffic eastbound from Ridge Avenue to southbound Walker Avenue.
Display your Family NAME PLACARDS!
If needed new placards can be purchased for $2 by contacting the main office.
Be patient and do not leapfrog cars in front of you.
Do not wave your child across the driving lanes or across Walker Ave if you are parked there to hurry to your vehicle.
Walking is encouraged to minimize the traffic congestion.
Re Bike Riding
3rd-4th-5th graders (only) are permitted to bike to school, They must wear bike helmets, lock their bikes on the bike racks, and parents must approve they can safely obey the rules of the road/sidewalks.
Weather-Impacted Dismissal Plan
Revised procedures for dismissal impacted by inclement weather (lightning, heavy rain) will be shared in a future update.
Lunch/Recess
Lunch/Recess Planning Notes
Additionally, the following information about lunch/recess has been confirmed:
Students will be 6ft apart from one another in the lunchroom locations when eating.
Students will be required to wear their masks in the lunchroom spaces when they are not actively eating.
It is very strongly recommended that students wear their masks during their outdoor recess.
Sanitization procedures for lunchroom spaces will be completed per the CDC, IDPH, and local health departments recommendations.
Seating charts will be used in the lunchroom and students will be seated at the same desks each day.
We will not offer milk.
The following outside areas will be used for recess: Playground, Blacktop, Field/Green Spaces (will be assigned to one grade level/day on a rotational basis).
The Outside Classrooms (Tree Stumps) will serve as Designated Mask Break Areas during recess if needed.
Lunch Planning Ahead - No Students Unsupervised Downtown
If your child will not stay at school for lunch, parents must arrange for your child to go home or provide an alternate lunch. Students may not leave school to join their own lunch-bunch meetings in downtown CH. Parents must accompany children if coordinating alternate lunch plans away from school.
Special Note re 3rd Grade Lunch Space
Since the 3rd grade lunch space is in the library, students will not be allowed to bring peanuts/nut products for lunch, in compliance with our Food Allergy Management Policy. If you need a special accommodation for your 3rd grader during lunch, please contact Mr. Chisausky: 630-861-4604 or via email, echisausky@d181.org
Reminder about 4/5 and 4/6 Lunch Alert for 3rd Grade
Walker School will serve as a polling place for the local elections on Tuesday, April 6. Therefore, we have a conflict on April 5 and 6 in setting up the polling location and hosting the community voting.
I am reaching out to our 3rd grade families now to request that you make alternate lunch/recess plans on Monday April 5 and Tuesday April 6 and not have your child eat at school for these two days. Similar to past years, this 3rd grade Lunch Alert will serve as a temporary inconvenience. We will apply our 3rd grade lunch-in-the-library plan starting Wednesday, April 7.
If you cannot provide lunch on your own and absolutely need your child to remain at Walker for lunch on April 5-6, please email me so I can determine an alternate lunch location that still achieves our safety protocols for our full in-person return to school plan after spring break.
Thank you for your cooperation.
FAMP Notification - Utilizing Extra Spaces for Lunch
As part of our goal to maximize social distancing while maintaining class sizes in our return to full in-person, we will expand the use of some spaces for lunch in rooms at Walker, including the Multipurpose Room (MPR), the Gym, and the Library. On rare occasions, we may need to also use the Music and Art rooms. These rooms may also be used for instruction or to host assessment testing for remote students. Please know that all classrooms other than these rooms will be used for instruction only and no food will be allowed.
In compliance with the D181 Food Allergy Management Plan, no peanuts or tree nuts will be allowed in these rooms. Custodial staff will clean tables, chairs, and high-touch surfaces following any lunch period. Assigned individual seating will assist with making individual seats allergy-free spaces. If you have specific questions or concerns, please let Mr. Chisausky know.
4/6 Polling Place Impact
Walker School will serve as a polling place for the elections on Tuesday, April 6. We have planned for our library to be utilized as this space. Students/staff will not enter this space on this day. Please anticipate an impact on traffic/parking.
Surveillance Testing Reminder from D181
As we return to full in-person school on Monday, April 5, one of the components that will add another layer of safety for our students and staff is our voluntary surveillance testing program.
As you know, asymptomatic children can spread the virus. Some children do not have symptoms when infected with SARS-CoV-2, and outbreaks occur when the coronavirus spreads silently through the community. Therefore, please consider signing-up for testing and taking advantage of our school’s quick and easy collection process. To sign up, simply log in to your Skyward account and click on “Forms.” We hope that this additional layer of safety, along with our other mitigation efforts, will help your child and our entire school community stay safe.
More information on Surveillance Testing can be found at d181.org/reopening and in the Surveillance Testing Information Booklet.
Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) Standardized Testing Schedules
REMOTE Students IAR Schedule
Q and A from Principal Presentation to PTO on 3/5/21
Below is a summary of the parent questions I discussed at the PTO General Meeting earlier this month. I hope this extra information helps you better prepare for a change in learning models. We are looking forward to welcoming our students back to a full day of in-person learning!
