Hi folks,
Mother Nature blessed us with another nice week of weather as we officially welcomed the fall season a few days ago. Whether classes are held via Zoom, inside the building or in one of the outdoor areas, it's great to see students learning about the differences between physical and chemical changes, important Supreme Court cases that impact their lives and how we find the greatest common factor (GCF) and least common multiple (LCM) of various numbers.
We continue to be thankful for the opportunity to work with our students both in-person and remotely. The community has been extremely supportive of our work as we adjust to the new demands of our roles as educators. We know that our circumstances may become even more challenging as we progress through the year, but we are committed to finding solutions that improve the learning experience for students and staff.
On that note, a few recent concerns that have arisen is ensuring that all of us - -staff and students -- are adhering to the expectations we have set forth. In the RLA world, arriving on time to class and participating appropriately (e.g. cameras turned on, being respectful in breakout rooms) are expected behaviors on a daily basis. And for the in-person environment, we need our staff and students to ensure we are maintaining appropriate social distance and wearing masks when we should. This is definitely a time where we need to hold ourselves accountable for our own behavior and think about the greater good.
Before I highlight a few important notes, I failed to wish a Happy New Year to our families celebrating Rosh Hashanah last weekend. This weekend we wish all the best to our families who will be celebrating the high holiday of Yom Kippur.
MAP testing
All students -- RLA and in-person -- will be participating in MAP testing during the next two weeks. The schedule is as follows:
Wed, Sept. 30 and Thurs, Oct. 1 -- MAP reading assessment in LA classes
Tues, Oct. 6 and Wed, Oct 7 -- MAP math assessment in math classes
Physical Exam & Immunization Reminder for In-Person and Remote Students
As outlined in the Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/27-8.1), students entering an Illinois school for the first time and all students entering kindergarten, sixth and ninth grades, as well as transfer students must submit evidence of a physical examination and a complete record of immunizations by October 15 of the current school year. The State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination form must be completed within twelve months prior to the first day of school which this year was August 24. Unless an exemption or extension applies, the failure to comply with the above requirements by Thursday, October 15 of the current school year will result in the student's exclusion from school until the required health forms are presented to the District (Board Policy 7:100). Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's school nurse with any questions.
Travel restrictions
I have received a few calls recently about travel restrictions and how they impact our families. A few points of clarification:
-
Families that travel to a state on the list of banned states must quarantine for 14 days when they return home. This applies to families who spend at least 24 hours in the state.
- Wisconsin is currently back on the list of states where families would have to quarantine if they spent 24 hours or more in that state.
Enjoy the long weekend...
Scott
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Scott Meek, Ed. D.
NBJH Principal
(847) 504-3501
