Updated 7/06/2020
Parents and Guardians,
Good evening parents, this is Bill Grafton, principal of Chester grade school with a summer update on registration information and the start of school this coming August. After listening to this message, please continue to the Family Needs Assessment Survey available on the school website.
Registration News:
Grade School:
On-Line Registration will be available beginning July 15 through your Skyward Access.
At that time, you will also be able to pay Registration and Lunch Fees online for a small fee. A link will soon be available on the school website to access and create an account. You will need your Skyward login information for the initial login to link your accounts.
Additional Registration information will be coming soon including dates for on-site registration if you are unable to complete the registration online.
If immunizations are due, students CANNOT attend unless there are immunizations on file or an appropriate exemption by September 15. Please schedule any required immunizations or physicals.
Please have your student return any school district property, such as a Chromebook or Laptop, on his or her first day of attendance.
Planning for 2020-2021
Since the conclusion of school this past spring, staff have been planning for the start of school this fall. Please be aware that part of any on-site plans include students and staff wearing face masks and checking for symptoms to help contain the spread of COVID-19 within the school setting. Although no plan can guarantee students or staff won’t become infected, we are taking measures, from cleaning, to daily health check protocols to help protect our students and staff as much as possible.
Additionally, plans for students to return will initially include splitting attendance. For example, students will attend only two days per week while working remotely from home on the other days to reduce the total number of students and staff in the building at any one time. Further details regarding scheduling will come later this month. Note that due to this modified schedule, Friday’s dismissal time will not be early as it has been in the past.
We understand that plans of these types raise many questions…questions, we don’t quite have all the answers for. As the state monitors infection rates and puts forth continued guidance, we will continue to notify our families so they may better prepare for the fall.
You can assist in our planning by completing the attached Family Needs Assessment Survey both linked on the School Website and within the digital version of this message. We would like all families to complete the survey by next Friday, July 10.
We take your children’s education and safety seriously and are eagerly anticipating getting to see them again when the time is right. Until then, enjoy these summer days and be safe.
Have a good Evening.
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Unemployment News
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Governor Pritzker and Coursera recently launched the Workforce Recovery Initiative, which offers virtual career training for unemployed Illinois residents. Registration for the Coursera Workforce Recovery Initiative will be made available to Illinois residents from now through September, and all courses must be completed by Dec. 31, 2020. Upon completion of the program, participants may earn an industry-recognized credential as well as information about continuing building upon their new skilled through continued education at their local community college. View additional information.
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The Illinois Department of Human Services and the Immigrant Funders Collaborative launched the COVID-19 Immigrant Family Support Project, which will provide pandemic-related emergency assistance funding to Illinois immigrants – regardless of immigration status – who are facing unemployment, loss of income, medical costs, and food and housing insecurity as a direct result of COVID-19 and are ineligible for unemployment and the federal COVID-19 stimulus payments. View more information.
Mental Health Resources: Available Resources from NAMI Organization
Learning Resources:
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To supplement the materials our teachers are providing, we encourage you to engage your children in other free, online educational activities. The Illinois State Board of Education has compiled a library of resources at www.isbe.net/keeplearning.
SAT:
Test Dates for the ISBE-Provided Fall 2020 SAT with Essay for Grade 12 Students:
Primary Test Date: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020
Makeup Test Date: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020
Accommodations Test Window: Oct. 14-27, 2020
U.S. Census:
If you have not done so already, we would like to encourage you to complete your 2020 Census online at www.my2020census.gov or by phone at 1-844-330-2020.
You must have your Census ID, which was mailed to each household by the U.S. Census Bureau. If you prefer to complete a paper Census, they will be mailed out by mid-April to those who have not yet responded.
The 2020 Census aims to count every individual in the United States, and that includes children. The data collected impacts many aspects of your community, including 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.
Please complete your 2020 Census and help make sure our school district continues to receive adequate federal funding that will help our students grow and thrive.