Update Center

December 30, 2021

COVID VACCINE CLINICS, TESTING LOCATIONS & CDC GUIDELINES

Tap the Translate menu at the top of this page to translate text into several different languages: Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Filipino, Gujarati, Hindi, Romanian, Spanish, Urdu, Vietnamese.

COVID Vaccine Clinics

Two COVID Vaccine Clinic dates are coming up soon at Middleton Elementary School:

• Tuesday, January 4th from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday January 8th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Teens age 16 and older and adults can receive a Booster. Everyone 5 years and older can get their 1st or 2nd dose of the COVID vaccine. Registration is not required and all are welcome.

COVID Testing Locations in and around Skokie

The following clinics, labs, and pharmacies are offering COVID testing. Please click or tap each link for details and location information.

• CVS Pharmacy Minute Clinic
  COVID-19 testing (search by ZIP code, city, or state)
• Elterman Center
  PCR, Rapid Antigen, Rapid Antibody testing
• Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Testing Sites
  Find a site by ZIP code and distance
• NorthShore University Health System Immediate Care
  COVID-19 testing options
• NTL Laboratory
  COVID-19 testing locations
• UltraMed Urgent Care
  Rapid PCR testing
• Walgreens Pharmacy
  Drive-thru COVID-19 testing (search by city, state, or ZIP code)
   

CDC Guidelines

Skokie School District 73.5 is aware of the updated CDC recommendation that shortens isolation times for positive COVID cases. District administration has been in contact with Skokie Health Department personnel who are reviewing the recommendation. SD73.5 will continue the 10-day isolation period until we receive updated guidance from the Skokie Health Department. Families will be notified if there are any changes to our current protocols. In the meantime, please contact your building nurse or principal if anyone in the household has tested positive for COVID so that a safe date to return to school may be determined.

August 16, 2021

SCHOOL YEAR 2021-2022 COVID-19 PROTOCOLS FOR SD73.5

Tap the Translate menu at the top of this page to translate text into several different languages: Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Filipino, Gujarati, Hindi, Romanian, Spanish, Urdu, Vietnamese.

We are so looking forward to welcoming 100 percent of our students back to school. The district began preparing for the start of school with a committee consisting of district administrators, school administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals. We focused our efforts on ensuring our students would feel welcomed and safe upon their return to school.  

As a reminder, our 1st- through 8th-grade students at Middleton and McCracken will return to school full-day on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. Meyer Kindergarten students will begin full-day instruction on Thursday, August 26, 2021.  Meyer Preschool students will begin on Monday, August 30, 2021.   

This year, we will resume our normal schedule with full-day instruction Monday through Friday. Our students will have early dismissal on Tuesdays for teacher and staff meetings.

All students and adults must wear masks indoors.

Under a new mandate, per Governor Pritzker’s Executive Order, Illinois students and school staff in K-12 and early childhood care centers will be required to wear masks indoors. The mask is required for vaccinated and unvaccinated adults and children. In addition, students arriving at school must wear their masks as they wait to enter the school building due to the potential for close contact with peers.

Definition of a Close Contact

For all individuals where exposure occurred outside of the classroom setting and for adults in the indoor PK-12 classroom setting, CDC defines a close contact as an individual not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.

Families, we ask that you work with your child(ren) on how to wear a mask prior to the start of school. Here is a video to assist you. We will also teach and monitor students’ mask-wearing.

Students riding the bus to school and/or home will be required to wear a mask, in accordance with federal laws. They will also be asked to provide proof of student vaccination verification of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Checking for symptoms before sending your child to school

Parents and Guardians, the first step to keeping our students safe and healthy are to only send students to school if they are well and not showing any symptoms related to the COVID-19 virus.

When students arrive at school, our parents and guardians are attesting that they have monitored their student’s health. This means their student did not have any of the following symptoms:

• Congestion or runny nose
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fever or chills

If your child has any of the above symptoms, they should not come to school. We strongly recommend you take your child to get a COVID-19 test. Please reference the Parent Handbook or the Parent Letter for appropriate steps to notify your child’s school of an absence.

Who Should Get Tested

The following people should get tested for COVID-19:

• People who have symptoms of COVID-19.
• People who have had a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
  • People who are fully vaccinated should get tested 3-5 days after exposure, and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result.
  • People who are not fully vaccinated should quarantine and be tested immediately after being identified, and, if negative, tested again in 5–7 days after last exposure or immediately if symptoms develop during quarantine.
• People not fully vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine who are prioritized for expanded community screening for COVID-19.
• People not fully vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine who have been asked or referred to get testing by their school, workplace, healthcare provider, state, tribal, local, or territorial health department.
   

SHIELD Testing

Skokie Health Department recommended Skokie school districts offer COVID 19 testing. We are working with SHIELD Illinois to offer weekly screening testing of vaccinated and unvaccinated students as a strategy to reduce transmission. Students in sports and band will be screened twice a week. We are tentatively scheduled to begin testing on September 8th. Families will receive more information soon. We hope all of our families will allow their children to participate in this program.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. According to the CDC, recent evidence indicates that up to 25 percent of people with COVID-19 infection may not have symptoms and can still spread the disease. Therefore, it is very important that you stay home after testing positive, even if you feel well. The CDC is also reporting that symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. For these reasons, we strongly recommend all of our families to participate in the SHIELD program.

• Additional information from the CDC: Symptoms of COVID-19
• IDPH COVID-19 Exclusion Decision Tree
• COVID-19 Symptoms: Options for Returning to School

For students in the classroom setting

Contacts who were within 3 to 6 feet of an infected student do not require quarantine as long as both the case and the contact were consistently masked. 

• If they were not consistently masked, then close contacts are classroom students who were within 6 feet of the infected student for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
• Our students will remove their masks while eating their lunch. As a safety precaution, students will be sitting 3 feet apart. For an added safety measure, the lunchroom tables will have plexiglass partitions separating our students. This will allow them to eat their lunch while talking to their peers. Without the threat of being in close contact. Once they have finished eating, students will put their masks back on.
• The longer a person is exposed to an infected person, the higher the risk of exposure or transmission. 
• The infectious period of close contact begins two calendar days before the onset of symptoms (for a symptomatic person) or two calendar days before the positive sample was obtained (for an asymptomatic person).
• If the case was symptomatic (e.g., coughing, sneezing), persons with briefer periods of exposure may also be considered contacts, as determined by local health departments.
• Persons who have had lab-confirmed COVID-19 within the past 90 days or those fully vaccinated, according to CDC guidelines, are not required to quarantine if identified as close contact to a confirmed case.
• Local health departments are the final authority on identifying close contacts.
   

For students in the outdoor setting

In general, individuals who are solely exposed to a confirmed case while outdoors should not be considered close contacts. Our students will remove their masks while at outdoor recess, as long as they can maintain social distancing. When students line up to enter the building, they will put on their masks to mitigate the issue of close contact.

Cleaning protocols

The district is following the CDC’s recommendations for cleaning and disinfecting, which notes ordinary daily cleaning of school facilities is sufficient while disinfecting procedures should be used when a diagnosed case of COVID-19 occurs.

Remote Learning will only be an option for students if they are required to quarantine.

• IDPH COVID-19 Exclusion Decision Tree
• 7 Things to Know About New COVID-19 School Guidance from CDC, Illinois

June 4, 2021

END OF YEAR MESSAGE FROM DR. HIGHTOWER

A translated version of this message is available below.

توجد نسخة مترجمة من هذه الرسالة أدناه.
A continuación encontrará una versión traducida de este mensaje.
May magagamit na nakasaling bersiyon ng mensaheng ito sa ibaba.
اس پیغام کا ترجمہ شدہ ورژن نیچے دستیاب ہے۔
Bản dịch của thông điệp này được trình bày bên dưới đây.

Arabic   •   Spanish  •   Tagalog  •   Urdu  •   Vietnamese

The 2020-21 school year has officially concluded. Throughout this year, our students, teachers, staff, and parents have demonstrated resilience through constant change while living our District’s Guiding Principles.

As we look ahead to the upcoming 2021-2022 school year, below is a list of updates to our current practices in alignment with guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

We thank you for your partnership,
Dr. Zipporah K. Hightower

In-Person Instruction
In alignment with the Illinois State Board of Education, our district will welcome back 100% of our student population for in-person instruction in the fall. Students will attend school Monday - Friday. We will reinstitute our Tuesday, Early Release day schedule. 

Attendance
State attendance law requires students to attend school daily. 

Busing
Bus transportation is available.

Student Drop Off and Pick Up
Families should expect an increase in traffic, as well as students crossing at intersections. To ensure the safety of our school community, please plan to arrive before the school bell rings.

S.P.A.C.E. (Skokie’s Place for All Children in Extended Care)
Before and after school daycare will be offered to families at Meyer and Middleton, provided by the Skokie Park District.

Visitors
Everyone requesting entry to any District 73.5 facility, except children two years of age and younger, must wear a face mask upon entering. 

Student Room Assignments
We are currently reviewing room capacity and space needs. Upon completion, staff will receive their room assignments.

Lunch
Students may bring a bag lunch from home or purchase a lunch at school. Students will not be allowed to share food. 

Student Lockers
Students will resume the use of lockers next year. The district will follow appropriate safety measures as prescribed in guidance to maintain mandated distancing measures. 

Technology
All students will have access to 1:1 devices for daily use in school and at home. HotSpots (Wi-Fi/internet access points) if needed.

April 5, 2021

COMMUNITY UPDATE

We received notification today that two individuals at McCracken Middle School and two individuals at Middleton School have tested positive for COVID-19. We are coordinating our efforts with the Skokie Health Department to promptly identify and monitor individuals who have had recent contact with the COVID-19 positive individual to prevent further spread within our school and community. The health and safety of students and staff is our highest priority, and we recognize the uncertainty and concern regarding the evolving pandemic. We are following guidance from the Skokie Health Department, Illinois Department of Public Health as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for best practices and procedures to protect everyone’s health.

To prevent further spread of the disease, Skokie School District 73.5 is taking the following steps:

• Quickly identify and notify close contacts (i.e., persons who were within six feet of a COVID-19 positive individual for 15 minutes or longer in a 24 hour period, or other guidelines recommended by the health department). The infectious period of close contact begins two (2) calendar days before the onset of symptoms (for a symptomatic person) or two (2) calendar days before the positive sample was obtained (for an asymptomatic person).
• Placing staff members and students who are identified as having close contact to the COVID-19 case in quarantine for 14 days. 
• Ongoing monitoring of students and staff for signs and symptoms of illness and evaluation of illness reports to promptly identify possible outbreaks. 
• Conducting a deep clean and disinfection of the areas impacted by potential exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

We will continue to enforce safe practices to prevent, promptly identify, and respond to potential COVID cases, as follows: 

• Students and staff who are ill with COVID-like symptoms will promptly be placed in a separate supervised area away from others until they can be sent home. 
• Students are required to wear face coverings at all times, as previously directed and per school policy.
• Staff are required to wear face coverings at all times unless alone in their classrooms with the door closed.
• We are continuously sanitizing high-touch surfaces including door handles, stair rails, sink faucets, etc.
• We are teaching students the importance of face coverings, social distancing, and proper handwashing.

As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay at home if they develop symptoms. Sick persons should contact their health care provider to determine if testing is needed. Anyone who develops severe symptoms should seek medical care immediately. If your child has had close contact with a known case of COVID-19, keep the child at home and notify your primary healthcare provider, and your school nurse.

Please be assured that we have carefully examined these cases, and they do not require a change in our school program or would require us to revert to a full remote teaching model at this time. By the time you receive this letter all close contacts will have been notified.

We are committed to providing your child and our staff with a safe and healthy environment. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing cooperation with our COVID-19 prevention policies and procedures as we work to help protect your children, your families, and our staff and their families. For any questions or concerns, please contact administration at 847-324-0509.

1. Symptoms of COVID-19 include: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea.
2. Severe symptoms of COVID-19 include: trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, bluish lips or face.

April 1, 2021

RETURN TO SCHOOL PLAN UPDATE

A translated version of this message is available below.

توجد نسخة مترجمة من هذه الرسالة أدناه.
A continuación encontrará una versión traducida de este mensaje.
May magagamit na nakasaling bersiyon ng mensaheng ito sa ibaba.
اس پیغام کا ترجمہ شدہ ورژن نیچے دستیاب ہے۔
Bản dịch của thông điệp này được trình bày bên dưới đây.

Arabic   •   Spanish  •   Tagalog  •   Urdu  •   Vietnamese

Based on new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the district will be increasing in-person instructional access for a population of our students. Per CDC guidelines, we can reduce students’ spacing from 6 feet to 3 feet apart in most classrooms. Some student spaces must remain at least 6 feet apart and those spaces will not be altered as part of this update.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is updated on K-12 school guidance to reflect the latest science on physical distance between students in classrooms. Provided the school adheres to universal masking, students should maintain a distance of at least 3 feet in classroom settings. The CDC has updated its operational strategy to say:

• In elementary schools, the CDC recommends all students remain at least 3 feet apart in classrooms where mask use is universal — regardless of community transmission. 
• In middle and high schools, the CDC also recommends students should be at least 3 feet apart in classrooms where mask use is universal and in communities where transmission is low, moderate, or substantial.

