Good morning parents,

What an awesome weather week we had! From storms and warm temps to chilly mornings and sunshine, we’ve experienced it all this week.

We continue to enjoy the connections we are all having with others during this home isolation. For us, trading “office visits” for Google Meets with students, watching SeeSaw videos and reading student work has been a delightful trade off. Although we both have said how much we are missing the conversations with students about their choices and supporting the root of a situation or even providing advice on how to handle a problem.

We understand you are probably also experiencing some of that trade off as well – new opportunities or ways to do work is exciting, while other pieces are really missed. This week’s Community Padlet invites you to focus on some of the highlights of our new lives at home. We look forward to seeing what you contribute.

Lincoln Prairie Community Padlet – At Home Fun!  We look forward to “seeing” or hearing from you! Please click here to access our Lincoln Prairie Community Padlet. 

Family Support

Please know that District 54 and LP are here to help. If you find your family is in need of Social – Emotional support, beyond the daily hiccups, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Social Worker – Natalie Stark NatalieStark@nullsd54.org

School Psychologist – Lianne Paterson LiannePaterson@nullsd54.org

Principal – Amanda Stochl AmandaStochl@nullsd54.org

Assistant Principal – Carol Novak CarolNovak@nullsd54.org

Also, if you find you’re having any technology issues, please do not hesitate to contact the district’s support email at VLearning@nullsd54.org . They’ve been very helpful for families.

Food Distribution

As the situation surrounding the 2019 Novel Coronavirus continues to change, District 54 is working with amazing community partners to provide food to families who are struggling financially.

Every Thursday during the shutdown of schools, District 54 staff will be working with Township High School District 211 to distribute meal bags with five days of lunches, five days of breakfast and a half gallon of milk from 9 a.m. to noon at Hoffman Estates High School, 1100 W. Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates. This is a drive-through pickup. When you arrive at the school, please stay in your vehicle. We will load the bags into your trunk or back seat.

You can find updates regarding food distribution on the District 54 website by clicking here.

Donation Opportunities

The District 54 Education Foundation has also created a new fund called the D54 Foundation Crisis Fund, which will be used to support our most at-risk families, including the 20% of students who qualify for free lunch. This emergency fund will help families impacted by this virus, and could be used in the future to provide immediate access to financial assistance for financially struggling families.

To donate, visit any of the following websites:

• Click here to access the District 54 Education Foundation – select Crisis Fund

• Click here to access the Greater Chicago Food Depository

• Click here to access the Schaumburg Township Food Pantry

Lincoln Prairie Parent Teacher Student Association Information

Please read through this week’s Lincoln Prairie Parent Teacher Student Association Newsletter for important information. Specific details about Lunch Extreme and Treat Day Refunds and some cute Lincoln Prairie students pics are included! Click here to access this week’s newsletter.

We hope to see you at our Virtual Parent Teacher Student Association Meeting Monday night, Monday, April 13th at 7pm. Details in the newsletter as well.

School District 54 Information

Registration for the 2020-21 school year is now open and available through the Infinite Campus Portal.

If you have previously created a portal account and cannot recall your username or password, you can reset them yourself from the portal website. Go to http://sd54.org and click on Infinite Campus Parent Portal under Popular Links.

If you have not previously created a portal account, please email portalsupport@nullsd54.org  to create one.

To enroll your child for the 2020-21 school year:

 Update Your Information:  Log on to the parent portal by Monday, May 4, 2020 to review the current information and make any necessary changes. You must hit the SUBMIT button after reviewing the information, even if you don’t make any changes. If your child(ren) will not be attending District 54 schools next year, please inform our office where your child will be attending school in the fall so that we can prepare your child’s records for transfer.  You can email our secretaries at PaulaFalvo@nullsd54.org or MichelleElAzhari@nullsd54.org .

Residency:  All families are required to prove that they live within District 54 boundaries every year.  If we were unable to verify your residency electronically, you will have the ability to upload your residency electronically through your portal.  If you are unable to upload the documents needed at this time, you will be able to provide them in person when our offices reopen.

If your address information was verified electronically, you will not be prompted to upload residency documentation and will not need to provide any documents.

Information about busing and material fees will be communicated this summer. Should you have any questions, please contact your child’s current school office at the above email. Thank you very much.

