October 22, 2021

Dear Palos 118 Families,

In the language of the internet, "TLDR" is shorthand for "too long didn't read," designating a post or article too wordy to garner a reader's full attention.

Lately, it seems that that we could add "TMDR" to the glossary of online slang for "too much didn't read." As in too much in our email in-box. From teachers, principals, school nurses, and yes, even me.

During the height of the pandemic, it seemed prudent and necessary to send a weekly update out to District families, but that was back when infections were on the rise, a vaccine was still months away, and many of us were looking for the latest information which seemed to change every day, sometimes every hour.

While we're still not out of the woods yet, and a vaccine for our youngest students is still not available, it feels like we've gotten back to a semblance of normal life and routines. And as we've returned to our pre-pandemic packed schedules, readership of this weekly message has dropped from around 92% back in April 2020 to around 50% this year.

So, in the interest of freeing up some of your valuable time, and streamlining our District communications, we'll be returning to the Monthly Message model after this week. We'll still keep you informed when essential information comes up, but otherwise you'll only be seeing my name pop up in your inbox once a month.

Have a great Halloween and I'll talk to you all in November.

Vaccine Approval for Kids

According to the latest news reports, FDA approval for a COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 could be coming in the next couple of weeks. Before that time, I encourage you to speak with your child's pediatrician if you have questions about the efficacy and safety of getting your student vaccinated. As always, the decision to get your child vaccinated is a personal choice for parents, but one that we hope you will consider, as the vaccine remains the best tool we have for preventing the spread of the virus and fully returning to normal school operations.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent teacher conferences will be held on November 22 and 23 and will include a mix of in-person and virtual options for our families. The scheduling portal will open on November 3 via Skyward home access. Look for more information on how to schedule conferences coming later this month.

This Week's Metrics

Remember that the District's COVID-19 stats will still be updated and available each week from the dashboard which is linked from the front of the Palos 118 homepage. You can review this week's updated COVID-19 dashboard here.

Have a great weekend.

Best regards,

Dr. Anthony Scarsella

Superintendent of Schools