Henking Family Newsletter
August 30, 2021
Important Dates
Tuesday, September 7 - District Closed- No School
Thursday, September 16 - District Closed- No School
Friday, October 1 - (SAVE THE DATE) Henking Picture Day
A few reminders...
Dear Henking families,
We have successfully completed our first days together and want to thank you for your patience, flexibility, and support as we transition into the new school year. Your children are learning new routines, many procedures, and are doing a fabulous job!
Here are some ways you can help us be even more efficient during our transitions.
AM arrival
Due to the number of families who have decided to transport their children this year, we are allowing students earlier into the building. We will open the doors at 8:30 am and close the doors at 8:45. If you do not see a supervisor at drop-off, please bring your child to the main entrance. The start of school is 8:45.
Dismissal
* Please give our teachers and students the space to exit the building safely.
* Please continue to inform your teacher and/or office of any changes in your plans
before 2:30 pm.
* If you will be walking up to the building at pick up, please inform your child so that we dismiss them through Door F - by the Butterfly Garden.
* Do not park along Linneman Street, if you do not want to wait in the carline, park at Crowley Park or other legal parking spaces and walk up to Door F - by the Butterfly Garden.
* When exiting the WEST parking lot, please turn right only.
AM car drop-off
For efficiency purposes, please continue to pull up to the STOP sign, stay in your vehicle, and have your child ready to disembark from the passenger side of the car.
Kindergarten mid-day drop-off is done in the EAST parking lot along with the buses. Please remain in your vehicle and pull up to the supervisor. The supervisor on duty will help your child disembark.
Dogs on Property
We love dogs, however, they should not be on the school property during the school day as it could be unsafe, this includes the areas near our parking lot.
Speed Limits
Please abide by the speed limits posted on the streets that lead to and from our school.
Water Bottles
Please remember to have your child bring their water bottles daily.
Construction Update
- The storm traps are done!
- Roofing and decking for the addition will be completed soon!
- Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks about a student-learning opportunity around our construction project!
Hawk Talk
Henking School psychologist and social worker will be hosting SEL Hawk Talk (in person, on the phone, or via Zoom) times for parents to support those who may be experiencing difficulty with behaviors, engagement, executive functioning skills or more during this time. To schedule a SEL Hawk Talk time, please visit shorturl.at/jDLNQ and complete the information.
Travel Guidance & SHIELD Testing
Dear District 34 Families,
We wanted to provide an update on two important topics:
- Travel guidance
- SHIELD (saliva) testing
Travel Guidance
The Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) recently updated their guidance for post-travel quarantine. If an unvaccinated individual travels internationally or to a state that is on the City of Chicago's travel advisory list, they should follow the CDC's travel guidance:
Before you travel, get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before your trip.
While you are traveling:
- Wear a mask. Wearing a mask over your nose and mouth is required on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and while indoors at U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations. Travelers are not required to wear a mask in outdoor areas of a conveyance (like on open deck areas of a ferry or the uncovered top deck of a bus). CDC recommends that travelers who are not fully vaccinated continue to wear a mask indoors and maintain physical distance when traveling.
- Avoid crowds and stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arm lengths) from anyone who is not traveling with you.
- Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol).
After you travel:
- Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel. Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days. If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
- If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
- Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether you get tested or not.
- Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms; isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.
- Follow all state recommendations or requirements.
Students who must quarantine after travel will receive their assigned school work as well as support from their school’s grade center quarantine teacher.
Vaccinated individuals do not have to quarantine or test, but should be monitoring for symptoms and following health and safety protocols.
We will continue to monitor and communicate any changes in this guidance.
SHIELD Saliva Testing
As we’ve shared, beginning in mid-to late September, District 34 will be conducting optional, once-a-week screening testing for COVID-19 for any student staff members who opt in to participate, regardless of vaccination status. The District has partnered with the University of Illinois to test students and staff using the SHIELD test. The SHIELD test is a highly accurate PCR test that requires only a small amount of saliva from an individual and provides results within 24 hours.
Testing is available to students in PK-8. The School District strongly encourages participation, but consent for testing is completely voluntary and will not be administered unless you indicate that you wish your child to participate by clicking “I consent” in PowerSchool. The consent form will be on the PowerSchool home screen, and available by clicking the COVID19 (21-22) icon in the left navigation bar as well. Whether you choose to have your child participate in testing or not, please make your selection by September 3.
Screening testing allows for early detection of COVID-positive cases, before symptoms arise, decreasing the chance of spread in school. Students whose families opt in to SHIELD testing can "test to stay" if they are close contacts within the school setting (not at home or through outside sports or activities) when it is confirmed that both the positive individual and close contact were masked properly at time of exposure. (Exposure at lunch when students do not wear masks does not qualify for test to stay.) In that situation, a close contact tests 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after exposure to a positive COVID case (the last exposure date is Day 0). The tests are conducted by school staff in the school health office using the BinaxNOW test, a rapid test that uses a nasal swab to collect the specimen. If the student remains without symptoms (monitored at home and by the school) and continues to test negative, they are able to stay in school; they do not have to quarantine.
District and school leaders are working with SHIELD and Med-Call, the third-party provider that is coordinating testing in all of our schools, to develop the most efficient protocols to reduce time while maintaining the effectiveness of the testing. Each building will have slightly different schedules and procedures. Here are some procedures we do know at this point:
The schedule:
- Mondays: Westbrook and Glen Grove
- Tuesdays: Henking and Hoffman
- Wednesdays: Attea and Springman
- Thursdays: Lyon and Pleasant Ridge
The process:
This video gives a good idea of what SHIELD testing has looked like in schools that used it in the spring. In District 34, each school will designate a large space in the building for Med-Call to conduct the testing one day a week. We expect testing to take approximately 10 minutes for each student.
In middle school, testing will be conducted during students’ PE period. In our PK-5 schools, building administrators will develop a schedule for testing, doing their best to minimize the impact on instructional time. The schedules will take into account the fact that those who are being tested cannot eat or drink (or brush teeth or chew gum) an hour before testing.
Notification & Quarantine Instruction:
Med-Call will send test results to one District 34 representative (typically within 6-24 hours of testing) who will send principals the information about the positive cases in their buildings. Families will not receive notification of a negative test result. Principals (or a designated staff member) will call the families of students who have tested positive and explain the procedures and timeline for returning to school, and tips for managing the child’s health, and that of the family. They also will explain the steps for accessing the remote instruction that students will receive from the building’s grade center quarantine teacher. These teachers are certified District 34 staff members whose focus is on supporting students who must quarantine. They work with classroom teachers and school administrators to help students feel connected with academic and social/emotional learning for a smooth transition back into the classroom.
You can view all of our health and safety protocols on our website. Today, we re-launched our COVID-19 dashboard. It will be updated daily, and we will provide a weekly summary and send a Friday email and text reminder to view the dashboard.
Join the PTA Today!
What does it mean to “join” the PTA? It just means you want to be part of a community of parents who believe that when we get involved in our children’s education, everyone benefits! No need to overcommit yourself or show up to any meetings! Just join us to make an impact on our students and staff at the schools! You can pay your $20 membership dues by clicking here.
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Henking School
Front Office # (847)998-5035
Attendance/Health Office # (847)657-2694
Fax # (847)998-9938
Email: henking_school@glenview34.org
Website: he.glenview34.org
Location: 2941 Linneman Street, Glenview IL 60025
Phone: (847)998-5035
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glenview34/
Twitter: @HenkingSchool