Knightly News
BACK-TO-SCHOOL ESSENTIALS - August 31, 2020
Opening of School Dates
Tuesday, September 1 - First Day for Grades 1-5 (full day 9:00am-1:00pm)
Wednesday, September 2 - First Day for ADK and half-day kindergarten
Please note - school will be Monday through Friday 9:00am until 1:00pm. Morning kindergarten will be 9:00am -11:00am Monday through Friday and afternoon kindergarten will be 11:30am-1:30pm Monday through Friday . An earlier reopening plan had kindergarten students alternating attendance on Wednesdays; that is no longer the case.
Monday, September 7 - NO SCHOOL - Labor Day
Thursday, September 17 - Virtual Curriculum Night
PACE and EL presentations via Google Meet/Zoom 6:00pm
Classroom teacher presentations via Google Meet/Zoom 6:30pm and 7:00pm
Medication Drop-Off
Chromebooks - 1:1 Devices
Office/Parent Visitor Procedures
If you do have an item that is urgent and necessary to drop off at school, you will most likely be directed to leave the item in the vesitbule. Parents and visitors that are deemed necessary to enter the office will undergo a symptom screeening and temperature check.
If you are called by the health office or need to see the nurse, please wait in the main office area; do not proceed back to the health office. This is for the health and safety of students, staff, and parents.
Lastly, we will not be having parent volunteers and visitors in the building beyond the office this year while we are under the current health guidelines.
Washington truly values the partnerships we have long had with our wonderful parent community. Please understand that these procedures are due to health guidelines; we must follow them in the interest of health and keeping in-person school happening.
Arrival/Dismissal Procedures for Walkers & Car Riders
Parents using the flow zone are not to leave their vehicles. The flow zone is designed for quick student drop off/pick-up.
Once on property, students should walk immediately to their grade level doors. Doors will open at 9:00am:
Kindergarten - Door 3 (west side of building)
1st grade - Door 4 (west side of building)
2nd grade - Door 4 (west side of building)
3rd grade - Door 6 (west side of building)
4th grade - Door 7 (north side of building in courtyard)
5th grade - Door 8 (northeast corner of building)
Students will come into the building immediately upon reaching their grade level doors. There will be no waiting outside in lines. Classroom teachers will be in classrooms to greet students and assist them in unpacking and beginning their day. Specialist teachers and teaching assistants will be at grade level doors and in hallways to assist students. Parents will not be allowed to accompany their children into the school building
If there is a delay entering at the grade level door, students should stand on the blue marks on the sidewalk to physically distance. Parents may stand on the blue marks with their children during the first days of school.
After parents walk their children to the grade level door, they should immediately leave the property. In order to promote physical distancing, we cannot permit adults to congregate and talk on school property this year. The playground is closed during arrival and dismissal.
Please understand that our procedures are designed with the health of everyone in mind and also in keeping with the goal of sustaining in-person learning for our students.
We ask that parents do not come on property until 1:00pm for dismissal. Students who walk or are picked up by a parent will walk out to the west side of the building with a teacher and find a blue mark to socially distance. If you walk to pick up your child, please leave the property as soon as you have your child. Please wear a mask and practice social distancing.
We thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Door 3
Door 4
Door 6
Elementary In-person Day
All Day Kindergarten and Grades 1-5
- 9:00am - 1:00pm (Monday through Friday) - reading, writing, math, social studies and science
- 1 hour of asynchronous work will be provided daily for the afternoon including PE (three days a week), art (one day a week), and music (one day a week)
Half-Day Kindergarten
- Morning - 9:00am-11:00am (Monday through Friday)
- Afternoon - 11:30am -1:30pm (Monday through Friday)
- Half-hour of asynchronous work will be provided daily for the afternoon in PE (three days a week), art (one day a week), and music (one day a week)
K - 5 teachers will take students outdoors for "show your smile" mask breaks. The district is providing each elementary school with a tent and our PTA added two more!
Why was the day shortened?
The day was shortened to remove the hour long lunch/recess period. Additionally, PE, art, and music will be removed from the in-person day. Lunch and recess were scheduled to be out of the classrooms and in common areas in most instances. Given new guidance released from the Illinois Department of Public Health on August 12, we believe that the best way to open our schools and hopefully keep our schools open is to remove the variable of lunch, recess and PE in-person. The change allows us to keep our classroom groups more stable while limiting movement and mixing of groups during the day.
What guidance led to this decision?
The new guidance on contact tracing calls for cumulative accumulation of minutes for close contact. In the event of a positive case, schools may be in a situation where more individuals are asked to quarantine, especially with lunch, recess, and PE being held outside the room. By removing those variables from the day, our hope is to minimize the number of individuals that would need to quarantine should there be a positive case.
What will my child’s schedule and day be like at the elementary school?
Your child will be in their homeroom for the majority of their day receiving core instruction in reading, writing, math, science and social studies. Additionally, classrooms will go outside for class-based recess and show-your-smile (mask) breaks. The instructional minutes in these core areas have not been minimized with this new schedule. The new change shifts an hour of lunch / recess out of the in-person day along with specials (art, music, PE), and additional mask breaks.
Show-Your-Smile!
School Supplies and Masks
Student supplies will not be pooled into community bins in the classroom this year; students will use their own supplies. Please label them with your child's name. Also, please send your child with Kleenex packets or a small box for his/her desk.
The supply list can be viewed here: SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Please note that students will be required to wear a mask at school. The Illinois Department of Public Health recommends storing masks in a clean, sealable paper bag or breathable container. Cloth face coverings should be taken home daily, laundered, and dried in a dryer.
Water Bottles and Snacks
Bus Transportation
Meal and Fee Waivers
Attached are links for the Meal waiver (breakfast and lunch) program and a link for the Fee waiver. If you are unable to print the documents, you may contact the school office at 630.682.2222 and a form will be mailed to you or sent home with your child. Please send completed forms into the Washington office.
Free and Reduced Meal Application Form - Spanish
Breakfast and Lunch Available
Birthday Celebrations
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Washington Elementary School
Website: http://www.cusd200.org/Domain/1399
Location: 911 Bridle Lane, Wheaton, IL, United States
Phone: 630-682-2222
Facebook: facebook.com/washingtonelementaryCUSD200
Twitter: @washcusd200