From the desk of Principal Deborah Finn
Issue 8, February 25,2021
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THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
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Mandatory twice-weekly student covid testing begins Tuesday, 3/2 for all students participating in school, or activities/athletics on campus. See more in Happening Next Week.
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Read more about in-person attendance expectations, students arriving at school and study hall expectations in Academics.
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Do you know of a student in need of social-emotional support? Review our current support systems in Services and Support.
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Message from the Principal |
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Our transition to hybrid learning has gone very well due to our wonderful students and staff. I would be remiss if I did not express my sincere gratitude to teachers, staff, students and our families for working together and remaining patient this past week. If this pandemic has taught us anything, we have learned to be flexible and resilient. But like anything new, there are lessons to be learned. Now that we have had a few days of experience with hybrid, we thought we would share a reminder of the importance of parents/guardians certifying their students before they arrive at school. This keeps students from having to wait in line to enter the building. You can download the app (search for District113 in the app store) or use the link on the HPHS homepage. It is also critical that students bring their charged Chromebooks, chargers and earbuds daily to class.
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Also, please know that many of our staff are receiving their second dose of the Covid vaccination on Sunday, February 28 or Sunday, March 7. While many of us do not feel any side effects, there are many that do for a few days immediately following. We have asked our staff to prepare asynchronous lessons, as they would anyway, for our fully remote Monday (3/1) and for the following Tuesdays (3/2 and 3/9). For any staff member who is unable to teach in-person on those two Tuesdays, a substitute will still be present for in-person students. For remote students, the teacher who is unable to work would communicate that the lessons on those days will be asynchronous as needed. |
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Monday, March 1 - Fully Remote Giant Day
Tuesday, March 2 - White Day Schedule, Mandatory Student Testing Begins*
Wednesday, March 3 - Blue Day Schedule
Thursday, March 4 - White Day Schedule
Friday, March 5 - Blue Day Schedule
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*As you know, this coming week we will again transition to something new - mandatory, on-site COVID testing. All hybrid students have been assigned testing times on Tuesday and Friday of each week. In addition, remote students planning to be on campus for athletics or activities must be tested as well and have been assigned times too (either Tuesday/Friday or Monday/Thursday). HPHS families will receive an email with their testing information no later than Friday morning. If you have any questions, please contact Kris Jobski. We are fortunate to be able to offer this opportunity at HPHS and know that this will help to reduce the spread of the virus on campus and maintain the health of those in our HPHS community.
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HYBRID ATTENDANCE EXPECTATIONS
Reminder regarding hybrid attendance - please see the Family Webinar linked here (attendance slide also included below). Generally, we expect students who have elected hybrid in-person to attend classes and to honor their choice to partake in hybrid learning. If a family needs to switch to remote, please let your counselor know ASAP. We expect students to attend all of their in-person hybrid classes unless they need to quarantine, can’t pass the symptomscreening questions, or become ill just like they did before the pandemic. Attendance is taken in all circumstances, and we do note if a student is registered for in-person but attends remotely. Our structures and expectations are in place based on safety and on the numbers of families who elected in-person hybrid. Due to the immense amount of planning it takes to create these hybrids, plan lessons, organize desks, and equipment, etc., we are asking that all students and families honor this system.
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ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL/STUDY HALLS
Students who do not have a first or last period class on a given in-person block should not plan to be in school unless they have science or are assigned to a covid testing slot (information coming soon). Students who are in the building for covid testing should report to study hall before/after their test. Students who are dropped off at school should not plan to arrive earlier than fifteen minutes prior to their first class or covid test. Students needing support with transportation are urged to reach out to their counselor.
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GIANT LIFE NEWS
This weekly newsletter will now include the latest version of the GIANT Life News (GLN), instead of sending separately to parents/guardians twice a week. Click here to access our website and the most recent GLN links. GIANT Life News contains specific details about student life at HPHS and will continue to be emailed to students twice a week as their main source of HPHS happenings.
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ACTIVITIES
This weekend, HPHS features their Winter Play, “The Best Medicine: Stories of Love & Laughter.” The show streams February 26th and 27th at 7 PM. Reserve your free link now. HPHS pays for each link requested. Donations are accepted to help cover streaming expenses. All proceeds that do not cover the cost of this streaming service will be directly applied to Fine Arts Programs. Please consider a contribution of $5.00 as a charitable donation. Click here to reserve your link today!
ATHLETICS
A new Sports Cardiology Program catering to high school and college athletes returning to activity after COVID-19 is now available through NorthShore’s Cardiovascular Institute (CVI). These appointments are covered by insurance. Thanks to our Giants Club and to NorthShore for their efforts in keeping our athletes healthy and safe. Please check out this link for more information.
HPTV is partnering with the Athletics Department to livestream various events for our GIANT fans to watch. Follow HPTV on twitter, @HPHSTelevision for upcoming events and viewing links. We are doing our best to livestream as many events as possible.
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Remember, our Drop-In Center is still available remotely for all students - both remote and in-person can continue to access the HPHS Drop In Center to set up an appointment to meet with a counselor, psychologist, social worker, or intern. Students can join support groups, receive individual counseling or have problem solving meetings with a Drop-In Center staff member.
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A reminder to please take a moment to fill out the Illinois 5Essentials Survey for parents at this link by April 2. Administered by the University of Chicago on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes.
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