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Dear Palos 118 Families,
Welcome to the start of the 2021-2022 school year! Our staff is hard at work putting the final touches on our school buildings and school buses in anticipation of the first day of school for K-8 students on August 25 and preschool on August 26. We are excited to welcome back all of our students to in-person learning this school year! Please remember to be patient in car rider lines and at bus stops as we work out any kinks in our system during the first few days of school. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Setting a positive tone for the first day of school is critically important to the success of our students. The first day can be challenging for many students, particularly those who have not attended in-person learning for some time and students prone to anxiety. We ask that you work with us to make the first day of school a joyful experience for students by highlighting all of the wonderful things your child will experience at school, including seeing their current friends and making new ones, as well as meeting their caring and compassionate teachers. We will certainly do everything we can to make all of our students feel welcome and loved as they enter our doors for the first time this school year.
My email last week contained a lot of important information about the start of the school year and our pandemic safety plan. I'm including all of that information again this week in case you haven't had the time to review it prior to the start of the school year. We look forward to seeing everyone next week as we welcome students and staff back for the start of a new school year full of promise and hope!
BACK TO SCHOOL INFORMATION
Important Calendar Dates
8/17/21 – The portal opened to access your child's class and bus assignment on Skyward Parent Access
8/20/21 – Supply Drop Off Day
8/25/21 – First day of school for K-8 students. This is a full day of student attendance.
8/25/21 – Virtual Preschool Visitation Day. Principals will send additional information.
8/26/21 – First day of school for preschool students and Zero Hour at Palos South.
9/01/21 – Late Start Wednesdays begin. All schools start 30 minutes later.
9/06/21 – Labor Day (No school)
9/07/21 – Teacher Institute (No school)
You can access our School Year Calendar by clicking here.
Skyward Parent Access
Parents can access their child's class and bus assignment through the Skyward Parent Access link on the District's website under the "Quick Links" tab. You will not have access to your child's bus and class assignment if registration has not been completed. Please click on this link if you have not completed your registration. Please remember to check your child's classroom and bus assignment on Tuesday, August 24, as assignments are subject to change. If assistance is required, please contact us at 708-448-4800.
Student Fees
Student fees can be paid on Skyward Parent Access. Some families may be eligible for a student fee waiver based on income level. If you have questions regarding student fees, please call our Central Administration Office at 708-448-4800.
School Lunches
The National School Lunch Program is providing lunches and snacks free of charge to all Palos 118 students this school year. There is no form that needs to be completed to participate. Lunches will be served in lunchrooms and other designated areas. Lunch menus will be posted soon. Please click this link to review the menus once they are available. Your child is welcome to bring a lunch if you do not want to participate in the school lunch program.
Student Devices
Student devices will be distributed to students on the first day of school. Please review our Technology Handbook, policies, and guidelines by clicking here and complete and sign the digital acceptance of District 118 technology requirements and regulations form. Parents must complete and submit this form before devices are released to students to bring home.
District Handbook
A digital copy of our District Handbook can be viewed on our website under the "Quick Links" tab or by clicking here.
Ivy League Before and After School Programs
Before and after school care will be provided by Ivy League this year at Palos East and Palos West. Please contact Ivy League Kids at 815-464-1265 for additional information.
Bus Transportation & Car Rider Lines
Please remember that every year our Transportation Department needs to make adjustments to bus routes based on many factors. Therefore, parents should anticipate pick-up and drop-off delays during the first several days of school. Please be patient as we fine-tune our bus routes. Questions regarding transportation can be directed to Mary Meyer at 708.448.4405.
Parents will receive additional information regarding car rider lines from their respective schools. Please remember to also be patient in car rider lines as we anticipate a higher than normal volume year due to the ongoing pandemic.
New Palos 118 App
To enhance communication with our school community, Palos 118 is excited to announce the launch of our new school app for mobile phones. Parents can now receive notifications, view calendars, find contact information, and more on their mobile devices. You can download the app for free on Google Play or the Apple App Store by clicking on one of the links below. You can also search for Palos SD 118 on the app stores. If you have questions regarding our new app or need assistance setting it up, please email us at Return2021@palos118.org.
SAFETY INFORMATION
Parents must screen their children daily for COVID-19 symptoms prior to sending them to school, regardless of vaccination status. If your child has a temperature greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or any of the following symptoms, please keep them at home until symptoms resolve and consider getting tested for COVID-19: new onset of moderate to severe headache, shortness of breath, new cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, and new loss of sense of taste or smell, fatigue from an unknown cause, muscle of body aches from an unknown cause. This year, parents are not required to fill out Daily Symptom Check Self Certification (yellow) Forms. If you have any doubt regarding sending your child to school, please contact the school nurse.
If a child receives a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, parents must report the diagnosis to their child's school as soon as possible. The school district must determine the length of required quarantine and if the positive diagnosis requires additional contact tracing at school to identify potential close contacts.
Symptomatic students will be sent home. We take the potential for spreading COVID-19 in our schools extremely seriously and will be strictly following recommendations from IDPH for the exclusion of symptomatic students from school.
