Superintendent Dr. Brian Wegley's Weekly Update - May 14, 2021

Superintendent Dr. Brian Wegley's Weekly Update - May 14, 2021

Dear District 30 Family,

Thank you for another good week in District 30! With a couple of weeks remaining, I continue to be incredibly proud of our teachers’ commitment, our students’ engagement, and our parents’ partnership throughout this year. I’m looking forward to ending this year strong with all of you, and I am already excited about all that next year will bring. I also wish our entire District 30 Family meaningful, well-deserved healing time over the summer!

This week includes more steps forward for our area as we progress out of this global pandemic. Vaccinations opened up for students from 12 to 15! This inspiring WGN clip of student vaccinations during the first day of eligibility included some of our very own District 30 students!

Included here are a few notes as we continue this journey together:

Registration: Our 2021-22 School Year will officially begin for students on Thursday, September 2, 2021. Registration has started, as has our planning for next year. Thank you for completing the Student Learning Status form for each student. Over 99% of our respondents indicated their students would attend our full return to daily in-person instruction in the fall. Throughout the summer, we will remain in touch with our family members who requested information for a remote option due to medical needs. Please continue to complete the full registration process as time allows.

Student Vaccinations: Thank you again to the Village of Northbrook and Jewel-Osco for putting together a local vaccination opportunity on May 18 at the former Grainger Property. There are also other local options available.

Beginning Thursday, May 13, Cook County Health is offering everyone ages 12-15 the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at eight vaccination sites across the suburbs. You can make an appointment or walk-in at any site. Patients are encouraged to bring their IDs and insurance cards. A parent or legal guardian must accompany children under 18.  The parent or legal guardian is asked to bring their ID. Visit the Cook County Health vaccine website for more information. Hours of operation are as follows:

Monday - Friday

*Des Plaines, Matteson, South Holland, River Grove, and Forest Park (8 a.m. - 8 p.m.)

*Thornton Fractional and West Leyden (10 a.m. - 8 p.m.)

*Summit (8 a.m. - 6 p.m.)

Saturday

*Des Plaines, Matteson, South Holland, River Grove, and Forest Park (8 a.m. - 6 p.m.)

*Thornton Fractional and West Leyden (8 a.m. - 6 p.m.)

*Summit (8 a.m. - 6 p.m.)

Thank you to everyone for continuing to leverage every opportunity at our disposal to fight this global pandemic. We are getting to the other side of this together!

Looking Ahead to 2021-22: As we continue to plan for full in-person learning in the fall, our excitement for next year continues to grow. We anticipate a return to more normal operations. We are optimistic that COVID-19 rates and risk will be dramatically reduced in the fall and expect a return to students rotating through their classes, along with a resumption of athletics and activities accompanied by recommended mitigation measures.

Our Elementary Capacity Project continues to move forward successfully. Foundations are poured, and walls are being constructed at Wescott. This additional classroom capacity will ensure that we will return to daily in-person instruction for all students in the fall, with Willowbrook serving pre-K through 5th-grade, Wescott serving K through 5th-grade, and Maple returning to serving only grades 6 through 8.

Board Meeting: We celebrated our amazing PTOs last night and officially thanked our PTO Co-Presidents: Ankur Singal and Norbert Barszczewski at Wescott, Tricia Brown and Danielle Pollack at Willowbrook, and Christie Hartbarger and Sonia Rizki at Maple. Please read more about the meeting in the May 13 Board Brief.

School Support: Please don’t hesitate to reach out for help through our teaching staff if and when the need arises. Remaining connected and accessing the many resources in our community is a strength.

I look forward to continuing our partnership as we care for our students and each other. Have a wonderful weekend!

Warmly,

Dr. Brian K. Wegley

Superintendent of Schools