Wishing you all health and happiness on your Journey,

Amanda Stochl & Carol Novak

Good afternoon parents,

Our sincerest thanks to all of you for continuing to work with us as we sift through what is working for your families. As a staff, we are communicating informally every day and formally each week to problem solve, make adjustments and respond to the needs of our families at home. Again, we are committed to making this work for everyone!

We know that families are seeing successes – both big and small – at home. All should be celebrated. Whether your child has grown in their independence or they are finding more effective work and study habits, praise what is working. You can also identify a goal for next week as a family and talk about action steps to support that goal. Our goal here in the Stochl house is to avoid waving at people during mom’s work Zoom calls. Cute now and then, not appropriate most other times. Our action step is for me to tell my son what times I will be on calls and that those are “off limit” times to come into the room I am in.

Lincoln Prairie Community Padlet – We look forward to “seeing” or hearing from you on our Community Padlet next week as well. 🙂

Click here to access the Lincoln Prairie Community Padlet: April Showers Bring May Flowers

Family Support

Please know that District 54 and LP are here to help. If you find your family is in need of Social – Emotional support, beyond the daily hiccups, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Social Worker – Natalie Stark NatalieStark@nullsd54.org

School Psychologist – Lianne Paterson LiannePaterson@nullsd54.org

Principal – Amanda Stochl AmandaStochl@nullsd54.org

Assistant Principal – Carol Novak CarolNovak@nullsd54.org

Also, if you find you’re having any technology issues, please do not hesitate to contact the district’s support email at VLearning@nullsd54.org . They’ve been very helpful for families.

Lincoln Prairie Parent Teacher Student Association Information

Please read through this week’s Lincoln Prairie Parent Teacher Student Association Newsletter for important information by clicking here.

Our Parent Teacher Student Association is currently working on putting together answers to questions regarding everything pertaining to the current school closure. More information will be coming out in next Friday’s email.

School District 54 Information

Registration for the 2020-21 school year is now open and available through the Infinite Campus Portal.

If you have previously created a portal account and cannot recall your username or password, you can reset them yourself from the portal website. Go to http://sd54.org and click on Infinite Campus Parent Portal under Popular Links.

If you have not previously created a portal account, please email portalsupport@nullsd54.org  to create one.

To enroll your child for the 2020-21 school year:

 Update Your Information:  Log on to the parent portal by Monday, May 4, 2020 to review the current information and make any necessary changes. You must hit the SUBMIT button after reviewing the information, even if you don’t make any changes. If your child(ren) will not be attending District 54 schools next year, please inform our office where your child will be attending school in the fall so that we can prepare your child’s records for transfer.  You can email our secretaries at PaulaFalvo@nullsd54.org or MichelleElAzhari@nullsd54.org .

Residency:  All families are required to prove that they live within District 54 boundaries every year.  If we were unable to verify your residency electronically, you will have the ability to upload your residency electronically through your portal.  If you are unable to upload the documents needed at this time, you will be able to provide them in person when our offices reopen.

If your address information was verified electronically, you will not be prompted to upload residency documentation and will not need to provide any documents.

Information about busing and material fees will be communicated this summer. Should you have any questions, please contact your child’s current school office at the above email. Thank you very much.

Food Distribution

As the situation surrounding the 2019 Novel Coronavirus continues to change, District 54 is working with amazing community partners to provide food to families who are struggling financially.

Every Thursday during the shutdown of schools, District 54 staff will be working with Township High School District 211 to distribute meal bags with five days of lunches, five days of breakfast and a half gallon of milk from 9 a.m. to noon at Hoffman Estates High School, 1100 W. Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates. This is a drive-through pickup. When you arrive at the school, please stay in your vehicle. We will load the bags into your trunk or back seat.

You can find updates regarding food distribution on the District 54 website by clicking here.  

Donation Opportunities

The District 54 Education Foundation has also created a new fund called the D54 Foundation Crisis Fund, which will be used to support our most at-risk families, including the 20% of students who qualify for free lunch. This emergency fund will help families impacted by this virus, and could be used in the future to provide immediate access to financial assistance for financially struggling families.

To donate, visit any of the following websites:

• Click here to access the District 54 Education Foundation – select Crisis Fund

• Click here to access the Greater Chicago Food Depository

• Click here to access the Schaumburg Township Food Pantry

Wishing you all health and happiness on your Journey,

Amanda Stochl & Carol Novak

Today (March 31, 2020) Illinois Governor Pritzker announced that schools will continue to be closed through April 30 as we all do our part to prevent the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. 

