Assessment season is upon us, and state assessments WILL proceed this school year. Our English learners will take the ACCESS assessment this spring, our fifth graders will take the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA), and all students in grades 3-5 will take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR). Last year due to the sudden shutdown of in-person learning, ISA and IAR were not taken. ACCESS had already been administered. This year, we are to administer all three assessments.
These assessments will only be administered to our in-person students. The assessments cannot be administered remotely, so our district will not be mandating that remote students come to school in person to take them. On school days where in-person students will be testing, our remote students will engage in asynchronous learning during the testing period. That information will be communicated to you by the teachers when the testing dates get closer.
Here is our tentative schedule (testing times will vary between grades levels, and teachers will communicate that information to you when we get closer to each assessment):
ISA (5th only) - March 17-18
ACCESS - March 30 - April 11
IAR (3rd - 5th) - April 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29
Please look for more information to come as these dates get closer, and as always, you may send a message to your child's teacher if you have any questions.
Remember that next week's Picture Day will be on Thursday, March 18. In-person students will have their pictures taken at school as they usually do, and there is an option for remote students to have their pictures taken after school between 3:45 - 5:00. March 18 will also be a material pickup day, so remote families can bring their children for their picture and leave with their materials. For those remote families who are not interested in a picture, we will still have a material pickup on Friday, March 19 as well. Picture day order forms went home last week for both in-person learners as well as for remote learners. Picture retakes will be Thursday, April 08, and remote students can have a retake between 4:00 - 5:00. That date will also be a materials pickup for our remote families. Remote families, if you want your child to have a picture taken, please call Mrs. Bojarski in the office to schedule a time. I will send you specific information about our procedures for picture day early next week.
Please do not forget that registration for 2021-2022 is also open for all new kindergarteners, new students, and for our returning students. Please take the time to register when you have a few moments. If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact Mrs. Bojarski in the office at 847-824-1501.
On Fridays we acknowledge our students who consistently demonstrate our expected behaviors (Be Safe, Be Ready, and Be Responsible). Please click here to view our Cardinal Call Outs for the week of March 08. Congrats to the students who have been recognized this week!
Remember, if you, your student, or anyone in your family is struggling in any way, please know we are here to help you and support you. You can reach out to me directly or to Mrs. Greenwood, our social worker. We are here to help you if you need it.
Enjoy the weekend!
PLEASE READ THESE OTHER IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
5Essentials Survey: Families, please take a few minutes to complete the 5Essentials survey. It only takes a few minutes. You can click here to begin the survey: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/. You DO NOT need an email address to complete the survey. Please make sure you choose "Cook" for the county. Remember you have to click "Submit Survey" before logging out for it to be counted.
Materials Pickup:
Our next pickup will be Thursday and Friday, March 18 - 19 from 4:00 - 6:00. Your teachers will send you reminders when these dates get closer. If you cannot make one of the timeframes listed below, we will do our best to work with you. Please contact your child's teacher(s) or the main office to arrange an alternative time. Please see the information below for your planning:
- Schedule
- March 18 - Grades K-2 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
- March 19 - Grades 3- 5 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
- Procedures
- Families will pull up in the front circle in their cars. Please do not walk-up to the building.
- Cars should have signs with student names and teacher names clearly visible for staff to see easily.
- Staff will bring new materials to car and collect prior materials along with the bags you initially received.
- For families with multiple students, you can pick up materials on one day. That day will be the day you pick up for the youngest sibling.
Right At School:
If you have a student attending Terrace in person and are looking for a before and/or after school program, please check out the Right At School website. They are also offering financial assistance if needed. You can find more information about that by clicking this link.
Remote Learning Tips:
- Prepare a quiet learning space to support your child’s focus on school.
- Organize learning materials to ensure they are easily accessible for your child.
- Post your child’s daily schedule in an easily viewable section of their quiet learning space.
- Always encourage your child to do their best in everything in which they are engaged.
- Ask for help from the teacher if your child needs more support to learn.
- Ensure your child maintains a respectful and kind demeanor with their teachers and peers every day.
Food Distribution:
Boxes containing meals for a week will be distributed every Monday from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Algonquin Middle School. Should you not be able to pick up meals at that time, you may call the kitchen office at (847) 789-5630 on Wednesdays between 11:00 a.m. and noon to arrange for the pick up of emergency boxes.
Meals will be provided to any child (age 18 and under), regardless of financial need. Child(ren) does (do) not have to be present when picking up meals. Transportation will not be provided.
We appreciate our partnership with Arbor Management in continuing food service to our students.
D62 Technology:
The District Technology Department is pleased to announce they have expanded their technology support hours into the evenings on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Families are encouraged to email [email protected] during this time or call the tech helpline at 847-824-8115 and leave a message to generate a help desk ticket. A member of the technology team will answer help desk tickets in the order they are received during the evening support hours.