The Springman Wildcat Roar
September 18, 2020
Instill High Expectations
Connect Learning to life
Shape Caring and Ethical Citizens
From the Principal
Dear Parents/Guardians,
With the news that we’re headed to hybrid on September 29, many of you have had questions about the logistics and procedures we’ll be using to provide instruction, move around the building, and ensure safety during lunch, PE, and other high traffic times during the day. We’ve reviewed your questions and we wanted to provide some answers for you here. We’re still working on some of these details, though we already have a good sense of what the students’ experience will look like when they’re in the building. Here’s what we can share now:
Pickup and drop off procedures
The goal for pickup and drop off is to allow for efficient entry and exit while maintaining social distance and minimizing congregation of students in any location. In the coming days, all parents/guardians will be sent a bird’s eye view of the Springman campus indicating where students will enter and exit the building depending on grade and mode of transportation (bus, parent/guardian driving, walkers/bikers). Buses will continue to use the bus turnaround on Central, though some other locations have been adjusted to maximize safety. The maps will clearly indicate where these locations are, though let us know if any of it is unclear.
Movement in the building
Students in all grades at the middle schools have been scheduled in cohorts. This means that, for the most part, they’ll be in the same classroom with the same students throughout the day, and students in a cohort will all be taking the same math class (Common Core, Single Accelerated, or Double Accelerated). Rather than students moving from class to class, teachers will be rotating classrooms to minimize student movement in the building. There will be some exceptions to this to accommodate students in different math, ELA, or language classes, and to ensure that class sizes are small enough to allow for social distancing, though these situations are the exception. Students who do have to move to another classroom for a period will wipe down their desk and chair upon leaving, and when they arrive at their new class. Teachers will wipe down any surfaces that they use upon entering and leaving the classroom, as well. Fine arts and global language classes will also take place in the cohort classrooms (more about PE below). There will be times when students may go outside, to the gym, or to another location in the building depending on the class’s activities, though they will spend the majority of their time in their cohort classroom. When students do move in the building, they will be instructed to wear their masks, keep a 6ft distance from their classmates, and to follow the arrows on the ground to stay on the right side of the hallway or staircase. The purpose of these measures is to minimize the congregation of many students in one place, whether that be in the hallway or any other common areas that are used during the day.
Bathrooms/drinking fountains
To help ensure that students maintain a safe distance from each other in the bathrooms, we’ve assigned each classroom a set of bathrooms that students will exclusively use. Our plan right now is to allow one student in the bathroom at a time. When a student leaves their classroom, their teacher will give them a sticky note that they’ll place on the front door of the bathroom. When they leave the bathroom, they’ll take the sticky note with them and throw it away when the reenter the classroom. If a students goes to the bathroom and sees a sticky note on the door already, they’ll wait 6 feet from the door until the student inside is finished.
Drinking fountains will be operational in the building, though we strongly recommend that students bring water bottles from home when they can. If a student needs to use a drinking fountain, they’ll wipe down the fountain using anti-bacterial wipes that are currently placed on small tables next to each fountain. They’ll run the water for a few seconds, and then take a drink. There are signs at each water fountain describing the steps to use the water fountain.
PE
During hybrid, students will not use the locker rooms and will not be changing clothes for gym since there is no way to ensure a sufficient distance between students in this space. Because PE is a class that involves movement and physical exertion, it makes sense to provide ample opportunity for students to go outside or use the larger gym spaces during class. This means that students may be in the classroom, but their PE teachers will be regularly finding opportunities for students to use the fields or gyms to conduct class. Students will be able to use some equipment, though the equipment will stay with the student the entire class (weights, resistance bands, etc) and be disinfected between each class. Students will not use equipment, like balls, bats, frisbees, that students throw or exchange to each other. Some classes may involve students who are both in person and at home
Lunch
Students will still have the option to either bring their lunch from home or get lunch at school. For students who will get their lunch at school, they’ll have several lunches to choose from each morning. Students will place their orders with the teacher for their first academic class, and their teacher will submit these orders in PowerSchool. Students will eat their lunches in the classroom. When it’s time for lunch, our cafeteria staff will bring lunches to classrooms on carts, along with an ID scanner for students to use. Lunches will be in bags, and will include plasticware and napkins that can all be thrown away when students are done. We will have more than enough lunches to accommodate each student’s choice, and students will either receive their lunches at the classroom door, or in the hallway a few classrooms at a time to prevent large groups of students from congregating in the hallway. We know that students are accustomed to being able to purchase items like chips and desserts a la carte, though this won’t be an option while we’re in hybrid.
