February 12, 2021

I have a few updates to share today, as well as some good news from the schools. First, though, I’m glad to report that we had a successful launch of phase two of hybrid learning at Lincoln this week, with students transitioning to two full days in the building (although some only had one full day this week due to the half-day of school). Our next transition will be on February 22, when some elementary students in remote learning will move to the half-day hybrid schedule. About 15 percent of remote elementary learners requested to make this change at the start of the third trimester. We’re proud of our elementary and middle school students for taking the mitigation expectations so seriously. I also thank parents/guardians for monitoring symptoms and exposure and filling out the Raptor screener – this vigilance is so important. 

Thanks to everyone who filled out the survey last week. We had a strong response rate from parents and staff. The task force has analyzed the data and is working on its recommendation regarding the spring learning model. This information will be presented at the February 18 School Board meeting, along with the survey results and research that the task force conducted.

I encourage you to visit our updated COVID-19 informational section on our district website, which was the work of the Task Force, Mark Fijor, and Jenny Quinn. 

We continue to pursue every avenue for Phase 1B vaccinations and regularly share information with staff. We’re glad that availability seems to be increasing, and approximately half of our district staff members have already received their first vaccination or secured appointments. But we're disappointed that the Cook County Department of Public Health has not yet followed through on plans to hold mass vaccinations for school district staff. We continue to follow up to see if there will still be an opportunity like this.

District 57, like many school districts, is dealing with a severe shortage of substitute teachers and substitute instructional assistants. For example, Lincoln has had only one available sub since the start of hybrid learning, which doesn’t even come close to meeting the demand. We are also in need of instructional assistants at Lions Park, Lincoln, and Westbrook, and a long-term sub for Spanish/ESL at Lincoln. You can learn more about becoming a sub at this link and the open positions at this link. Please help spread the word!

I’m proud of students and staff for these and many other accomplishments and creative projects so far in 2021. I hope you enjoy the long weekend. Happy Valentine’s Day and happy Presidents’ Day!