Hunting Ridge Hawk Happenings
Special Edition - Kindergarten September 21, 2020
Welcome
Hunting Ridge Families:
Our parents and caregivers have done an amazing job helping to support distance learning with our students in these first weeks of school. We are now ready to welcome students back to the building. In preparation for this, we want to help our parents and caregivers know aspects of our plan and the best ways that they can support a successful return to learn for students. We are thrilled to be welcoming students back to school. In the recent D15 communication to parents a video was included to demonstrate some of the guidelines described below. This might be helpful to view with your child this weekend. In these beginning weeks of school, there will be extra adult support outside to guide children to the correct place so that our newest of students can enter with confidence.
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'Kindergarten times:
Half-Day AM: Monday-Thursday, 8:40-11:20 AM, Friday AM: 8:40 - 10:55 AM
Half-Day PM: Monday-Thursday, 12:45 - 3:25 PM, Friday, 12:45 - 2:35 PM
Full Day: Monday-Thursday, 8:40 - 3:25, Friday, 8:40 AM- 2:35 PM
If your child will be absent from school, please call our attendance line at 847-963-5301. If parents are unsure about whether or not to send their child to school, please call our school nurse Mrs. Spears to talk through this with you, 847-963-5302.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ortlund
How Can I Prepare My Child?
1) Practice wearing masks. Students will need to build stamina for wearing masks for the entire school day. Please help students understand that the mask is supposed to cover the nose and mouth. If the mask is slightly too big, please consider ways to adjust ties on the ears to make it fit snugly.
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4) Consider taking a field trip to school this weekend to help orient your child. Extra practice the first week will help them grow in confidence with the arrival and dismissal routines.
5) We need parents and caregivers to make sure they are wearing masks. Additionally, when dropping off and picking up students, social distancing guidelines must be followed. Because of our guidelines, parents and caregivers are unable to enter the building with their child. Goodbyes can be said on the blacktop before students enter the classroom.
6) Finally, we need time to grow. It takes many days for students to learn routines and faces. Our staff will be identified in yellow or orange safety vests when outside. Please understand that we will continue to revise our systems and processes to ensure a safe arrival and dismissal.
What Should Kids Bring Back To School?
First day of school:
1) Dress comfortably, include a sweater or sweatshirt in case the classroom is cool.
2) Students are encouraged to bring a backpack to school. This backpack will stay on each student's chair and be the way that items come back and forth to school.
3) Bring blue take home folder, 1 box of crayons, 1 glue stick, scissors, and pencils
4) Bring math book, phonics and word study book, and Readers' Notebook packet
6) Water bottle
7) Mask to wear and a backup mask if needed.
Second day of school:
1) Backpacks and take home folders should go back and forth each day.
2) Masks and water bottles should be refreshed each day.
3) Chromebook and charging cord - Please bring this device and cord back to school on the second day. This will stay at school until the cases for each device arrive. Students will use only their assigned Chromebook when the teacher deems it necessary.
Teachers will communicate needs from this point. Should parents have any specific questions, please contact the teacher.
CARE Start Dates
The CARE start dates are listed below:
9/21 - 9/25
CARE for children in the After Morning Kindergarten Extended-Day Program begins.
- Children will be bused from your school to their Park District Program location after their morning kindergarten class, but will stay at the park district instead of coming back to the schools for this week only.
- Parents will pick up their kindergartner at the park district during this week.
- There is no before-school CARE during this week
9/28 - 10/2
Before-school and After-School begins for Kindergarten - 2nd grade at each CARE site. Parents of children in the After-Morning Kindergarten Extended-Day program will resume with their regular pick-up location.
10/5 - 10/9
Before and after-school CARE begins for 3rd/4th graders
10/13 ongoing
Before and After-School CARE begins for 5th/6th
Self-Certifying and Masks
Students are expected to wear masks on the bus, on school grounds, and inside the building. When students arrive, temperatures will be taken before entering the building. Should students be exhibiting symptoms, our nurse will be notified to assess the situation.
Water Bottles
From the Nurse - Mrs. Spears
New School Year Health Forms and Health Documents:
As a gentle reminder, students that are entering kindergarten or sixth grade have specific physical, dental, and/or vision requirements. Please see the Health Documents link to our D15 website and consider scheduling these appointments before the new school year begins. All medications that are kept on site must be accompanied by a physician's order. Over the counter medications must be provided by the parent or guardian in an unopened box. As students return to school for in-person learning, these medications can be dropped off to the nurse.
