Friday Focus
October 8, 2021
A Message from Marcie
Hello, South Park!
We would like to ask for your cooperation in delaying your child's arrival to school until closer to the 8:35 a.m. start time when we have supervisors on duty at South Park.
We have noticed that many 4th and 5th-grade students gather on the Rosewood blacktop each morning between 8:15-8:30 a.m. During this time, students are reporting incidents of peer conflict and inappropriate behavior. Your partnership in delaying your child's arrival to school will help us ensure that when students arrive, we have the staff available to support students and keep everyone safe.
For families who arrive a little early to school each day, we appreciate it when you stick around until 8:35 a.m. to supervise your child until a staff member comes outside for supervision. Once our staff comes outside, parents and caregivers are encouraged to leave the campus.
Thank you for your cooperation!
-Marcie
Rosewood Construction Update
Rosewood Avenue is under construction for approximately two weeks. The Deerfield Police Department is asking for parent cooperation to avoid dropping off or picking up students on Rosewood during the construction period to assist with a smooth flow of traffic.
Please remember that all vehicles must abide by traffic signs and parking signs as well as follow the construction workers who are directing traffic on Rosewood Avenue.
The Deerfield Police Department recommends moving pick-up or drop-off locations for students to either Hackberry Road or Birchwood Avenue until the construction is complete. We will have additional staff outside to assist.
We recognize the inconvenience this may cause but appreciate your flexibility and understanding.
Lunch Plans for Colder Weather
Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks once plans have been finalized.
Update for South Park Volunteers
A quick reminder, that all volunteers or individuals spending prolonged time in one of our buildings are required to be vaccinated or provide proof of a negative COVID test.
If you are coming to our building to volunteer, please remember these things:
-Wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status
-Bring a photo ID to check-in at the front office
-Bring your proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test (not self-administered) from within the last week
-Complete a Covid self-certification prior to coming to school
Thank you for your cooperation and please contact Eric Steckling (esteckling@dps109.org) if you have any questions.
Family Read Night is October 14th! Please enjoy the student video below!
Halloween is Coming
- Nothing is to be worn on the face (e.g. costume masks, make-up, etc.) as this could impact the effectiveness and comfort of the required face covering.
- Please do not send students with accessories (e.g witches broom).
- Toy weapons are strictly prohibited.
- Students should either wear costumes to school all day or have the ability to change into costumes in the classroom. Students will not be permitted to change clothes in the bathrooms.
- Students should not wear group costumes as they promote the exclusion of other students.
If you need assistance in providing your child with a Halloween costume, please reach out to Dr. Faust.
Families who are not comfortable sending their child in costume, please reach out to your child's teacher so that we can be sensitive to you or your child's feelings about dressing up for Halloween. We want everyone at South Park to feel comfortable.
Additional details will be shared in the coming weeks.
Sending Students to School with Masks that Fit
We would also like to remind families that when masks are too large or too small, they don't do their job. An effective mask should fit securely over the nose and below the chin, adhering closely to the face without any gaps.
Thank you for your cooperation!
Still Looking for Fun Lunch Volunteers
We are seeking one parent volunteer per day to help support the Fun Lunch Program together with Marla's Fun Lunch staff (11am-12:30pm daily). This a great opportunity to see your child for a quick hug AND help the school!
**Volunteers most needed on Thursdays (Pizza Days)**
To sign up and review guidelines, please go to: Fun Lunch Volunteer Sign Up
What do I do if my child gets sick?
With cold and flu season upon us, we recognize that it can feel overwhelming when your child becomes sick and you need to find out whether or not they have COVID-19.
As you head into the weekend, if your child develops any COVID symptoms that would prevent them from passing their morning certification on Monday morning, please get your child a COVID test. Rapid testing is acceptable if drawn within 48 hours of symptom development and test results should be emailed to our school nurse, Nora Moskos, at nbrennan@dps109.org. At-home tests are currently not accepted by the Lake County Health Department. If you are unsure about testing needs, please feel free to contact Nurse Moskos.
During the school week, if a child wakes up with COVID symptoms, please contact Nurse Moskos and plan to keep your child home from school along with their unvaccinated siblings. Nurse Moskos can help arrange for your child to get a COVID test after school hours at the district office between 4:00-5:00.
LOOKING TO OPT OUT OF NEXT WEEK'S SHIELD TESTING?
Fill out this Google Form prior to 7 AM on THURSDAY
*Please note that if you have consented but want to opt out of a week, you must fill out the form every week.
THE LATEST COVID INFORMATION
The district has a landing page with constantly updated COVID protocol information. Be sure to visit www.dps109.org/fall2021 to check out the latest updates on:
What do I do if my child wakes up sick? (and what happens to siblings)
Our COVID case dashboard - updated in real-time