National Native American Heritage Month
November 1 was the start of National Native American Heritage Month. Despite a painful history, American Indian and Alaska Native peoples have persevered. During National Native American Heritage Month, we celebrate the countless contributions of Native peoples past and present and honor the influence they have had on the advancement of our Nation.
Native American roots are deeply embedded in this land. This month and every month, we honor the precious, strong, and enduring cultures and contributions of all Native Americans. Some things you can do to honor National Native American Heritage Month include but are not limited to visiting the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston or check out "We're Still Here: Chicago's Native American Community" on WTTW. Enjoy this month and join in the celebration!
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ALICE Training Information
Dear Parent(s) or Guardian(s):
The safety and welfare of our students and staff are our highest priority. To provide our school with an opportunity to practice emergency response procedures, Hinsdale Central High School will be holding our ALICE Training with all students and staff on November 11, 2021.
As part of the drill, the students and staff will participate in the activation of our ALICE Response Strategies. ALICE is an acronym that stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. Each letter contains a flexible set of strategies students and staff can use to maximize safety during a Violent Critical Incident. This set of strategies will greatly increase an individual’s odds of survival if they should face this form of crisis. Preparation leads to peace of mind, confidence, and more successful outcomes.
Public Act 102-395, effective August 16, 2021 - Revised lockdown drill procedures; provide advance notification to parents and guardians of lockdown drill and opportunity for student opt-out. The requirements for a law enforcement lockdown drill in Section 20 of the School Safety Drill Act have been amended as follows: to ban use of simulations that mimic an actual school shooting or active shooter event; to require advance notification to school personnel, students, and parents; to require drills to be age appropriate and developmentally appropriate; to allow for the exemption of students and provision of alternative safety education to those students; to allow students to ask questions during the drill; and to include school-based mental health professionals and trauma-informed approaches to addressing the well-being of students and school personnel.
Opt Out – If you prefer that your student does not participate in the ALICE Training, please fill out the form. Students will be assigned to a study hall. Students have already been provided the educational training during their assigned PE/Health/Drivers ED/Music courses earlier this school year.
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Honor our Veterans and Military Information
In honor of Veterans Day, the Hinsdale Central DAWGS club would like to honor our Veterans this year. If there is a Veteran or someone serving on active duty in the Military that you would like to recognize, we ask that you complete this form. Members of DAWGS club will place a flag in the front of the school in honor of each person.
Please complete this form by Friday, November 5th so that we have enough time to prepare and ensure we are able to honor our Veterans.
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Career and College Exploration for Juniors
Beginning next week, counselors will be meeting with all juniors to engage in career exploration to prepare for the college research and application process. During this session, students will take a career interest inventory and learn how to conduct a college search and begin to develop their preliminary college list. Counselors will also review junior year timeline including senior year course registration, standardized testing, and preparing for the college research and application process. Please feel free to reach out to your student's counselor with any questions!
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US Naval and Military Academy Visit
We will have two current students at the US Naval Academy and one current student at the US Military Academy visiting Hinsdale Central on Monday, November 22nd at 3:05pm in Room 161. They will share their experiences at USMA and USNA, as well as application insight. Students at any grade level are welcome to attend.
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International College Fair
Interested in earning your college degree outside the U.S.? Learn more about your international college options from over 70 universities from around the world in a digital college fair on November 16 & 17, 6-8 p.m. CST For more information or to pre-register, please go to www.internationalcollegeoptions.org.
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On-Site Covid Testing Services by Northshore Clinical Labs
On Sept. 16, the District 86 Board of Education approved a contract with Northshore Clinical Labs to provide on-site COVID-19 testing services for our students and staff. Before we could make these services available, we needed the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to issue its updated testing protocols. We also needed to work with Northshore and our building-level leaders to finalize the logistical/operational aspects of the testing process (e.g., consent, staffing, locations, etc.). Now that these critical steps have been completed, we are pleased to announce that Northshore will be able to administer free rapid antigen and RT-PCR tests to our students and staff beginning the week of Nov. 1.
As a reminder, the following individuals are required to participate in the district’s weekly testing program:
- Unvaccinated students who are taking part in a school- or district-sponsored sport or activity, which includes serving on a student club or organization. For athletics, this is limited to students who are currently in season. Test results will be a factor in determining eligibility. The athletic and activities directors from each school will provide students and their parents/guardians with more detailed information about the testing process.
- Any employee who is unvaccinated. This is based on an executive order that Governor Pritzker issued in late August. The district’s human resources department will provide employees with more detailed information about the testing process.
While these individuals must submit to testing in accordance with the district’s program, that testing does not have to be conducted by Northshore. Instead, it can be completed by any licensed medical practitioner or health professional. With that said, official results have to be submitted to the appropriate school or district official by the reporting deadline every week regardless of where the tests are administered.
