Joseph M. Kiszka Educational Service Center

August 16, 2017

Dear Parents/Guardians:

On Monday, Illinois will experience an exciting and unusual astronomical event--a solar eclipse. District 15 educators want to take advantage of this event to further our students' scientific understanding and curiosity. Our schools and teachers will be exploring the eclipse in a variety of ways.

Some schools and classrooms have acquired solar eclipse glasses approved by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) that students will wear to safely view the eclipse outdoors. District 15 staff members will instruct students on the proper usage of glasses and the dangers of viewing the sun without them. Parents will have the option to opt-out of this activity by contacting their building principal.

Some schools have decided to stay indoors and explore the solar eclipse through NASA's live streaming video that will be available to view online. These students will see the path of totality the eclipse will take across the United States, from Oregon to South Carolina. The program will feature views from NASA research aircraft, high-altitude balloons, satellites and specially-modified telescopes.

Please take this opportunity to talk with your child about the uniqueness of this event and the wonders of the universe. The sun is the engine of life, without which Earth would be unrecognizable!

Please also share with your child the dangers of looking directly at the sun for any period of time. Young people can't feel the damage and are sometimes unaware of the vision problems that can be associated with looking directly at the sun.

You will receive more information regarding each school's solar eclipse learning activities from your building principal.

Best regards,
Scott B. Thompson
Dr. Scott Thompson
Superintendent of Schools
     
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