Returning Student Registration for 2020-2021 has moved to an online format that will open on April 27. In years past, parents completed the necessary paperwork in paper format. This year, all acknowledgments and authorizations are contained in a single electronic, online registration form that will be easily accessible from most electronic devices (computer, Chromebook, and Smartphones).

Beginning April 27, parents can sign into the Returning Student Online Registration form using their Home Access Center (HAC) credentials, select individual students, and complete their registration. The form will be located in the Parents/Community menu of the District website.

Registration fees for elementary and middle school will be available in Pushcoin beginning April 27, and billed to reflect the early bird discount of $10.00 if paid by May 22. High School fees will be available in June. For families who may qualify for a fee waiver, and are not directly certified by the state, a 2020-2021 district fee waiver application will be available on the District 303 website in July, accessible from the Parent/Community menu.

As this stay at home order enters another week, there are things that we can do to allow it to continue to be a positive experience for our families. Below is a link to an article that reminds us of some of the things that we can put into practice that may help your child deal with their day. It can be read or listened to in English or Spanish.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/communication-discipline/Pages/Positive-Parenting-and-COVID-19_10-Tips.aspx

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is recommending that a mask is to be worn when you are out in public to stop the spread of Covid-19. Your children must have questions about why a mask is necessary and how and when it should be worn. Below is a link to an article that may help you answer the questions that your children may have. If you wear masks, make sure you wash them each time you wear them out in public and don't forget to wipe the high touch surfaces often with an antibacterial spray after coming in from an outing.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chest-lungs/Pages/Cloth-Face-Coverings-for-Children-During-COVID-19.aspx

The last tip for this week involves some fun. Your child has been introduced to yoga in PE class. The link below is for a 30 minute kids yoga class that is offered through youtube. It can be done in a small space indoors and it can be repeated for a movement break for your children. It has easy to follow instructions. Think about giving it a try!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X655B4ISakg&t=1s

Executive function and self-regulation skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. (The President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2020). This weeks SEL lesson includes strategies supportive of successfully completing assignments or tasks. One such strategy is Ready-Do-Done, a process children and adults can use to plan through the completion of tasks that may appear overwhelming. This weeks competency is:

• Responsible decision-making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.

We are asking students to identify and use strategies to manage emotions. Video clips and text is embedded to foster conversation. The challenges and uncertainty facing families and children are impactful on overall mental health and well being. We are hopeful the resources shared will be a support to parents/guardians and children. If you have any questions on the information provided or are seeking additional support for yourself or child, please contact Patti Palagi, Director Instructional Interventions (patti.palagi@d303.org or 331-228-6457).

Hello! My name is Gina Shaw and I am so excited to join Davis Primary this fall as your principal! I was disappointed to miss out on events where I could meet all of you in person but it is important that we all follow the rules and stay home. So instead, I have spent a lot of time talking with Mrs. Liechty and she has told me all of the wonderful things that happen at Davis Primary. In your upcoming newsletters, we will be adding some fun activities, pictures, and videos so that I can learn more about Davis Primary and you can learn more about me. I look forward to a time when we can all be together. Until then, know that I am thinking about the students, families, and teachers and how we can make our next school year amazing! I can’t wait to be a White Tiger!

Peace,

Gina Shaw

Top 10 things to know about Mrs. Shaw:

1. I have two children. My daughter is Julia (20) and my son Jack (17).
2. I have been married for 26 years to Chip.
3. I have a very spoiled and chubby terrier named Gibson.
4. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to READ!
5. My favorite candy is Snickers and gummy bears.
6. I have been teaching for 28 years. I have taught special education, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, reading specialist, instructional coach, and I teach for Olivet Nazarene University.
7. I love to run (slowly) and was a coach for Girls on the Run.
8. My best friend is my sister, Amy, who is also a teacher.
9. My favorite book when I was a little girl was The Story of Ferdinand.
10. I can’t wait to be a part of the Davis Primary family!

Hi, Richmond Tigers! Join us next week, Friday, May 1st at noon for our Richmond Community Social Event. We will be playing Bingo! Mrs. Dixon will post a link on your SciTech classroom about 15 minutes before the event.

D303 would like each 4th and 5th grade student to participate in a student survey on the topics of remote learning and social emotional learning (SEL). Students in 6th to 12th grade are taking a similar, but different survey.

D303 is partnering with Northern Illinois University to gain insights from students (grade 4 and up) related to remote learning. The first part is a jointly created survey on how remote learning is going in general. The second part contains established questions designed to help the District understand the overall social emotional well-being of students during remote learning.

The survey will close at the end of the day on May 2, 2020.

Please have your child click the link below to fill out the survey. Use the language toggle on the upper right side of the screen to switch between English and Spanish.

Students in 4th and 5th grade click here to fill out a Student Survey on Remote Learning and SEL

All aspects of student information will remain confidential. If you would like additional information on the survey, please contact David Chiszar, Executive Director Assessment & Accountability (david.chiszar@d303.org), or Patti Palagi, Director of Instructional Interventions (patti.palagi@d303.org). The survey will capture student insights connected to remote learning, social-emotional well being, and coping strategies/supports accessed during this unique time. NIU has established a partnership with D303 through their federal Project Prevent and Address Bullying grant. We are excited to gain additional insights into students' perceptions of remote learning in order to assist us in directing our academic and social-emotional programming.

Along with the student survey we are asking parents a similar set of companion questions on the topic of remote learning. This information, along with student and staff feedback, will be used to help D303 understand, plan, and adjust.

Parents please click here to fill out a Survey for Parents on Remote Learning

We are still looking forward to celebrating all our teachers and staff during our Virtual Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-8! Keep an eye on our Facebook page and in your inbox for further details coming your way!

Save the date for next month’s Virtual PTO meeting – May 6th at 7PM. A link will be coming soon. We hope you can attend as there will be voting items for the upcoming year. Mrs. Shaw will join us as well.

Please help support Davis Richmond by using Amazon Smile for all your Amazon online shopping from home! This is a free and great way to support our schools while we are all doing much more online ordering these days! Log on to https://smile.amazon.com/ with your Amazon password and choose Davis Richmond PTO as your charity and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the Parent-Teacher Organization at Davis-Richmond School. Once the link is set up you are set for all future orders.

Friday, May 22

- Last Day of School