Sheridan Grade School

PLEASE SHARE!

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff, I would like to be the first one to welcome in the New Year, 2021! I always prefer to look forward and stay positive, so I believe that 2021 will be a wonderful year. I believe it will be better than last year and I believe we have a lot to look forward to. As you know, there is positive public information coming out about the COVID vaccine and the plan to flatten the curve and hopefully make real strides towards “normalcy” in early 2021. Please make no mistake, there is a lot of work left to be done but we know more about COVID now than we ever have. Therefore, we are ready to start the second semester on time and in-person. A couple of friendly reminders: January 6th – Teacher Institute Day January 7th – Students return to In-Person Learning As we begin to prepare to return to school, I would like to remind everyone that one of our biggest challenges last semester was maintaining social distancing. We had significantly more people quarantined last semester due to being in “close contact” with someone that eventually tested positive than for any other reason. Therefore, we are making a concerted effort to remind and re-train everyone at the start of the New Year to remain cognizant of that expectation. For proper social distancing, you must be 6 feet apart and, if you know that you will be around another individual for longer than 15 minutes, then it is imperative that the 6 feet social barrier be maintained. If we can accomplish this goal, that will increase our chances of remaining in-person significantly. I would like to thank the building principals and the teachers for their ability to work together and face this challenge together. We have all learned a lot since March and we have grown over the course of the first semester too. I know everyone feels better prepared to start the second semester due to our positive experiences and growth. Now, after a rested winter break, we are ready to begin the new challenge ahead of us. As CUSD #2 educators, we continue to hear our parents and understand how important it is to offer in-person learning to our students. As a parent, my wife and I are looking forward to the start of in-person learning second semester for our own children. At CUSD #2, we remain committed to providing your child and our staff with a safe and healthy environment. If you should have any current questions or concerns about your health or any of your family members’ health, please contact your building principal via email as soon as possible. If we know, we can help. Thank you and have a Happy New Year! Superintendent Spencer Byrd Community Unit School District #2

Great job Sheridan Grade School. These are the items donated to the Sheridan food pantry as well as a monitory donation!!!! Thank you student and teachers and all who helped donate!!!

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff, On Friday, December 18, we will have food service available through pick-up or delivery once again. There will be 5 days’ worth of breakfast and lunch meals available for each child that is 18 or under, and that resides within your household. The food items that will be available will be similar to those distributed during our last food service day. Some items will need to be frozen or refrigerated and require preparation while others will be grab-and-go items. Please contact Debra Fuchs, Director of Food Service for CUSD #2 @ 815-792-5410 or email dfuchs@unit2.net directly, if you are interested. Pick-up location will be the front door of the Sheridan Grade School or you may choose to have your meals delivered to your home on Friday, December 18. Pick-up and delivery times will be between 10:30 and 12:30. The deadline for orders will be on Wednesday, December 16, by 5:00 p.m. There is no cost for the meals. (The cost of the meals are covered through our Free and Reduced Lunch Program). However, we will need the following information to process your order appropriately: The number of children in your home. The last name that the order will be placed under. (We do not need the individual names of the children.) Do you want Pick-up or Delivery? If pick-up, we will need your phone number. If you wish to have the food delivered, we will need your address and phone number. The Food Service Department and the entire Community Unit School District #2 Faculty and Staff want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Debra Fuchs - Director of Food Service

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff, The COVID Grinch strikes again…today, we were notified that another teacher has tested positive. Therefore, it was decided that it would be in the best interest of our students and the staffs’ health and well-being to move to full Remote Learning on Wednesday, December 16, this week. Tomorrow, we will have one last day of full in-person learning this semester, Tuesday, December 15. This will give us an opportunity to properly transition to full remote learning starting on Wednesday, December 16, through Tuesday, December 22. Many of our students at the elementary and middle school levels, in particular, will need this day to see their teachers one last time to prepare for the Remote Leaning experience. Also, with the COVID numbers trending in the wrong direction and as the Holiday Season approaches, our Leadership Team wanted to ensure that our students and staff members will be able to begin the season healthy and prepared to enjoy the holidays to their fullest extent next week. We think everyone has earned the right to some fun and fellowship this winter break! As you know, it has been a challenging first semester this school year to say the least. Regardless, everyone at Community Unit School District #2 would like to wish all of our parents and students a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you for your help and support. It is truly appreciated. Superintendent Spencer Byrd Community Unit School District #2