The district has taken additional precautionary measures to increase student safety, such as plexiglass dividers on all student desks. In addition, Wednesdays will remain remote instruction days for all students to allow the district to perform a deep clean of the buildings. These new guidelines offer the ability to add a few more desks in most classrooms. This will increase access for more students at most grade levels. However, it will not accommodate the entire student population.  

Based on the new classroom capacities, we will take the following steps to increase in-person instructional access while also maintaining equity.   

• Students in Cohort C will maintain the option to attend school 4 days per week.
• Students in Cohort A and B will be given the opportunity to increase their in-person instruction from 2 days per week to 4 days per week.
  • Students from Cohort A and B opting for 4 days in-person will be added to Cohort C and will attend all 4 days together. 
  • Students from Cohort A and B are not obligated to increase to four days per week. This is a voluntary decision. A family can select to continue to attend only 2 days per week in their current cohort.
• A limited number of other students who are currently being taught remotely and have been identified as most in need of returning to school, based on multiple data indicators over the past year, will be offered the opportunity to join Cohort C and return to school 4 days per week.

Please note, families of students currently attending school in-person are not obligated to increase their days per week. This is a voluntary decision. If a family selects to not increase their students in-person days from 2 days to 4 days, this is acceptable. To support the district in making these changes, please be aware of the following dates:

• April 1st: Survey sent to all families in Cohort A & Cohort B to opt into new 4-Day Model
• April 8th: Surveys to opt into the 4-Day Model are due by 12:00 p.m.
• April 9th: Invitations extended to families who qualify to change from remote to in-person instruction
• April 12th: Confirmation sent to parents on selection
• April 15th: Updated bus information will be sent to families for those who qualify
• April 19th: 4-Day in-person instruction begins at Middleton and McCracken

Please understand your decision will be permanent for the remainder of the year.

We appreciate your patience as we continue to navigate the 2020-2021 school year.

March 15, 2021

CURRENT METRICS & RETURN TO SCHOOL DECISION

Skokie School District 73.5 continues to watch our COVID-19 metrics weekly. Those metrics are shown on our website. As of today’s date, the metrics fall within the Hybrid Learning column.

For a complete return to school timeline, including start dates for in-person learning, please see the chart below.

March 8, 2021

CURRENT METRICS & RETURN TO SCHOOL DECISION

Skokie School District 73.5 continues to watch our COVID-19 metrics weekly. Those metrics are shown on our website. As of today’s date, the metrics fall within the Hybrid Learning column.

For a complete return to school timeline, including start dates for in-person learning, please see the chart below.

March 1, 2021

CURRENT METRICS & RETURN TO SCHOOL DECISION

Skokie School District 73.5 continues to watch our COVID-19 metrics weekly. Those metrics are shown on our website. As of today’s date, the metrics fall within the Hybrid Learning column.

For a complete return to school timeline, including start dates for in-person learning, please see the chart below.

February 24, 2021

MESSAGE FROM SKOKIE SCHOOL DISTRICT 73.5

We are excited to begin bringing our students back into school for in-person instruction! 

First Day for “Cohort C” students (IEP, EL, 504, and those who need additional support with remote instruction) and Self-Contained Special Education students who have selected in-person learning and have been contacted by the school will begin on Thursday! For a complete return to school timeline, including start dates for in-person learning, please see the chart below.

Please be aware that due to the anticipated increase in vehicle traffic around our schools due to parent drop-offs and pick-ups, there will be an increased Skokie Police Department presence around our schools at those times to maintain safety. Please be alert as you approach our schools during drop-off and pick-up times.

LUNCH PROGRAM UPDATE

Starting this week we will be adding Grab & Go Sack Lunches for in-person students attending full days. There will not be hot lunch food lines due to protocols in place for reopening schools. The Grab and Go Sack Lunch menu will be published online each month at www.sd735.org/lunch/calendar.

The Monday delivery will continue for remote learners and hybrid at home learners to have lunches while not learning in the buildings. As a reminder, lunches are free to all students this school year.

If you have any questions about the lunch program please contact the Business Office at 847-676-8317.

February 22, 2021

CURRENT METRICS & RETURN TO SCHOOL DECISION

Skokie School District 73.5 continues to plan for students and teachers to return to school for in-person instruction, and we are watching our COVID-19 metrics weekly to let us know when it is safe for this return. Those metrics are shown on our website. As of today’s date, the metrics fall within the Hybrid Learning column. The tentative start date for the first day of in-person learning is still Thursday, February 25th. Please visit our website for a complete adjusted timeline. 
 
View a translated version of this message in Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese.  

February 19, 2021

PARENT & GUARDIAN UPDATE

As we get closer to the date of some of our students returning to school, we wanted to again share some important information with you. We will begin by reviewing some key dates, followed by travel and mask guidance.

• February 16th-19th: Staff may return to the classrooms to teach remotely and prepare their classrooms.
• No adjustments will be made to the Return to School model selection after Friday, February 19th, as students are returning to school starting next week.
• February 22nd-23rd: Remote planning days. NO SCHOOL for students.
• February 24th (and all future Wednesdays): Staff is home providing the regular Wednesday schedules. Custodians will deep clean the buildings.
• February 25th:  First day for Cohort C students and students who are in self-contained classrooms.
• March 5th: Institute Day. NO SCHOOL for students.
• March 8th: Pre-K through 6th-grade students return for Hybrid Learning (Cohort A on Monday/Tuesday, Cohort B on Thursday/Friday at McCracken and Middleton; at Meyer, Cohort A is AM and Cohort B is PM).
• March 15th: 7th and 8th grade students return for Hybrid Learning.
• March 29th-April 2nd: Spring Break
   

Spring Break and Travel Information

While District 73.5 encourages the community to follow all travel guidance, at this time there is NO mandatory travel quarantine for domestic travel. The Skokie Department of Health has also not implemented travel-related quarantine orders. Additionally, we surveyed the surrounding districts in both North Cook and Lake County and found that the majority are not imposing a mandated quarantine requirement after domestic spring break travel. Therefore, in line with the Skokie Health Department and the surrounding districts, Skokie 73.5 will not require staff or students to quarantine based on domestic spring break travel. However, if you experience symptoms after your travel, you must remain home and alert the district. We are relying on your judgment to keep your school community safe. Please continue to monitor your health with daily temperature checks, even when not at work or school. If you experience any symptoms, STAY HOME!

International Travel

According to the CDC (as of 2/10/2021), “Testing before and after travel can reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. Testing does not eliminate all risk, but when paired with a period of staying at home and precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at travelers” destinations.

• We are asking that if you travel internationally, your children quarantine for 14 days upon return.
• There are additional CDC requirements regarding entering the US.  Please check with your airline.
   

Mask Updates

We have received questions regarding “double masking” and the use of the N95 masks. Students should not double mask. The N95 masks are suggested for health care providers only. What is recommended is wearing a mask that fits tightly to your face.  

Water Bottles

Remember to send your child with a water bottle that has a straw so that he/she can put the straw under the mask to get a drink! 

Lanyards and Daily Health Checks

Please remember to complete the daily health check on your child before he or she goes off to school. Once you have completed the health check, have your child put on the lanyard to indicate to the staff that the health check was done. Students will have temperatures taken as they enter the school building.

CDC Recommendations for Our Schools:

• Consistent and correct use of masks
• Social distancing to the largest extent possible
• Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette
• Cleaning and disinfection
• Contact tracing in collaboration with the local health department

We have all of these in place AND more!

We are excited to welcome students back into the schools and to continue to provide remote learning to the rest of our students! We have seen changes in the CDC recommendations over time. We are following the current recommendations, which can be subject to change.

February 10, 2021

UPDATE! RETURN TO SCHOOL HYBRID MODEL SURVEY

While we are currently in an Adaptive Pause, and all instruction remains remote, we are making preparations to have our students return to school. Phase One and Two focused on a plan to have students who receive Special Education, English Learner, 504 Plan services, and those who needed additional support with remote instruction to return when the COVID-19 metrics indicate that it is safe. Phase Three of our Return to School Hybrid plan provides an opportunity for ALL students to receive in-person instruction. All parents and guardians are expected to complete the survey to select their preferred Phase Three Return to School learning model. Parents and guardians will continue to have the opportunity to choose a full remote learning model for the remainder of the school year.

We have just received the remaining translated surveys and documents for our Return to School Hybrid Model.

Please complete this survey by the end of the day, Friday, February 12, 2021. If a survey is not completed by the due date, the student(s) will be placed in the full remote learning model for the remainder of the school year. As a reminder, each school is holding a virtual Return to School Information Night to summarize essential information about our plan. The recording and live event can be found on each school’s website. 

• Middleton Elementary School: Monday, February 8th, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
  • www.sd735.org/middleton
• Meyer School: Wednesday, February 10th, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  • www.sd735.org/meyer
• McCracken Middle School: Wednesday, February 10th, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
  • www.sd735.org/mccracken

McCRACKEN MIDDLE SCHOOL FAMILIES
Parents & guardians that have a McCracken Middle School student(s) complete the survey below. If you have any questions after reviewing the plan, please ask them in the question submission form.

• McCracken Middle School Hybrid Model Survey (English)
• McCracken Middle School Hybrid Model Survey (Spanish)
• McCracken Middle School Hybrid Model Survey (Urdu)
• McCracken Middle School Hybrid Model Survey (Arabic)
• McCracken Middle School Hybrid Model Survey (Tagalog)
• McCracken Middle School Hybrid Model Survey (Vietnamese)
• McCracken Middle School Return Plan Question Submission Form

MIDDLETON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FAMILIES

Parents & guardians that have a Middleton Elementary School student(s) complete the survey below. If you have any questions after reviewing the plan, please ask them in the question submission form.

• Middleton Elementary School Hybrid Model Survey (English)
• Middleton Elementary School Hybrid Model Survey (Spanish)
• Middleton Elementary School Hybrid Model Survey (Urdu)
• Middleton Elementary School Hybrid Model Survey (Arabic)
• Middleton Elementary School Hybrid Model Survey (Tagalog)
• Middleton Elementary School Hybrid Model Survey (Vietnamese)
• Middleton Elementary School Return Plan Question Submission Form

MEYER SCHOOL FAMILIES
Parents & guardians that have a Meyer School student(s) complete the survey below. If you have any questions after reviewing the plan, please ask them in the question submission form.

• Meyer School Hybrid Model Survey (English)
• Meyer School Hybrid Model Survey (Spanish)
• Meyer School Hybrid Model Survey (Urdu)
• Meyer School Hybrid Model Survey (Arabic)
• Meyer School Hybrid Model Survey (Tagalog)
• Meyer School Hybrid Model Survey (Vietnamese)
• Meyer School Return Plan Question Submission Form

February 1, 2021

CURRENT METRICS & RETURN TO SCHOOL DECISION

Skokie School District 73.5 continues to plan for students and teachers to return to school for in-person instruction, and we are watching our COVID-19 metrics weekly to let us know when it is safe for this return. Those metrics are shown on our website. As of today’s date, the metrics have improved and fall within the Hybrid Learning column. The new tentative start date for the first day of in-person learning is Thursday, February 25th. Please visit our website for a complete adjusted timeline. 
 
View a translated version of this message in Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese.  

January 29, 2021

COMMUNITY UPDATE

With the COVID-19 incidence metrics recently improving into acceptable ranges, we want to share with you the current plans for offering families the opportunity to have their students return to school for a hybrid in-person learning model. We will be sending out a program description and communication to all families with the specifics for each school late next week, along with a survey asking for your intent for your student(s) to return to in-person school.

Those that do not wish to return or who do not respond to the survey will continue to receive instruction remotely. In addition, Virtual Parent Information Nights for each school are being planned for families to learn more about the Return to School model, and to ask questions, so you can make an informed decision about returning to in-person school.

Below is an outline of some important dates and events regarding this return to school. Remote instruction continues until each group is phased to come back in person.

We are very excited to begin our return to offer in-person instruction for those that want that and will be carefully watching our incidence metrics to make sure we stay in the “safe range.” Again, more information will be coming out very soon.

This message is currently being translated and can be found on our website at www.sd735.org/updates upon completion.

January 25, 2021

CURRENT METRICS & RETURN TO SCHOOL DECISION

Skokie School District 73.5 continues to plan for students and teachers to return to school for in-person instruction, and we are watching our COVID-19 metrics weekly to let us know when it is safe for this return. Those metrics are shown on our website. As of today’s date, the metrics are too high to bring students and staff back safely, but again, we are hopeful for a return at some point in the near future. The new tentative start date for the first day of in-person learning is Thursday, February 11th. Please visit our website for a complete adjusted timeline. 
 
View a translated version of this message in Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese.  

January 18, 2021

CURRENT METRICS & RETURN TO SCHOOL DECISION

Skokie School District 73.5 continues to plan for students and teachers to return to school for in-person instruction, and we are watching our COVID-19 metrics weekly to let us know when it is safe for this return. Those metrics are shown on our website. As of today’s date, the metrics are too high to bring students and staff back safely, but again, we are hopeful for a return at some point in the near future. The new tentative start date for the first day of in-person learning is Thursday, February 4th. Please visit our website for a complete adjusted timeline. 
 