We will continue to communicate with you as our plans solidify, and you are encouraged to contact us with any questions or concerns at all. We can’t wait to see your kids!
Sincerely,
Jason Kaiz
Principal
Save the Dates: Principal Chats
10/6 @ 2:00pm
12/2 @ 9:00am
2/17 @ 9:00am
4/21 @ 2:00pm
Curriculum Night Information
The link below will lead you to the curriculum website that you can peruse at your leisure. We recommend pulling up your child's PowerSchool schedule to know which teachers your child has. Then you can click on each teacher's video. Please take the time to check out some of the school-wide videos as well.
Link is here: https://sites.google.com/glenview34.org/sp-curriculum-night-20/home?scrlybrkr
School Attendance Assessment
As we return to in person learning, please note that you must complete the screening/certification process for your child every day that he or she comes to school for school, a meeting or an activity. Here is the process you will follow each in-person day:
Log in to District 34's PowerSchool web portal before leaving for school, to complete the self-certification tool for each student who is attending school in person.
Click on the SUBMIT SELF-ASSESSMENT link on the home page to submit your child’s temperature and answer questions about COVID-19 symptoms and exposure. Click submit. If you have multiple students in District 34 attending in person on the same day, click on each student to fill out the self-assessment for them as well.
When students arrive at school, the school will have a check-in process to confirm completion of the self-certification process.If it has not been completed, a staff member will conduct a temperature check and screening. If the screening indicates COVID-19 symptoms, the health office will immediately send the student to the infirmary and contact the parent or guardian to pick up the student.
Archived Information & Resources
Student Attendance Procedures
Teachers do not have the ability to reconcile absences, so please call the nurse's office directly if you have questions or concerns. Thank you!
Springman Attendance Hotline- (847) 657-2194
Middle School Family Guide to Remote+
Red & White Days
Social Work & Psychologist Virtual Office Hours
The Springman Social Workers and Psychologists will be holding weekly virtual office hours for the families of Springman Middle School students. Families are invited to join a Zoom meeting every week on Wednesdays from 2-3pm for an opportunity to be connected with a mental health professional who works with their student and/or their student's team. Social Workers and Psychologists will be available for consultations regarding the mental health needs for both students and families during the year. Please note that these office hours are not intended to be counseling sessions, instead they will provide an opportunity to be connected with and receive support from a school-based mental health professional. Parents and families are always invited to email their child's grade level Social Worker or Psychologists if they would like to set up a different time to talk. Please see the Zoom link below for the meeting information and we look forward to speaking with you.
Weekly Social Worker/ Psychologist Office Hours
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88334719300
Meeting ID: 883 3471 9300
Meredith O'Neill (6th Grade Psychologist), moneill@glenview34.org
Courtney O'Sullivan (7th Grade Social Worker), cosullivan@glenview34.org
Dina Shiner (8th Grade Social Worker), dshiner@glenview34.org
Christina Piccirillo (7th/8th Grade Psychologist), cpiccirillo@glenview34.org
Join the PTA!
We may be a bit biased, but we think the Springman/Attea PTA is a fantastic way to get involved in our community! They offer resources, educational programs, faculty support, additional funding for local and classroom needs, volunteer opportunities, and help guide efforts toward positive change. Please consider joining today by clicking HERE!!!
Middle Years Newsletter
Enjoy the September issue of Middle Years below, as well as some special edition versions that we think you find useful!
September Issue of Middle Years
Middle School Schedule
As a reminder:
- Blocks 1, 2 and 3 are the B blocks.
- A Blocks (the yellow blocks) are when students receive global language, fine arts, physical education and X block
Resources & Support for Families during this time & any time
Keep up with all the Springman fun by liking our NEW Facebook Page! CLICK HERE!
Springman Middle School
Email: jkaiz@glenview34.org
Website: https://sp.glenview34.org/
Location: 2701 Central Road, Glenview, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 998-5020