Checking In....

John Stewart Families~ 

I hope you are all continuing to do well under the "stay-at-home" order. Last week was certainly chaotic in the Garland household as I attempted to primarily work from home, adapt to my college-aged daughter being under my roof full-time again, convince my 8th-grader that his at-home learning was not optional and worry that my firefighter/paramedic husband may expose himself or our family to COVID-19. Among the chaos, we also managed to make some precious family memories. I'm the proud mother of a young man with Down syndrome. He did not let World Down Syndrome Day pass on March 21st without declaring it his day and insisting we eat cake and dance. I enjoyed several walks with my daughter discussing her post-college plans, listened to many private guitar, baritone and trombone performances by my son and introduced my kids to some cinema classics such as Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. I'm still working on convincing them that I'm not technically a Boomer! 

Like all of you, we are trying to make the best of a bad situation. I'm working on giving myself and my family grace during this time and finding all the little things to celebrate that we can. Today is National Chip and Dip day and the Garlands will be partaking! 

I found this information helpful as I work to figure out my family's new temporary normal. I hope you find it helpful as well. Managing Stress and Anxiety - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

                                                                                                                                  ~Mrs. Garland 🧡

Mrs. Kunstman Brightens Our Day

We have seen people under quarantine around the world turn to music and song as a way to manage their stress. Mrs. Kunstman put together this wonderful video of her performing many of the songs your children sing during their Music Exploratory class. We hope that your children enjoy this video and that it brings familiarity and a sense of normalcy to their day. Enjoy!!

Music Class with Mrs. Kunstman

Spirit Week

We are fortunate to have 4 wonderful Instructional Coaches that work across our elementary schools. They too are missing their time with staff and students and wanted to have a little fun together. Today starts a district-wide Spirit Week! Join teachers and students across Kaneland in #D302 Spirit Week! We hope that you all take some to participate in these fun and creative spirit days! 

From Kaneland CUSD #302Curriculum Department:

Dear Students and Parents,

We know that the continued school closure is frustrating for all and hope you are finding time to complete the at-home learning activities.  We want to assure all of you that we are taking every step needed to continue to build content that meets the state recommendations for this unique time in learning as well as provide continued learning for students. Remember that for Kaneland Schools Spring break is still scheduled for March 30 - April 5.  Following spring break, the administration and teaching staff will be moving towards teachers being more involved with giving our students remote learning opportunities that more directly connect with the curriculum in our classrooms.

     

Please remember that every child is in a unique situation with the ability to access, engage, and complete their learning expectations.  Our task as educators is to provide experiences that meet all students’ needs. We ask that every family remains supportive and positive during this time.  We are working diligently to provide content and experiences for students while managing the guidance that shifts often. Thank you for those that have sent positive words and support - It is truly appreciated.  

This week, continue to work on any of the activities that were sent last week and here are a few others that are recommended for your grade span.  We hope you will take time to continue reading, learning, and exploring for at least 2 to 3 hours per weekday. We cannot wait to begin school again and hope you are finding ways to continue to connect to learning as well as taking time with family.  Please remember the following guidance from the State of Illinois that Kaneland is currently working under:

1. Any at-home learning is not required at this time
2. Any at-home learning is not to explore new content but rather enhance the learning that had already begun during school face to face sessions
3. There will be no penalty for a student not completing the at-home learning tasks 
4. At home learning cannot impact a student’s current grade negatively 
5. At home learning is to engage learners not to replace the lessons or experiences they would be having during face to face school

Please know over the course of the past week we have been working hard on future learning options and guidelines.  Please see the progress of the learning options below. 

At-Home Learning Exploration- Our Current District Focus Through Spring Break (April 5th)	At-Home Learning to Enhance Your Grade Standing (Week of April 6th)	Remote Learning for Grade Enhancement (TBD based on state guidance)
-Focuses on activities that are generally linked to grade level or grade span -The purpose is to keep a learning routine for the child -The purpose is to engage in learning to stay motivated -Very general experiences  -Self-paced and self-selected from various resources -No specific feedback on progress shared with students  -Provided by Educational Service Department	-Focuses on resources that are linked to grade span specific Common Core Standards -The purpose is to recall learning in content areas that were directly linked to what was learned during face to face sessions -Students should select learning options shared based on the content they were learning during the last week of regular school sessions (this may vary per student) -Resources are shared in general by grade span -No specific feedback is given to students -Provided by Educational Service Department	-Focuses on learning activities that are selected per student or groups of students  -The purpose is to complete and learning from the activities in order to show learning progression to enhance a current grade -Students will be given specific learning options that they may focus on in order to show evidence of further learning in a content area  -Specific feedback on progress shared within one week to students upon completion  -Provided by Teachers  -Posted hours for support from Teachers on the learning tasks will be posted during this time
E-Learning for Personalized Learning  (Future plans for Kaneland per the Strategic Plan)
-Focus is to provide online learning experiences that are tailored to each child -Learning conferences will be utilized to monitor learning progress through a customized path -Blended learning options for students to select learning based on their styles, preferences, and organizational abilities  -Specific content co-constructed and selected with the student and the educator -Specific feedback shared through learning conferences that focus on the next steps in learning -Provided by the Learning Facilitator