View a translated version of this message in Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese.  

January 11, 2021

CURRENT METRICS & RETURN TO SCHOOL DECISION

Skokie School District 73.5 continues to plan for students and teachers to return to school for in-person instruction, and we are watching our COVID-19 metrics weekly to let us know when it is safe for this return. Those metrics are shown on our website. As of today’s date, the metrics are too high to bring students and staff back safely, but again, we are hopeful for a return at some point in the near future. The new tentative start date for the first day of in-person learning is Thursday, January 28th. Please visit our website for a complete adjusted timeline.  

View a translated version of this message in Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese. 

November 17, 2020

ADAPTIVE PAUSE UPDATE

Please see below for translations of this message in Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

We would like to give you an update on the “Adaptive Pause” that we began last week. Adaptive Pause is a strategy that allows school districts to take action to help make sure that our staff and students remain safe. Adaptive Pause essentially moves students and staff back to a full remote teaching model until it is safe to attend school. Currently, numbers of positive COVID-19 cases continue to be at a substantial level, meaning that districts must consider remote teaching only. We know that this is frustrating for our families. While we believe that students need to be in school, we are committed to making decisions that are in the best interest of our students’ education and safety.

Within the next couple of weeks, we will be initiating a “dashboard” on the Skokie 73.5 website, allowing us to share with you the most recent information regarding the COVID-19 incidence metrics in our district’s community. We have been asked to wait until the new Director is on board at the Skokie Department of Health, to make a final decision on the suggested return to school parameters. Before bringing either staff or students back into our buildings, we will be taking guidance from not only the Skokie Department of Health, but also the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and our 73.5 Board of Education. Our target date for considering any on-site teaching and learning would be January 19, 2021.  

We will be providing more information about the board approved “Phase 1” of bringing our students back, within the next two weeks.

We know that this is a very challenging time for all families. We will do our best to keep you updated

• Adaptive Pause Update 11-16-2020 (Arabic)
• Adaptive Pause Update 11-16-2020 (Spanish)
• Adaptive Pause Update 11-16-2020 (Tagalog)
• Adaptive Pause Update 11-16-2020 (Urdu)
• Adaptive Pause Update 11-16-2020 (Vietnamese)

December 17, 2020

PARENT-GUARDIAN UPDATE

Please see below for translations of this message in Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

We would like to provide you with an update on the Skokie 73.5 “Adaptive Pause” and the next steps. We currently have a target date of January 21st to begin the first stage of returning students back to school. Phase One would bring back students with IEPs, those who have 504 plans, those who are EL, and those who have not been successful with remote learning. Those students would be attending school four days per week -- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesday would be a remote learning day for all students. Buildings and Ground staff would be thoroughly cleaning all areas on Wednesdays as well as on Friday nights.

We invite you to view the Skokie 73.5 website COVID-19 dashboard at www.sd735.org/covid-metrics. We continue to look at the metrics not only in Skokie but also in Cook County. Before any students return, we will want positivity rates of less than or equal to 8% AND new and youth cases in the moderate level for two consecutive weeks. The metrics are updated weekly.

Each of the buildings is working on plans for offering the opportunity for all students to return. Please note, parents and guardians will still have the option to keep students in remote learning.

Plans for the next stage of student return will be shared as soon as they are finalized and approved by the Board of Education.

We wish all of you a safe and restful winter break. We thank you for your patience as we work through all of these “COVID-19” challenges. While we want to bring our students back as soon as possible, we also want to make sure that it is safe to do so. Thank you for your continued partnership.

#BetterTogtherSD735

• Parent/Guardian Update 12-17-2020 (Arabic)
• Parent/Guardian Update 12-17-2020 (Spanish)
• Parent/Guardian Update 12-17-2020 (Tagalog)
• Parent/Guardian Update 12-17-2020 (Urdu)
• Parent/Guardian Update 12-17-2020 (Vietnamese)

November 8, 2020

ADAPTIVE PAUSE

Please see below for translations of this message in Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

In an abundance of caution, Skokie School District 73.5 has determined that it is in the best interest of students and staff to enter into an "adaptive pause" beginning Tuesday, November 10th. Students who have been receiving on-site learning will transition to remote learning. All teachers and assistants will provide remote instruction from home. Buildings will be closed to the public, and the District office will remain open with limited on-site staff.

We have closely followed the metrics over the past several weeks. As we all know, new cases continue to rise. Due to the fact that the Skokie Department of Health has been experiencing challenges with posting the most recent data, we had to rely on alternative sources of data. 

• The Cook County Region 10 data indicated a most recent positivity rate of 9.3%.
• This rate has been consistently over 8% for the last few days.
• The COVID Dashboard by zip code is at 8.33%.
• Weekly new case counts are at 403 per 100,000, with "substantial" being anything over 100 per 100,000.  
• As was stated in our Back to School plan, when data reaches "substantial,” districts may consider moving to total remote learning.

We will continue to work closely with the Skokie Department of Health for both current and future guidance. We will also be posting updates on our website regarding timing for staff and student return.

The District will be considering Back to School options at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, November 10th. Timing for these plans may be affected by this adaptive pause. 

This is a challenging time for our community, and together we will get through this.  

Please be safe!

• Adaptive Pause Update 11-8-2020 (Arabic)
• Adaptive Pause Update 11-8-2020 (Spanish)
• Adaptive Pause Update 11-8-2020 (Tagalog)
• Adaptive Pause Update 11-8-2020 (Urdu)
• Adaptive Pause Update 11-8-2020 (Vietnamese)

November 7, 2020

RETURN TO SCHOOL PLAN TRANSLATION UPDATE

Thank you for your work with your students at home during remote learning over the past three months. We know this has not been easy, and we are grateful for your support and flexibility.

We have just received the translated copies of the Return To School Plan to help our families better understand what the district has proposed. Thank you so much for your patience; this took longer than expected because of the document’s length.

• Return to School Plan (English)
• Return to School Plan (Arabic)
• Return to School Plan (Spanish)
• Return to School Plan (Tagalog)
• Return to School Plan (Urdu)
• Return to School Plan (Vietnamese)
   

We realize there are many concerns related to the Return to School Plan. Additional conversations regarding the plan will occur at our next Board of Education meeting Tuesday, November 10th. As we strive to foster care, awareness, and responsible decision-making within our community, Skokie School District 73.5 continues to seek opportunities to hear your voice in our planning. We encourage everyone to view our upcoming Board of Education meeting via the live stream on our website. 

We recognize what a stressful time this is for all students, families, and staff. We appreciate your continued partnership. 

October 30, 2020

RETURN TO SCHOOL PLAN UPDATE

The Skokie 73.5 Board of Education, at the meeting on Thursday, October 29th, agreed to postpone a vote on the plan until the November 10th Board meeting to allow time for the plan to be translated. However, the District will move forward with surveying the parents/guardians of those students who are most challenged, those with Special Education needs, those with 504 plans, our English Language Learners, and those who have been disengaged during the remote learning to determine their interest in sending their children back to school for four half days per week, beginning November 30th. These surveys will be translated prior to being sent out. Accompanying the survey will be a brief review of the program.

The complete Return to School plan has been sent to the translator. Due to the length of the plan, the turnaround time was determined to be approximately 7 days. Upon receiving the translated copy, this will be shared with the community. Further discussion regarding this entire plan will continue at the November Board meeting.

October 28, 2020

SKOKIE SCHOOL DISTRICT 73.5 RETURN TO SCHOOL HYBRID & FULL-TIME REMOTE LEARNING PLAN

Linked below is the formal District 73.5 Return to School Plan that will be presented at the Board of Education meeting Thursday evening, October 29, 2020.

Skokie School District 73.5 Return to School Hybrid & Full-Time Remote Learning Plan 

October 6, 2020

MESSAGE FROM SUPERINTENDENTS REGARDING NTDSE COVID-19 CASE

We wanted to inform you that we received notification yesterday that a student attending in-person NTDSE instruction at Meyer School tested positive for COVID-19. The student has been in isolation since the onset of the symptoms. NTDSE and District 73.5 are working closely with the Niles Township District for Special Education (NTDSE) and the Skokie Health Department on contact tracing.

There has been no contact with Meyer 73.5 staff as these students enter and exit using exterior doors within their classrooms. Due to the fact that this student rode the bus with students from the other classrooms, NTDSE, with guidance from the Health Department, has decided to quarantine all of the students attending Meyer. These students will return on October 13th. They will receive remote learning.

District 73.5 Buildings and Grounds staff will deep clean the classrooms that NTDSE has been using at Meyer.

We would like to thank Dr. Wei, the SD73.5 Buildings and Ground staff, along with the leadership from NTDSE for their quick action, communication, and following of protocol.

October 5, 2020

PARENT/GUARDIAN RETURN TO SCHOOL SURVEY

Our Skokie D73.5 Return to Learn Plan that was approved by the Board on August 4, 2020, calls for students and staff to return to in school instruction at the start of Trimester 2 in late November. In addition, the plan outlined the intent to bring back our most at-risk student population earlier (in mid-October).
 
We are still working on the specifics of the return to school model, but so that we can adequately plan for the details of the model we need to know the numbers and grade levels of students returning to school buildings. We need your help and ask you to please fill out the survey below regarding your intent to have your student(s) return for in-school instruction. Please know that the district will continue to follow all health and safety guidelines released by ISBE, IDPH, and CDC, in addition to consulting regularly with the local Skokie Health Department. All specific plans for returning to school developed by our Return to School Task Force will be shared with families as soon as they become available. 
 
Please make your selection knowing that all students who return to school will be required to wear masks and socially distance at all times, and that students will remain in their classrooms for the majority of the day while in school. All safety and sanitization procedures will be followed and families will be required to certify the health of their child(ren) before school each day. Once classroom groupings for in-school instruction are formed, we cannot make changes (remote v. in school) unless overall incidence information reflects the need to return to a full remote model. Students whose parents/guardians do not elect to have them return to school will continue to be taught remotely.
 
Please complete and return this survey no later than Monday, October 12, 2020.

• District 73.5 Parent/Guardian Return to School Survey (English)
• District 73.5 Parent/Guardian Return to School Survey (Arabic)
• District 73.5 Parent/Guardian Return to School Survey (Spanish)
• District 73.5 Parent/Guardian Return to School Survey (Urdu)
• District 73.5 Parent/Guardian Return to School Survey (Tagalog)
• District 73.5 Parent/Guardian Return to School Survey (Vietnamese) 

October 1, 2020

UPDATE ON STUDENTS RETURNING TO ON-SITE LEARNING

Thank you for your continued support of your children. Your feedback on the remote learning survey has been very valuable; thanks for taking the time to fill that out!

We would like to update you on where we are with the planning for students to return to school. On August 4, 2020, the Board of Education approved a document that included full remote learning for the first trimester through November 20, 2020. This decision was based on data provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the CDC and the more localized data from the Skokie Department of Health. We also must follow the guidelines issued from the Illinois State Board of Education. The document indicated that if at all possible, students would return for in-school instruction for the second trimester.

We are currently in planning stages for students to return to school in some fashion starting in the second trimester. What will school look like?

• Students will be required to wear masks
• Social distancing
• Students will remain in their classrooms for the majority of the day
• Students will be assigned specific entrances and exits 
• Lunch will be delivered to and eaten in the classrooms
• Movement throughout the building will be limited
• Students will have assigned restrooms to use and social distancing will be observed
• Hand sanitizer will be readily available throughout the building

We are still exploring different models and schedules that the students will be following when they return. You will soon receive a survey that asks your intent to send your child back to school for in-person instruction when we re-open. When we determine how many students we can expect to return to in-person learning, we will be able to identify the specific model of instruction. That model could include a hybrid model where students attend part of the week, and the rest of the week remaining remote. This is a model that many neighboring districts are using. Given the size of our classrooms, we can safely accommodate 16-18 students per classroom. Strict cleaning and safety protocols will be in place to ensure that our students and staff remain safe.

It is very important that parents/guardians fill out the survey regarding sending their children back to school. After completing this survey, the District will be able to develop the model of instruction.

Thank you very much.

September 17, 2020

REMOTE LEARNING PARENT/GUARDIAN SURVEY

As you know, we are underway with our e-Learning days due to the COVID-19 crisis. We do want this experience to guide us to better experiences in the future, and for that reason, the District would like to ask you to take a few minutes to complete the short survey below. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

• Remote Learning Parent/Guardian Survey - English
• Remote Learning Parent/Guardian Survey - Arabic
• Remote Learning Parent/Guardian Survey - Spanish
• Remote Learning Parent/Guardian Survey - Tagalog
• Remote Learning Parent/Guardian Survey - Urdu
• Remote Learning Parent/Guardian Survey - Vietnamese

August 24, 2020

BACK TO SCHOOL GUIDANCE

As we prepare for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, we know that it will be unlike any other school opening! Our students will be receiving their education while at home with the aid of technology. How can we ensure success at home? We can best do this by developing routines such as a consistent schedule. This provides a sense of stability while also demonstrating positive habits for when transition back to on-site instruction occurs.