Transportation - Safe and Secure
SAFE AND SECURE IN OUR “NEW NORMAL”: COVID-19 Informed Bus Protocols in District 15
What’s new:
All buses are deep-cleaned nightly, with the same antiviral used inside the school buildings.
All touch surfaces on the buses are spot sanitized after each route, with the same antiviral used in the school buildings.
Driver and all bus riders MUST BE MASKED for the duration of the bus ride.
Rules for optimal airflow in the buses have been put in place.
Temperatures will be taken enroute, where possible, or at school before entering the building.
Bus capacity has been reduced to <45 passengers per bus, more stringent than state recommendations.
Seats have been assigned based on stop order (first students to board, walk all the way to the back) to minimize cross traffic and to maintain social distancing.
Siblings or members from the same household will be assigned to sit together on the bus.
Assigned seats will be strictly enforced by the driver.
Eating/drinking on the bus is PROHIBITED.
How students are expected to ride:
On the way to school:
Know your pickup time and route number.
WEAR YOUR MASK: if a student is at the stop without a mask, a disposable mask will be provided and school contacted with student’s name.
Be at your pickup location 5 minutes ahead of time.
At large stops: line up in grade order, big kids first, siblings together.
Wait until the bus stops before approaching the door.
Board quickly and quietly.
Go immediately to your assigned seat.
Keep your backpack on your lap.
Stay in your seat, out of the aisle.
NO EATING OR DRINKING ON THE BUS.
Temperatures will be taken enroute, where possible, or at school before entering the building.
At school, stay seated until the driver dismisses you.
Enter school quickly and quietly through assigned door.
On the way home:
WEAR YOUR MASK
Go to your assigned seat quickly and quietly.
Keep your backpack on your lap.
Stay seated, in your assigned seat, out of the aisle, until the driver dismisses you.
NO EATING OR DRINKING ON THE BUS.
At your stop, stay seated until the driver dismisses you.
Exit quickly and quietly.
Arrival and Dismissal
There are several ways that students arrive to school each day. Parents and caregivers are critical to ensuring the safe arrival of all students. Your help modeling our Hawk Habits of Respectful, Responsible, and Safe is greatly appreciated.
ARRIVAL:
Bus Arrival: Students taking the bus are encouraged to be at stops 5-10 minutes before the pick-up time. If students are busers, in Mrs. Schwarz's or Mrs. Rauch's class half-day, they will arrive in the bus lane on the Harvard side of the building. Students will follow posted signs to grade level entrances where staff members will greet them, check self-certification cards, and take temperatures. Our kindergarten students will walk past the playground, along the path to the upper blacktop area. These classes have entrances directly into the classroom. Mrs. Rauch's class will enter through Door #9, Mrs. Schwarz's class will enter through Door #10. Students that are in Mrs. Szafranski's full-day kindergarten class will arrive by bus to Door #2 in front of our building.
Parent drive-up: Our parent dive-up/drop-off: Parents will enter the Mallard parking lot and proceed through the loop. Children should be sitting on the passenger side of the vehicle so they can safely exit the car. Please work with your child to practice unbuckling and opening and closing the door if this is you arrival option. Parents cannot put their car in park and exit the vehicle to assist their child with this drop-off option. Students able to exit safely will be guided to Door #9, Door #10 to meet their classroom adults.
Parent Walk-Up: For students unable to independently exit the vehicle, we ask that parents park their car along the Mallard side of the street, mindful of NO PARKING signs, and walk their child to the upper blacktop area.
Bikes: For the safety of everyone at arrival and dismissal, we ask that bikes are walked when on school grounds. Racks can be found on the upper blacktop.
DISMISSAL:
Dismissal from half-day AM kindergarten at 11:20 (M-Th) 10:50 AM (F): Students that are bused will be escorted to the buses through Door #1. Parents meeting students can connect with them outside of classroom Door # 9 and #10 from the back of the building.
Dismissal for half-day PM kindergarten at 3:25 PM: Kindergarten students taking the bus will be guided to buses in the back of the building. Parents picking up students will meet their child on the upper blacktop area outside of Doors #9, 10. After school, our parking lots on Mallard are closed. Parents must park along the street on Mallard and walk to the pick-up areas.
NO PARKING:
Our Mallard and bus lane lots are closed at the beginning and end of the day. Please be careful to park along the Mallard side of the building. Police may ticket if people are illegally parked.