Dear SGS Learning Community,
I hope this message finds you and your family safe and healthy. A preliminary survey was sent out on July 1st and was due by July 7th. We had a great response with 299 returned surveys from our parents. We appreciate you taking time to answer these few questions which helped provide a starting point for the District Transition teams to work through the planning process. The survey results are as follows:
- 67% indicated that they would like to return back to SGS on a daily basis for in-person learning.
- 28% indicated that they would like to utilize remote learning for daily instruction.
- 5% chose homeschooling.
Of the 176 students that qualified for bus service:
- 42% indicated that they plan on using the school bus provided transportation.
- 58% indicated that they would not use school bus transportation
The school transition team met last week, and individual building instruction team meetings have followed. We will finalize the plans for transition back to school and teaching and learning by the end of July. At that time we will be asking parents to identify the mode of education that they would like for their child. At this time we anticipate the options will be as follows:
- In-person learning. 5 Days per week with student attendance hours from 8:10 Am- 3:00 PM. Following ISBE and IDPH guidelines, wearing face masks and social distancing.
- Remote Learning. Following ISBE guidelines with 5 hours of daily instruction utilizing the google platform with student/teacher online interaction. Letter grades will be assigned for work.
- Homeschool. Parent provided instruction and curriculum.
As you are aware, guidance from the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has been updated several times, so planning has had to be a fluid process.
Ideally, we want our students to be here learning and thriving in school every day if local data support this and proper measures can be in place. Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our students and staff when planning to open school to in-person learning for the 2020-2021 school year. The custodial staff has been and will be disinfecting and cleaning thoroughly throughout each day and after school. SGS will implement safety protocols to the highest degree possible for our students and staff. Regardless of the measures that we take, there will be some level of risk when students and staff members occupy our schools during these times.
We are mindful that the decisions and plans we establish have a tremendous impact on our families and staff. Each family and staff member may have different needs or concerns, and we will try to accommodate these needs to the best of our ability. We are providing an additional survey to pinpoint our learning community’s greatest concerns and needs. This new survey can be accessed at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CTD3K7C please complete this survey by July 17th at 3:00 PM.
We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy the rest of your week. Take Care!
Sincerely,
Seneca Grade School Administration