In addition, it is important to create a dedicated workspace for student learning. This should be a location that the student can expect to use every day. Ideally, this would be a place that limits distractions and interruptions. Encouraging regular breaks during the daily lessons that coincide with the schedule you will receive from the schools will be helpful. If you have questions regarding lessons or expectations, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher. Teachers are available to answer questions and are ready to offer assistance.

Please make sure that your student(s) have all required materials at hand so they are prepared to work on their assignments. This will help the students be engaged with their teacher and classmates. Finally, student engagement and participation is critical and a key to successful learning. Attendance will be taken every morning (at McCracken it will be taken every period.) Normal grading of student work will resume.

We realize that this is an added burden to an already challenging time in your lives. We will analyze the current metrics in October and will continue to seek input from the County Health Department, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois State Board of Education, and you, regarding return to on-site learning. Our most important goal is to keep our District 73½ students and staff healthy and safe, while providing the best instruction possible. 

Thank you very much, and here’s to a great school year!

Back to School Guidance (Arabic)
Back to School Guidance (Spanish)
Back to School Guidance (Tagalog)
Back to School Guidance (Urdu)
Back to School Guidance (Vietnamese)

August 13, 2020

AMENDED DISTRICT 73.5 SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR 2020-2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in remote learning to be instituted in the District’s schools. Remote Learning Planning Days have been embedded into the 2020-2021 amended calendar at the beginning of the school year resulting in a later start date for students. At this time, ISBE is allowing a school district five (5) Remote Planning Days which count toward the 176-day student attendance day requirement.

In addition, Public Act 101-0642 designates November 3, 2020, “2020 General Election Day” a legal school holiday and therefore, the District must be closed.

The Institute Day originally scheduled on November 3, 2020, has been moved to August 26, 2020.

At this time, the last day of school is scheduled to be June 3, 2021, which may change if Emergency Days are used.

View the Amended District 73.5 School Year Calendar for 2020-2021.

August 12, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE: WELCOME BACK

We hope that this letter finds you healthy and coping with the COVID-19 related struggles we are all dealing with at this time. Please know that we care about all of our families and students!

We wanted to communicate with you some necessary information regarding the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Be assured that there will be more specific information coming from the district and our schools over the next few weeks. Please review the back to school letter below which includes information regarding student device pickup, community resources, school supplies/textbook/materials pickup, and lunches.

• SD 73.5 Welcome Back Letter (English)
• SD 73.5 Welcome Back Letter (Arabic)
• SD 73.5 Welcome Back Letter (Spanish)
• SD 73.5 Welcome Back Letter (Tagalog)
• SD 73.5 Welcome Back Letter (Urdu)
• SD 73.5 Welcome Back Letter (Vietnamese)

July 24, 2020

RETURN TO SCHOOL PLAN

As our district prepares for the 2020-2021 school year, our focus has been not only on ensuring that the district maintains its excellent educational programming, but even more importantly at this time, making sure that our students and staff are safe. We have reviewed multiple sources of guidance and data in making our decisions. We have reviewed the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Department of Public Health documents and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, collaborated with the Skokie Department of Health, analyzed our staff and parent surveys, and met with other local superintendents. Finally, the fluidity of the health crisis has impacted our planning.

Using the most recent information available, we have determined that the safest option for all stakeholders is to start the school year with full remote learning, beginning August 31st through the end of the first trimester, which is November 20th.  We will continue to review the data before bringing our students back. We have been and will continue to work on our remote learning model to provide students with the high quality learning experience they are used to, here in District 73.5.

You will find the link to the Return to School Plan below. In order to best communicate with families, we have provided the Return to School Plan in our district's top five languages.

• Skokie District 73.5 Return to School Plan
• خطة منطقة Skokie 73.5 للعودة إلى المدارس
• Plan de regreso a la escuela del Distrito 73.5 de Skokie
• Plano sa Pagbabalik sa Paaralan ng Skokie District 73.5
•  سکوکی (Skokie) ڈسٹرکٹ 73.5 اسکول واپس جانے کا منصوبہ
• Kế Hoạch Trở Lại Trường Học Của Học Khu Skokie District 73.5

Over the next few weeks, we will provide families with more specific information detailing the structure of the District 73.5 enhanced Remote Learning Plan, which will include Meyer, Middleton, and McCracken remote learning schedules and also provide a description of what students can expect on a daily basis.

This detailed remote plan will be shared with the public, remotely, at the August 4th special Board meeting. This meeting has been added to the calendar for board members to interview prospective candidates to fill an empty board seat and to allow the administration to present the plan. The administration will present the plan at 6:30 p.m. and this portion of the meeting will be open to the public and can be viewed on the district website. 

Thank you for your continued partnership.

July 15, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

The staff and administration are working hard to develop a plan for "return to school" that focuses not only on learning, but more importantly on making sure we are doing all we can to insure that our staff and students are safe.

As we continue to look at our options, we refer to a number of different resources such as the results from our family surveys, staff surveys, ISBE Guidance, the CDC, the local Department of Health, conversations with our local districts, meetings with superintendents from North Cook, Dupage, and Lake Counties and ideas shared from our own 73.5 administration, staff, and parents. While we want our students to return to school, we have to weigh all of the information to make the best informed decision possible.

We have two teams, one focusing on the educational component and the other on the operational side of returning. The education team is reviewing and strengthening the remote learning, providing guidelines for consistency and developing clear expectations. The operation team is working on identifying the proper signage for the buildings which would include the entrance ways, the classrooms, the halls and in the classrooms. These signs will be ordered at the end of this week and will include signs in our five top languages. This team is also looking at creating the protocols within the classroom such as how to line up safely, plans for mask breaks, protocols for the use of the restrooms, etc.

As you can tell, there is a lot of very thoughtful and important work being done to prepare for your students. Given the most recent national increase in the COVID cases, we are considering the best possible plan for your students. We expect to be able to share that plan by July 29th, realizing that parents and guardians need to make plans for their busy lives as well. These are some very difficult decisions and we will continue to need to analyze all of our data before making a final recommendation. We can assure you that we will keep you up to date!

June 5, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

Happy Summer Break! We made it! Thank you all so much for your partnership and hard work as we navigated through a very difficult situation for students, families, and staff during an unprecedented time. Below is information regarding materials drop-off, summer activities and programming. Please continue to check your email, as we will be sending communication this summer as plans for the 2020-2021 school year are made.

End of Year Materials Drop-Off

We are coordinating the drop-off of items that belong to the district. Please follow the directions and procedures below for the week of June 8th. ALL DROP-OFF TIMES WILL BE AT McCRACKEN.

Items the need to be returned include the following: 

• Library books
• Chromebooks (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their Chromebook)
• Chromebook chargers (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their charger)
• Internet MiFis (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their Internet MiFi)
• Textbooks
• Any classroom books/materials
• Band instruments
• Athletic uniforms (McCracken)

Please drop off the items during the appropriate grade level date and time. If you have children in multiple grade levels you can bring all items to ONE of the drop off times. 

• Monday, June 8th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 8th Grade
  • 8th Grade families will receive student diplomas and graduation pictures, if ordered, when they drop off student materials on Monday, June 8th. Eighth grade parents only: Please write your child’s first and last name on a sign. Print this sign or make your own: STUDENT PICK UP SIGN. Place the sign on your car’s front dashboard, on the passenger side.
• Tuesday, June 9th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 7th Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 6th Grade
• Wednesday, June 10th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 5th Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 4th Grade
• Thursday, June 11th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 3rd Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 2nd Grade 
  • 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. / 1st Grade
• Friday, June 12th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / Kindergarten
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / Pre-K

Please make sure to label all items. Write your child’s last name, homeroom/advisory teacher’s name, and grade level on the label. You can print this label or make your own STUDENT LABEL. Place the label somewhere visible on the item. There is no need to add a label if the item already has one.

Once you arrive at the drop off location please exit your vehicle and place all items in the correct storage bin (technology, books, other). Remember the Drive-Thru is one lane only. Do not drive around to pass other cars. More information will be emailed once we get closer to the week of June 8th.   

District Devices

After thoughtful consideration, the district has decided that devices will be collected at the end of the school year for a variety of reasons. The technology team will need to complete the following to ensure that we have a successful roll-out during the 2020-2021 school year:

• Check the operating condition of Chromebooks and upgrade the OS
• Update firmware on all hotspot devices and wipe data
• Clean all the devices
• Replace devices that will be refreshed over the summer; this will be a total of three grade levels
• Restock testing and loaner carts throughout the district
• Ensure enough devices are in working order to begin the new school year and confirm the total number of assets

With all the necessary tasks listed above, we will need the entirety of the summer to complete them. Students enrolled in the District 73.5 summer school program will be able to keep their devices until the end of the summer session, but those will need to be collected, as well, on the last day of summer school. If you are looking to secure an internet connection over the summer, please visit the community resources document created by the district.

Summer Suggested Learning Activities and Resources

During the summer, families may choose to have their children engage in learning activities at home. We have also included useful information related to internet access and community resources.

Summer School

Emails regarding summer school have been sent to families of students who qualify. If your student is participating in summer school or Extended School Year (ESY), they may keep all of their technology for the duration of the program. If you have questions regarding summer school, please contact summer school coordinators Marty Behm, [email protected], or Marty Heffner, [email protected].

Summer Lunches

Lunches will continue throughout the summer. Skokie School District 73.5 would like to remind the community that the district is delivering lunches every TUESDAY at the locations and times listed below. Families will receive five lunches per child. If needed, vegetarian lunches are available.

• Christiana & Lee - approximately 12:03 p.m.
• East Prairie & Lee - approximately 12:06 p.m.
• Harding & Lee - approximately 12:07 p.m.
• Keystone & Lee - approximately 12:09 p.m.
• Keeler & Lee - approximately 12:12 p.m.
• Cleveland & Keeler - approximately 12:14 p.m.
• Cleveland & Keystone - approximately 12:16 p.m.
• Cleveland & East Prairie - approximately 12:18 p.m.
• Keeney & East Prairie - approximately 12:20 p.m.
• East Prairie & Kirk - approximately 12:22 p.m.
• Keystone & Kirk - approximately 12:24 p.m.
• Keeler & Kirk - approximately 12:26 p.m.
• Lowell & Kirk - approximately 12:28 p.m.
• Kilbourn & Kirk - approximately 12:30 p.m.
• Kostner & Cleveland - approximately 12:32 p.m.

The Food Pantry will be open Mondays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and closed for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
 
In addition, the Food Pantry will continue to be open from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, which provides convenience to many Food Pantry clients.
 
I hope you all have a good summer and enjoy time with family.  Thank you for another amazing school year!

May 29, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

We are looking forward to celebrating the end of the school year next week! Below is information regarding some special celebrations, wrapping up the year, and possible summer activities and programming. Please remember there is NO remote learning on Monday, June 1st.  

Calendar

Starting on March 31st, the Illinois State Board of Education changed all days to Remote Learning Days. All districts were also granted five Remote Learning Planning days for teachers and staff to have time to plan lessons for students. Below, please find a schedule for the remainder of the school year.

Car Parade

In celebration of the 2019-2020 school year, District 73.5 will host a Car Parade on Friday, June 5th, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Please SAVE THE DATE! Dr. Helen Wei is coordinating the parade for the district; she will be sending out more information next week. We’re excited to see you and celebrate the school year together! 

Honoring 8th Grade

The McCracken administrative team and 8th grade teachers have worked diligently to honor our graduating students in a variety of ways. Although this is not the way we had planned to celebrate students' many accomplishments, we want to lift their spirits in as many ways as possible. Here is the letter sent to parents and guardians on Thursday, May 7th with additional information on graduation activities and celebrations. We are excited to celebrate our Class of 2020 with you! Please join us in viewing our McCracken Virtual Class of 2020 Graduation Ceremony at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 4th! A link to the presentation will be shared with families by email and also posted on the District 73.5 website on June 4th.

End of Year Materials Drop-Off

We are coordinating the drop-off of items that belong to the district. Please follow the directions and procedures below for the week of June 8th.  ALL DROP-OFF WILL BE AT McCRACKEN.

Items the need to be returned include the following: 

• Library books
• Chromebooks (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their Chromebook)
• Chromebook chargers (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their charger)
• Internet MiFis (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their Internet MiFi)
• Textbooks
• Any classroom books/materials
• Band instruments
• Athletic uniforms (McCracken)

Please drop off the items during the appropriate grade level date and time. If you have children in multiple grade levels you can bring all items to ONE of the drop off times. 

• Monday, June 8th
  •  9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 8th Grade
• Tuesday, June 9th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 7th Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 6th Grade
• Wednesday, June 10th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 5th Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 4th Grade
• Thursday, June 11th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 3rd Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 2nd Grade 
  • 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. / 1st Grade
• Friday, June 12th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / Kindergarten
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / Pre-K

Please make sure to label all items. Write your child’s last name, homeroom/advisory teacher’s name, and grade level on the label. You can print this label or make your own STUDENT LABEL. Place the label somewhere visible on the item. There is no need to add a label if the item already has one. Once you arrive at the drop off location please exit your vehicle and place all items in the correct storage bin (technology, books, other). Remember the Drive-Thru is one lane only. Do not drive around to pass other cars. More information will be emailed once we get closer to the week of June 8th.   

