Dear Palos 118 Families,

Happy Friday and welcome to the weekend. It is always nice to have a 4-day school week to ease us into the first week of September.

September is National Learning and Development Month, an entire month aimed at raising awareness of one of the surest pathways we know that leads to success: an education. It also reminds us that learning does not have an end date. It is a lifelong pursuit and one that our teachers here at Palos 118 are dedicated to instilling in our students each day.

Helping us toward that goal, our school nurses—Jane Scott, Brenda Hook, Darlene Sierzega, and Terri Segredo—will be our frontline defense in helping our students and staff stay healthy and pursuing their educations in-person throughout the 2021-22 school year.

If you receive a call from one of our school nurses this year, please know that they are doing so in the best interest of your child's health as well as the overall health of our Palos 118 School community so that we can all have a safe and productive school year. Our schools remain safe for in-person learning in large part due to their dedicated efforts. Thank you, Jane, Brenda, Darlene, and Terri!

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports

All three of our Palos 118 schools implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Support Programs (PBIS).

These programs help model for students what it takes to be a positive, productive member of the school community. The pandemic has created a much less structured environment than children are typically accustomed to. Daily schedules were disrupted. Normal routines were challenging to maintain. As we transition all of our students back to in-person learning, it is inevitable that schools will see an uptick in challenging behavior.

Our PBIS programs will help acclimate our students back to a more structured school environment by acknowledging their positive behaviors. I ask families to please join us and acknowledge when your child successfully completes homework or receives an accolade from a teacher for their good behavior.

Vaccination Clinic

The IDPH will be hosting a vaccination clinic at Palos South Middle School on Saturday, September 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sign-up information is coming soon, and walk-ins will also be welcome. Both Pfizer and J&J vaccines will be available. A follow-up clinic will be held on October 16, also from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This Week's Metrics

This was a busy week coming off the long Labor Day Weekend and as predicted we had a number of positive cases. We also investigated the possibility of COVID-19 transmission between three second grade students at Palos East. At this time, we do not have enough evidence to rule out that the transmission occurred at school. In response to the situation, the District took the following preventative steps:

Consulted with the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH)
Worked with SHIELD-IL in conjunction with CCDPH to expedite PCR testing of students with signed consent forms for the SHIELD-IL screening program
Returned nearly all classroom configurations to desks in rows with students facing forward and distanced to the greatest extent possible

We hope additional information becomes available to rule out in-school transmission, however, I am including this information in today's message to remain fully transparent as we continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic. You can review this week's updated COVID-19 dashboard here.

A Solemn Anniversary

Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of September 11. On that fateful morning, I was working in Washington D.C. in an office building across from the FBI Building and within sight of the Pentagon. It was such a beautiful morning with amazing blue skies. The memories of being evacuated from work and the stillness of the city in the aftermath of the attack remain vivid to this day. I hope our students never have to experience such a day and the lasting impact it had on our nation. Let us all take a moment tomorrow to pause and remember those who lost their lives on 9/11 and to honor all of the first responders and other heroes who sacrificed so much for the well-being of others.

Have a great weekend.

Best regards,

Dr. Anthony Scarsella

Superintendent of Schools