LES Return to School Informational Updates
The LES faculty and staff members are so excited to welcome the students back into the building this week! We have been yearning for you all to come and breath life into the building! While the staff has enjoyed the opportunity of meeting and teaching the students virtually, nothing can replace actually having them inside the classroom and interacting with us throughout the hallways of LES. See you all Thursday and Friday!
Blended Plan & Daily Schedule
The school day will commence at 8:30 AM and conclude at 1:45 PM. Students in Group A will meet in-person on Mondays and Tuesdays, and learn remotely Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Students in Group B will meet in-person on Thursdays and Fridays, and learn remotely Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Teachers will communicate with learners that are remaining in the 100% remote format.
COVID-19, Health, & Safety
LCUSD 9 has been, and continues to be, in discussion with our Regional Office of Education, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the St. Clair County Public Health Department regarding the impact a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 infection will have on our school environment. We anticipate that there may be classroom, grade level, school, and potentially district-level dismissals due to COVID-19.
Frequent opportunities will be available for staff and students to wash and sanitize their hands. Protocols for hand sanitizing when entering the building and classrooms are continuing to be developed. District-provided hand sanitizer stations will be placed in common spaces. Families are encouraged to discuss and practice recommended hand-washing routines which include cleaning hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
The District will employ the best cleaning/sanitation protocols possible throughout the course of the school day. The building will be cleaned and sanitized throughout the school day, and each evening the entire building will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Extra attention will be given to frequently touched surfaces such as doors, handrails, and desks.
Guidelines from ISBE & IDPH mandate that students must wear a mask at all times while in the school building. The specifications for masks are that they cover the mouth and nose of the individual. LCUSD 9 requires that all students wear a mask in order to comply with current ISBE & IDPH guidelines. If you are not medically able to wear a face mask, you will need to provide a doctor’s note or medical documentation for consideration of appropriate accommodations. Gloves or other PPE will also be provided for staff to use when assisting students who may require close contact. In addition, each classroom will be equipped with disinfecting equipment for staff and students to use to clean used areas.
Self-Certification for Students
Attached to this communication is a copy of the self-certification document that will be sent home by our district nurse with your students on the first day of their attendance. The document needs to be signed by a parent/guardian as an agreement that your student will be certified by you daily before school. By sending your student to school, you are indicating that you are conducting a daily, self-certification process. Please continue to be diligent about keeping your student home if they are presenting any symptoms of COVID-19. This will help prevent the spread of the virus throughout the school district and allow the district to continue to provide in-person instruction to the greatest extent possible. If your child will not be in attendance, remember to call the office by 9:00 am.
COVID-19 Daily Self-Certification Student Health Screening
Drop-Off & Pick-Up Procedures
Doors will open for students at 8:15 AM. No students will be admitted until that time. All students walking or being dropped off must enter in through the gym doors in the back of the building. There will be staff members present there to scan for each student’s temperature. Only buses will be allowed into the front parking lot. Those students will be released off of the buses at 8:15 to enter into the front doors of the building. Those students will have been scanned before getting onto the bus. Students will then enter and go directly to their teacher’s classroom. All students should be in class, seated, and ready for instruction at 8:30 AM.
No adults, outside of district employees, will be allowed inside of the building. There will be signs and staff members outside during the drop-off and pick-up times to assist with getting students, parents, and buses in and out of the campus as efficiently and safely as possible. To ensure this, we expect all parties to adhere to the routines and procedures put in place.
Bus Information
The District will continue to provide student transportation. Route and pick-up/drop-off times have been adjusted in order to comply with guidance regarding the number of students allowed on the bus. Guidelines from ISBE & IDPH mandate that students must wear a mask at all times while on the school bus and that bus drivers and bus aides will conduct a temperature check before the start of each day. There will be no field trips scheduled for the 2020-21 school year.
All buses will load students starting in the back of the bus, loading forward. When unloading, we will unload from the front to the back. These will become their assigned seats. Buses will be sanitized between routes daily to minimize the risk of student illness.
As previously stated, bus aides will scan each student before allowing them to board the bus. Should a student scan at a temperature of 100.4 or higher, that student will not be allowed on the bus. A parent/guardian must be available to come pick the student up to return home.
If your student is signed up to ride a bus, notification of their bus stop location, AM pick-up time, and PM drop-off time will be communicated to you. Students should arrive at their assigned bus stop 5 minutes before the listed time. Students will only be picked up at their assigned bus stop. There will not be options of different locations to board or disembark.
Due to the compacted, quick paced days, we are requesting that if a student has different instructions for after school transportation than they normally do that this is communicated either by a note, email, or phone call to the LES main office no later than 11:00 AM. Anything after 11:00 AM will not be honored and the student will be sent home via their regular means of transportation.
In-Building Expectations
Water fountains will be shut off. Students will be encouraged to bring a bottle of water to school with the student’s name, or other identifying feature, written on the bottle. The water refilling station will be activated if a refill is needed.
Masks must be worn inside of the building at all times. The LCUSD9 dress code applies to any face masks worn onto school campus. “Gator-neck” masks are not allowed. If an individual decides to wear a face shield, a mask must still be worn under the face shield.
Students will have assigned lunch and recess times daily. Students will be allowed outside for a recess period where they can walk around, socially distanced, without their masks on if they choose to. Playground structures and equipment will be prohibited during this period. Students will not be eating breakfast on campus, however, we will still be offering a weekly bagged breakfast on Wednesdays for families who request them. If you would like to receive these, please contact the LES main office.
Lockers
In order to reduce the risk of exposure, students will not be issued lockers. Students will store belongings in the classroom daily.
Supplies & Devices
Students will be required to bring their school-issued devices to school daily. The devices should be fully charged in order to accommodate a full day’s worth of instruction. Students should not bring their own devices to school. Plan to bring the school supplies that were provided to you to school with your student. Teachers will inform students on which items, textbooks, workbooks, etc. are needed to go home on a nightly basis.
Specials
Students will report to their PE class daily. At this time, the Art, Music, and Library program coordinators will travel into the classrooms for the assigned times.
PTO
The PTO has created a schedule of meetings for the entirety of the 2020-21 school year. The dates and times are listed. Plan to join the organization and get involved in some fun activities for the students of LES! There will be virtual links created for the meetings to accommodate those that aren’t able to attend in-person.
PTO September 2020 Intro Flyer
PTO September 2020 Meetings Flyer.docx
Picture Day(s)
We have been tentatively scheduled for October 6th (Group A), 7th (remote students), and 8th (Group B). The dates and times of these sessions are subject to change. We will communicate with families as these sessions are more secure.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
P/T conferences are scheduled for October 27 and 29 from 4:30-7:30 PM on both evenings. We will communicate further as to whether these will be offered in-person, virtually, or both.
Aftercare Program
It is LES’s intention to begin the aftercare program on the week of October 5, 2020. More information will be distributed to the families that signed up for the program before school was moved to the 100% remote learning format.
Pick-Ups for Remote Learners & Lunches
Any assignments, packets, materials, etc. that are to be picked up from teachers will all take place on Wednesdays for the remainder of the school year. Those pick-ups can take place during the hours of 7:30 AM through 3:30 PM.
Wednesday lunch/breakfast pick-ups will continue to take place from 7:30-11:00 AM. As always, the Summerfield drop-off will take place from 9:00-10:00 AM at Fireman’s Hall.