I know I’m speaking for all of our employees when I say that we would rather be at school, connecting with students in person. However, the health and safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. At this point the medical professionals are all recommending social distancing as the key to staying well during this pandemic.

Virtual Learning

We will continue to offer virtual learning online at sites.google.com/sd54.org/vlearning54. I am so grateful to the employees who so quickly adapted to this new way of teaching so they could continue to help your students thrive academically. If you need internet access at home or are having any technology problems, please email vlearning@nullsd54.org for support. Spanish-speaking families can also contact BarbaraVelez@nullsd54.org. 

Food Distribution

I am also grateful to the volunteers who are continuing to provide food for our financially struggling families. 

• Willow Creek Community Church will also be running a mobile food truck distribution from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday in the District 54 Rafferty Administration Center parking lot, 524 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg.
• District 54 staff will be working with Township High School District 211 to distribute meal bags with five days of lunches, five days of breakfast and a half gallon of milk from 9 a.m. to noon each Thursday at Hoffman Estates High School, 1100 W. Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates. This is a drive-through pickup. When you arrive at the school, please stay in your vehicle. We will load the bags into your trunk or back seat.

You can find more information about food distribution and how to support local food distribution on our website.

Finally, I want to thank you, the parents and guardians of our students. I know you are trying to help your children stay focused on their studies at home while also working remotely, cooking, cleaning and keeping everyone healthy. Many of us are parents too. We understand that it’s not always easy. We are here to support you. Here is a resources you may use to talk about the coronavirus with children: National Association of School Psychologists Parent Resource – Talking to Children About COVID-19.

Also please reach out to your children’s teachers, your school principal, assistant principal, social workers or psychologists if there is anything you need. As long as we work together for the children, they will grow and thrive.

Sincerely,

Superintendent Andy DuRoss

Actualización en español

Estimada comunidad del Distrito 54:

Hoy, el gobernador de Illinois, Pritzker, anunció que las escuelas continuarán cerradas hasta el 30 de abril, ya que todos hacemos nuestra parte para evitar la propagación del nuevo coronavirus 2019.

Sé que estoy hablando por todos nuestros empleados cuando digo que preferiríamos estar en la escuela y conectarnos con los estudiantes en persona. Sin embargo, la salud y seguridad de nuestros estudiantes y personal es siempre nuestra principal prioridad. En este punto, todos los profesionales médicos recomiendan el distanciamiento social como la clave para mantenerse bien durante esta pandemia.

Aprendizaje virtual

Continuaremos ofreciendo aprendizaje virtual en línea en sites.google.com/sd54.org/vlearning54 . Estoy muy agradecido con los empleados que se adaptaron tan rápidamente a esta nueva forma de enseñar para que puedan continuar ayudando a sus estudiantes a prosperar académicamente. Si necesita acceso a Internet en su hogar o tiene algún problema tecnológico, envíe un correo electrónico vlearning@nullsd54.org para soporte. Las familias de habla hispana también pueden contactar BarbaraVelez@nullsd54.org .

Distribucion de comida

También estoy agradecido con los voluntarios que continúan brindando alimentos a nuestras familias con dificultades financieras.

• Willow Creek Community Church también llevará a cabo una distribución móvil de camiones de comida de 11 am a 1 pm todos los miércoles en el estacionamiento del Centro de Administración Rafferty del Distrito 54, 524 E. Schaumburg Road en Schaumburg.

• El personal del Distrito 54 trabajará con el Distrito 211 de Township High School para distribuir bolsas de comida con cinco días de almuerzos, cinco días de desayuno y medio galón de leche de 9 am a mediodía cada jueves en la escuela secundaria Hoffman Estates, 1100 W. Higgins Road en Hoffman Estates. Esta es una camioneta drive-through. Cuando llegue a la escuela, quédese en su vehículo. Cargaremos las bolsas en su maletero o asiento trasero.

Puede encontrar más información sobre la distribución de alimentos y cómo apoyar la distribución local de alimentos en nuestro sitio web .