District Devices

After thoughtful consideration, the district has decided that devices will be collected at the end of the school year for a variety of reasons. The technology team will need to complete the following to ensure that we have a successful roll-out during the 2020-2021 school year:

• Check the operating condition of Chromebooks and upgrade the OS
• Update firmware on all hotspot devices and wipe data
• Clean all the devices
• Replace devices that will be refreshed over the summer; this will be a total of three grade levels
• Restock testing and loaner carts throughout the district
• Ensure enough devices are in working order to begin the new school year and confirm the total number of assets

With all the necessary tasks listed above, we will need the entirety of the summer to complete them. Students enrolled in the District 73.5 summer school program will be able to keep their devices until the end of the summer session, but those will need to be collected, as well, on the last day of summer school. If you are looking to secure an internet connection over the summer, please visit the community resources document created by the district.

Summer Suggested Learning Activities and Resources

During the summer, families may choose to have their children engage in learning activities at home. We have also included useful information related to internet access and community resources.

Summer School

Emails regarding summer school have been sent to families of students who qualify. If your student is participating in summer school or Extended School Year (ESY), they may keep all of their technology for the duration of the program. If you have questions regarding summer school, please contact summer school coordinators Marty Behm, [email protected], or Marty Heffner, [email protected].

Summer Lunches

Lunches will continue throughout the summer. Skokie School District 73.5 would like to remind the community that the district is delivering lunches every TUESDAY at the locations and times listed below. Families will receive five lunches per child. If needed, vegetarian lunches are available.

• Christiana & Lee - approximately 12:03 p.m.
• East Prairie & Lee - approximately 12:06 p.m.
• Harding & Lee - approximately 12:07 p.m.
• Keystone & Lee - approximately 12:09 p.m.
• Keeler & Lee - approximately 12:12 p.m.
• Cleveland & Keeler - approximately 12:14 p.m.
• Cleveland & Keystone - approximately 12:16 p.m.
• Cleveland & East Prairie - approximately 12:18 p.m.
• Keeney & East Prairie - approximately 12:20 p.m.
• East Prairie & Kirk - approximately 12:22 p.m.
• Keystone & Kirk - approximately 12:24 p.m.
• Keeler & Kirk - approximately 12:26 p.m.
• Lowell & Kirk - approximately 12:28 p.m.
• Kilbourn & Kirk - approximately 12:30 p.m.
• Kostner & Cleveland - approximately 12:32 p.m.

Thank you for your continued partnership. 

May 22, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

We hope this letter finds you well and hopeful that we will be transitioning into Phase III of the Restore Illinois soon. Last week’s letter was full of information as we approach the end of the school year. We will continue to reshare end of year information and provide updates as appropriate. 

Item Pick-up at Schools

Thank you so much to everyone who was able to come to pick up student belongings on May 11th. We have moved all remaining items to Middleton School and are offering an additional pickup date. Please follow the directions and procedures below on May 28th at Middleton between 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. to retrieve these items:

1. Parents: Please write your child’s last name, homeroom/advisory teacher’s name, and grade level on a sign. Print this sign or make your own STUDENT PICK UP SIGN. Place the sign on your car’s front dashboard, on the passenger side.
2. Please come to Middleton Drake Alley between the hours of 4:00 and 8:00 p.m.
3. Please follow all mandated social distancing procedures, including wearing a mask.  DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE.
4. If you have any questions or special circumstances, please email a building administrator prior to the May 28th pickup date.

Please know that we have done our best to gather and return your child’s items from school. If there are significant items (coats, shoes, etc.) that are missing, please email [email protected]. We will do our best to help retrieve additional items. All items not retrieved will be held until fall and returned to students.

Calendar

Starting on March 31st, the Illinois State Board of Education changed all days to Remote Learning Days. All districts were also granted five Remote Learning Planning days for teachers and staff to have time to plan lessons for students. Below, please find a schedule for the remainder of the school year.

End of Year Materials Drop-Off

We are coordinating the drop off of items that belong to the district. Please follow the directions and procedures below for the week of June 8th.
 
Items the need to be returned include the following: 

• Library books
• Chromebooks (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their Chromebook)
• Chromebook chargers (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their charger)
• Internet MiFis (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their Internet MiFi)
• Textbooks
• Any classroom books/materials
• Band instruments
• Athletic uniforms (McCracken)

Please drop off the items during the appropriate grade level date and time. If you have children in multiple grade levels you can bring all items to ONE of the drop off times. 

• Monday, June 8th
  •  9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 8th Grade
• Tuesday, June 9th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 7th Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 6th Grade
• Wednesday, June 10th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 5th Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 4th Grade
• Thursday, June 11th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 3rd Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 2nd Grade 
  • 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. / 1st Grade
• Friday, June 12th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / Kindergarten
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / Pre-K

Please make sure to label all items. Write your child’s last name, homeroom/advisory teacher’s name, and grade level on the label. You can print this label or make your own student label. Place the label somewhere visible on the item. There is no need to add a label if the item already has one.
 
Once you arrive at the drop off location please exit your vehicle and place all items in the correct storage bin (technology, books, other). Remember, the Drive-Thru is one lane only. Do not drive around to pass other cars. More information will be emailed once we get closer to the week of June 8th.

District Devices

After thoughtful consideration, the district has decided that devices will be collected at the end of the school year for a variety of reasons. The technology team will need to complete the following to ensure that we have a successful roll-out during the 2020-2021 school year:

• Check the operating condition of Chromebooks and upgrade the OS
• Update firmware on all hotspot devices and wipe data
• Clean all the devices
• Replace devices that will be refreshed over the summer; this will be a total of three grade levels
• Restock testing and loaner carts throughout the district
• Ensure enough devices are in working order to begin the new school year and confirm the total number of assets

With those items on the list above, we will be cutting it close for the start of the new school year. Students enrolled in the District 73.5 summer school program will be able to keep their device until the end of the summer session, but those will need to be collected as well on the last day of summer school. If you are looking at securing an internet connection over the summer please visit the community resources document created by the district.

Summer School

Summer school emails have been sent to those families who qualify. If your student is participating in summer school or Extended School Year, they may keep all of their technology. If you have questions regarding summer school, please contact summer school coordinators Marty Behm, [email protected], or Marty Heffner, [email protected].

Enjoy the weekend and please take a moment this Memorial Day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice during their military service.

May 15, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

Happy Friday!  We continue to respond to the feedback we receive from Governor Pritzker, the Illinois State Board of Education, parents, and staff. We are working to finish the 2019-2020 school year while planning, as best we can, for learning in the fall.

Item Pick-up at Schools

Thank you so much to everyone who was able to come to pick up student belongings on May 11th. We have moved all remaining items to Middleton School and are offering an additional pickup date. Please follow the directions and procedures below on May 28th at Middleton between 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. to retrieve these items:

1. Parents: Please write your child’s last name, homeroom/advisory teacher’s name, and grade level on a sign. Print this sign or make your own STUDENT PICK UP SIGN. Place the sign on your car’s front dashboard, on the passenger side.
2. Please come to Middleton Drake Alley between the hours of 4:00 and 8:00 p.m.
3. Please follow all mandated social distancing procedures, including wearing a mask.  DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE.
4. If you have any questions or special circumstances, please email a building administrator prior to the May 28th pickup date.

Please know that we have done our best to gather and return your child’s items from school. If there are significant items (coats, shoes, etc.) that are missing, please email [email protected]. We will do our best to help retrieve additional items. All items not retrieved will be held until fall and returned to students.

Calendar

Starting on March 31st, the Illinois State Board of Education changed all days to Remote Learning Days. All districts were also granted five Remote Learning Planning days for teachers and staff to have time to plan lessons for students.  Below, please find a schedule for the remainder of the school year.

Honoring 8th Grade

The McCracken administrative team and 8th grade teachers are working diligently to honor our graduating students in a variety of ways. Specific information regarding graduation will continue to be shared through our Weekly newsletter and email communication. Here is the letter sent to 8th grade families on May 7th. 

How can our community celebrate our graduates? The Niles Township superintendents are planning the following township wide celebrations:

1. The Village of Skokie will proclaim the Week of May 18th as a celebration of graduates and designate May 20th as “Make Some Noise for the Class of 2020.”
2. All graduating 8th and 12th graders will be receiving a sign to display in their yard or window.
3. We are asking residents to tie a purple ribbon around their trees for the week of May 18th. All graduates will be receiving a ribbon from McCracken. If you do not have purple ribbon, make a sign to display your support.
4. May 20th at 20:20 (8:20 p.m.) residents come out to “Make Some Noise for Graduates.” Please see the attached flyer.

End of Year Materials Drop Off

We are coordinating the drop off of items that belong to the district. Please follow the directions and procedures below for the week of June 8th.
 
Items the need to be returned include the following: 

• Library books
• Chromebooks (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their Chromebook)
• Chromebook chargers (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their charger)
• Internet MiFis (students attending District 73.5 Summer School can keep their Internet MiFi)
• Textbooks
• Any classroom books/materials
• Band instruments
• Athletic uniforms (McCracken)

Please drop off the items during the appropriate grade level date and time. If you have children in multiple grade levels you can bring all items to ONE of the drop off times. 

• Monday, June 8th
  •  9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 8th Grade
• Tuesday, June 9th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 7th Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 6th Grade
• Wednesday, June 10th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 5th Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 4th Grade
• Thursday, June 11th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / 3rd Grade
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / 2nd Grade 
  • 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. / 1st Grade
• Friday, June 12th
  • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. / Kindergarten
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. / Pre-K

Please make sure to label all items. Write your child’s last name, homeroom/advisory teacher’s name, and grade level on the label. You can print this label or make your own student label. Place the label somewhere visible on the item. There is no need to add a label if the item already has one.
 
Once you arrive at the drop off location please exit your vehicle and place all items in the correct storage bin (technology, books, other). Remember, the Drive-Thru is one lane only. Do not drive around to pass other cars. More information will be emailed once we get closer to the week of June 8th.

District Devices

After thoughtful consideration, the district has decided that devices will be collected at the end of the school year for a variety of reasons. The technology team will need to do the following to make sure we have a successful roll out during the 2020-2021 school year:

• Check the operating condition of Chromebooks and upgrade the OS
• Update firmware on all hotspot devices and wipe data
• Clean all the devices
• Replace devices that are going to be refreshed over the summer; this will be a total of three grade levels
• Restock testing and loaner carts throughout the district
• Make sure there are enough devices in working order to begin the new school year and confirm the total number of assets

With those items on the list above, we will be cutting it close for the start of the new school year. Students enrolled in the District 73.5 summer school program will be able to keep their device until the end of the summer session, but those will need to be collected as well on the last day of summer school. If you are looking at securing an internet connection over the summer please visit the community resources document created by the district.

Summer School

Summer school emails have been sent to those families who qualify. If your student is participating in summer school or Extended School Year, they may keep all of their technology. If you have questions regarding summer school, please contact summer school coordinators Marty Behm, [email protected], or Marty Heffner, [email protected].

Food Pantry

Please see the message and letter from the Niles Township Food Pantry:

"Thank you once again for your everlasting support of the Niles Township Food Pantry. In this time of unpredictability, it is amazing to see our community rally together standing strong to fight the threat of hunger. 
 
"We are extremely pleased to report our campaign efforts are paying off. In a period of 2 months, the pantry has raised $80,000, distributed 221,000 pounds of food and currently serves 150 people per day. This exemplifies the meaning of: STANDING STRONG, WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!
 
"Our fight is far from over because our need is more prevalent than ever!"

Census

It is not too late to respond to the 2020 Census, and it is important that everyone in District 73.5 counts. All of you by now have received one or more ways to complete the 2020 Census:

• Online at my2020Census.gov
• By phone at 844-330-2020
• By mail using the form you might have received in your mailbox

The 2020 Census count impacts the federal funds that communities receive each year for programs and services that are critical for schools, students, and younger children, such as:

• Special education, Head Start, after-school programs, and classroom technology
• Food assistance, including free and reduced-price school lunches
• Maternal and child health programs

The Village also invites you to put a “Shape Skokie’s Future, My Block Counts” yard sign in your yard.  Just email [email protected] and Skokie Public Works will get that into your yard in a few days.
 
If your household has already completed the Census, that’s great! If you haven’t, we need you to complete it today.
 
Thank you for your continued partnership and have a wonderful weekend.
 
Stay safe and be well.

May 8, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

We hope you are all healthy and remaining close to home. Governor J.B. Pritzker outlined the five phases for reopening Illinois. We are currently in phase 2, with schools partially reopening in phase 4. Please see the entire plan, Restore Illinois. We are continuing to plan for all scenarios in the fall.

Item Pick-up at Schools

We are coordinating the pick up of student items that were left in lockers and classrooms.  Please follow the directions and procedures below on May 11 to retrieve these items at each building:

1. Parents: Please write your child’s last name, homeroom/advisory teacher’s name, and grade level on a sign. Print this sign or make your own STUDENT PICK UP SIGN. Place the sign on your car’s front dashboard, on the passenger side.
2. On May 11th, parents can come to the their child’s building: 
   1. Meyer Drive-Thru Lane Instructions
      • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.:  PreK 
      • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.:  Kindergarten
   2. Middleton Drake Alley Instructions
      • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.:  1st
      • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m:  2nd 
      • 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.:  3rd
      • 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.:  4th 
      • 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.:  5th  
   3. McCracken Front Circle Instructions
      • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.:  6th
      • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.:  7th 
      • 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.:  8th 
3. Please follow the suggested time frames for pick up. If you have children in multiple grade levels, you can come at one time and pick up all items at that building.  
4. Please follow all mandated social distancing procedures, including wearing a mask.
5. If you have any questions please email a building administrator prior to the May 11th pickup date. 

