Superintendent News
Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95
A Message from Dr. Kelley Gallt
October 30, 2020
Dear District 95 Families,
As we end our first week of a return to remote learning for all students, I want to assure you that we continue to review the guidance from health authorities along with our own metrics in order to provide a return to in-person hybrid learning as soon as safely possible. Our current date of anticipated return to in-person learning for Hybrid learners will be on November 9th, as previously stated.
To be transparent, we have added additional data to our website to show our COVID related information which can be viewed on the 2020-21 School Year webpage. This information will be updated on a weekly basis and includes the number of positive COVID cases, close contacts of positive COVID cases, symptomatic individuals, and close contacts of symptomatic individuals. Definitions of these metrics are also provided.
In order for us to return to in-person learning as quickly as possible, I respectfully ask that we all remain committed to continuing to follow the COVID-19 mitigation and prevention strategies - both in our schools as well as throughout our community. Our collective behavior has a direct correlation to the ability of District 95 to be able to pivot back to our Hybrid instructional model. It is imperative that we avoid large group gatherings, practice social distancing, wear a mask while in public, and wash our hands frequently to continue to create a healthy and safe environment for all.
Enjoy the weekend, and remember that daylight savings time begins on Nov. 1st.
November 24th - Asynchronous Learning Day
Family Survey
It’s hard to believe we have already finished a quarter of the 20-21 school year! We would like to gather feedback from our families at this time, so that we can assess our progress to date and hear from each of you regarding your experiences. The survey should only take a few minutes to complete; we thank you in advance for your input!
Family Survey LINK (NOTE: Please be sure to complete one survey per child)
In addition, we would also like to gather feedback from our students in grades 4 through 12. Please note that your child will be asked to complete a brief survey during the school day in the coming weeks. Again, this survey should take only a few minutes to complete - and we look forward to gathering input from our students. If you would like to review the questions your students will be asked, survey links are below. Please view these forms only, and use the family link (above) to provide your feedback.
Elementary Student Survey LINK (4th/5th grade)
Secondary Student Survey LINK (6th-12th grade)
We thank you again for your feedback; information gathered from stakeholder surveys will be reviewed by our District Student and Staff Success Team to inform and improve our service to students and their families.
Redistricting School Boundaries
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback through Thought Exchange on the two draft boundary map options presented by RSP & Associates. There were 292 participants who provided 226 Thoughts, and 11,327 Ratings through Thought Exchange.
The feedback from Thought Exchange will be shared with the Advisory Boundary Committee at the next boundary meeting on November 19th. The committee will consider the community input and will continue its work with RSP and Associates to develop its recommendation to the Board of Education in January. This may include considering changes to the draft maps shared at the community input sessions.
For more information please click here to visit the Redistricting School Boundaries webpage.
Important Dates
- November 3 - State Election Day school holiday. Non-attendance day for students and staff. All District 95 buildings will be closed as mandated by our state.
- November 5 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (Middle and High Schools), Asynchronous Learning Day (6-12)
- November 6 - Institute Day, no student attendance
- November 19 - Boundary Committee Meeting
- November 23 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (Elementary Schools). Asynchronous day for all Pre K - 5 students
- November 24 - Asynchronous Day, all students and staff offsite for deep cleaning of schools
- November 25 - Non-student attendance day
- November 26 - Thanksgiving Day, all District 95 buildings closed
- November 27 - Non attendance day, all District 95 buildings closed
District 95 Educational Foundation - Diversity Poster Contest
The School District 95 Educational Foundation was so pleased to sponsor the 2020 "Strength in Our Diversity" youth poster contest in October, open to ALL students who live in District 95. The goal of the poster contest was to encourage students to celebrate the diversity in District 95 and reflect on how that makes our community stronger. There were 101 entries from K-12 students!
Congratulations to the winners!
K-2 Winner: Mirica Butapati, Grade 2, Sarah Adams Elementary
3-5 Winner: Abirami Kalyanasundaram, Grade 3, Spencer Loomis Elementary
Middle School Winner: Gianna Tomany, Grade 6, Middle School South
High School Winner: Niya Katsarska, Grade 11, Lake Zurich High School
To see the winning posters, visit the District 95 Educational Foundation website at: https://www.district95foundation.org/diversity-poster-contest-winners-20
Mask Donation
Prior to the staggered Hybrid in-person start, two Isaac Fox students wanted to make a difference in the community. Third grader Olivia Larson and fourth grader Amelia Stephen wanted to find a way to help kids in our district who may be in need of face masks. They began making bracelets to sell in their neighborhood in an effort to raise money to purchase and donate face masks for district students in need. The girls practiced safe selling conventions, wearing face masks when approaching neighbors as well as making sales to family and friends virtually.
Olivia and Amelia earned $100 which allowed them to purchase and donate 50 children's reusable masks!
Our thanks go out to Olivia and Amelia for their kindness and caring, as well as their creativity during a difficult time!!