You may provide an alternative diagnosis form completed by your child's healthcare provider. This form is completed by your child's healthcare provider and lists symptoms caused by pre-existing conditions other than COVID-19. If you submit an alternative diagnosis form, it does not mean that your child will automatically stay in school when presenting with symptoms listed on that form. The degree of severity of symptom(s) will determine if your child is sent home. For example, suppose your child has allergies and presents with a persistent cough, runny nose, frequent sneezing, or other symptoms that expel bodily fluids from the respiratory tract. In that case, your child may be sent home even if they have an alternative diagnosis form. Contact your school nurse for an alternative diagnosis form.
All students, staff, and visitors to our schools and occupants on school buses are required to wear a face mask. We recommend that your child bring two masks to school in case they need to change masks during the day. Face masks should have two or more layers and should be worn over the nose and mouth. Face masks are required to board school buses. Students arriving at bus stops or in car rider lines without a mask will be provided a disposable mask to wear.
Students, staff, and visitors are not required to wear masks outdoors.
Visitors will be prohibited from entry into school buildings during the school day to the greatest extent possible. Please contact your school office prior to visiting. Nonessential visitors and activities involving external groups or organizations will be restricted. Please utilize drop boxes in vestibules when appropriate.
The school district anticipates far fewer student quarantines this school year, but it is possible your child may need to quarantine. Confirmed positive, probable individuals, unvaccinated household close contacts, and in rare instances, in-school close contacts will be required to quarantine. The school district is discontinuing the practice of quarantining entire classrooms when a positive student in the class is confirmed.
If your child is identified as a close contact, they will not be required to quarantine if:
- Parents can present proof of vaccination, and the child is asymptomatic;
- The child is wearing a mask and at least 3 ft. apart from a probable or confirmed positive individual who is also wearing a mask or;
- Parent consents to the child participating in the voluntary Test-to-Stay Program, and test results remain negative.
Parents have the option of providing proof of vaccination at any time or at the time their child is identified as a close contact.
The length of the quarantine is dependent upon the specific circumstances surrounding exposure but generally ranges from 7 to 10 days.
We understand quarantines are disruptive to family schedules, and that is why the school district is implementing layered mitigation strategies, including universal masking, social distancing of 3 ft. and voluntary screening testing programs to do everything we can to limit quarantines and keep healthy children in school. However, please note the school district is only able to provide limited support to students in quarantine; therefore, we ask that parents please work with us to do everything we can to keep healthy students in school.
Students required to quarantine will have their attendance excused.
Social distancing of 3 ft. or more will be maintained in classrooms to the greatest extent possible. To minimize close contact quarantines, the school district will maintain 3 ft. of physical distance in classrooms/gymnasiums and 6 ft. of physical distance in lunchrooms and other eating areas to the greatest extent possible.
The school district is partnering with SHIELD-IL this school year to administer VOLUNTARY free COVID-19 tests to all students and staff. There are two types of tests being offered. The first test is a voluntary weekly saliva-based screening test. The voluntary test will be administered at school by a trained school nurse. The saliva samples are sent out to a local laboratory for testing, and results are available within 24 hours. Parents will be notified of all positive test results. These tests are meant to detect COVID-19 infections before symptoms arise and before they can spread effectively. An FAQ regarding this voluntary program can be found here: https://answers.uillinois.edu/search.php?q=SHIELD.
The other voluntary test available this year to students and staff is the BINAX rapid response antigen test. This voluntary test may be used to detect infection in students exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms while at school. These tests will be administered at school by a trained school nurse. The test consists of a shallow nasal swab, and results are available within 30 minutes. This is not an invasive deep nasal diagnostic COVID-19 test like those administered at certain testing facilities or the doctor's office. The BINAX tests may allow mildly symptomatic students to stay in school or return to school quicker. An FAQ regarding this voluntary program can be found here: https://www.fda.gov/media/141570/download.
Both testing programs require PARENT CONSENT. The school district is utilizing an OPT-IN consent model for participation. This means only students with a completed parent consent form will be tested. We encourage all parents to please consider utilizing one or both of these programs to help keep their students in school without quarantine disruptions. Consent forms will be sent home on the first day of school. The consent form should be returned to your child's teacher or the front office.
Specific questions regarding testing can be emailed to jveihman@palos118.org.
Don't panic if you receive a notice of a positive case in your child's school. Positive COVID-19 cases will happen. In the event of a confirmed positive case, the school district has procedures it implements immediately to reduce the chance of transmission. Last year, we had 143 confirmed positive students and 0 known student hospitalizations. We had no known confirmed transmission of COVID-19 in our schools. Palos 118 has a proven track record of keeping our students and staff safe.
COVID-19 statistics will be reported each Friday on the school district's COVID-19 Dashboard found on our website at www.palos118.org. The number of confirmed positive cases, transmission, and quarantines will be reported weekly. School communities will be notified of positive cases per CCDPH requirements.
If you have questions regarding any of the information provided in this message, please email us at Return2021@palos118.org.
Best Regards.
Dr. Anthony M. Scarsella
Superintendent of Schools
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©2020 Palos School District 118
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