WELCOME TO THE FAST 5
A compilation of "snackable" news, announcements, and important reminders!
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What's Happening in District 65? The Fast 5 is sent weekly in English and Spanish to staff, families, and community members. Don't want to receive the Fast 5? Unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of this email. Happy Reading!
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Willard Elementary Educator Named Golden Apple Finalist!
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Congratulations to Ms. Meghan Rice (pictured below), Willard Elementary kindergarten educator, on being selected as a finalist for the 2021 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching! Following a highly competitive award process, only 32 Pre-K through 3rd grade educators were selected as finalists for the highly coveted award— just 4.5 percent of a record-setting 708 nominations received from 67 counties in Illinois. We are rooting for Ms. Rice to become a Golden Apple recipient and are proud of her accomplishments as an educator!
“It is my heart's desire for children to feel that they are capable, seen, heard, and known,“ said Ms. Rice. “Establishing and maintaining a culture and climate of inclusivity is central to my classroom community. I often say, ‘Do your best, and leave the rest.’ I have had the joy of seeing academic gains for my students both in and out of the pandemic. I think that the relational aspect of our classroom deeply affects my ability to utilize the appropriate teaching moves that help students to think critically as they develop as young learners.” Congratulations, Ms. Rice! Our fingers are crossed for you and you’ll always remain a winner in our community’s eyes!
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FACE “Back to School” Event for In-Person Learners
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Our Family and Community Engagement (FACE) team, in partnership with Family Focus and The Giving Storeroom, hosted an event to officially welcome students engaged in the in-person learning pathway back to their schools! The event, which was held last Saturday, had an impressive turnout of 130 students and 75 families! Students were connected to valuable resources to help them safely continue their learning, including reusable masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes, along with gently-used winter clothing and bags of groceries. A special thank you goes out to all of the community partners and local organizations who provided valuable resources to our students! Thanks to our FACE team for making such a lasting impact for students and families. See below for a few pictures from Saturday’s event!
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Reminder: Student Assignment Advisory Committee Application Deadline is March 19
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Apply to join District 65’s Student Assignment Advisory Committee to help modernize district structure and address historic inequities. The committee will be comprised of a diverse team of D65 staff, parents/caregivers, community members, and consulting experts, to review District 65’s Student Assignment system. Joining the committee will come with a number of opportunities, including using an interactive student assignments tool to develop guiding principles for student assignment and using data from D65’s forthcoming master facilities plan, community surveys, and town halls to inform recommendations to the School Board.
The SAAC application is open through March 19 and SAAC members will be announced to the community after spring break. Complete the SAAC Application (available in English and Spanish) today!
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Register for and Attend the Cardboard Carnival - Saturday, March 13!
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Tune in this Saturday for this year’s citywide Cardboard Carnival Challenge! Currently in its second year, the Cardboard Carnival is an initiative sponsored by District 65’s EvanSTEM in partnership with the Evanston Public Library, YMCA’s MetaMedia, Family Focus, and Digital Divas. Over 150 students in grades 4-8 have been working hard since early January designing tracks and obstacles and coding circuit boards to run motorized moving parts. Hear from these students and prepare to celebrate as 17 raffle winners will get to choose from an amazing set of prizes. And if Saturday’s event couldn’t be even more filled with surprises, watch out for a special appearance from Superintendent Horton!
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Reminder: D65 Travel Guidance
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With spring break quickly approaching, we wanted to take the time to provide our community with a friendly reminder that District 65 strongly advises against travel, especially to states with high community spread of COVID-19 (greater than 12% positivity rate), travel by plane, or engaging in high risk behavior such as unmasked gatherings. No one should come to school sick or if they may have been involved in any type of high-risk activity. If your child isn’t feeling well, traveled to an area with high community spread, or engaged in a high-risk situation for contracting COVID-19, please err on the side of safety for all. We have flexible student attendance procedures to further encourage families to keep their sick children home and/or to self-quarantine as needed. We will continue to monitor city and state guidelines and will amend travel advisories as necessary, especially in the case of increased community spread, locally or regionally.
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Curbside Meal Pick-Up Now Available!
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Breakfast and lunch will be available to every child during Remote Learning. Meals may be pre-ordered (by Fridays) and picked up curbside for the week on Mondays at several locations. For more information and details, click HERE.
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Evanston/Skokie School District 65
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