Dear Lyons Township High School Families,
We hope this message finds you and your family safe and healthy as we continue to practice physical distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. It is important that all of us continue to adhere to state and federal guidelines, leaving our homes only when necessary. If we all do our part to “flatten the curve,” hopefully life will resume to normal sooner rather than later.
On Tuesday, March 31, Governor Pritzker extended the stay-at-home order and school closures through April 30, 2020. At LTHS, this means that our current Remote Learning Plan will continue until at least Thursday, April 30. While on-site learning is suspended, we remain committed to providing continuous learning and support for our students and families.
Remote Learning Plan
Our faculty will continue to engage students on a daily basis and provide a continuum of instruction. In short, teachers will focus on essential outcomes and skills, limiting work for each class to half an hour with no more than 10 minutes of new information daily. In addition, students will be provided with opportunities to process this new information.
Remote Learning Grading Guidance
On Friday, March 27, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) issued updated guidance regarding grading practices during this unique time of remote learning. We fully support ISBE’s overall philosophy, which includes the following:
- The emphasis for schoolwork assigned, reviewed, and completed during the remote learning period is on learning rather than on compliance.
- Grading should focus on the continuation of learning and prioritize the connectedness and care for students and staff. A focus on keeping children emotionally and physically safe, fed, and engaged in learning should be our first priority during this unprecedented time.
- Pass/Incomplete replaces Pass/Fail.
- Student grades may not be lowered as a result of remote learning.
- All learning activities must be viewed as a formative assessment.
- Students who are not able to or choose to disengage in remote learning should receive an incomplete rather than a failing grade.
- All students must have the opportunity to redo, make up, or try again to complete, show progress, or improve upon work assigned prior to the remote learning period.
With the information above as our guide, LTHS has created a comprehensive
Remote Learning Grading Guidance document
.
Please review and let us know if you have questions or need clarification on any part of the Remote Learning Grading Guidance document.
Student Services and Support
As our students continue to adjust to the challenges and isolation of a remote learning environment, it is important to share that we are committed to supporting students from a social and emotional learning perspective, as well. Our teachers will continue to find ways to create and support positive relationships with students despite our current learning environment. However, during this challenging and uncertain time, students may communicate struggles they are having regarding mental health. If you become concerned about the mental/emotional well-being of a student, please don’t hesitate to contact us so we can provide the appropriate support to the student.
Grab-n-Go Meal Service
While LT operates on a Remote Learning Plan, we will continue to offer a Grab-n-Go meal service for families in need. Meals are available at either campus and details
can be found by clicking here.
Class of 2020 Celebrations
Finally, we want to thank you for your patience and support as we deal with these unprecedented events. The creativity and ingenuity of our faculty has been impressive, the outpouring of support to deliver meals and technology is remarkable, and the extent to which so many of our staff and students have gone to aid our first responders is heartwarming.
We are…LT!
Tim Kilrea, Superintendent
Brian Waterman, Principal