Finalmente, quiero agradecer a los padres y tutores de nuestros estudiantes. Sé que está tratando de ayudar a sus hijos a mantenerse concentrados en sus estudios en casa mientras trabajan remotamente, cocinan, limpian y mantienen a todos saludables. Muchos de nosotros somos padres también. Entendemos que no siempre es fácil. Estamos aquí para apoyarte. Aquí hay un recurso que puede usar para hablar sobre el coronavirus con niños: Asociación Nacional de Psicólogos Escolares Recurso para Padres – Hablando con los Niños sobre COVID-19 .

También comuníquese con los maestros de sus hijos, el director de su escuela, el subdirector, los trabajadores sociales o los psicólogos si necesita algo. Mientras trabajemos juntos por los niños, crecerán y prosperarán.

Sinceramente,

Superintendente Andy DuRoss

Good afternoon,

Thank you families for your continued support. This week’s introduction to V-Learning has engaged students in learning, teachers in Innovative practices and all of us in practicing patience! I feel confident we are getting through this because we are supporting one another and practicing flexibility and patience daily!

We will keep you posted on new developments. Please pass along any questions or concerns. We appreciate your feedback.

A Message from the Seussical Production Team

A huge thank you goes out to our community for all the support during this year’s Big Event, Seussical!

Musical Experience by the numbers:

1,300 plus community members saw the musical

150 plus community members were part of the cast and crew of Seussical

40 plus community members helped during each night of production week

20 plus community members were at each of the 3 Saturday painting sessions

20 plus community members attended the set up and take down of the set

19 different PDTs were showcased focusing on Journey and Dr. Seuss​​​​​​​

Whether it was attending a painting session, driving to rehearsals, shopping for costume items, being on stage, supporting the musical at concessions or through the playbill, helping backstage during production week, or viewing the exhibits at the Musical Museum, this event could not have happened without your efforts.

With sincere appreciation and gratitude,

The Production Team and Staff of Lincoln Prairie

Lincoln Prairie Parent Teacher Student Association Reminders

Please check out this week’s Parent Teacher Student Association Newsletter for important information by clicking here.

Have a safe and relaxing spring break. We will see you – virtually – on Monday, March 30^th.

Take Care

Amanda Stochl & Carol Novak

As the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to change, District 54 is working with amazing community partners to provide food to families who are struggling financially. Families needing assistance may benefit from the following.

• Wednesdays:  Willow Creek Community Church will host a mobile food truck distribution from 11 a.m. to noon every Wednesday in the District 54 Rafferty Administration Center parking lot, 524 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg.
• Thursdays:  District 54 staff will be working with Township High School District 211 to distribute meal bags with five days of lunches, five days of breakfast and a half gallon of milk from 8 to 11 a.m. each Thursday through July 16 at Hoffman Estates High School, 1100 W. Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates. 
• Fridays:  Willow Creek Community Church will host a food distribution from 4 to 5 p.m. every Friday at Keller Junior High School, 820 Bode Road in Schaumburg.
• The Schaumburg Township Food Pantry is now running a drive-through pickup from 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the township office, One Illinois Blvd. in Hoffman Estates. For more information, please call (847) 732-7166.
• Church of the Holy Spirit Food Pantry, 1451 Bode Road in Schaumburg, is offering drive-through pickup on Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m. near the garages.
• Living Hope Food Pantry, 777 Meacham Road in Elk Grove Village, is offering drive-through pickup on Thursdays from 11:30-noon.
• Trinity Charities Food Pantry, 927 Plum Grove in Schaumburg, is open from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

We would like to thank the number of individuals and organizations who have inquired about how to make donations to help those in our community who may be struggling. We feel the best practice is to work with organizations who are currently offering these services in our community and will therefore not be collecting food. Please do not bring food donations to the district office as previously mentioned.

The Schaumburg Township Food Pantry and many faith-based charities are providing food to families in our community. Click here to access a list of these pantries on the Schaumburg Township website. In order to encourage social distancing, these organizations are not collecting food at this time.

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT)

The Illinois Department of Human Services has a new special benefit called the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer to help families buy food for children who would normally receive free lunch when schools are in session. To apply online, families should visit https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access and click on Apply for Benefits.

Families that currently receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits do not need to apply for P-EBT benefits. These additional P-EBT benefits will be loaded into Illinois LINK EBT accounts along with regular SNAP benefits. Families that do not currently receive SNAP benefits but do have children who receive free lunch, will need to apply on this website. A paper application in English and paper application in Spanish is also available and can be submitted as an attachment by email to DHS.FCS.PEBT@nullillinois.gov. IDHS created a flyer to help families with the application process. A Spanish version of the flyer is also available.

