Christian's Weekly Communication
February 22, 2021
6th Grade Hybrid/Remote-THIS WEEK!
Dear 6th Grade Parents:
Starting next week on Monday, February 22nd we will be moving back into our 2nd Hybrid/Remote rotation. Below are some things to remember as that Monday approaches:
Announcements will continue to be aired at 9:00am every morning at the following ZOOM link.
Students who attended Hybrid will use the same entry locations and exits as they did during Rotation 1. For most, they will also have the same classroom as they did in Rotation 1.
Rotation 2 Clusters beginning have been sent by email. Remind your student of the following: (1) the teacher/room number they will be assigned and (2) the door where they will line up to enter and dismiss.
- Please remember to look for the CrisisGo verification emails each morning and complete them by 8:15a.m. Please note: Students will not be allowed to attend in-person classes until the online Parent Certification form is completed.
If your student is not feeling well or is reporting any symptoms of any kind and is expecting to miss a day of school, please contact the Julian School Office (708) 524-3040.
After students are dismissed at 12:40 and return home, we hope that they will have lunch and then be ready to participate in Student Support Time with a Core Teacher if needed, in the afternoon and complete their other asynchronous work.
Thanks for being our partners in this endeavor,
Jerome Green, 6th Grade Assistant Principal
Email: jgreen@op97.org
Phone number: 708-524-3043
Assistant Principal Link/: https://www.op97.org/julian/julian-admin-team/green
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conference Information
Trimester 2 and Trimester 3 A/B Calendar
Parent-to-Parent Circle Series - Feb. 18, March 18, April 29
D97 to Host Virtual Parent-to-Parent Circle Series
District 97 families are invited to join our upcoming Virtual Parent-to-Parent Series, which will be facilitated in partnership with the E-Team of Oak Park. Events will be held:
- Thursday, Feb. 18, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Thursday, March 18, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Thursday, April 29, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The sessions are designed to build community among District 97 parents and guardians and provide support as we navigate hybrid learning. The intention is for parents/guardians to attend all three sessions to help build a consistent community, but if you cannot make the first session you may still attend the others. Please let us know your availability in the registration form so that we can plan accordingly.
The deadline to register is Tuesday, Feb. 16. To sign up, please visit https://bit.ly/D97ParentCircles.
5 Essentials Survey
Dear Middle School Parents/Guardians:
District 97 will be administering the Illinois 5Essentials Survey again this year to certified staff and parents/guardians from all 10 of our schools, as well as students in grades four through eight.
The online survey was developed by the University of Chicago’s Consortium on Chicago School Research and is derived from the Five Essentials for School Success, which is an evidence-based framework that identifies five factors that can lead to important student outcomes such as improved attendance and significant gains in test scores. These five factors/essentials are:
Effective Leaders
Collaborative Teachers
Involved Families
Supportive Environment
Ambitious Instruction
Below is information about how the survey will be administered to our middle school students and parents/guardians.
Illinois 5Essentials Student Survey
The student survey is being administered to children in grades four through 12 throughout Illinois. School-level reports will only be generated for our district if at least 50 percent of the students and/or staff at Brooks and Julian respond to the survey. In order to successfully meet this requirement, both middle schools will be setting aside time for students to take the survey with minimal disruption to instruction. We anticipate the survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
In order to participate in this process, students will need to log in to the survey using their student ID and birthdate. However, their participation is optional and their identities will be kept completely confidential. Teachers and administrators will never see individual responses to survey questions. They will only have access to summary level responses, such as the percentage of students who agree that homework assignments help them learn the course material.
We also want to make you aware that under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act. 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions your child will be asked. Student survey questions are available, which can be accessed by visiting http://bit.ly/5EStudentSurvey.
If you DO NOT want your son or daughter to participate in this activity, please fill out the attached opt-out form and ask your child to return it to the front office of his/her school no later than [DATE].
Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey
The parent survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. You may skip questions you do not wish to answer, but the survey must be completed in one sitting and cannot be retrieved once it is submitted. If you have more than one child enrolled in a building (i.e., two students who attend the same school), you have the option of completing multiple surveys for that building. In addition, if you have children enrolled in multiple schools (i.e., a District 97 elementary school and middle school), you may participate in the survey for each school. However, only one parent/guardian per household may fill out the survey.
As with the student and teacher surveys, your identity will be kept completely confidential and your responses will not be linked to you. In addition, school-level reports will only be generated if at least 20 percent of our parents/guardians complete the survey, which can be accessed until April 2, 2021, by visiting http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/. This percentage will be based on the total number of students enrolled at each school.
If we successfully meet this requirement, we will receive our reports in Spring/Summer 2021. The results will also be made available to the public via the State School Report Cards, which will be released in the fall.