Any student (e.g., vaccinated; unvaccinated, but not in a sport or activity; unvaccinated, but not currently in season for a sport) or staff member (e.g., vaccinated) who falls outside the categories listed above will not be required to follow the district’s weekly testing protocols. However, they will have access to the testing services should they need them - i.e., they are experiencing a COVID-like symptom, or have been identified as a close contact and want to get tested in order to stay in school or at work.
Anyone who utilizes the services being provided by Northshore and the district must provide consent. Below are school-specific links that parents/guardians can use to authorize consent for their children and employees can use to authorize consent for themselves.
Any student from the Transition Center or employee who is not assigned to Central or South can use the link for the location that will be easiest/most convenient for them for testing purposes. In addition, while consent can be given at the time of testing, having it in advance will help expedite the process.
Below are the days and times that testing services will be available, and the location in each building where they will be administered.
- Hinsdale Central - testing will occur in room 504 during regular school hours (8 a.m.-3p.m.) Monday through Friday.
- Hinsdale South - testing will occur in room 126 during regular school hours (8 a.m.-3p.m.) Monday through Friday.
The buildings will provide additional information (e.g., process for getting tested during the school day, process for submitting test results from outside providers, etc.) prior to the first day of testing. In the meantime, please contact the assistant principal for operations from your child’s school (Kari Peronto from Hinsdale South, kperonto@hinsdale86.org; Ryan Maita from Hinsdale Central, rmaita@hinsdale86.org) if you have any questions.
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Weekly Thursday Progress Reports and Grading Reminders
We want to make sure that all families understand how teachers are using the grades of "M" and "ME" this school year.
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M (for Missing) is entered in a gradebook when a student has not turned in an assignment. It communicates to the student, parent/guardian and school support teams that an assignment has not been completed
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ME (Missing and Essential) is entered in the gradebook when an assignment that is essential for understanding a student’s performance has not been turned in or completed. An example of this might be a unit assessment, a research paper, or an end of semester project. When a grade of ME is entered in the gradebook, the student’s grade will appear as "Incomplete (IC)" until the ME is resolved. Once the student has completed the Missing and Essential (ME) assignment, the grade in the class will reappear in HAC. Please note that a student cannot receive a passing grade or credit in the course with an ME in the gradebook at the end of the semester. The IC should serve as serious red flag that the student's grade is in immediate need of attention. Should you see an IC on a weekly IPR or in HAC, please contact your student's teacher directly and they will work with you to explain what your student needs to do.
You can see if your student has an ME in the gradebook if they have an IC on their progress report. In this example, this student has an ME in their World Cultures class because the grade in the class is showing as IC instead of a letter grade.
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Attendance Procedures
We have received many calls from parents unsure of how to handle doctor's appointments and other instances where a student needs to leave school. Any time your student needs to leave the building, please call the attendance line. It is monitored throughout the day, so please leave a message and have your student check out of the Dean's office before they need to leave.
Our 24-hour Attendance Line phone number is 630-570-8090.
Please use this number to report all absences, including late arrivals and early dismissals. This includes doctor's appointments. Failure to call within 24 hours of the absence will result in an unexcused absence. If you need to call your student out unexpectedly, your student will first need to be excused from the Dean's Office before leaving school.
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Webinar: Happy, Healthy, Almost Stress-Free College Planning: For Parents, Seniors, and Juniors presented by Harlan Cohen on November 9, 2021 at 7:00 pm CT
College search and selection doesn’t have to be high stress and high stakes. There is a way to make the college planning process positive, healthier, and easier for students and parents. New York Times bestselling author of the #1 book on college life, Harlan Cohen (The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College and The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only!) helps students and parents reframe college search and selection to reduce stress and guarantee success. Harlan shares the latest facts, stats, and strategies to guide high school and college students as they navigate all the changes ahead. This event is hosted virtually. Visit www.HarlanCohen.com and BeforeCollege.TV to learn more about Harlan.
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Navigating the College Process Information Session
Representative Mazzochi will be hosting a college event next Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 from 6pm-7pm. The main focus of the presentation is to help perspective, especially first generation, college students navigate the college admission process. College representatives will be on hand to answer questions that students and parents may have.
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ATTENTION SENIOR PARENTS!
Before you know it, your senior will be a graduate! Congratulate your senior in the yearbook with a special message! See how much they have grown by including a picture of them when they were younger! For more information, please see this SENIOR TRIBUTE FLYER
COST:
$40 By Nov. 30
$50: By Dec. 15
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Technology Help Desk
Students having difficulty with technology, should contact the Hinsdale Central Tech Help Desk at helpdesk@hinsdale86.org or call 630-655-6180. The IT staff can help students reset passwords or repair Chromebooks as well as many other tech issues.
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Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine in DuPage
COVID-19 vaccines are free and available to anyone 12 years or older. There are now many locations available to get your COVID-19 vaccine in DuPage County. To find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you, visit www.vaccines.gov.
The Dupage County Health Department also offers COVID-19 vaccinations on a walk-in basis in Wheaton, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information, visit dupagehealth.org/covid19vaccineclinic.
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