E-LEARNING DAYS: Often during the winter months, we are faced with the potential use of emergency days either for snow or even frigid temperatures. Historically, these days have then had to be made up at the end of the school year, requiring amendments to the school calendar. Earlier this year, our school board approved the district E-Learning Plan, which enables students to continue their learning on emergency days, remotely. This prevents the need for additional make-up days in June. Details about E-Learning are available on our D65 website. In the event an E-Learning Day is called, more information will be shared by the district.

As we enter the season of more inclement weather, we will be sending technology home with students each day. Please ensure your scholar brings their technology / chargers back and forth between school and home each day.

If you are in need of internet access at home, please reach out directly to our Guidance Counselor Ms. Stephanie Warda at wardas@district65.net.

In the event of an E-Learning Day, our schedule will be as follows:

Our E-Learning day is from 8:00-11:00am. Periods are 15 minutes long.

Please see the Bell Schedule included below.

District 65 is pleased to offer monthly LGBTQIA+ virtual support group meetings for families and students. These meetings are facilitated by Chicago Therapy Collective professionals, providing a safe space for families to share their stories, learn from each other, gain access to resources, and receive support throughout the school year. The next session is on Wednesday, December 21st from 7:00-8:15pm.

Families can access the meeting through this Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4208272855#success

We have noticed that a number of our scholars need reminders and support around appropriate and safe use of technology and social media. This is an area of growth and learning for all of us. Please take some time to connect with your scholar to ensure they have a clear understanding of what platforms they can/should use and how they can/should use them.

The following article covers what Digital Citizenship is, why it is important for children to learn, and how you can teach your child about digital citizenship.

Digital Citizenship: What Is It and How Can You Teach It to Your Kids?

More resources are available at https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles.

All students in grades 4-8 are encouraged to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. Interested students will first compete in the classroom the week of January 16th. The winners of the classroom competitions will participate in a school-wide spelling bee the week of January 30th. The school winners will progress to a district competition in February.

Parent letter from Dr. Horton.

School Spelling Bee Study List

We thank you and your family for being our valued partners as we work together to educate the children in our district. As you may already be aware, we are striving to make our schools more equitable and inclusive spaces for all of our students. building our social-emotional learning skills and focusing on Over the next several weeks, students will participate in several exercises to better understand these concepts and to reflect on how they perceive these skills in themselves.

We will be asking for your child to reflect on their own mindsets and approaches to learning via an online survey they will be completing at school. The survey shouldn’t take more than 15-20 minutes to complete.

The survey content will ask students to self-reflect on Teacher-Student Relationships, Sense of Belonging, Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion, and Wellness and SEL.

We are asking that all of our students participate in the surveys, as their responses will provide invaluable insights into their experiences and how we can improve and adapt our district to their needs. If a student doesn’t feel like they have enough information to answer a question, they will be able to skip the item altogether. The responses to these surveys will be completely confidential. We are partnering with a third-party vendor to support us in administering these surveys.

Please notify us if you would like your child to opt out of taking the surveys by emailing your name and your child’s name directly to your child's teacher and administration by January 9, 2023. We thank you in advance for your thoughtful responses. If you have any questions about the survey administration, please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Goodlow or Principal Calloway directly at goodlowj@district65.net or callowayr@district65.net