WHS Principal Post - October 2020

We have slowly welcomed students back to in-person learning at Hammerschmidt. On Thursday, October 15th, our transition to the "Hybrid" model will be complete as groups of students from grades 1-5 make their return to in-person learning. In this newsletter you will find some general information about transition and some notes about the busy month ahead!

Below you will find general information regarding our plan for in-person learning. The three "W's" will be very important for everyone's safety.

Virtual meetings are scheduled for the families of each grade level. These will include visual tours and the ability to get specific questions answered. In addition to the grade level teachers, the principal and grade level support teams will be in attendance. This meeting schedule is listed below. (Rest assured, each grade level meeting will be recorded and shared with those unable to attend.)

We are greatly looking forward to welcoming our students back to Hammerschmidt!

9:00- 9:30 a.m. Kindergarten Family Meeting

9:45- 10:15 a.m. Grade 1 Family Meeting

10:30 - 11:00 a.m. Grade 2 Family Meeting

11:15 - 11:45 a.m Grade 3 Family Meeting

12:00- 12:30 p.m. Grade 4 Family Meeting

12:45 - 1:15 p.m. Grade 5 Family Meeting

You can use the file linked below to access to meeting links. These meeting links will also be sent out to you later this week!

Each grade level at Hammerschmidt has been assigned a specific, exclusive entrance for entry and exit. The door assigned is the closest one in proximity to where their grade level classrooms are located. See the map below:

Beginning at 8:20 a.m., students will be allowed to enter the building at their assigned door. Grade level support staff will be located at the doors to help ensure a staggered entrance of students. Students will NOT line up outside the doors to wait for entry, instead, students will enter as they arrive.

Grade level support teachers assigned to each grade level will be at the entranceways to provide students hand sanitizer upon their entry into the building.

Appropriate spacing of students will take place in each of the classrooms. Below you will see pictures of our three Kindergarten classrooms that started "in-person" learning on Monday, Oct. 5th.

See the map below for the traffic patterns and drop off locations. Please note that if you are dropping off your students in the morning. Students in Grade 1-5 will be dropped off in the back portion of the circle drive. From there, your child will walk to their assigned entrance.The front portion of the Circle Drive is reserved for Kindergarten pick-up and drop-off.

If you are a family who chooses to walk to and from school, you will simply report to the assigned door for your child.

It is important that each WHS student knows where they will meet their ride each day.

• Will you pick them up along the circle drive? If so, at dismissal students will head to that area while maintaining social distance. WHS Staff members will be present to help remind students of this.
• Will you park along one of the streets bordering our WHS campus? If so, which one? Make sure your children know the approximate location to meet each day. At dismissal, they can head over to that area to connect with you.
• Will you park and then meet your child(ren) at a designated place of your choosing? If so, be sure everyone know the plan! At dismissal, students will go there to connect with you.
• Will your child(ren) walk home every day? If so, please let your child's teacher know this so that we are all on the same page! At dismissal time, your child(ren) are free to walk home along your families chosen route.

Each grade level will have a 30 minute lunch time. The schedule is listed below:

Students from the same grade level will eat at the same time in the same location. No more than 35 students from each grade level will be at the school at any given time during hybrid learning.

Individual desks are spread out in the lunch locations at least 6 ft. apart. Students will eat at the same desk each day. The desks in each of the lunch spaces will be cleaned and sanitized prior before a new grade level comes in. Prior to eating, students will also use hand sanitizer.

Each grade level will have two supervisors to assist and help monitor safety at lunch. See the pictures below for what the large lunch areas look like.

Each grade level has designated restrooms. Teachers in all classrooms will use a "pass" system to allow for only one student to be out of the room at a time. This will ensure that proper spacing can be maintained in the bathroom areas. Signs are posted in all bathrooms reminding students to wash their hands. Hand sanitizer is also available in all classrooms near the entrance.

Each grade level will have access to a limited footprint of the building. This will consist of their assigned entrance/exit, their classroom hallway, lunch location, and designated grade level restrooms. Students will have virtually no contact with students from other grade levels.

While in the building, masks are required. Please have students come to school with 2 masks. Having a "backup" will be greatly appreciated as we have a limited number of extras that we can provide.

Grade level teachers may choose to take students outside for an outdoor "brain-break". As long as students are spread out, they will be allowed to take off their mask. These time periods will be short in nature. Students will not be permitted to use the playground structures or any "shared" equipment.

See the details in the flyer below.

Did you know you can Subscribe to the digital PTA and school calendar? Visit https://wh.sd44.org/apps/events/ and then click subscribe. You can choose iCal, outlook or Google calendar and it will automatically add the events to your calendar.

Join the WHS PTA Facebook Page so you will always have the most up-to-date information for all the PTA events happening throughout the school year.