Please know that we have done our best to gather and return your child’s items from school. If there are significant items (coats, shoes, etc.) that are missing, please email [email protected]. We will do our best to help retrieve additional items.

Calendar

Starting on March 31st, the Illinois State Board of Education changed all days to Remote Learning Days. All districts were also granted five Remote Learning Planning days for teachers and staff to have time to plan lessons for students.  Below, please find a schedule for the remainder of the school year.

Honoring 8th Grade

The McCracken administrative team and 8th grade teachers are working diligently to honor our graduating students in a variety of ways. Specific information regarding graduation will continue to be shared through our Weekly newsletter and email communication. Here is the letter sent to 8th grade families on May 7th. 

How can our community celebrate our graduates? The Niles Township superintendents are planning the following township wide celebrations:

1. The Village of Skokie will proclaim the Week of May 18th as a celebration of graduates and designate May 20th as “Make Some Noise for the Class of 2020.”
2. All graduating 8th and 12th graders will be receiving a sign to display in their yard or window.
3. We are asking residents to tie a purple ribbon around their trees for the week of May 18th. All graduates will be receiving a ribbon from McCracken. If you do not have purple ribbon, make a sign to display your support.
4. May 20th at 20:20 (8:20 p.m.) residents come out to “Make Some Noise for Graduates.” Please see the attached flyer.

End of Year Materials

We are in the process of creating a procedure for families to drop off items that belong to the school. The drop off, which will occur the week of June 8th, includes library books, Chromebooks, chargers, MiFis, textbooks, classroom books and materials, etc.

Donation

Thank you to everyone who donated food items as part of McCracken’s hosting of the Illinois Grade School Music Association Solo and Ensemble Contest, held on February 29th. We recently donated all the leftover items to the Niles Township Food Pantry, which helps support families in need within our community.

We would like to take a moment to honor all of our mothers. We hope you enjoy your day and find a moment to celebrate all that you do. We appreciate your support and hard work on behalf of all our students.

Stay safe and be well.

May 1, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

As we respond to the latest shelter in place order, we recognize how difficult this is for everyone and want to thank you for your ongoing partnership. As we continue to update you on items of importance that impact our school community, please find below a calendar for the remainder of the school year and remember there is no remote learning today.

Calendar

Starting on March 31st, the Illinois State Board of Education changed all days to Remote Learning Days. All districts were also granted five Remote Learning Planning days for teachers and staff to have time to plan lessons for students.  Below, please find a schedule for the remainder of the school year.

Honoring 8th Grade

The McCracken administrative team and 8th grade teachers are working diligently to honor our graduating students in a variety of ways. Specific information regarding graduation will continue to be shared through our Weekly newsletter and email communication.  
 
How can our community celebrate our graduates? The Niles Township superintendents are planning the following township wide celebrations:

1. The Village of Skokie will proclaim the Week of May 18th as a celebration of graduates and designate May 20th as “Make Some Noise for the Class of 2020.”
2. All graduating 8th and 12th graders will be receiving a sign to display in their yard or window.
3. We are asking residents to tie a purple ribbon around their trees for the week of May 18th. All graduates will be receiving a ribbon from McCracken. If you do not have purple ribbon, make a sign to display your support.
4. May 20th at 20:20 (8:20 pm) residents come out to “Make Some Noise for Graduates.” Please see the attached flyer.

Item Pick-up at Schools

We are coordinating the pick up of student items that were left in lockers and classrooms. Please follow the directions and procedures below on May 11th to retrieve these items.

1. Parents: Please write your child’s last name, homeroom/advisory teacher’s name, and grade level on a sign. Print this sign or make your own STUDENT PICK UP SIGN. Place the sign on your car’s front dashboard, on the passenger side.
2. On May 11th, parents can come to the their child’s building: 
   1. Meyer drive through lane
      • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.:  PreK 
      • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.:  Kindergarten
   2. Middleton Drake Alley 
      • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.:  1st
      • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m:  2nd 
      • 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.:  3rd
      • 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.:  4th 
      • 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.:  5th  
   3. McCracken front circle
      • 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.:  6th
      • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.:  7th 
      • 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.:  8th 
3. Please follow the suggested time frames for pick up. If you have children in multiple grade levels, you can come at one time and pick up all items at that building.  
4. Please follow all mandated social distancing procedures, including wearing a mask.
5. Additional information may be received from your building administrator and in an upcoming parent communication during the week of May 4th.

Staff Appreciation

Finally, we would love it if you would join us in celebrating our teachers and staff during Staff Appreciation Week, May 4th-8th.  Attached you will find from Caring Hearts Classrooms and the 73.5 PTO a list of ideas families can do virtually to show their appreciation for staff.  We are so grateful to all our wonderful staff!
 
Thank you for your hard work on behalf of all of our students.  We hope you all have an opportunity to enjoy a little sunshine tomorrow.

April 24, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

We want to thank you for your ongoing support of our remote learning program.  We are appreciative of your ongoing feedback and are doing our best to be responsive to the community as a whole.  With the latest sad news that schools will be closed for the rest of this school year, we wanted to update you on some items of importance that impact our school community moving forward.

End of Year

We are awaiting information from the Illinois State Board of Education regarding transitioning from remote learning and ending our school year. As a reminder, the current guidance will continue to be used as we plan for end of year reporting: 

• The aim of schoolwork assigned, reviewed, and completed during e-Learning is focused on learning, not compliance.  
• All students will have the opportunity to redo, make up, or try again to complete, show progress, or attempt to complete work assigned. 
• Grades should be viewed as feedback regarding student learning and growth.  
• Plans are also in progress for transitioning to the next grade level, curriculum shifts, and supporting our students socially and emotionally as we hopefully re-enter school buildings in the fall.

Summer School

District 73.5 is still planning summer school programming for those students who meet our criteria. Plans have not been finalized as whether this programming will be in person or remote, as we wait for guidance from Governor Pritzker. The families of qualifying students will receive correspondence from Mr. Marty Behm and Mr. Marty Heffner, our summer school coordinators.   

Lunches 

Skokie School District 73.5 would like to remind the community that the district is delivering lunches every TUESDAY at the locations and times listed below. Families will receive five lunches per child. If needed, vegetarian lunches are available.

• Christiana & Lee - approximately 12:03pm
• East Prairie & Lee - approximately 12:06pm
• Harding & Lee - approximately 12:07pm 
• Keystone & Lee - approximately 12:09pm
• Keeler & Lee - approximately 12:12pm
• Cleveland & Keeler - approximately 12:14pm
• Cleveland & Keystone - approximately 12:16pm
• Cleveland & East Prairie - approximately 12:18pm
• Keeney & East Prairie - approximately 12:20pm
• East Prairie & Kirk - approximately 12:22pm
• Keystone & Kirk - approximately 12:24pm
• Keeler & Kirk - approximately 12:26pm
• Lowell & Kirk - approximately 12:28pm
• Kilbourn & Kirk - approximately 12:30pm
• Kostner & Cleveland - approximately 12:32pm

Calendar

Starting on March 31st, the Illinois State Board of Education changed all days to Remote Learning Days. All districts were also granted five Remote Learning Planning days for teachers and staff to have time to plan lessons for students. Below, please find a schedule for the remainder of the school year.

Honoring 8th Grade

The McCracken administrative team and 8th grade teachers are working diligently to honor our graduating students in a variety of ways. Eighth grade parents will be receiving specific information regarding graduation. The Niles Township superintendents are also planning a few township-wide celebrations to honor all our graduates, both from 8th grade and high school. Please mark your calendars for the week of May 18th as the entire community will have opportunities to celebrate our graduates. More information will be coming soon.

Item Pick-up at Schools

We are in the process of creating a procedure for families to pick up items that were left at school. Please stay tuned for complete instructions and a schedule for obtaining these items.

Finally, we would love it if you would join us in celebrating our teachers and staff during Staff Appreciation Week, May 4th-8th. A picture, video, or email sent directly to any staff member would be a great way to recognize all the work that is done on behalf of all of our students. We are so grateful to all our wonderful staff!

Thank you for your continued partnership during these uncertain times. We appreciate your patience and grace as we work together to do what is best for our students. Together we will get through this.

April 17, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE 3:00 p.m.

As some of you may have heard, Governor J.B. Pritzker just announced that schools will be closed for the remainder of the school year. While this was not how we hoped the school year would end, we are committed to keeping everyone as safe as possible and providing as much continuity in education as we can. We will look to the Illinois State Board of Education for continued guidance and will continue to communicate with you our plans for the remainder of the school year. We also continue to partner with the other Niles Township schools including District 219. We are grateful for your patience and understanding.

Please continue to shelter in place and take care of one another. Together we will get through this.

April 17, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE 8:00 a.m.

We hope you are continuing to be healthy and safe as you shelter at home.  We continue to monitor information closely and will continue to coordinate with the Illinois State Board of Education and Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office.  We are planning for a variety of scenarios and will be working to respond as the situation continues to unfold. We are grateful for your patience and understanding.

Community Spirit

In an attempt to build community, please find a coloring sheet that we hope you and your family complete, write encouraging messages in the clouds and post in your home window. If you have the opportunity to take a walk in your neighborhood, please look for the rainbows of fellow 73.5 families. As Maya Angelou said, “Be the rainbow in someone’s cloud.”  Feel free to send pictures to your teachers to post on our social media! 

Community Updates

Our top priority continues to be the health and safety of our students and families. Skokie Mayor Van Dusen issued an emergency directive requiring the use of cloth face coverings. Please check the village website, www.skokie.org, for additional information regarding this directive.

If you have a fever, cough or are short of breath, you might have COVID-19. If you are over age 60 or have underlying health conditions, you are at higher risk for serious complications from the disease. If you are at high risk and have any COVID-19 symptoms, please call the NorthShore University HealthSystem community health hotline at 847-432-5849 to be screened for a COVID-19 test. 

Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home. Keep track of your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), please call your physician or contact the NorthShore University HealthSystem community health hotline at 847-432-5849.

If you do not have a physician, please contact one of Skokie’s partner healthcare agencies serving uninsured and underinsured Skokie residents. See the list of providers here.

There are cases of COVID-19 throughout the community and the Skokie Health Department encourages all residents to adhere to proper hygiene protocols that have been widely publicized over the past few weeks. According to the CDC, recent evidence indicates that up to 25% of people with COVID-19 infection may not have symptoms and can still spread the disease. It is very important that you stay at home, even if you feel well.

Calendar

A reminder that there is  no remote learning today, April 17th.  April 20th-24th and April 27th-30th remote learning will occur. As we have more information about school closures, we will send out additional information. This will include an updated calendar.

Lunches

Starting next week, lunches will be delivered once a week. Every Tuesday, families will be able to secure five lunches per child. As a reminder, lunches are being delivered at the locations and times listed below.

• Christiana & Lee - approximately 12:03pm
• East Prairie & Lee - approximately 12:06pm
• Harding & Lee - approximately 12:07pm 
• Keystone & Lee - approximately 12:09pm
• Keeler & Lee - approximately 12:12pm
• Cleveland & Keeler - approximately 12:14pm
• Cleveland & Keystone - approximately 12:16pm
• Cleveland & East Prairie - approximately 12:18pm
• Keeney & East Prairie - approximately 12:20pm
• East Prairie & Kirk - approximately 12:22pm
• Keystone & Kirk - approximately 12:24pm
• Keeler & Kirk - approximately 12:26pm
• Lowell & Kirk - approximately 12:28pm
• Kilbourn & Kirk - approximately 12:30pm
• Kostner & Cleveland - approximately 12:32pm

We continue to be available if you are in need of technology or additional resources to access remote learning. We recognize what a stressful time this is for all students, families, and staff.  We appreciate your continued partnership. Together we will get through this.

April 10, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

As we complete our first full week of remote learning, we hope this letter finds you and your family members safe. The teachers and staff have been hard at work connecting with students, preparing lessons, and responding to activities. Adapting to change is never easy and balancing all the demands in an uncertain environment is extremely challenging. We thank you for your partnership and recognize how difficult these weeks have been for everyone. As we respond to new information and make decisions for future programming, we will continue to keep you informed.

After School Activities and Special Programming

We are trying to make the most of the time students will have with their teachers should we be able to return to school after April 30 and want families to be able to plan for events. We are cancelling all concerts, extracurriculars, and open houses for the remainder of the school year. Camp MacLean, the 5th Grade Farewell, On to Kindergarten, On to 6th Grade, On to 1st Grade, 8th Grade Car Wash, and the 8th Grade Dance are also cancelled. Graduation is still to be determined and we are working with the high school to make final decisions.