You can access general information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey by visiting https://www.uchicagoimpact.org/our-offerings/5essentials.
Thank you for participating in this important endeavor and for your continued support of our schools and the children we serve.
COVID-19 Travel Guidance
Travel increases the risk of exposure to the coronavirus for our students, staff and community. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. The Cook County Department of Public Health recommends that residents avoid all non-essential activities, including school and work, for 14 days upon their return to suburban Cook County. If staff, students or families travel out of state for more than 24 hours, they should not report to school. The district's quarantine requirements are outlined in our Framework for Reopening Schools.
FLYER: COVID-19 and Travel Guidance for District 97 Students and Staff >
February 2021 Menus and Meal Distributions
Next Meal D97 Meal Distribution: Tuesday, Feb. 16
February Breakfast/Lunch Menus
Meals will be provided free of cost this fall to any District 97 student in need. Each bag of food will contain five breakfasts and five lunches.
Meal distributions will be held every Tuesday, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Longfellow Elementary School (for Julian and feeder schools), 715 S. Highland Ave., and Brooks Middle School (for Brooks and feeder schools), 325 S. Kenilworth Ave.
Technology Plan - ThoughtExchange
Here is a link to the ThoughtExchange that we are hoping you can take some time during the next week to provide feedback and/or respond to others thoughts. You'll be asked to respond to one open-ended question, consider and assign stars to some of the ideas shared by others (20 to 30 is ideal), and learn what's important to the group. You can rate as many thoughts as you’d like before moving on to discover where you can see all the thoughts sorted by the average star rating. CLICK HERE for a one-minute video that explains how Thoughtexchange works. This exchange will open Wednesday, February 17, through Wednesday, February 24. Your thoughts and stars are confidential. You can come back as often as you'd like to participate and, in fact, we ask that you do come back to star some of the new ideas shared since you first participated. The ratings will be shared with the iLearn Advisory Committee to provide further insight and direction on the key areas identified above. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration for this important work to support the students, staff and families around access and learning experiences. Best, Michael Arensdorff
Mindful Middle-Schoolers
The Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township, Oak Park Elementary School District 97, and DePaul University’s Community Counseling Center have partnered to deliver a vast array of educational and therapeutic services to staff, families, and youth through the “Mindful Middle-Schoolers Program.” Below is a list of upcoming VIRTUAL talks, which will be held via Zoom. Registration via the Eventbrite links below is requested. Once you register, a link will be emailed to you four hours prior to the start of each event.
"Mindful Middle-Schoolers" Community Talk Flyer
- Monday, February 22 (1 p.m.): Understanding anxiety in youth and strategies for treatment and support https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-anxiety-in-youth-andstrategies-for-treatment-and-support-tickets-141697997525
- Thursday, February 25 (6 p.m.): Strategies to support executive functioning and self-regulation https://www.eventbrite.com/e/strategies-to-support-executive-functioningand-self-regulation-in-youth-tickets-141700384665
- Wednesday, March 3 (6 p.m.): Technology and mental health: strategies to promote mindful digital citizenship https://www.eventbrite.com/e/technology-and-mental-healthstrategies-to-promote-mindful-tech-use-tickets-141699038639
- Thursday, March 11 (6 p.m.): Mindfulness-based strategies and their applications in academic and home environments https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understandingmindfulness-tickets-141700721673
- Wednesday, March 17 (6 p.m.): Understanding and supporting the emotional health of Black children https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-and-supporting-theemotional-health-of-black-children-tickets-141702515037
- Wednesday, March 24 (6 p.m.): Understanding depression in youth and strategies for treatment and support https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-depression-inyouth-and-strategies-for-treatment-and-support-tickets-141698771841
6th grade author visit
Robin Stevenson will visit the 6th grade during their next hybrid week, Tuesday February 23 at 11:30AM.
Book ordering
Anyone can order an autographed (bookplate) copy of Stevenson's latest book Kid Innovators: True Tales of Childhood from Inventors and Trailblazers ($13.99) or Kid Activists: True Tales of Childhood from Champions of Change ($13.99).
Order at this link and select "pick up" and then "school pick up." Books will be delivered to Julian and then to you.
Questions? Please email Ms. Winchell at jwinchell@op97.org.
YEMBA
Upcoming DePaul Mindfulness Events
What are the signs and symptoms of anxiety in youth? What strategies and treatments are available to support youth who are struggling with anxiety? Join us for this free talk! DePaul University, in partnership with the Oak Park Township Community Mental Health Board and D97, is offering a series of community talks during the 2020-2021 school year as part of The Mindful Matters and Mindful-Middle-Scholers Programs. These community talks are offered virtually and are open to ALL community members (staff, parents, students). Please click here to register. A ZOOM link will be emailed prior to the start of the event.