IN THE CLASSROOM
Fourth and first grade are our largest grades. Will there be a third section in each, now that we are back full time?
No. Since both grades fall underneath guidelines for students per class, we can move forward with having two sections. Retired Walker teacher, Louise Perkowski, will provide extra support to our 1st and 4th grade in-person classes daily.
Will my student have to change teachers?
The only teacher change we expect at this time is in fourth grade, and only for advanced math. We have a large number of students in that grade taking advanced math, so need to have three sections. Mrs. Page-O’Connell will teach advanced math, along with Mrs. Karrow.
How will my child’s day be structured?
We are finalizing classroom schedules now. We expect there to be 60 minutes of math instruction, 90 minutes of ELA instruction, 30 minutes of FLEX instruction, and 60 minutes/week of Science/Social Studies (alternating between units as applicable).
Will our students have specials in school?
Students in grades 1-5 will have specials delivered in school. Art and Music will either take place in their specials-designated rooms or may take place in the students’ homerooms if those spaces need to be repurposed. Physical Education will be delivered daily, and occur outside as weather permits. In the case of inclement weather, PE will occur in students’ homerooms or an alternate common space (e.g., the Music or Art room). Note: Kindergarten will continue to access specials remotely, for the portion of the day they are not in class.
Band and Orchestra lessons will occur during school hours for 5th grade. We are working with the Music Department to finalize those schedules.
Fifth grade will not have foreign language offered this year.
Can you hold classes outside?
Yes. We intend to hold classes outside as weather permits, taking advantage of the outdoor classrooms so generously donated earlier this year.
My student currently receives differentiated instruction. Will they still receive that?
Yes. We don’t expect any change to differentiated learning, even with Mrs. P-O taking on an advanced math class.
My student currently receives intervention. Will they still receive that?
Yes. Intervention will continue, but may have a new schedule (e.g., leveraging FLEX blocks).
How many mask breaks will there be throughout the day?
Students will have two mask breaks ( x1/AM, x1/PM)
LUNCH AND RECESS
Where will students each lunch, and what will those lunch spaces look like?
We will use the Gym, Multipurpose Room (MRP), and the Library, with about 50 people in each space at one time (students plus supervisors). We will not use our traditional cafeteria-style tables; instead, the district has ordered individual tablet chairs which will be set up in rows at a minimum of six feet apart. Each student will be assigned a seat.
How will lunch and recess be structured?
Walker will have three lunch periods between 11:25-12:28, with all students in one grade eating at the same time. Lunch will be 25 minutes, followed by a 13 minute outside recess and a 12-minute classroom downtime. This allows ample time to clean common spaces between groups. Also, a 13-minute recess prevents a possible higher transmission rate as a high volume of students play and socialize. Please see the schedule shared above in this communication, as there may be instances where siblings are not in the same lunch timing.
Can I still bring my child home for lunch, even if I indicated they would stay in my survey?
Yes. However like in previous years, your child must stay home the entire lunch plus recess period - they cannot come back for recess.
Can I have my child eat lunch at school, even if I indicated they would come home in my survey?
Yes. We are able to maintain the six feet of distance even if 100% of students remain at school for lunch.
What will recess look like?
Recess will be 13 minutes long, and classes will stay in their cohorts. We will have designated areas (MPR, Gym, Library) where each grade-cohort is assigned. Students will be expected to wear masks at recess, but we will have designated spaces students can visit if they would like an additional mask break.
OTHER TOPICS
What are quarantining rules with Spring Break coming up?
If you travel internationally, you are required to quarantine for 7-10 days. Please review the d181 website for those details, or reference the Frequently Asked Questions being delivered today.
https://www.d181.org/uploaded/Reopening/In-Person_COVID19_FAQ_-_2021.pdf
How will COVID surveillance testing work?
Please see the d181 Frequency Asked Questions for more information regarding d181’s surveillance testing program.
https://www.d181.org/uploaded/Reopening/In-Person_COVID19_FAQ_-_2021.pdf
If my child has to quarantine, will they livestream into their current class?
No. Depending on the length and reason for quarantine, they will either work asynchronously or be assigned a full time remote teacher for the time period they are quarantined.
Will we be able to hold traditional end of year celebrations like June Jubilee?
At this time, the only end-of-year celebration we expect to have is for fifth grade moving up. We expect to have more details around that in the upcoming months.
Will Walker host before and after school care now that we are full day?
Based on the recent parent survey conducted by the Community House, it is not needed this spring for Walker.
Are there changes to the d181 calendar as a result of returning to school full time?
No. The d181 calendar remains unchanged.
Walker School
Email: echisausky@d181.org
Website: https://www.d181.org/schools/walker-school
Location: 120 Walker Avenue, Clarendon Hills, IL, USA
Phone: 630-861-4600
Twitter: @WildcatsWalker