During the past week, I have welcomed a sense of familiarity with things taking place in our schools. May is traditionally so busy with events that culminate the work of special programs and celebrate accomplishments. This month, I attended band concerts where our students played in the parking lot with their parents in lawn chairs. The weather was beautiful and parents were so appreciative of the opportunity.

I visited Viking Park on Wednesday afternoon and found students participating in a track meet competing against our own district kids. There was discus throwing, races, high jumping, and more. In an adjacent field, there was a large group of kids playing soccer as part of our sports program. Better yet, a third field had the Staff & Student Softball game going. It was a beautiful afternoon, so sunny and warm. I walked the full park watching our students laughing, cheering, and competing with their parents cheering them on as well. It all felt right and confirmed that we are on the right track.

Last week, Dr. Carmen Ayala, Illinois State Superintendent of Schools, and the Illinois State Board of Education adopted a resolution that will mandate schools to resume fully in-person in the fall. This resolution will become effective once Governor Pritzker lifts the emergency status and we move into our final phase of the recovery process as a state. This announcement was not anticipated and will directly impact any family who was hoping to continue with Remote Learning. District 56 had already surveyed families, and while most were opting to return, there were some who indicated they would prefer to remain remote. All families should plan to return to school in the fall. The State has indicated we are to return to providing Home Bound Tutoring for medically fragile students and not Remote Learning. We are awaiting specific guidelines to accompany this resolution, will adjust our plans accordingly, and notify all parents of those plans as soon as possible.

Please click below to view the Proof of Residency Process information that was emailed to families on May 19th.

Our middle school track & field team held a mock meet this week in Viking Park to end the season. The 40 athletes competed against each other in 8 individual events to earn ribbons for the top 3 places in their gender and grade level.

Mask Guidelines for the Fully Vaccinated

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued new mask guidance for people who are fully vaccinated. If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask in most indoor and outdoor settings. However, if you are not yet fully vaccinated (two weeks past your second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or two weeks past your Johnson & Johnson vaccine), you must continue to wear masks as before.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health have aligned with CDC guidance and issued an updated executive order. Vaccinated individuals must continue to wear masks:

• On public transit
• In healthcare settings
• In congregate settings
• In schools and daycare settings

We encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated.

Call 211 to Get Connected to the Help You Need

If you need help finding food, shelter, rent, or utility assistance, or other essential services, call 211 or TEXT your zip code to 898211 to speak with someone who can help 24/7. To receive general COVID-19 information via text message, text "COVID19" to 211211. For more information, visit 211lakecounty.org.

Email: returningstudent@d56.org
Website: www.d56.org
Location: 3706 West Florida Avenue, Gurnee, IL, USA
Phone: 847-336-0800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GurneeD56
Twitter: @GurneeD56