I hope you all had a wonderful Winter Break and that your holidays were full of fun...and free of COVID! We are very, very excited to welcome our students and staff back to school!
Please, please, please do not send your child to school if they are sick, are a COVID close contact, or have a positive COVID test. An individual experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 must stay home from school and seek testing, regardless of vaccination status. If a student has tested positive during winter break, please report the case to the school nurse as soon as possible.
Fox Lake Grade School District 114 is looking for full time paraprofessionals. Full time positions are available at Lotus Elementary School and Stanton Middle School. Must have a PARA License (SUB or PEL also acceptable). Pay ranges $12 - $15 per hour. To apply, follow this link. You may also visit our district website www.d114.com and select Employment > Job Postings.
As I’m sure you are aware, there has been a major increase in COVID cases over the last two weeks. Please, please, please do not send your child to school if they are sick, are a COVID close contact, or have a positive COVID test. An individual experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 must stay home from school and seek testing, regardless of vaccination status. If a student has tested positive during winter break, please report the case to the school nurse as soon as possible.
On Monday, December 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released updated recommendations shortening the isolation and quarantine times for the general population, but not for K-12 education. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Lake County Health Department (LCHD) are reviewing the CDC changes and will provide guidance in the near future. Until then, schools are required to continue following the IDPH COVID-19 School Guidance for all students. For now, we will continue with the required school exclusion practices (quarantine and isolation) that were in place before we left for break, utilizing the Test-to-Stay option to avoid exclusion to the greatest extent possible. We are hopeful that updated guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will be released soon. Of course, we will share with you any updated school guidance we receive as we work through all the details.
Along with this, it’s essential that we keep our mitigation strategies in place. They have definitely worked in our schools, and we need your continued support of these to keep everyone safe:
Consistent masking across all school environments for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status;
Distancing within classrooms, cafeterias and throughout the school to the greatest extent possible;
Increased ventilation across school environments;
Adherence to IDPH guidance for quarantine and isolation of cases and close contacts;
Reminders to stay home and seek testing if experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 and;
Weekly surveillance testing, free and available to all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.
Please see below for updates related to our mitigation strategies:
Surveillance Testing
Partnering with O’Hare Clinical Labs, we are increasing our optional surveillance testing to monitor COVID status as we come back to school. For next week, the testing schedule is as follows:
*Monday, January 3–testing sample sent home to all students signed for surveillance testing. If you choose to participate, these should be returned on Tuesday, January 4. Results will be sent from O’Hare Labs via email ASAP.
*Tuesday, January 4–regular weekly surveillance testing resumes.
Moving forward, we will also have testing available on Mondays and Fridays in addition to our Wednesday tests to implement “Test to Stay” as needed and as determined by our nursing staff. We will also have rapid testing available to use as determined by our nursing staff. Please note that we will NOT administer a COVID test without parent/guardian permission.
You can sign your child up for surveillance testing using this easy link!
Social Distancing
I’m thrilled to report that our new classroom furniture at both schools is installed and ready for our students and staff! Purchased with federal COVID relief funds, this new furniture truly enhances our classrooms for learning while also allowing more options for social distancing. We can’t wait for the kids to see their new learning spaces!
If you have any specific questions please reach out! We look forward to partnering with our families and celebrating what our students learn, build, and create in 2022!
1/1/22
CDC thresholds and local data for Lake County
D114 Local Zip Codes Data from Northwestern University COVID Dashboard--ALL DATA INCLUDES ACTUAL AND PROBABLE CASES!
1. Have positive COVID diagnosis, or
2. Be identified as close contact by D114
Situations that do not qualify for remote access:
1. Symptoms in the absence of a COVID diagnosis.
*Students should stay home until symptoms resolve.
*Student will be encouraged to take a COVID test and share results
*COVID testing can be done onsite using O'Hare surveillance weekly testing or Binex Now Rapid with parent/guardian permission.
*Student should stay home and monitor symptoms
*Student will be encouraged to take a COVID test and share results
*COVID testing can be done onsite using SHIELD PCR (once program launches) or Binex Now Rapid with parent/guardian permission.
Student get “eyes and ears” into the classroom using Google Classroom and Google Meet.
Student is provided at least 5 hours of instruction, of which 2.5 must be synchronous.
Remote access is given 24 hours after notification that a student qualifies.
D114 Text-A-Tip
United Way
Ways to access:
*Call 211 from any phone.
*Text your zip code to 898211
*Access the database via web at https://211lakecounty.org/
You can reach us at District Office at 847-973-4028. Feel free to email me with questions, ideas, or concerns at heather.friziellie@foxlake114.org. We are here to help, so don't hesitate to reach out for assistance!
With commitment to our students and families,
Heather Friziellie, Superintendent
No comments:
Post a Comment