Early Childhood: (packet of activities to download)

https://fantasticfunandlearning.leadpages.net/f/11035e342239c5-1485d7b95839c5/1652726e2c8bac-6Wxb8Y1uSUuCC3KRYlZLL/60%20Everyday%20Playful%20Learning%20Activities%20to%20Do%20with%20Preschoolers.pdf

K-2nd:

*Select articles from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/resource-library/?q=&page=1&per_page=25 and have a family member read them to you or read with you.  Answer the following questions for each article:

1.  What are 2 key points you learned from the article?

2.  How might this article impact the choices you make?

3.  What would you want to learn more about?

*Read at least 3 books per day from this website:  https://www.digitallibrary.io/

For each book answer the following:  

1.  Describe the main character

2.  Describe the setting

3.  What was the main conflict or event that happened in the story

4.  Create a different ending for the book. 

*Take a moment to consider one place you would like to visit.  Take time to research online (with older sibling or parents support) the location you want to visit.  Create a travel poster sharing the best things about that place. Be sure to use descriptive words.   

*Log onto https://www.brainpop.com/math/ and explore learning games in all content areas

*Select your reading based on your level:  https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html

For each text you read answer the following:  1. What was the overall lesson or message? 2.  Who were the main characters or facts? 3. What further questions do you have?

*Continue to practice math facts using:  https://www.ixl.com/math/

*Listen to the Dot: https://vimeo.com/315352814  Create your own story based on what you heard in the shared reading. 

*One Pager Book Analysis:  Please see this link

3rd-5th:

*Select articles from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/resource-library/?q=&page=1&per_page=25 and read the article while taking notes on key points.  Create a newscast script that shared a summary of the story. 

* Select articles from this website: https://www.nytimes.com/section/learning.  Respond to one of the reflection questions at the end of the article each day of the week.  

* Read at least one of the longer passages at your grade level from this website: https://www.digitallibrary.io/  Answer the following:

1.  What was the conflict in the text?

2.  What actions did the main character do to resolve any conflict?

3.  What was the overall lesson learned?

  *Take a moment to consider one place you would like to visit.  Take time to research online (with older sibling or parents support) the location you want to visit.  Create a travel brochure sharing the best things about that place, the facts that describe that place, a picture of the location, and the top activities you can do at the location.  Be sure to use descriptive words.  

*Log onto I-Ready and continue lessons in your math and reading content area. https://login.i-ready.com/ (be sure to log on from your child’s computer using the KAL)

*Explore some creative learning options at https://www.elementari.io/curriculums

*Explore lessons through this website:  https://www.katemessner.com/read-wonder-and-learn-favorite-authors-illustrators-share-resources-for-learning-anywhere-spring-2020/

*Select your reading based on your level:  https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html

For each text, you read answer the following:  1. What was the overall lesson or message? 2.  Who were the main characters or facts? 3. What further questions do you have? 4.  Consider how it may have ended differently. Rewrite the ending or create an extension. 

*Continue to practice math facts using:  https://www.ixl.com/math/

*Conduct these fun at-home Science experiments:  https://www.mkewithkids.com/post/here-are-two-weeks-worth-of-fun-and-easy-science-experiments

* 3rd-grade Typing Quest: https://online3.typingmaster.com/login?id=uyq3dq6vm

Use your school username and password to log in

* 4th-grade Typing Agent: https://app.typingagent.com/site/login?domain=kaneland

Use the Google login button to log in when using your Chromebooks

* 5th-grade Typing Club: https://kaneland.typingclub.com/

Use the Google login button to log in when using your Chromebooks

*One Pager Choose your Own Adventure:  See this link

*One Pager Picture Book Analysis:  See link

Kaneland Lunch Distribution

School Lunch Update
As the Governor stated in the press conference, school lunches will continue to be available based on the Stay at Home Order.  Our NEW schedule is below - this plan will maximize lunch opportunities while also supporting social distancing.  We will provide lunches as long as we have the supplies and materials and the Governor’s guidance allows. Thank you for the generous offer of donations, but we cannot take any at this time due to Federal Guidelines.

Mondays - Fridays - 10 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the following locations - NEW!!!

Please use the main entrance for each school.

