Hello John Stewart Families -
Here are some friendly reminders mid-way through October! Thank you to all those who participated in Spirit Week last week and shared pictures with us. We had a fun week celebrating!
Halloween
We will still be allowing our students to dress for Halloween this year. Our A day students will come dressed in costume on Thursday, October 29 and B day students will come dressed in costume on Friday, October 30. We will not have any parent-planned parties or volunteers. Instead, teachers will celebrate with their students in class in a way that best fits the student's ages, curriculum, and classroom needs. We will share pictures of the day on our Facebook Page. There will not be a parade outside or throughout the school.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Hybrid Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held Wednesday, November 4th from 4:00 - 8:00 pm and Thursday, November 5th from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm.
This year, there will be two options for conferences for Hybrid Families: (1) Zoom or (2) conference call.
Conferences will be twenty minutes long. Sign-ups have already gone out, please look for an email from your child's classroom teacher to reserve your time slot and indicate your choice of the conference.
Remote Parent-Teacher Conferences
Conferences can be held starting at Wednesday, November 4th from 9:00 am - 8:00 pm and Thursday, November 5th from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm. This year, there will be two options for conferences for Remote Families: (1) Zoom or (2) conference call.
EC-3rd Grade: No live sessions will be held on Wednesday in order to provide more slots for parent/teacher conferences.
4th and 5th Grade: No live sessions will be held on Wednesday in order to provide more slots for parent conferences. 4th and 5th-grade students will write a self-reflection on their progress that the Teacher will approve and send to Parents. Families may use the reflection of progress in lieu of attending a scheduled conference time. Each 4th and 5th-grade teacher will have 40 spots open for conferences. Parents are asked to select only 1 of the 2 Teachers to conference with.
Conferences will be twenty minutes long. Sign-ups have already gone out, please look for an email from your child's classroom teacher to reserve your time slot and indicate your choice of the conference.
Hybrid Application Day Reminders
Our expectation for students on application days (at home learning) is that they are completing 4-5 hours of learning. This will obviously look different from an in-school learning experience for a student but we wanted to help prioritize how the at-home learning time is spent and clarify what exploratory options our students have.
The main priority of the learning day should be ELA and Math application assignments from the general education teachers. Students should then look to spend some time working on any Science or Social Studies activities, these activities will likely be explorations and will not need to be brought back to school or handed in unless explicitly stated by the teacher. The next priority for learning would be to spend some time on Physical Education as this is an exploratory area that is required by the State of Illinois. Finally, please spend time working in exploratory areas including Music, Art, Technology, and Critical Thinking. The Exploratory teachers have worked hard to provide students access to many opportunities for learning through Canvas pages but some requirements for returning work could differ and most of the application day activities will be geared towards further standard exploration, this means teachers can review to see work is completed but feedback may not be given to students. Thank you for the help!
COVID Information - Masks
Here is some helpful information from the IDPH regarding mask care -
Click here for the full document.
How do I care for my mask?
It is a good idea to wash your mask or face covering at least daily. Place your used masks in a bag or bin away from small children or pets until they can be laundered with detergent and dried on a hot cycle. If you need to remove and reuse your mask before washing, consider putting it in a plastic or paper bag (not your backpack or purse) and be mindful not to put the mask where others can touch it or where the mask will contaminate other shared surfaces. Wash your hands immediately after putting it back on and avoid touching your face. Paper-based masks, like surgical masks, should be discarded after each use.
Remote Families
Important Dates
Wednesday, 10/21 - A Day Students Attend
Wednesday, 10/28 - B Day Students Attend
Thursday, 10/29 - Halloween Celebration for A Day Students (Student Wear Costumes)
Friday, 10/30 - Halloween Celebrations for B Day Students (Student Wear Costumes)
Tuesday, 11/3 - No School (Election Day)
Wednesday, 11/4 - Parent Teacher Conference 4-8pm
Thursday, 11/5 - No Student Attendance/Parent-Teacher Conferences 10am-8pm
Friday, 11/6 - No School