Every fall and spring, Hammerschmidt PTA hosts a Walk + Roll to school event to encourage students to get exercise on both ends of the school day by walking, biking, or riding a scooter to school. We may not be learning in the building, but we can still Walk + Roll to Hammerschmidt! This year's event will occur October 3 - October 11.

The Walk + Roll banner will be placed in the front of the school. Students and families are encouraged to ride bikes, scooters or walk to school at times convenient for them. There will be a plastic box with fabric strips to tie onto a line at the top of the banner. Tie a fabric strip for each time you walk or roll to school!

Click here for the Walk + Roll flyer, and Stay Hammerschmidt Strong!

ROSEMARY and JEANS DINE OUT, OCT 7 & 8

Our next dine-out fundraiser will be at Rosemary and Jeans, which is owned by one of our very own Hammerschmidt families. We divided this dine out into two back-to-back nights, Wednesday and Thursday October 7-8, 12-8pm, to make sure everyone has the opportunity to try it. Since everything is made fresh, homemade and with love, dinners may take a little longer. Mention Hammerschmidt PTA fundraiser and they will donate 20% of all sales. View this flyer for more info. Reservations, walk-in, pre-order, and carry-out are available. Call 630-519-3747 or order online at www.rosemaryandjeans.com.

The PTA’s biggest fundraiser is going virtual this year! Join us on Saturday, October 17 at 7pm. Call your friends, neighbors, and family members and let’s play some trivia!! Register your team and read some FAQs about how this will work. Teams can be 1-10 people. Don’t have a team? No problem! Register and we will assign you to a team. Registration and payment is due next Friday, October 9.

Date change: This event was previously listed as Friday 10/16, but has been rescheduled to Saturday 10/17.

Sponsors Needed: Let us know if your local business is interested in sponsoring the prizes for this event. Spots are limited so act fast!

More questions? Email Kate and Wayne Temple at kate.temple@hotmail.com.

The PTA is planning a socially distanced outdoor Halloween Party on October 30 from 4:30 - 7:30, including trunk-or-treat, a family photo opp, pumpkin decorating contest, treats, and a food drive to support local families. For details please view this flyer.

Please help the PTA plan for this event by filling out this General Interest Form by Monday October 5.

Questions? Contact Marypat Hradecky at mohradecky@gmail.com.

PTA has a limited number of spirit wear face masks remaining for purchase. These are sized for a child, have adjustable straps, and feature the white WHS star, $8 each. To view details and purchase, please visit https://whs.memberhub.store/.

Calling All Artists! Reflect on the theme. Create art. Be Recognized.

Reflections is the National PTA Arts program that asks students to GET CREATIVE! It is a FREE art contest open to all students. The theme this year is “I Matter Because. . . ”.

Students must submit original works of art and may enter one or more of these categories:

• Dance Choreography
• Film Production
• Literature
• Music Composition
• Photography
• Visual Arts

Rules for each category and entry forms will soon be available for this year's contest. Please be on the lookout for more information coming soon! Questions? Please contact Tricia Nelson at pnelson7979@gmail.

During this time of remote learning, we know some of you may be interested in taking photos of different activities your children are participating in and sharing on various social media platforms. Please be mindful that we do have students who cannot be photographed due to safety reasons.

When sharing photos of your child’s learning on social media, it is important that only your child is seen in the photograph. It is also very easy for a child’s name to be captured in the background of a photo or in other documents shared with you (i.e. class roster information). We ask that you please only share photographs and information that relate directly to your child. Thank you for working in partnership with us to ensure the safety of all our students.

In an effort to keep our buildings as safe as possible, we do require that all visitors make an appointment prior to coming in. You may do so by contacting the building secretary via e-mail (evaldivia@sd44.org). When e-mailing her, please let us know the nature of your visit and time/date when you would like to come to the school. We will then respond with a confirmation or alternative times and dates. They will also send you a self-certification request, which you will be required to provide in advance of your visit to ensure you do not currently have COVID-19-like symptoms.

We encourage you to follow our school and district social media accounts. Parents should also be aware that this school year, we have opened up YouTube access so our teachers can share videos with our students related to their teaching and instruction. It is important that just with any other social media channel, you carefully monitor your child’s use of YouTube, as filtering restrictions will not be in place in order for our teachers to share videos that are educational in nature.

https://www.facebook.com/whselementary

https://twitter.com/WHS_Elementary

Click on the links below for assistance with your D44 technology devices:

D44 Tech Resource Hub

Direct Link for a "Help Ticket"

Parents of all D44 schools are welcome to attend these FREE events! Take a look at the brochure linked below. There are some phenomenal speakers covering a wide-variety of parent-interest topics!

CLICK HERE FOR THE GPS BROCHURE

The button below will also take you directly to the Glenbard Parent Series Website.

Email: ddanielski@sd44.org
Location: Wm Hammerschmidt Elementary School, Hammerschmidt Avenue, Lombard, IL, United States
Phone: 630-827-4207
Twitter: @ddanielski