Thomas Jefferson July Newsletter
WE are TJ! Welcome to Our Neighborhood
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D15: Action Required
Parents: If you have not done so already, we need you to complete enrollment selection for 2020-21 by today at noon. You can click on this link to complete the form.
TJ is Preparing for the Start of the School Year
In general, we are continually discussing ways to limit as much as possible student movement throughout the building.
These limitations will also occur during lunch and recess. Students will eat lunch in the classrooms and anyone who orders a school lunch will have that delivered to the room each day. While eating, students will obviously need to have their masks off, so we are looking at plans to divide up homerooms during lunch so less students are in the same room eating.
Each group of students will have their own designated area to play in while outside during recess. While students are outside, they will be practicing social distancing and not be required to wear a mask. We will also be offering other times during the day for "mask breaks".
Parents still have the option of taking their child home for lunch on a given day and we are working on how students can be "signed out" during the lunch hour without parents coming into the building.
In addition, during the school day, we are also planning to limit movement of students. This means that whenever we can, non-homeroom teachers who support students will travel to the classrooms instead of students walking to classes like music, art and PE. If weather permits, PE classes will be outside.
As you read in an earlier communication, we will also keep twins in the same homerooms in order to help siblings decrease the number of students they interact with while at school.
In the hallways, we are also looking at how we can set up traffic patterns similar to grocery stores with same direction walking paths.
Students will not have communal supplies, so each child will need to have their own supplies. You can refer to the TJ supply list for more details about what teachers have asked families to supply. Please note face masks are required for the 2020-21 school year, as mandated by the IDPH and ISBE, and we would recommend each child have several face masks.
To reiterate, the cleaning procedures in the schools this year will be much more frequent and intense each day.
Hopefully this gives everyone an idea of what TJ and the other schools in D15 are doing to help create the safest possible learning environment for everyone.
PTA News
TJ has a wonderful Parent Teacher Association (PTA). They have continued to be active in planning how the TJ Community (whether students are virtual or in person) can still remain connected with each other during the school year.
For more information about our PTA and other wonderful activities and programs they provide for TJ, you can visit the PTA website at www.tjpta.org.