Kaneland John Stewart Elementary School, 817 Prairie Valley Street, Elburn, IL
*Kaneland John Shields Elementary School, 85 S. Main Street, Sugar Grove, IL
Kaneland McDole Elementary School, 2901 Foxmoor Drive, Montgomery, IL
*Maple Park Fire Department, 305 S. County Line Rd., Maple Park, IL (north door)

NOTE:  There will not be a pickup available at Harter Middle School any longer.  * New locations for school lunch distribution.

School Playgrounds

Play Grounds
Per Illinois Executive Order 2020-10, all district playgrounds are closed to public use until further notice.  The same applies to school-related playgrounds and the KHS and KHMS tracks.

Illinois Assessment of Readiness

State Testing and Advanced Placement Testing
Per President Trump, the United States Department of Education will not enforce standardized testing requirements this year.  When Kaneland students return to school, teachers will utilize the remaining days for instruction and not for standardized testing for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.  

We Miss You!

Dear John Stewart Families~ 

I hope this message finds you all physically and emotionally well and fully stocked on essentials.
I’ve been thinking of our school families and of wanting to stay in touch with everyone through
these unprecedented times. While the majority of formal communication will come through
our Superintendent's office, I will plan to reach out with school-specific information throughout
our closure. The staff and I are working on a little treat to boost everyone's spirits. We hope to be
ready to send out a link to our little surprise on Friday morning. Stay tuned...

At-Home Learning
I hope that you and your child(ren) are transitioning to an at-home learning environment the best you can. I know that this is not the ideal way for our students to learn, but rest assured that good growth can still be made at home with the resources the district has provided, as well as some additional experiences that are being offered online. Please know that the district is not asking you to sign up for subscriptions or pay for extra tools. If there is a link that is not working or you are having difficulty signing in, please just move on to another activity. If you are trying to log onto a website but it is blocked, this may be an at-home filter issue. Please consider moving on to another activity. While the YouTube videos that are sent have all been vetted, we understand the home choice for filtering.

I have received multiple requests from Stewart teachers asking for permission to reach out to families and share additional information and resources. Mostly, they just want you to know they are thinking of their students and wishing they could be together. At this time, the district has requested that teachers refrain from sharing additional resources, as not all have been fully vetted through the curriculum department. We are finding out the hard way that some companies advertising "free at-home learning resources" are requesting private information from families and some are even requesting credit card numbers. To protect our students, our families and our staff, we have shared an expectation with our teachers that they not to provide resources beyond what is being sent from the Curriculum Department. Please do not misinterpret this as a lack of willing and wanting to do so on the part of our teachers.

Let me know if something is not working right and we will update the needed links for future learning.

Here are some tips to support your efforts:

• Create a schedule that works for everyone! Work with your children and listen to their thoughts on their learning. They will help make it a successful and less stressful experience for everyone.
• Mix up activities and take breaks. We have built-in movement and calming breaks throughout the day at school, build these into your schedule at home too!
• Set goals and reward your children for hard work. Work with your children to set goals for learning and celebrate their success. Ask them about rewards they would like to work for, they could be as simple as watching a quick show, playing a game with you, or playing on their own with a favorite toy. Set a timer for the reward and it will make transitioning back to work much easier on everyone.
• Most importantly try to avoid reaching a high level of frustration for anyone involved in the learning. We like to teach our students to persevere and work hard through tough questions but don't want that to turn into a negative learning environment. If you or your children are starting to get frustrated, that's a great time to take a break.

From Kaneland's Curriculum Department
Over the course of the next few weeks, at home learning content will be sent home each Sunday night. The content is vetted and the learning activities are aligned to our Common Core State Standards, NGSS Standards, and the most recent Social Science Standards. The activities are meant to connect to grade-level content, provide practice experiences and engage students in learning. Although this content is not directly related to the point in time they left the classroom, it does connect to the grade span content they are learning. Each of the links or activities shared has been reviewed by our Department of Educational Services and provides at-home learning opportunities.

Each week we will be sharing links that students can access to provide at-home learning that can help them stay mentally engaged. We are continuing to research more and more links in order to be prepared for the various lengths of the closure. We know many vendors are offering free trials, but we are hesitant to send any of those links since we want content that we have vetted and used in our classrooms. At this time we can guarantee the validity and rigor of the content being sent and strive to continue to review all links prior to sending to our students. Please know that these activities are not formally graded, but intended for formative learning to provide students mental engagement during this time of school closure. Taking time to complete the activities and explore the at-home learning links will provide continuous learning rigor and allow for students to come back to school ready to learn and engage. We encourage all students to engage in these activities during this time. It is recommended that students complete an average of 2 to 4 hours of learning during this time off. 