Sheridan Grade School PTO Date: December 7th, 2020 Minutes Draft Call to order: By – Kimberly Walsh Time – 5:34 pm Minutes from previous meeting: Sarah read minutes; Nicole motioned to approve, Nikki seconded, motion passes Treasurer Report: Beginning Balance: $8,305.95 Deposits: $8,28984 Expenses: $6,221.55 Ending Balance: $10,374.24 Jennifer motioned to approve, Tina seconded, motion passes Old Business: A. Christmas Books – Lyndsay has them & will distribute 1 for each student B. Santa Workshop – Dec 18th – set for the year between last year & donations – thanks Jen. Teachers will collect the $ this year. Give teachers gift tags ahead of time to be filled out or have them make their own tags. C. Christmas Parties – Dec 22nd PTO will purchase treats, plates, napkins & juice. D. Nan’s Lunch – Dec 10th for teachers E. Fundraisers - UBAM Virtual Book Order – Last week of Feb – 1st week of March. Cookie Dough – Jan 25th New Business: A. Teacher Christmas Lunch – do a Welcome back lunch to spread it out – discuss in Jan B. 100 Day Celebration - February 8th – discuss in Jan, bring ideas. C. Robert Rowe Winter Reading Program – $150 donation D. Coloring Contest – different picture for each grade & do prizes for 1st place per grade. Due 15th E. Laundry Soap - $1,172 profit, delivered on or before Jan 9th to the Middle school with a plan to do contactless delivery. Gift cards will be purchased for the top sellers from the money back from the company. Correspondence / Thank You: A. Mrs. McMahan sent a Thanks for purchasing Fitness & Fluency (she has shared it with all the teachers) also for reimbursing her for the baseball party and for the books for the class that are coming. Adjournment: Motion to adjourn at 6:06pm by Jennifer, seconded by Nicole, motion passes Next Meeting: Monday, January 11th @ 5:30pm

December Breakfast/Lunch Menu!!

Parents and Students: I hope everyone had a healthy and restful Thanksgiving! We will be returning to in person instruction on Monday, December 7th. Our goal is to remain in person until Christmas break. Our last day before break will be Tuesday, December 22nd and we will continue to dismiss at 1:45 each day until further notice. The SIP time scheduled for 12/11 and 12/22 has been cancelled and students will attend until 1:45 on both days. We look forward to seeing you all on Monday!

Notification from: Serena CUSD #2 (Admin) Dear Parents, Students, and Staff, On Wednesday, December 2nd, we will have food service available through pick-up or delivery once again. There will be 6 days worth of breakfast and lunch meals available for each child that is 18 or under, and that resides within your household. The food items that will be available will be similar to those distributed during our last food service day. Some of the food items will need to be frozen or refrigerated, some items will require preparation, and some items will be grab-and-go. Please contact Debra Fuchs, Food Service Director, at 815-792-5410 or email Debbie at dfuchs@unit2.net, if interested. The pick-up location will be the front door of the Sheridan Grade School or you may choose to have your meals delivered to your home. The deadline for orders will be tomorrow, Tuesday, December 1st, by 9:00 a.m. There is no cost for the meals. (The cost of the meals are covered through our Free and Reduced Lunch Program). However, we will need the following information to process your order correctly: The number of children in your home. The last name that the order should be placed under. (We do not need the individual names of the children.) Do you want Pick-up or Delivery? If you desire pick-up, we will need your phone number. If you wish to have the food delivered, we will need your address and phone number. Debra Fuchs - CUSD2 Director of Food Service

REMINDER!!!! If you haven’t yet got your food orders in for next weeks delivery or pick up on December 2. The deadline is December 1 to place your orders by 9 am Call 815-792-5410 or email dfuchs@unit2.net. Make sure to leave your name how many students 18 or under in your household , If you are getting delivery make sure to leave your address, for pick up or delivery please leave a phone number in case nobody is home we can give you a call. Thanks you CUSD#2 Food Service.

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff, I wanted to wish all of our parent, students, and staff a Happy Holiday this week. In times like these, it is sometimes difficult to celebrate or to find things to be grateful for but I know I am personally grateful for the love and support of my family. I am also grateful for the work of our teachers, who have adapted to incredibly difficult circumstances, our parents who altered their work schedules, our custodial staff for keeping buildings clean and sanitized, cafeteria workers for preparing meals and principals for their leadership. I am most empathetic and grateful for our students who have demonstrated tremendous patience and understanding as they navigate new learning models through this pandemic. At the end of the day, each of us is trying to do the best we can under incredibly difficult circumstances. It has not always gone smoothly, but I believe we have learned a lot since the first day of school that will make us more prepared and stronger for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year and beyond. As you know, recently, it was decided that Remote Learning would be extended. Our new goal is to return to in-person learning on Monday, December 7, which still remains our goal today. We are focusing on offering two weeks of in-person instruction from December 7 to the beginning of winter break. Two weeks may not sound like a lot, but it will allow us to finish the semester in-person, work with those students directly who seem to be struggling the most with Remote Learning, and finalize a long and ever-changing first semester. If possible, those two weeks could be extremely valuable to us and the education process. I will send out additional information early next week as we continue to monitor the COVID numbers and our ability to return on December 7. As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay at home if they develop symptoms. Anyone who does not feel well should contact his or her health care provider to determine if testing is needed. Anyone who develops severe symptoms should seek medical care immediately. We are committed to providing your child and our staff with a safe and healthy environment. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing cooperation with our COVID prevention policies and procedures as we work to help protect your children, your families, and our staff and their families. Please have a restful and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. Sincerely, Superintendent Spencer Byrd Community Unit School District #2

