
D41 Full Remote Learning Overview
Information for Parents & Students
Full Remote Learning To Begin 2020-21 School Year
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Beginning Friday, August 21, all students will attend school remotely. Students will receive five clock hours of instruction every day based on their assignment into an AM or PM schedule.
AM students will receive their core instruction during the morning session from 8:30-11:00 AM and their specials + FLES during their PM session from 1:00-3:30 PM.
PM students will receive their core instruction during the 1:00-3:30 PM session and their specials + FLES during the AM session from 8:30-11:00 AM.
Kindergarten students will be assigned to an AM or a PM session only.
There may be minor variations to this depending on special programs or supports that a student receives.
PreK (see information below)
Attendance will be taken daily and grades will be issued based on the traditional District 41 grading plan. How will it all work? Please watch the below video featuring an overview of the Full Remote Learning plan. After an important message for students from Superintendent Kaczkowski, members of our administrative staff will talk about fees and technology, language programs and special education, as well as responsibilities and expectations for students, staff, families and administration. You'll also see a message from our school principals and infographics to help students visualize what a typical full remote learning day looks like. If you have questions, please view our Full Remote FAQ HERE or find your school contact information HERE. After the video, please read a welcome message below from Superintendent Kaczkowski along with additional information regarding the instructional schedule, grading practices, PreK/Early Childhood, Student Services, Digital Conduct and more parent information.
Welcome Message from Dr. K.
On behalf of everyone in District 41, I would like to thank you for your patience as we have navigated a new path forward. As I reflect on the last several months and the volumes of feedback, it remains clear to me that the opinions, beliefs, and preferences regarding COVID-19 and the reopening of schools remain enormously divergent and often in complete opposition to each other. District 41 must find our place within the community of families that we serve so that we can focus on four key priorities:
Implementing a high quality remote learning model
Planning for and implementing a shift to a high quality blended model
Planning for and implementing a shift to a full in-person model
Differentiating our support for our most significantly impacted learners
In order to do this, we need to be the place where diverging viewpoints can come together.
I truly believe that how we view what we do will determine how well we do it. It is time for us to shift our thinking from this year being “strange,” “unfortunate” or “broken.” It is not broken. We are not broken. It will be different and absolutely a unique experience for everyone. Perspective drives performance and it is time for us to change our perspective. No doubt, there is a level of fear of the unknown. We are all human and it is reasonable to be fearful right now. No doubt, there is a degree of anger and disappointment. We are all human and it is reasonable to mourn the loss of a “typical” school year. All of us want the same things. For our students to be safe, healthy, happy, and to thrive. We should feel strong emotions as long as those emotions do not cloud our judgement or prevent us from modeling what we hope to instill in our students:
- PERSEVERANCE -
- FLEXIBILITY -
- PATIENCE -
- EMPATHY -
- CREATIVITY & JOY! -
Important Phone Numbers
Churchill Elementary - 630.790.6485
Forest Glen Elementary - 630.790.6490
Franklin Elementary - 630.790.6480
Hadley Junior High - 630.790.6450
Lincoln Elementary - 630.790.6475
Central Services Office - 630.790.6400
Instructional Schedule
Instructional schedules and teacher assignments will be available in Skyward Family Access on 8/14 at 4:15PM.
Grading Practices
Link to D41 Grading Practices Information
Link to D41 Standards Based Reporting
Link to D41 Report Card Comparisons
PreK/Early Childhood
First day of remote learning - Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Students will be split into their AM or PM Group for whole group instruction. In addition, students will be scheduled for an additional remote time in pairs/individual for more targeted practice and support.
AM Whole Groups: 8:45-9:05
Small group/ individual times will occur between 9:15-10:45
PM Whole Groups: 1:15-1:35
Small group/individual times will occur between 1:45-3:15
Due to the Preschool For All grant (PFA), the state requires that the district provide age-appropriate materials/activities that students and families can utilize at home as well as at school. Families will receive these activities weekly from the classroom teachers after school begins. These activities will assist classroom teachers in having multiple ways to monitor student progress and work with families.