Take time during the at-home learning to also take brain breaks and engage in physical activity. At-home learning may also include: independent reading time, taking walks or jog around your neighborhood, and family games. Please see the grade span recommended links and learning activities below to get started. Please note that some of the activities have been modified since the printed packet went home. Please open the links below for the most recent versions.

If videos or websites are blocked this may be at home filters and that is always up to family discretion.

 Kindergarten

 First Grade

 Second Grade

 Third Grade

 Fourth Grade

 Fifth Grade

I-Ready Log-In HelpFrom their Chromebook, please have them go to the KAL Apps menu where they should see the link for iReady and once there, they can just log in.

If that is not working, here is the direct link https://adfs.kaneland.org/adfs/ls/idpinitiatedsignon.aspx?loginToRp=https://sso.i-ready.com

From there, it is their Kaneland ID as the Username and then their school password (the one used to log onto their Chromebook).

PTN Updates

I have been in email contact with our PTN President. She is working hard on your behalf to determine the ability to run remaining events for the 2019-20 school year. At this point, we are scheduled to return to school on April 6th. We will not be officially canceling school-related activities after that date at this time. However, as you know information is changing rapidly and we will make decisions on a day to day basis.

A special thank you to Butter Braid hero, Jamie Schambach for her efforts to ensure delivery of all pre-ordered Butter Braids. At this time, it is the simple pleasures, such as a hot Cherry Butter Braid straight out of the oven, that comfort the soul. 

Coronavirus Updates
Kaneland continually updates the district website as more information is provided about the Coronavirus. Please see the link to read more about this topic: Coronavirus Information

School Lunch Information

Should your child require lunch during the school closings, please come to any of the locations below on school days beginning March 17 through Friday, March 27, 2020 from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.. We will provide you with a daily lunch and a snack. Note: Students do not need to be present. Any family member may pick up the lunch on behalf of the students.

March 17 - March 27, 2020 (School days only)
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Come to the main entrance or Door #1

Kaneland John Stewart Elementary School, 817 Prairie Valley Street, Elburn, IL 60119

Kaneland Harter Middle School, 1601 Esker Drive, Sugar Grove, IL 60554

Kaneland McDole Elementary School, 2901 Foxmoor Drive, Montgomery, IL 60538

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Julie-Ann Fuchs at 10161@kaneland.org.

Registration Information

Registration for the next school year is now open and can be completed through this link:
Student Registration

Registering a future kindergartener, check out extended day:
Click here to learn about our Extended Day Kindergarten Extention Program

Yearbooks
Since we can't congratulate her in person, I wanted to send a virtual congrats to Greta F. on winning the Yearbook cover design contest. It was such a hard decision, with many quality art pieces submitted, 24 in all! After a very close teacher vote, our new design was chosen. If you would like to order a Yearbook, you can do so here:  Yearbook Order Site  Orders are due April 19, 2020.

That is all for now.... I will update as more information becomes available. Stay well!!

Laura Garland
Principal
Kaneland John Stewart Elementary 

March News

Important Upcoming Dates
March 4th- Fun Lunch- Potbelly Subs
March 5th- McTeacher Night- 5-8pm at Elburn McDonalds
March 9th- Board of Education Mtg. 7pm at Harter Middle School
March 10th- PTN Meeting 6:30pm at John Stewart
March 13th- PTN Movie Night (Frozen 2) Doors Open at 5:30pm
March 18th- Fun Lunch- Paisano's Mac and Cheese
March 20th/21st- PTN Clothing Sale at John Stewart

Spring Break March 30th- April 3rd


5th to 6th Grade Transition
Incoming 6th Grade Parent Letter 2020

Illinois Assessment of Readiness
The Illinois Assessment of Readiness is the state assessment and accountability measure required for Illinois students enrolled in a public school district. It will be taken by all 3rd-5th-grade students. At Kaneland John Stewart, 3rd graders will test on the mornings of March 16-19 and March 23. 4th and 5th graders will test on the mornings of March 18-20 and March 23-24. 

Summer School
Click here to access information regarding summer school in Kaneland.

Reminders...

• All toys should be left at home, including Rubik's Cubes and Pokemon Cards
• Have your child check the Lost and Found, it is growing daily!
• If your address or phone number changes, be sure to update it in Tyler
• Student cell phones should remain in backpacks, powered off, during the school day

Parking Lot Safety

Please continue to review the parking lot procedures found HERE to ensure a safe arrival and dismissal for all students and staff.  

PLEASE encourage your children to use the crosswalk to cross Prairie Valley and we respectfully request that all adults also use the crosswalk as a way to model safety for our students. Also, please remember that no parents should be using the front parking lot to pick up their children. This lot is reserved for buses during arrival and dismissal times.