Parent Feedback Survey 

Thank you so much for your feedback on our first week of Remote Learning. The administrative team is reviewing feedback on a weekly basis from both parents and staff. We will be adjusting our programming as appropriate. For example, based on your feedback, we have changed our expectation for daily teacher emails to parents. We hope you notice fewer emails and more streamlined communication related to remote learning. Please find below the graphics reflecting responses to several of the questions from the survey. The feedback survey is open throughout our remote learning experience and you may complete the survey more than once. Please continue to offer suggestions as we try to maintain some continuity in instruction. We thank you and our teachers as we partner together to help our students.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our students and our schools.  Together we will get through this.

April 3, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

We hope you are all healthy and remaining close to home. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) continues to release updated information related to COVID-19 as the situation continues to change quickly. On March 31st, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that, in order to slow down the spread of COVID-19, he will extend the state's disaster proclamation and the stay-at-home order until April 30 at the earliest.

We wanted to share Governor Pritzker’s poignant words for students: 

“I won’t try and tell you not to be sad about the lost goals and plans you may have had for March and April. It’s OK to be sad. And if you do feel sad, or frustrated or angry, whatever you feel, please let yourself feel that way. Don’t beat yourself up over being human.”

As we shared in our March 30th communication, the Illinois School Board of Education (ISBE) recently released guidelines regarding “Remote Learning.” This email will include information related to these ISBE recommendations. 

Health and Wellness Resources

Our top priority continues to be the health and safety of our students and families. Please keep checking the village website, www.skokie.org, for the most updated information from the Village of Skokie regarding their response to COVID-19. The Skokie Health Department will be contacting those who have come in contact with any confirmed case. Families can read credible information regarding the status of the coronavirus from the Illinois Department of Public Health, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Being healthy takes on many meanings! You are welcome to use this optional Self-Care Chart with your child(ren). It provides suggestions for families to engage with each other, as well as other additional activities to eLearning.  

Please view the Community Resources page that we have put together. This includes information on food, library, and other community resources during this challenging time. The Niles Township Government continues to provide emergency financial and food assistance.  Please visit their web page at www.nilestownshipgov.com, to obtain the latest information.  There will continue to be a pop-up food pantry next Wednesday, 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at 8300 Lehigh, Morton Grove.  Wednesday evening, the food pantry at 5255 Lincoln Avenue will be open 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. The Skokie Public Library will continue to post information and resources on their website, www.skokielibrary.info.

Grading & Trimester 2 Report Cards

The aim of schoolwork assigned, reviewed, and completed during e-Learning is focused on learning, not compliance.  All students will have the opportunity to redo, make up, or try again to complete, show progress, or attempt to complete work assigned.  Grades should be viewed as feedback regarding student learning and growth. We will continue to use PowerSchool as the system for sharing feedback related to student learning and growth.  Please watch your email for a link to an electronic version of the Trimester 2 report card.

Calendar

Starting on March 31st, the Illinois State Board of Education changed all days to Remote Learning Days.  All districts were also granted five Remote Learning Planning days for teachers and staff to have time to plan lessons for students.  Below, you will find a calendar for the month of April. All days Monday through Friday will be Remote Learning Days with the exception of April 17th which will be a Remote Learning Planning Day. There is no remote learning on April 17th.

Student Attendance Expectations

Remote Learning Days count as actual student attendance days. Please be sure to use the Google Form posted on www.sd735.org/elearning daily to indicate your child is present for e-Learning. Please submit attendance by 9:00 a.m. daily. 

Lunches

Skokie School District 73.5 would like to remind the community that the district is delivering lunches at the locations and times listed below. If needed, vegetarian lunches are available.

• Christiana & Lee - approximately 12:03pm
• East Prairie & Lee - approximately 12:06pm
• Harding & Lee - approximately 12:07pm 
• Keystone & Lee - approximately 12:09pm
• Keeler & Lee - approximately 12:12pm
• Cleveland & Keeler - approximately 12:14pm
• Cleveland & Keystone - approximately 12:16pm
• Cleveland & East Prairie - approximately 12:18pm
• Keeney & East Prairie - approximately 12:20pm
• East Prairie & Kirk - approximately 12:22pm
• Keystone & Kirk - approximately 12:24pm
• Keeler & Kirk - approximately 12:26pm
• Lowell & Kirk - approximately 12:28pm
• Kilbourn & Kirk - approximately 12:30pm
• Kostner & Cleveland - approximately 12:32pm

Assessments

Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Executive Order 2020-15 suspends state assessments for spring 2020.  Students will not take the following assessments this school year: Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in grades 3-8 and the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) in grades 5 and 8.  Additionally, we will not be administering our spring benchmark assessments. This includes MAP, FASTBridge, F&P, BESS, and SAEBRS.  

Feedback 

As you know, we are underway with our e-Learning days due to the COVID-19 crisis. We do want our first experience to guide us to better experiences in the future, and for that reason, the District asks you to take a few minutes to complete the e-Learning Parent/Guardian Survey. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Communication

During this unprecedented closure, the District Administrative team continues to meet regularly and collaborate to develop effective and comprehensive plans for our staff and students.  Given the tremendous amount of information from our federal government, Illinois State Board of Education, and Illinois government, we are working hard to adjust plans, respond appropriately, and ensure we are keeping the best interest of all Skokie School District 73.5 families in mind. We will continue to share detailed information with all District families on a regular basis. 

We recognize that this is an incredibly stressful time for all staff and families, and we appreciate your continued support and patience as we attempt to process through information from a number of sources. We appreciate your partnership as we continue to work towards what is best for all of our students.  Please take care and reach out if you need anything. Together we will get through this.

March 31, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

We hope this note finds you and your family members safe and well. This afternoon Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that, in order to slow down the spread of COVID-19, he will extend the state's disaster proclamation and the stay-at-home order until April 30th at the earliest.

We would like to thank our teachers and staff members for their flexibility and ingenuity in planning for the continuity of learning during this difficult and challenging time. We are excited to begin our Remote Learning Program tomorrow. Please look for a more detailed communication on Friday, April 3rd, regarding how the rest of the month will be structured.

Our various schools and local governmental agencies are all working together to support you and your families. During this stay-at-home period, our township superintendents are participating in a conference call at least once a week in collaboration with the managers of our four villages, our local public health officials, our park district executive directors, library executive directors, and the Niles Township Supervisor. The purpose of these discussions is to take inventory of the services we are providing and to identify how we can better serve our families. 

We know this is not the school year that any of us imagined, but we want to thank you for your patience and understanding as we deal with this unprecedented situation together. 

Thank you for your ongoing support of our students and our schools.

March 30, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

We hope you are all healthy and remaining close to home. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) continues to release updated information related to COVID-19 as the situation continues to change quickly. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s executive order requires residents to “stay at home” through the end of Tuesday, April 7th. We are expecting additional guidance from the Governor’s office on the possible extension of the closure.  

Illinois State Board of Education Recommendations

The Illinois State Board of Education recently released recommendations on Remote Learning.  More specifics on grading, calendar, and health/wellness resources will be shared in our Friday communication.

Lunches

Skokie School District 73.5 would like to remind the community that the district is delivering lunches at the following locations and times starting Wednesday, April 1st:

• Christiana & Lee - approximately 12:03pm
• East Prairie & Lee - approximately 12:06pm
• Harding & Lee - approximately 12:07pm 
• Keystone & Lee - approximately 12:09pm
• Keeler & Lee - approximately 12:12pm
• Cleveland & Keeler - approximately 12:14pm
• Cleveland & Keystone - approximately 12:16pm
• Cleveland & East Prairie - approximately 12:18pm
• Keeney & East Prairie - approximately 12:20pm
• East Prairie & Kirk - approximately 12:22pm
• Keystone & Kirk - approximately 12:24pm
• Keeler & Kirk - approximately 12:26pm
• Lowell & Kirk - approximately 12:28pm
• Kilbourn & Kirk - approximately 12:30pm
• Kostner & Cleveland - approximately 12:32pm

Each family can receive up to four lunches, per day. If needed, there are vegetarian options. At this time, lunch items cannot be updated.

Donations

The District was able to donate several bins of antibacterial wipes, nitrile disposable gloves, and hand sanitizer to both the Skokie Valley Hospital and the Niles Township Food Pantry.

Playgrounds, fields, basketball courts

All District playgrounds, fields, and basketball courts are closed. The track at McCracken can be used as a safer “side walk” option as long as appropriate social distancing is being followed.

Remote learning

Remote Learning Days count as actual student attendance days. Please be sure to use the Google form posted on www.sd735.org daily to indicate your child in present for Remote Learning. 

Governor Pritzker has classified the days between March 17th and March 30th as “Act of God” days.  These days do not require schools to provide instruction, however, we believe it is important to provide activities for students to complete as appropriate.  As we continue to prepare for these unprecedented school closures, Skokie School District 73.5 remains committed to supporting our students and staff. As previously shared, our e-Learning plan was approved and we will begin Remote Learning on Wednesday, April 1st. By 9:00 a.m. each day, your child’s teacher will email you information about the day’s learning and the learning activities will be posted on each teacher’s website. You can visit www.sd735.org/elearning for more information. 

In addition, over this past weekend, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has issued information to districts regarding instructional days. As of March 31st, all days will be considered either Remote Learning Days or Remote Learning Planning Days.  All of the days we have scheduled up through April 7th, along with the Act of God days, will count towards our 176 required student attendance days. In the event school remains closed, there will be a calendar sent home and Remote Learning Days will continue to count.

We appreciate your partnership as we navigate this uncharted territory and work together on behalf of all our students.

March 25, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE

We hope that you enjoyed spring break by staying well and getting fresh air. While we’d prefer to see our students in person, we are looking forward to working with our students through e-Learning beginning on April 1st.  The information outlines what the Skokie 73.5 e-Learning program will entail. Thank you in advance for reviewing this important information. 

We appreciate your partnership as we continue to work towards what is best for all of our students.  Please take care and reach out if you need anything. Together we will get through this.

March 20, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE 5:00 p.m.

As we're sure many of you are aware, today during his 3:00 p.m. address, Governor J.B. Pritzker issued an order requiring residents to “stay at home” starting tomorrow, March 21st. Residents can still go to grocery stores, put gas in their cars, take walks outside, and visit pharmacies. All roads, including interstate highways and tollways, will remain open to traffic as well. The reopening date for schools statewide has been tentatively postponed until April 8th.  

First and foremost, our main concern continues to be your health and safety. To that end, I engaged in a conference call with the other Niles Township superintendents, village managers, Skokie Public Library, Niles Township Government, and the Skokie Health Department today. As a result of that call, I would like to share the following information and resources:

• Please check the village website, www.skokie.org, for the most updated information from the Village of Skokie regarding their response to COVID-19.  The state, county, and village have all declared a state of emergency which allows access to a variety of resources. 
• The Skokie Public Health Department shared there are six confirmed cases in Skokie. The Health Department will be contacting those who have come in contact with any confirmed case.
• The Niles Township Government continues to provide emergency financial and food assistance. Please visit their web page at www.nilestownshipgov.com, to obtain the latest information. There will continue to be a pop-up food pantry next Wednesday, 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 8300 Lehigh in Morton Grove. Wednesday evening, the food pantry at 5255 Lincoln Avenue will be open 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• The Skokie Public Library will continue to post information and resources on their website, www.skokielibrary.info.
• As a district, we are partnering with our food service provider Organic Life to provide daily lunches. Bag lunches for all District 73.5 families will be available for pick-up only at Middleton Elementary School on Madison Avenue, by the cafeteria doors, starting Monday, March 23rd, from 12:00 to 1:30 pm. These lunches are available to all students regardless of free and reduced lunch status.

Next week is Spring Break, and our school-based staff (teachers and paraprofessionals) are not scheduled for work. Our administrators and other 12 month staff are working remotely from home and also need to be available to their own families. They will be as responsive as possible, but please understand there may be some delays. The teachers and staff are working diligently in order to be able to start our Regional Office approved e-Learning plan on April 1st.  Additional information will be sent regarding our e-Learning program on Wednesday, March 25th, including information related to device pick-up and how to access online e-Learning materials.

We appreciate your partnership as we continue to work towards what is best for all of our students. Please take care and reach out if you need anything. Together we will get through this.

March 20, 2020

COMMUNITY UPDATE 9:00 a.m.

We hope you are all healthy and remaining close to home. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) continues to release updated information related to COVID-19 as the situation continues to change quickly. On Friday, March 13th, Governor Pritzker declared that all schools close from Tuesday, March 17th through Monday, March 30th. This means that schools, as of today, are still slated to reopen on Tuesday, March 31st. This projected date of return may change as further guidelines are communicated by health and government officials. We want to review several very important updates previously communicated and also share new developments in this email. 

Communication

During this unprecedented closure, the District Administrative team continues to meet regularly and collaborate to develop effective and comprehensive plans for our staff and students.  Given the tremendous amount of information from our federal government, Illinois State Board of Education, and Illinois government, we are working hard to adjust plans, respond appropriately, and ensure we are keeping the best interest of all Skokie School District 73.5 families in mind. We thank you for understanding that, at this time, we are not able to respond in detail to individual emails. We will continue to share detailed information with all District families on a weekly basis. Please look for communication from us every Friday unless there is a significant change that would require more immediate contact.