Crisis Fund

The District 54 Education Foundation has also created a new fund called the D54 Foundation Crisis Fund, which will be used to support our most at-risk families, including the 20% of students who qualify for free lunch. This emergency fund will help families impacted by this virus, and could be used in the future to provide immediate access to financial assistance for financially struggling families.

To donate, visit any of the following websites:

• District 54 Education Foundation – select Crisis Fund
• Greater Chicago Food Depository
• Schaumburg Township Food Pantry

Lugares de despensa de alimentos y oportunidades de donación

A medida que la situación en torno al nuevo coronavirus de 2019 continúa cambiando, el Distrito 54 está trabajando con increíbles socios de la comunidad para proporcionar alimentos a las familias que tienen dificultades financieras. Las familias que necesitan asistencia pueden beneficiarse de lo siguiente.

• Miércoles:  Willow Creek Community Church llevará a cabo una distribución móvil de camiones de comida de 11 a.m. a mediodía cada miércoles en el estacionamiento del Centro de Administración Rafferty del Distrito 54, 524 E. Schaumburg Road en Schaumburg.
• Jueves:  Distrito 211 de Township High School, cinco días de almuerzos, cinco días de desayuno y medio galón de leche de 9 am a mediodía cada jueves en la escuela secundaria Hoffman Estates, 1100 W. Higgins Road en Hoffman Estates. Esta es una camioneta drive-through. Cuando llegue a la escuela, quédese en su vehículo. Cargaremos las bolsas en su maletero o asiento trasero.
• Viernes:  Willow Creek Community Church también llevará a cabo una distribución móvil de camiones de comida de 4 a 5 p.m. cada viernes en la escuela Keller, 820 Bode Road en Schaumburg.
• Schaumburg Township – La despensa de alimentos del municipio de Schaumburg ahora está llevando a cabo una recolección de 1 a 3 p.m. los martes y jueves en la oficina del municipio,  One Illinois Blvd. en Hoffman Estates. Para obtener más información, llame al (847) 732-7166.
• Iglesia del Espíritu Santo Despensa, 1451 Bode Road en Schaumburg, ofrece servicio de recogida los jueves de 2 a 5 p.m. Cerca de los garajes.
• Living Hope Food Pantry, 777 Meacham Road en Elk Grove Village, ofrece servicio de recogida los jueves de 11:30 a mediodía.
• Trinity Charities Food Pantry, 927 Plum Grove en Schaumburg, está abierto de 4 a 6 p.m. Jueves y de 10 a.m. a 1 p.m. Sábados.

Nos gustaría agradecer a la cantidad de personas y organizaciones que han preguntado cómo hacer donaciones para ayudar a aquellos en nuestra comunidad que puedan estar luchando. Creemos que la mejor práctica es trabajar con organizaciones que actualmente ofrecen estos servicios en nuestra comunidad y, por lo tanto, no recolectarán alimentos. No traiga donaciones de alimentos a la oficina del distrito como se mencionó anteriormente.

La despensa de alimentos del municipio de Schaumburg y muchas organizaciones benéficas religiosas están proporcionando alimentos a las familias de nuestra comunidad. Haga clic aquí para acceder a una lista de estas despensas en el sitio web del municipio de Schaumburg. Para alentar el distanciamiento social, estas organizaciones no están recolectando alimentos en este momento.

Transferencia electrónica de beneficios pandémicos (P-EBT)

El Departamento de Servicios Humanos de Illinois tiene un nuevo beneficio especial llamado Transferencia electrónica de beneficios pandémicos para ayudar a las familias a comprar alimentos para niños que normalmente recibirían almuerzo gratis cuando las escuelas están en sesión. Para solicitar en línea, las familias deben visitar https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access y hacer clic en Solicitar beneficios.

