Superintendent's Corner 😁 🏫 😁
Avoca School District 37
In this issue...
- Video Screen Cast: Background and Rationale for Remote Learning Nov. 30 - Jan. 15
- If you prefer to read it - see November 13 communication
- More on Safety in Unsafe Times
- Holidays on Holidays on Holidays
- Hear from Teachers: Interview with Elizabeth Weismehl
If you prefer to read it...
How We Return to Onsite Learning - Safety and Sacrifice in Unsafe Times
If we want students and families to have the option to return to onsite learning after January 15, then the steps we must take are simple and challenging:
- Wear masks whenever your outside your home
- Do not attend or host gatherings of people outside your household
- Keep physically distant from others when outside the home
- Avoid travel if at all possible
- If you must travel, time your travel so quarantine does not overlap with onsite learning at school
- See the Celebrating Safely Tips from the Village of Wilmette (to the right)
These steps require sacrifice. For the last 20 years I have had Thanksgiving with my mom and my in-laws and extended family. My mom is almost 89 years old and lives with my sister, who is 66. My in-laws are in their late 70s. All of us understand that to keep ourselves and anyone with whom we might come into contact safe, then we have to make some sacrifices this year.
I understand that some families have very specific reasons they must travel, and I neither begrudge people that decision nor do I judge people for that decision. I simply ask that we all take an extra moment to consider our decisions around travel, safety, and health this year so we can do our part to defeat COVID's spread in our community and return to onsite learning on January 19. No matter our decision, we also must support each other with these very difficult decisions if we are to maintain our integrity as a community.
Holidays on Holidays on Holidays
Diwali - November 14 - an annual Hindu festival, holiday is over four days and is a celebratory holiday that emphasizes light and renewal, among other spiritual principles. You may find out more by clicking here.
Thanksgiving - November 26 - while there are communal and generous aspects of the American holiday of Thanksgiving - first declared a holiday by Abraham Lincoln, this holiday has more than one perspective that informs it. A 'traditional' Eurocetnric view can be found by clicking here but includes some notes about the controversy. An outline of the more troubling aspects of Thanksgiving history can be found by clicking here.
Hannukah - December 10 - 18 - sharing with Diwali the alternative name "festival of lights" Hannukah is based on an ancient Jewish story of courage, resistance, and miracles. The gift giving of Hannukah might have come later but you can learn more by clicking here.
Christmas - December 25 - this Christian holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus, who came to be accepted as the son of God in Christian religion. Its original dates and its roots and evolution involve any number of other symbols and practices not originally part of Christianity but solidly in place nonetheless. Learn more by clicking here.
Kwanzaa - December 26 - January 1 - is a weeklong celebration of seven basic values of African culture: unity, self-determination, collective work, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. You can learn more by clicking on this article.
See the above interview with Avoca West general music teacher Elizabeth Weismehl. Our conversation is wide-ranging and touches upon the fact that in the five days previous to the interview I had seen her teach kindergartners outside and remotely, then first graders inside, all while trying to keep them engaged in musicality and body movement. The interview really demonstrates the ingenuity and perseverance our teachers must have in order to make learning successful with our students.
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