I hope everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day. Please see below for a few important reminders.
Have a great day,
Katie
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Updated Travel Guidance – CPS sent this to families Thursday evening, but wanted to make sure everyone had the update as it is different than what was sent by me earlier last week.
In accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CDPH announced earlier this week that every U.S. state except Vermont is now a part of the city’s travel advisory. Here’s what this means for your family:
· The CDC recommends delaying travel until you are fully vaccinated;
· Unvaccinated persons who leave the state of Illinois (this includes all children 11-years-old and younger who are not yet eligible for the vaccine) should self-quarantine for 7 days after returning to Chicago, even if they have received a negative COVID test; AND
· Unvaccinated students who leave the state should not come to school during their self-quarantine period, which is 7 days if they receive a negative COVID test or 10 days if they do not test
· Vaccinated travelers are not required to self-quarantine or test unless they develop symptoms if traveling within the United States
If you have an unvaccinated student, please reconsider your travel plans given this guidance. If your student must travel, please follow the advice above and report the absence to your school so that it can be marked as excused. Then, after one 24-hour school day period, your student will be provided with access to take-home schoolwork that will help them keep pace with their learning during the 7-10 days they are home.
Per our original guidance, only those students who have been told to quarantine or isolate by CPS’s Office of Student Health and Wellness because they are a close contact, or who have been told to quarantine or isolate by a state or local public health department, will have access to synchronous remote instruction (i.e., the ability to join their classroom live via Google Meet) and be marked present (virtually) at school. If your student falls into this category, they will receive access to simultaneous instruction one 24-hour school day period after you notify your school of their quarantine or isolation.
See a handout of the guidance at this link. The site to access contact tracing via self report is https://chicagopsprod.service-now.com/health?id=cps_self_report. You have to go through this process with a case deemed actionable to qualify for synchronous remote instruction.
Diversity Committee -
Overview: The Skinner North Diversity Committee is a parent volunteer-led support organization. Members (parents/ caregivers, teachers, & staff) meet biweekly and work with our SN administration to help the school with its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan. We also share diversity-related resources and host the SN community events of International Festival and June Jamboree.
Mission: The Diversity Committee contributes to a vibrant school community that centers the growth, success, and well-being of our students. We support programming that creates a more inclusive environment for our students, families, and staff. We model curiosity and dialogue about our intersectional identities and the diverse communities in which we live. We are committed to anti-racist learning and action to address the long-standing racial inequities in our education system.
SY 2021-22 Focus: Develop and apply actionable tools to model allyship
Join us on Wednesday, 9/15 @ 9:00am! Access the meeting via https://meet.google.com/jwv-dnvu-qjk.
Meeting Schedule (starting in October):
9am on the 1st Wed of the month,
4pm on the 3rd Wed of the month
Click here to sign up to receive e-mail updates and meeting invitations. Reach out to sndiversity@gmail.com with questions or suggestions. Thank you!
FoSN Meeting – Consider joining Friends of Skinner North. They are our parent-teacher organization that seeks to support students, families and teachers. They have various committees and ways to volunteer. The next meeting is Wednesday, Sept. 29 from 6pm-7pm. Register in advance for this meeting at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElf-2trjguGd1o9fi1K7eB7BXFCZrU6O5w
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Right At School Before and After Care – They recently reopened registration to get some of the parents on the waitlist registered but was forced to close it again yesterday. They are having staffing issues across the company and thought it would be a great idea to freeze registration for a week to get more candidates cleared. They plan to open registration very soon. The registration contact for Right at School is Jonathan Sims (jonathan.sims@rightatschool.com).
Transportation Updates – I am still waiting on guidance. I appreciate the patience of impacted families.