Hello Munhall Families,
Last Friday’s announcement from Governor Pritzker brought finality to what the remainder of the school year would look like, and dimmed the hope of a return to Munhall by year’s end. The decision brought about a range of emotions. I know in my own household, my daughter was thrilled and my son was devastated. I am sure you see something similar in your home. Please know that we will continue to strive to make learning meaningful for your child, and find creative ways to keep them connected to their teachers and classmates.
Also, we know we will need to find a way to celebrate our 5th grade students as they transition into middle school. Our 5th grade clap-out has been a highly popular tradition that has been enjoyed for years at our Munhall community. Although this year will look different for our 5th graders, I hope we can find a way to make our 5th graders feel respected and celebrated, while also being safe and responsive to the social distancing guidelines. Many ideas have already been generated, and I look forward to communicating to our community once an approved plan has been identified.
2020-2021 Class Placement—Parent Feedback:
In planning for the upcoming school year, parents are invited to provide information that will assist us in the class placement process. Since every learner is unique, our goal is to pair each learner with an environment that maximizes his or her potential. Therefore, balancing classrooms based on gender, special needs or talents, learning styles, and personalities are all factored as we compile class lists. As you can imagine, this is a complex process and a very important one.
We welcome any information that you would like to provide about your student in order to assist us in
making the best possible placement. Because of the many factors considered when putting a class roster together, requests for specific teachers will not be accepted. Clearly defining the needs of your child will be most helpful in making a good classroom assignment.
If you have information that will assist us in making a placement for your child, please forward that
information to me in writing. You may wish to include the following types of information:
Your child’s talents and needs
The type of classroom environment that has been or will be most beneficial for your child
Your child’s personality and learning style
Letters must be received by May 15th, 2020 to receive consideration. Letters can be submitted through
US mail to 1400 South 13th Avenue, St. Charles, IL, 60174, or through an email attachment at Jarrod.Buxton@d303.org.
Thank you for your assistance in this important matter. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 331-228-6637.
Registration for Returning Students—2020-2021 School Year
Registration for all students returning to D303 for the 2020-2021 school year will open on Monday, April 27th. Registration for next year is done entirely online. Late last week, the district began mailing postcards with all pertinent information regarding registration. Please look for this postcard in your mailbox. Also, I plan on attaching detailed instructions to this week’s Munhall Bulletin, which will guide parents through the registration process.
Finally, if you have moved, and don’t plan on returning to Munhall in the fall, please email Allyson Taylor at Allyson.Taylor@d303.org and Heather Miller at Heather.Miller@d303.org. If you have questions regarding registration, logging into Home Access Center, etc., please call 331-228-2600 and leave a voicemail. Mrs. Miller or Mrs. Taylor will follow up with you.
SEL Lessons:
Executive function and self-regulation skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. (The President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2020). This weeks SEL lesson includes strategies supportive of successfully completing assignments or tasks. One such strategy is Ready-Do-Done, a process children and adults can use to plan through the completion of tasks that may appear overwhelming. This week’s competency is:
Responsible decision-making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.
We are asking students to identify and use strategies to manage emotions. Video clips and text is embedded to foster conversation. The challenges and uncertainty facing families and children are impactful on overall mental health and well-being. We are hopeful the resources shared will be a support to parents/guardians and children. If you have any questions on the information provided or are seeking additional support for yourself or child, please contact Patti Palagi, Director Instructional Interventions (patti.palagi@d303.org or 331-228-6457).
A direct link to the optional Social/Emotional Learning lesson can be found below:
https://sites.google.com/d303.org/d303remotelearningforstudents/social-emotional-learning-sel
I wish all of you a restful and healthy weekend! Take care of each other…
Jarrod Buxton, Principal
