Longfellow Log
Week Ending 9/18
Important Dates/Reminders and Notes
- Tuesday, September 22nd - District School Board Meeting
- Friday, October 9th - Remote Learning Planning Day (No school for students)
- Monday, October 12th - Indigenous People's Day (No School)
Thank you's/ Celebrations
- Thank you so much to all of the PTO Board Members for the recent Community PTO meeting. Your hard work is much appreciated.
- It was great to see so many of you at Curriculum Night last night (if you have any questions, please reach out to your child's homeroom teacher)
Support Survey - Please complete short survey for each Longfellow child
Please fill out the survey for each of your Longfellow children if you haven't already done so. The survey will close at the end of the day Monday. Thank you so much!
PBIS Message - Important about use of Virtual Backgrounds
The PBIS Tier 1 Team created Longfellow's Remote Learning Expectations prior to school beginning. Under the Be Respectful category, the students are able to use acceptable virtual backgrounds. We have created four options for virtual backgrounds that students may use. This is optional but we wanted to give a few choices; they may not use any others. Please be sure to review these with your child if they plan to use them. Students can choose one background each day and keep it for the entire day. We hope that this adds extra joy and fun to your child's remote learning experience.
Free Blackhawks Opportunity
Recognizing there are few activities the whole family can enjoy together during the pandemic, CBF will open its Family Skate program to the broader community. This weekend program will provide families an opportunity to take a safe field trip away from the home to engage in the fun activity of ice skating together.
Family Skate will take place on Saturdays from 5:15 – 6:45 p.m., beginning September 19 through at least October 31, and a parent or guardian must be present for all minors. As capacity is limited for health & safety purposes, interested parents and guardians must register their family for Family Skate sessions in advance at Blackhawks.com/FallPrograms.
Free of charge to participants, including skate rentals for Family Skate at Fifth Third Arena. For more information on Fifth Third Arena’s COVID-19 safety procedures, please visit FifthThirdArena.com.
Social-Emotional Wellness Check-Ins for Students
We are continuing to provide social-emotional wellness check-ins this fall. The District 97 school psychologists and school nurses collaborated to offer access to virtual mental health wellness checks at each school. Parents may sign up children for 25-minute Telehealth sessions where they can access an open ear for their sources of stress and learn self-care and coping strategies. Students may attend up to three sessions per trimester and may then be referred for other school-based supports if needed. If your child is experiencing an immediate mental health crisis, please do not use this service and instead call the Thrive 24hr Crisis Hotline at 708-383-7500. You may also refer to this local resource guide provided by the Community Mental Health Board of the Oak Park Township. How can my child access this service? The virtual sessions will occur during school hours. Use this Longfellow Wellness Sign-Up Link to book open slots. The appointment page will open within your own calendar. (If you do not have a Gmail account, you may contact aguerrier@op97.org & rneubert@op97.org). Prior to the appointment, you will receive a link for the video call or other access information. During these unusual times, we need to partner with you to ensure your child arrives at the correct video link during their scheduled time and returns to their classroom Zoom after the appointment. Please remember to coordinate with your daycare providers if applicable. We will inform your child’s teacher, so your child will be excused from class. Please book appointments by the night before the appointment (at the latest) and not on the day of the appointment.
School Physicals and Immunizations
Although District 97 is starting the 2020-2021 school year with remote learning, the State of Illinois is still requiring the following:
- All students entering preschool (PKP), kindergarten, 6th grade, and any students new to District 97 to turn in a current school physical before October 15, 2020 (Certificate of Child Health Examination and Immunization record) with up-to-date immunizations (requirements for the State of Illinois can be found here).
- All kindergarten students and any students entering an Illinois school for the first time, are required to submit a professional eye examination or waiver (forms: Eye Examination Form or Waiver) before October 15, 2020.
- Dental examinations or waivers for kindergarten and 2nd grade students must be submitted before May 15, 2021 (forms: Dental Examination Form or Waiver).
If you have not already provided this information when you registered your child or if you are contacted by our School Nurse, please email your childs' records directly to our School Nurse Anne Guerrier (Nurse G) at aguerrier@op97.org.
District News Below
Free Webinar on Supporting Children During COVID-19
Thrive Counseling Center is hosting a free Thrive Talks webinar, "Calm the Chaos!" on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. to provide parents with tools to support their children with the ongoing stress and uncertainty of the pandemic. The session will feature:
- Child psychologist Heidi Hamernik, PhD
- OPRFHS Special Ed teacher Douglas Hill
- District 97 school social worker Lori Janu-Chossek, LCSW
- PCC Wellness pediatrician Brooke Turnock, MD
- Steve Parker, Marriage and Family Therapist
Please use the following link to join the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/93567350158
D97 to Host Virtual Parent Circles on September 16 and 23
- Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (click here to register)
- Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. (click here to register)
These sessions were organized to accommodate families who were unable to participate in parent circles during our Aug. 13 Parent University. The sessions are designed to build community among District 97 parents and guardians and provide support as we navigate remote learning.
District 97 to Continue Providing Free Meals to All Students
Beginning Sept. 8, meals will be provided free of cost to any District 97 student in need. 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.
Each bag of food will contain five breakfasts and five lunches. Click here for the September 2020 menus.
Click here for more information about food service during Trimester 1. If you have any questions, please reach out to the district's food service coordinator, Carla Ellis, at cellis@op97.org.
Ms. Jefferson & Mrs. Sullivan
708-524-3060
@AmyJefferson97
708-524-7825
@MrsSullivand97
Website: www.op97.org
Location: 715 S Highland Oak Park, Il 60304
Phone: 708-524-3060