Weekly Update - April 23, 2021
Message from Superintendent Dr. Hector Garcia
Dear D181 community,
 
I hope you all had a great week (despite the unusual and unseasonal appearance of snow!) and are looking forward to a beautiful weekend and the return of warm, spring weather ahead.
 
We had another strong week of in-person learning at all of our schools and you'll see how our students celebrated Earth Week in some of the pictures below. It was inspiring to see the positive messages and hear our students talk about their passion for taking care of our earth. Thank you to our principals, teachers, staff, and PTOs for coordinating these great events.
 
As the conversation of the number of close contacts in school districts continues to develop, I wanted to share a deeper look at some of our measures in place and how hard our team has worked to keep our close contact numbers below the typical number of close contacts to be expected for schools who are back to full in-person with desks less than 6 feet apart.
 
The following measures are in place to keep our students healthy and our close contacts and quarantine numbers as low as possible:  
  • Prioritizing 6 feet between desks whenever possible, such as in some classrooms and all lunchrooms.
  • Maximizing the minimum space between desks to eliminate diagonal close contacts. (When desks are 4’5” feet apart, students sitting diagonally are more than 6 feet apart, and do not qualify as close contacts). 
  • Additionally, schedules and seating arrangements were designed by hand prior to April 5, so that students who share multiple classrooms throughout the day sit next to the same students as they move from classroom to classroom. This makes a significant difference at the middle school level.
 
Because of these measures, our close contacts at the elementary level in the past three weeks have ranged from 0-6 per positive case. Without these measures, a typical close contact count at the elementary level would be 16-20 close contacts per positive case. At the middle school level, our close contacts have ranged from 0-18 per positive case. A typical close contact count for middle school without these measures is 56-60 per positive case.  
 
The District is following current state and local guidelines for social distancing and quarantine of close contacts. While we understand that it is frustrating to see that the social distance of 3-6 feet for desks doesn't match the quarantine guidelines, we have taken steps to minimize the number of potential quarantines required. Please understand that any effort to dismiss or deviate from IDPH/ISBE guidelines will unnecessarily increase the District's liability exposure as it would be in direct contradiction of current safety measures. We hope that IDPH will send updated guidance for quarantine in the next few days!
 
I want to sincerely thank our buildings and grounds team, all of our D181 staff, and our administrative team for thoughtfully putting these measures into place, many of which took countless hours of highly detailed work. Thank you to our entire school community as you continue to follow safety protocols and keep our sights focused on a strong end to the 2020-21 school year.
 
Sincerely,
Dr. Hector Garcia
Superintendent
School Celebrations
Oak School 4th graders celebrated the successful end of IAR testing with a Comfy Cozy Readathon last Friday!

They brought in blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals and wore comfortable clothing. During reading time, they enjoyed uninterrupted choice reading. Awesome day!
Congratulations to Molly Andrzejewski, Mia Herman, Amy Oku and Joyce Wang!

These four CHMS 8th graders received an "exemplary performance" award for their submissions in Dominican Univervsity's Economic Poster Contest this year. Students were asked to create a hand-drawn poster illustrating economic concepts. Their posters are pictured here.
Earth Week Activities
Throughout the week, D181 students engaged in activities to celebrate Earth Week that remind us how important it is to take care of our planet.
Elm students "Chalked the Block" with positive Earth Day messages as part of their week of activities, which included Meatless Monday, Sports Day Tuesday to encourage active living, Reusable Water Bottle Wednesday, Wear Your Earth Day colors Thursday, and Walk to School/Spirit Day Friday.
Prospect students engaged in a variety of activities and received a reusable bag, water bottle, and wildflower seed packet. Theme days included recycling at home (Tuesday), turning off lights and electronics not being used to conserve energy (Wednesday), clean up 5 pieces of trash and dress like Mother Earth (Thursday), and plant your seed packet (Friday).
Walker held an Eco Club-Earth Day weeding/gardening event to celebrate Earth Week! They also made this awesome video in partnership with Program RISE. To watch the video, click here.
COVID-19 Report
Close Contacts - As of Friday, April 23
71 students Districtwide are quarantined as a result of being identified as a close contact while at school. 29 of those students will complete their quarantine over the weekend and are cleared to return to school on Monday. An additional 16 will return to school on Tuesday.

The D181 Positive Case Report Spreadsheet is updated daily on student attendance days at 4 p.m. To view the latest D181 COVID-19 dashboard, click here and scroll down.
Save the Date - Oct. 3, 2021 Rotary Run
Mark your calendars for the 2021 Rotary Run Charity Classic! The annual Rotary Run, which benefits local nonprofits and organizations including District 181, will be held on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. For more information or to register, visit www.rotaryruncharityclassic.com.
Surveillance Testing - Reminders
Don't forget to bring your sample to school!

  • Middle School students signed up for Surveillance Testing drop off their sample on Monday morning.
  • Elementary students drop off their sample on Friday morning.

You can still sign up!
Help keep our schools safe by signing up for surveillance testing today! Testing is a quick and easy process. Your kit will be delivered to your school with 6 weeks worth of kits on the Wednesday following your signup date. Then, once a week, just bring a completed saliva sample to school for dropoff. Signups are open through the end of the school year.

  • Families sign up by logging in to Skyward and clicking on "Forms" to access the sign-up form. Please fill out the form on a desktop/laptop instead of a mobile phone/tablet to ensure your form is received and the final checkbox is checked.
  • Staff sign up through the staff signup form.

There is no cost to participants for this extra layer of safety for our students and staff.

If you have any questions, please email communicationsdepartment@d181.org. More info can be found in our Surveillance Testing Information Booklet.
2021-22 Registration Information
In keeping with our COVID-19 protocols, all 2021-22 registration processes will be completed online this year, with the following dates for the following groups.

  • Kindergarten and New Students: Opened Feb. 8 at www.d181.org/registration
  • Current Students: Opened Monday, April 12. Please check your email for more details or email nskrip@d181.org with questions.
  • Summer Learning: The catalog and registration information for the 2021 D181 Summer Learning Program opened April 13. Registration closes June 4.
Meal Pickup - Wednesdays at HMS
D181 meal pickup for all families in the community (with children ages 0-18) will continue throughout the rest of the school year on Wednesdays only at Hinsdale Middle School, Door 902B on Washington St., from 4-6 p.m. The free meal packages include 7 days' worth of breakfast, lunch, and a snack.
COMMUNITY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT 181
115 West 55th St. Clarendon Hills, IL 60514
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