Learning Resources

Governor Pritzker has classified these days as “Act of God” days. These days do not require schools to provide instruction, however, we believe it is important to provide activities for students to complete as appropriate. As we continue to prepare for these unprecedented school closures, Skokie School District 73.5 remains committed to supporting our students and staff. District administration is currently developing comprehensive plans for remote student learning that would be implemented in the event of an extended closure beyond March 30th. We are in the process of collaborating with all staff to prepare for possible distance learning days should this need arise in the coming weeks. We have had our E-Learning Plan approved by the Intermediate Service Center and will be coordinating with our staff to best support our students. Please be patient as we work diligently to make this happen should the closure continue beyond March 31st.

Community Resources

Please view the Community Resources page that we have put together.  This includes information on food, library, and other community resources during this challenging time.

Social Distancing Tips

Based on input from CDC, social distancing remains one of the most effective ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Please remain at home. This is not a time for play dates, special parties, or other large gatherings. Make wise choices about limiting exposure to those who are ill and remain within a smaller circle of connections. Check out www.sd735.org/updates to read more information and tips for your family. Please also view the Social Distancing graphic for specific examples. This information is subject to change as our federal, state, and local governments provide ongoing guidelines.

School Cleaning

A deep-clean of all three buildings was completed this week. Skokie School District 73.5 Buildings & Grounds department secured the Celtic Environmental Services to perform this task.

We recognize that this is an incredibly stressful time for all staff and families and we appreciate your continued support and patience as we attempt to process through information from a number of sources. We appreciate your partnership as we continue to work towards what is best for all of our students.  Please take care and reach out if you need anything. Together we will get through this.

March 16, 2020

COVID-19 COMMUNITY UPDATE

We hope you are all well and remaining close to home. As you may have seen, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) continues to release updated information as the COVID-19 situation continues to change. On Friday, March 13, Governor Pritzker declared that all schools close from Tuesday, March 17 through Monday, March 30. This means that schools, as of today, are slated to reopen on Tuesday, March 31. Governor Pritzker has classified these days as “Act of God” days. These days do not require schools to provide instruction, however, we believe it is important to provide activities for students to complete as appropriate. As we continue to prepare for these unprecedented school closures, Skokie School District 73.5 remains committed to supporting our students and staff. District administration is currently developing comprehensive plans for remote student learning that would be implemented in the event of an extended closure beyond March 30. We are in the process of collaborating with all staff to prepare for possible distance learning days should this need arise in the coming weeks.

Lunch Needs

The support within our community continues to amaze us. We have heard from many parents asking how to best help one another and our community. While the schools are closed, we want to ensure all children have meal options during the day. Currently, Niles Township Government will be distributing groceries to parents or guardians of children who usually receive free and reduced lunches at their schools. Assembled boxes of groceries will be available to those parents from 11:00 a.m to 1:30 p.m. on both Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18 at a NEW LOCATION: 8300 Lehigh Avenue in Morton Grove. Parents should come one of these days to receive a box, which will include a week’s worth of groceries. In addition to the new “Pop-Up Pantry,” the supplemental boxes of groceries will also be available for distribution at the rear of the Niles Township Food Pantry (behind our Township building at 5255 Lincoln Avenue in Skokie) between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 18 next week. Dates and times for supplemental food distribution for the following week(s) will be announced at a later time. 

As a district, we are partnering with our food service provider Organic Life to provide daily lunches. Bag lunches for all District 73.5 families will be available for pick-up only at Middleton Elementary School on Madison Avenue, by the cafeteria doors, starting Monday, March 23, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. These lunches are available to all students regardless of free and reduced lunch status.

Social Distancing Tips

Based on input from CDC, social distancing remains one of the most effective ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Please remain at home. This is not a time for playdates, special parties, or other large gatherings. Make wise choices about limiting exposure to those who are ill and remain within a smaller circle of connections. Check out www.sd735.org/updates to read more information and tips for your family. 

School Cleaning

Skokie School District 73.5 Buildings & Grounds department has secured the Celtic Environmental Services to perform a deep-clean of each building over the next two weeks. 

We recognize that this is an incredibly stressful time for all staff and families and we appreciate your continued support and patience as we attempt to process through information from a number of sources. Our intent is to communicate with families every Friday unless there is a significant update that requires immediate notification. Our ability to collaborate and take these next steps with care and compassion is the definition of our community. Please take care and reach out if you need anything.

March 15, 2020

MESSAGE FROM NILES TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT

Beginning Tuesday, Niles Township Government will be distributing additional groceries to parents or guardians of children who usually receive free and reduced lunches at their schools.

Assembled boxes of groceries will be available to those parents from 11:00 a.m to 1:30 p.m. on both Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18 at a NEW LOCATION: 8300 Lehigh Avenue in Morton Grove. Parents should come one of these days as each box includes a week’s worth of groceries.

In addition to our new “Pop-Up Pantry,” the supplemental boxes of groceries will also be available for distribution at the rear of the Niles Township Food Pantry (behind our Township building at 5255 Lincoln Avenue in Skokie) between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 18 next week.

Among groceries to be included in the boxes are peanut butter; trail mix; canned chicken; tomato soup; canned vegetables; canned beans or vegetarian chili; spaghetti sauce; pasta; dried fruit; dried beans; brown rice; juice; water; crackers; and cereal bars. 

Dates and times for supplemental food distribution for the following week will be announced at a later time.

The population of children receiving free or reduced lunches in the Township is considerable, and we want to be a reliable resource for them at such a difficult time and with the temporary closing of our schools.

March 13, 2020

SCHOOL CLOSURE

Based on the rapidly developing spread of the coronavirus, COVID-19, and in order to err on the side of caution in doing everything possible to prevent the spread of the virus, District 73½ has decided that Friday, March 13 will be the last day for students to attend school, at least until the end of spring break, which goes through March 29.

Schools will be closed to students beginning March 16.

We are asking students to take home their personal belongings with them including their Chromebooks in grades 5-8.  

The District 73.5  administration will continue to monitor conditions in our community regarding COVID-19 to assess when it is safe for students to return to school, based upon health and safety conditions in Niles Township.

We recognize how difficult it is to make a decision to close schools at this time. However, given guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that “social distancing” is the most effective way to prevent or reduce the spread of this dangerous virus, we believe the most responsible action we can take for the health and safety of our students, their family members, and our faculty and staff, is to close our schools for the time being.

Alternative activities for students

Our teachers will provide a short list of optional educational activities and suggestions; these will be shared via SeeSaw, Dojo, email, and/or our website. These suggested activities may include items such as reading and journaling, playing math games, or using a chromebook (if available) to access Zearn or other online activities. Please know these activities are not homework, required, or will be graded. These activities are intended to help students remain engaged in learning during this unprecedented closure.

Communications with families

We know how important it is that we keep you apprised of any important developments as we deal with this serious and challenging situation. We will continue to provide you with updates as this situation develops.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding as we work together with our families, our staff members, and our Niles Township colleagues to support our students and do everything we can to keep them safe and secure.  Working together, we will get through this.

March 12, 2020

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITY CANCELLATION

Skokie School District 73.5 is taking actions in response to the rapidly evolving spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Please understand, given how quickly things are changing, that we are continuously monitoring developments in our community and that we are working closely with the Skokie Health Department, which itself is in ongoing contact with the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Illinois State Board of Education, and other public health agencies. We are very grateful to the Skokie Health Department, which provides guidance that benefits our students and their families in all four municipalities we serve.

This information serves to update you on the preparations we are taking. Please understand that, because things are changing so quickly, we may need to make changes on an hour-by-hour basis. We will work hard to keep our families informed about any changes.

Skokie School District 73.5 Plan of Action:

After school activities that involve only District 73.5 students will continue. These include:

• After School Enrichment classes at Meyer, Middleton, and McCracken
• McCracken VEX Robotics Tournament Thursday, March 12 
• Varsity and JV Boys Volleyball Tryouts at McCracken on Thursday, March 12
• Varsity and JV Girls Soccer Informational Meeting at McCracken on Thursday, March 12
• Varsity Boys Basketball Practice at McCracken on Friday, March 13
• Kindergarten Registration at Meyer on Saturday, March 14 
• Varsity and JV Girls Soccer Tryouts at McCracken on Monday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 17
• 6th Grade Boys Volleyball Tryouts Tuesday, March 17
• Kindergarten Registration at Meyer on Tuesday, March 17

All after school activities that involve students/people outside of District 73.5 OR include groups larger than 250 people are cancelled. These include:

• All out-of-district rentals in our district’s buildings
• Meyer Story Night on Thursday, March 12
• Middleton Musical Weekend Rehearsal and Build Day on March 14
• IGSMA D7 Band Contest at Monroe Middle School in Wheaton on Saturday, March 14
• IGSMA District Choir Contest at Indian Trail Junior High in Addison on Saturday, March 14
• After School Enrichment classes at Meyer, Middleton, and McCracken starting the week of Monday, March 16
• Middleton Fifth Grade Band and McCracken Concert Band Concert Wednesday, Wednesday, March 18
• Meyer Parent Leaders Meeting on Wednesday, March 18
• Middleton Students' Outstanding Artist Recognition (SOAR) Reception Wednesday, March 18
• Orchestra Concert at Niles North, Thursday, March 19

Beginning on Friday, March 13, we ask that students and staff begin to bring home any materials, on a daily basis, that they would need in order to complete assignments in the event of a school closure. This includes their Chromebooks.

We ask all students or staff who are exhibiting fever or virus symptoms to stay home. As you do to prevent any respiratory virus, we recommend everyday practices that will help keep you healthy and avoid illness. Please remember the following good health habits:

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap is not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Do not share water bottles, or similar containers.
• Visit a doctor if you have a fever, cough, body aches, and/or fatigue.
• If you or a family member is sick, stay home and limit contact with others. 

If you feel sick and are wondering about your condition, contact your personal physician. If you have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19 you will need to self-quarantine.
 
As you know, information continues to increase and change as the crisis unfolds. We are in daily contact with the Skokie Health Department, continue to monitor the situation, and will make changes as necessary. As these changes occur, we will continue to keep you updated. If you have additional questions about your school, please contact your school’s administration or health office.

March 10, 2020

TOWNSHIP EMAIL ADDRESSES COVID-19

All the public school districts that serve the students of Niles Township, including Niles Township District for Special Education, have been working collaboratively to monitor developments in our community regarding COVID-19 (the coronavirus). We have been in ongoing communication with the Skokie Health Department, which provides us guidance on specific questions we have, and have also been following updates from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Cook County Public Health Department, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

As of March 10th, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our community, and our goal is to continue our students’ academic days as normally scheduled and with no interruption. That being said, we are proactively preparing so we can keep students and our staff members safe. In the event that conditions change, we will work with our local health agencies and with each other to keep you informed of the steps we are taking in response. We have been fielding questions from family members who would like to know what steps we are currently taking to keep students safe, what plans we will implement if we need to close school, and if we have any special information about spring break. We’ll address those areas here.

What are we doing to keep our students and staff healthy?

We ask all students and staff who are exhibiting fever or virus symptoms to stay home. This includes fever or coughing. Our teachers and staff members will work with your student to make up work if they need to miss school. As you do to prevent any respiratory virus, we recommend everyday practices that will help keep you healthy and avoid illness. Please remember the following good health habits:

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap is not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Do not share water bottles or similar containers.
• Visit a doctor if you have a fever, cough, body aches, and/or fatigue.
• If you or a family member is sick, stay home and limit contact with others.

If you feel sick and are wondering about your condition, contact your personal physician.

Will there be school closures?

We will follow the direction provided by the IDPH, Skokie Health Department and CDC in order to make any decisions such as closing a school building or canceling large events. At this time, the Skokie Health Department does not recommend that we alter our school days or regularly scheduled school activities.

Because of the gravity of COVID-19, the Skokie Health Department will alert us if there are any changes in their recommendations.

Similar to school closings for weather, our school calendars include up to 5 emergency make-up days at the end of the year which may need to be used if schools are closed. The districts are having conversations about alternative lessons, which would be district-specific.

What about Spring Break travel?

If families plan to travel over spring break, we recommend they monitor the CDC website, which includes information about COVID-19, and provides up-to-date travel information about specific locations.

The following information comes from the State Superintendent of the Illinois State Board of Education:

Can districts exclude students, staff, or volunteers for 14 days if they present at school after having visited a region affected by the virus?

No. If a student, staff member, or volunteer presents at school with a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing after visiting an affected region, school authorities should immediately notify the local health department.

Districts cannot exclude or deny enrollment or education to students who are residents of the district due to travel considerations. Enrollment or exclusion decisions cannot be made using a student’s travel history, and a district should not inquire as to a student’s travel history for enrollment purposes. Decisions to quarantine students must be made by state or local public health officials. Districts must not apply standards that may be discriminatory for only one group of students. If a student, staff member, or volunteer calls ahead and reports a history of travel to one of the affected geographic locations within the last 14 days and has concerning symptoms, collect detailed history over the phone prior to deciding the location for triage. School authorities should contact their local health department immediately.

What if I have additional questions?

If you have additional questions about your school, please contact your school’s principal or health office.