Hammerschmidt's Happenings
March 16th- 20th
Dear WHS Staff,
Many things are out of our control. What ALWAYS remains in our control is how we respond to adversity and how we come together to effectively serve our school community. We are truly all in this together.
D44 Communications- COVID-19
Dear District 44 Staff,
In collaboration with our area school districts, we have made the decision to close school beginning Monday, March 16. As this situation is constantly evolving, we are unsure at this time when schools will reopen.
We want to stress that this is not in response to an active threat in our community. We, as area school districts, made this decision to be preventative in nature.
Our Plan Moving Forward
Our plan is to use an emergency day (no student or staff attendance) for Monday, March 16 and a staff-only attendance day on Tuesday, March 17. Then, on Wednesday March 18, we are hopeful we can begin using e-learning with our students and staff.
We will go over all e-learning procedures on Tuesday & Wednesday to provide specific information and training to prepare for this transition. If you want to access the building prior to this, you may do so on Monday (this is optional).
Staff, it is important to note that we will also provide our students access to the buildings on a date that will be later communicated to ensure they have all necessary materials.
Equity & Continuity of Services
These are unprecedented times for schools throughout the nation. We know everyone has concerns about continuing to provide education and related services (speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc.) in a way that is equitable to all our students. On Monday, we will again communicate how we intend, to the best of our abilities, to offer this to our students. The administrative leadership team is working collaboratively with our union on developing this action plan.
Community Partnerships
I know many of us share in the concern about the availability of child care as well as the access to food and shelter for our most vulnerable students. These critical priorities are being considered and evaluated by the administration and union leadership team as part of their action plan. More details will be forthcoming, likely on Monday.
When will we know more?
Given how rapidly evolving this situation is, we will continue to actively communicate with you any and all changes. Right now, we are working toward a goal to communicate district-wide on Monday to all staff and families via e-mail what our overall action plan is as it relates to supporting all our students and staff during the school shut down.
However, for now, please plan on Monday being a non-attendance day for both students and staff, and Tuesday and Wednesday being attendance days for JUST staff to go through specific training. (Tuesday is when all staff will be provided training on e-learning. That said, for anyone who needs ADDITIONAL support, can come in on Wednesday to do so. )
More communication will also be coming on Monday to address many questions we know still remain during this unprecedented time.
I know you all have many more questions beyond we are able to communicate right now. More communication is coming Monday that will address those questions being shared with us. Please stay tuned for that message to be e-mailed on Monday.
Never has it been more critical for all us to be all in this together.
Sincerely,
Ted
Musical Notes . (Get it? ... Musical notes.. )
One School One Book
We need your help! Please use the links below to be a "guest reader" for a chapter of the book.
Guest Reader- Chapter Sign-Up Form
The directions for how to submit your audio recording are below:
Yearbook Photo Request from PTA
Please use the link below to upload any "yearbook worthy" photos to the appropriate folder.
Your support with this is greatly appreciated.
Tweet of the week:
One School, One Family, Connected for Success
I.A.R. Testing at WHS -Future Schedule T.B.D.
Starcast Submission Request
Michelle Hoganson- Art Teacher
If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?
The Adventures of MKH.
Favorite Memory of a recent school experience:
I always love to see how proud & excited our WHS student artists are to show their families their artwork at our "Art Fair" at our annual "Open House".
Fondest Memory of your own elementary experience:
Mrs. Young, my favorite elementary teacher who I was fortunate to have for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd grade, shared her love of reading with me.
Words That Describe Me:
Happy, organized, & grateful.
Bucket List:
To see the US in our own RV.
What is your hidden talent?
I know the words to every song that I like.
What advice would you give to someone just starting off their career in education?
Smile, let your students know that you're happy to see them.
What is the last joke that you recall:
Why is Cinderella so bad at soccer? Because she always runs away from the ball.
Best Concert Experience:
One of my favorite concerts was in July of 2017, Matt & I went to the "Classic West", a two day concert at Dodger's Stadium in LA to see the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, & Earth, Wind, & Fire.
Staff Shout Outs!
Neil Gunsteen
Sam Trostle
Thank you to Sam for always being willing to jump in to help! This week alone, he's helped by replacing our clock (three times) and by helping to diffuse a nervous classroom of kids as a wasp started the day with us.
Morgan Dowell
Thank you for all that you are doing to support us during IAR Testing! It is great to have you in our corner!
WHS Staff "Shout Out" Nominations
Entertainment, At Home Learning, Stress-management Resources from Common Sense!
CLICK HERE FOR COMMON SENSE RESOURCES
Handwashing Resources
Karen Szatalowicz shared this really cool video with me so I wanted to pass it along. I'm including some other resources as well in case you are looking for things to use in your classrooms. Please let me know if you would like anything else or if you would like me to come to your room for a mini lesson. Thank you!
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/training-education.html
Two Visuals for Proper Handwashing:
Disinfecting Classroom Devices:
The tech department has been receiving many emails regarding instructions on how to clean the variety of devices across the district. Below are the instructions on how to do so.
-Use a soft, lint-free cloth with isopropyl alcohol or Clorox wipes on screens
-When cleaning the keyboards of Chromebooks and Macs, make sure to not press too hard or allow excess moisture to get into openings.
-Don't use Aerosols, bleaches, or abrasives.
-Don't spray cleaners directly onto the devices.
Coronavirus Resources to Support Staff
SEL Resurces:
Need some "Morning Meeting" Ideas- Try one or more of these Teambuilding Games!
Need Some Cool Book Project Ideas?
Integrating SEL:
WHS S.T.A.R. (Sharing Together and Reflecting) Artifacts for the 4 Domains:
Save it your personal Google Drive for easy access in the future!
The Impact an Adult Can Have on Kids!
Contact Me Anytime!
Email: ddanielski@sd44.org
Website: http://wh.sd44.org/
Location: Wm Hammerschmidt Elementary School, Hammerschmidt Avenue, Lombard, IL, United States
Phone: 630-677-8457
Twitter: @ddanielski