Las familias que actualmente reciben beneficios del Programa de Asistencia Nutricional Suplementaria (SNAP) no necesitan solicitar los beneficios P-EBT. Estos beneficios adicionales de P-EBT se cargarán en las cuentas de Illinois LINK EBT junto con los beneficios regulares de SNAP. Las familias que actualmente no reciben beneficios de SNAP pero tienen niños que reciben almuerzo gratis, deberán presentar una solicitud en este sitio web. Una solicitud en papel en en español también están disponibles y se pueden enviar como archivo adjunto por correo electrónico a DHS.FCS.PEBT@nullillinois.gov. IDHS creó un volante para ayudar a las familias con el proceso de solicitud. U

Crisis Fund

La Fundación Educativa del Distrito 54 también ha creado un nuevo fondo llamado D54 Foundation Crisis Fund, que se utilizará para apoyar a nuestras familias más expuestas, incluido el 20% de los estudiantes que califican para el almuerzo gratuito. Este fondo de emergencia ayudará a las familias afectadas por este virus y podría usarse en el futuro para proporcionar acceso inmediato a asistencia financiera para familias con dificultades financieras.

Para donar, visite cualquiera de los siguientes sitios web:

• District 54 Education Foundation – select Crisis Fund
• Greater Chicago Food Depository
• Schaumburg Township Food Pantry

As the 2019 Novel Coronavirus continues to spread in our state, our country and worldwide, School District 54 wants to do everything in our power to protect our students, our staff and their families. The Centers for Disease Control continues to recommend social distancing as the best way to prevent the spread of this virus.

To that end, we are cancelling school the week of March 16-20. We are also closed the following week, as previously scheduled for spring break. After-school, evening and weekend activities are also cancelled, including the before- and after-school programs hosted in our schools by the Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates Park Districts and YMCA.

As this situation is constantly evolving, we are unsure at this time when schools will reopen. We will continue to evaluate the situation with guidance from the state and county health departments.  Our schools will be open during regular hours on Monday, March 16, should you need to pick up anything your student may have left at school.

Staff will be at school on Monday, March 16, for training on the new District 54 virtual learning platform. Another email will be sent to District 54 families on Monday, with a link to access the platform. This email will also include more information about what to expect when students log in on the first day of virtual learning, which will be Wednesday, March 18. We will not have V-Learning classes during spring break (March 23-27).

All students in kindergarten through eighth grade will be reminded to bring home their iPads and Chromebooks today. For those families who do not have Internet access at home, please email VLearning@nullsd54.org. Early Learning Center students brought home bags yesterday, March 12, to compliment the Choose Your Own Adventure virtual learning platform designed for their age group.

We know this is an unprecedented decision, but these are unprecedented times and we are committed to doing our part to mitigate the impact of this pandemic. Thank you for your understanding and for working with us to keep our students, our staff, our families and our communities healthy.

Sincerely,

Superintendent Andy DuRoss

Dear District 54 Community,

I know this is the second email you have received from me this week, but I feel it’s important to keep our families and staff informed as the situation with the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, continues to evolve. The safety and well-being of our students and staff is my top priority.

At this point, School District 54 has no known cases of COVID-19 in our school community.

However, yesterday the World Health Organization declared this a pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is now advising that schools should consider adjusting or postponing large gatherings and activities that mix between classes and grades.

With that in mind effective today, March 12, District 54 schools are open. However, we will be cancelling field trips, before- and after-school clubs, sporting events, evening activities, assemblies that bring in outside people and other activities with outside visitors. This includes the use of our buildings by outside organizations who rent our facilities, as we work with CDC guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus. It also include the orchestra festival at Mead on Saturday, March 14.

If your child is in the before- and after-school care programs offered by the YMCA, or the Schaumburg or Hoffman Estates Park Districts at one of our schools – those programs are not cancelled.

As you know, our schools are closed next Tuesday on Election Day (March 17), a decision we made years ago for safety concerns. Only a small area of each school is open to voters and that area will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected that evening after the polls close.

While it is my hope that we will be able to keep our schools open, we are following the guidelines of the federal, state and county health departments and we have a plan in place to respond if we have cases of COVID-19 in our schools. As part of that plan, we have created a virtual learning platform to keep students connected to their teachers and engaged academically should it be necessary to close schools. 

We will be sending iPads home with all kindergarten through second-grade students effective today, March 12, so the students are comfortable using them at home. This also allows families to connect those devices to their home WiFi. If you do not have WiFi connectivity at home, please let your child’s school know. Our older students are already bringing home their Chromebooks daily.

Again District 54 schools are open at this time. However, this is an evolving situation. We urge our families to be prepared should schools need to be closed.

Thank you for your understanding and for working with us as we all do our part to prevent the spread of this virus in our community.