A more detailed presentation and video will be shared directly with PreK/EC families from Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Accountability Dr. Katie McCluskey on 8/13/20.
Remote Learning & Emotional Connectedness
Proper behavior, as it relates to the use of technology, is no different than proper behavior in all other aspects of district activities. All users are expected to use the district technology resources in a legal, responsible, ethical, and polite manner. Teachers and staff will be implementing our social emotional curriculum, Second Steps, at the elementary level with a particular emphasis on building relationships with students and between students during our full remote model. Hadley has incorporated their SEL structure as well. This is a time to focus on emotional wellness, engaging and connecting with others and supporting students so that they can develop a sense of belonging and a sense of connection to school. Google Meets allows students to fully see the faces of their teachers and their classmates. We are not constrained by wearing masks while operating in a remote model. We can virtually have students work collaboratively in small groups which would not be possible while practicing social distancing. Staff can closely confer with students in a virtual environment one to one and build relationships that would be much more difficult to do while social distancing and talking from behind a mask.
Again, we fully recognize that in-person learning is optimal. No one disagrees on that. However, let’s recognize some of the capabilities that remote learning provides right now that, because of safety constraints, would be challenging in an in-person environment. Let’s shift our perspective on this because perspective drives performance.
Student Services Information
While we are planning for the new school year with a remote start, we are committed to keeping your student healthy (physically and emotionally) and honoring our Glen Ellyn D41 Inclusionary Principles whether we are learning remotely or in the future in a blended or full in-person model. We will continue to follow all requirements under IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (such as evaluation and annual review timelines) and honor your procedural safeguards. Simultaneously, we will be working with you to create Individual Remote Learning Plans (IRLP) to provide each student access to the general education curriculum while we provide appropriate supports and services for both remote and in-person learning. We are also working on how we are monitoring progress so we can make data driven decisions if changes to a student's IRLPs is necessary.
Our supports and services will include both synchronous and live instruction. As our building IEP and 504 teams come together this week, your student's case manager will reach out to you by Friday, August 14th.
We appreciate your patience while we work to provide the services for your student and we look forward to collaborating with you. Please watch the Student Services video presentation HERE to learn more about next steps for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
Other Information Parents Need To Know
There will be a forthcoming communication and required parent form regarding privacy protections for live streaming and recording lessons. In order to make the remote learning experience as beneficial as possible, our plan is to record the live virtual lessons so that they can be posted to the Google Classroom for students to refer to as needed or in the event that they miss a live lesson. In order to do this, we ask that parents complete and submit the form as quickly as possible.
District 41 will continue to provide meal distribution for families who meet the criteria for Free/Reduced lunch. You will receive information directly regarding this.
District 41 is in the process of establishing a robust telephonic translation service. This is not to replace our current system of providing translation but to supplement what we are already doing. We will have the ability to provide telephonic translation in numerous languages with one simple phone call.
District 41 will continue to work with families who need assistance with internet access. Please work through your school social worker, teacher or principal. We received news on 8/12/20 that the DuPage Regional Office of Education will also be supporting families access internet access. We will find out more as that information becomes available.
District 41 nurses are available to assist you with health related issues. They can point you in the right direction if you have questions about COVID-19 or COVID-19 related resources that are available in the community. They will be our liaisons with the DuPage County Health Department during remote learning and will be instrumental as we prepare to shift back to our blended model and to full in person learning. They have a wealth of information and experience so please do not hesitate to reach out to your school nurse. You can find their information on the school’s website.
District 41 will continue to monitor our tech alert system and work directly with families in the event that our system detects that your child is searching the internet for content regarding danger to self or others or emailing someone regarding a danger to self or others. Please note that we actively monitor this throughout the school day. In the event that we become aware of an alert that happens outside of school hours, we will contact the parent or guardian.
Glen Ellyn School District 41
Email: webmaster@d41.org
Website: www.d41.org
Location: 793 North Main Street, Glen Ellyn, IL, USA
Phone: 630.790.6400
Facebook: facebook.com/glenellynd41
Twitter: @glenellynd41