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff, On Wednesday, December 2nd, we will have food service available through pick-up or delivery once again. There will be 6 days of breakfast and lunch meals available for each child that is 18 or under, and that resides within your household. The food items that will be available will be similar to those distributed during our last food service day. Some items will need to be frozen or refrigerated and require preparation while others will be grab-and-go items. Please contact Debra Fuchs, Director of Food Service for CUSD #2 @ 815-792-5410 or email dfuchs@unit2.net if you are interested. Pick-up location will be the front door of the Sheridan Grade School and pick-up time will be from 10:30 to 12:30. Or, you may choose to have your meals delivered to your home on Wednesday December 2nd. The deadline for orders will be on Tuesday, December 1st, by 9:00 a.m. There is no cost for the meals. (The cost of the meals are covered through our Free and Reduced Lunch Program). However, we will need the following information to process your order appropriately: The number of children in your home. The last name that the order should be placed under. (We do not need the individual names of the children.) Do you want Pick-up or Delivery? If pick-up, we will need your phone number. If you wish to have the food delivered, we will need your address and phone number. Thank you for your patience and understanding, it is greatly appreciated. Please be safe and enjoy the upcoming holiday season. Debra Fuchs - Director of Food Service Community Unit School District #2

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff, After a lengthy discussion at the board meeting last night, it was decided that Remote Learning will be extended a week due to the continued increase of COVID related illnesses. Our new plan is to return to in-person learning on Monday, December 7th. We encourage everyone to be safe and cautious during this upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. We will continue to monitor our local and state COVID data in hopes that it will flatten or begin to decrease over the next two weeks. Our goal is to return to school on December 7th and provide in-person instruction before we pause again for winter break. To accomplish this goal, we will need everyone’s help and support. Please have a safe and happy holiday. Spencer Byrd - Superintendent

A BIG thanks to Debbie Fuchs and the Kitchen Staff for putting in the extra time and effort to serve 2450 meals yesterday. Excellent job!

REMINDER!!!! If you have not picked up your school work for November 16-24 please come to the school and pick it up. All work is in the foyer at the school. The front door remains open all the time! Stay safe and healthy!!!

COVID-19

CUSD #2 Food Orders for Wed Nov 18 (available to anyone 18 & younger in your home) must be reserved before 9 AM on Tuesday for meals to be delivered or picked up. You will receive 7 breakfasts and 7 lunches per student. No charge for meals Pick up at front doors of Sheridan Grade School ( meals will be brought out to you) or delivery will be between 10:30 and 11:30 on Wednesday, November 18. Call 815-792-5410 or email dfuchs@unit2.net to reserve your meals if you haven’t already done so.

Students work for November 16-24 will be available to pick up at the school on Friday November 13 after 3:00. You can put any completed work on the return box! Thank you for your help!!

ATTENTION!!!! Nov. 18th we will have a meal pick up or delivery, you will get 7 days worth of breakfast and lunch. Some items may be frozen with directions to store and cook, and some may be grab n go items. Lunch will be French Bread Pizza, Macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, ect. breakfast will consist of donuts, granola bars, pancakes, cereal, ect. then fruit, vegetables and Milk. Please contact Debra Fuchs in the cafeteria @ 815-792-5410 or email at dfuchs@unit2.net if you would like to reserve these meals to be picked up at Sheridan Grade School or Delivered to your home. Deliveries and pick up will be between 10:30 and 11:30 am on Wed. Nov. 18th. You will need to have your order in by Tues. Nov. 17th at 9 a.m. All I need is the number of meals for 18 and under in your home and the last name you would like the order in. If you are getting delivery make sure to give your address as well.

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff, It was our sincere hope that we would be able to continue in-person learning until at least Thanksgiving break. Unfortunately, that is not the case. At this time, we have confirmed that 5 individuals have tested positive for Coronavirus and overwhelming numbers of students and staff must now quarantine because of exposure to positive cases. As a result, all Community Unit District 2 schools will go to full remote learning starting Thursday, November 12 until Thanksgiving break. We hope to resume in-person instruction on Monday, November 30. Our schools have done their best to follow CDC and IDPH guidelines to keep students and staff safe and enable us to provide in-person instruction, which we all know is best for our community. In order for that to happen, we must rely on our families to do their part outside of school to keep transmission low. We strongly discourage sleepovers, large gatherings, and playdates while our numbers are rapidly increasing. Please wear a mask in public, maintain social distance, and wash your hands frequently. These steps are necessary to control the spread of the virus and allow us to keep our schools open. Our plan is to return to in-person instruction on Monday, November 30, but our ability to remain open after that date will largely depend on our community’s choices during remote learning and over Thanksgiving break. Those who choose to travel or gather in large groups should consider the possibility of self-quarantine, and at the very least should closely monitor symptoms. As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay at home if they develop symptoms. Sick persons should contact their health care provider to determine if testing is needed. Anyone who develops severe symptoms should seek medical care immediately. If your child has had close contact with a known case of COVID-19, keep the child at home and notify your primary healthcare provider, your child’s school, and your local health department. We are committed to providing your child and our staff with a safe and healthy environment. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing cooperation with our COVID prevention policies and procedures as we work to help protect your children, your families, and our staff and their families. For any questions or concerns, please contact your building principal directly. Sincerely, Spencer Byrd-Superintendent Community Unit School District #2