Casey-Westfield CUSD #C-4

Sports Update - We have received state guidance for winter sports and would like to share our procedures with you. As you may have heard, fans are limited to 50 for each contest, must be distanced, and must wear a face covering. Our plan is to print tickets for players to distribute to whomever they wish. There will mostly be home fans as a result, unless players would like to distribute their tickets to the opposing team. This ticket will get you in the doors where you will pay the normal gate entry fee. The amount of tickets each team member will receive depends on how many students are on each roster. We will be clearing the gym to sanitize between games and allowing a new set of fans into the gym for the second contest if applicable. It is possible for fans to receive tickets to more than one contest per day if a player plays on more than one roster. If this is the case, only one gate fee will be charged. There are no restrictions on the age of fans at this time. We plan to have grab and go concessions available at most events, pending available personnel. We are also working on a way to stream or record events so that online viewing is possible. For students involved in band, sideline cheerleading, and dance activities, we are currently looking into ways we can help provide opportunities to showcase students' talents. This may be in the form of special cheer or dance nights, band concerts, pep rallies, etc. We also plan to have these students available at home football games this spring, and possibly other outdoor events. We currently don't have updated guidance for the months ahead, and this is subject to change based on the conditions of the pandemic at that time. In a normal situation without these invasive restrictions, students involved in these activities would be welcomed into games. However, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) does not recognize these students as essential participants. Further, with rules stating that no person may be seated within 30 feet of the playing surface, and rules prohibiting yelling, singing, or shouting by anyone in the gym, it makes it impossible to include them. Many of our policies are in line with our conference schools. Much deliberation has taken place by administrators in these districts to provide the maximum benefit for our athletes. We also recognize that our students in activities hold great importance. Further planning will be done to ensure we maximize opportunities for them as well. However, please know that this pandemic has taken away opportunities for every one of our students for nearly a year now. Very few have evaded losing out on something that is important to them as a result. There is no perfect way of handling this crisis. Please know that we are doing our very best with the cards we have been dealt. We have done a great job with containing the virus in our school and community by following guidelines. We will continue taking precautions and providing safe opportunities for our students. However, this safety does come at a cost, and will inevitably result in fewer opportunities for all involved. I ask you to focus on the exciting parts of this situation and appreciate the opportunities our student-athletes do have at this time. I never imagined we would have sports in the state of Illinois during the month of February. This is a huge victory! Please be patient and remember that we still have several months left of our sports seasons (through mid June). A lot can happen in this timeframe. In the meantime, remember we have to follow the IDPH guidelines to not only stay healthy, but to limit our district's liability. Your cooperation is extremely beneficial and appreciated! This is a very difficult situation for everyone. We stand with you in disappointment for any sports or activities our students are losing out on. Much of this situation is beyond the district's control. However, we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel with fewer positive cases and quarantines. There are better days soon to come! Jon Julius, Superintendent

Spring picture day for Monroe Elementary School is scheduled for Friday, February 19, 2021. The process for Spring pictures this year will be prepay only! The only students that will be photographed are the ones that prepay online or provide the teacher an envelope with payment on picture day. No envelopes or orders will be accepted at the school after picture day. You may order online at https://inter-state.com/order. This picture day event's online order code is 56706FF. Picture envelopes will be sent home with students on Tuesday, February 9th.

We have great news! Sports are back! We aren’t in full swing just yet but we are ready to get the ball rolling. Coaches are scheduling practices now! We have limited information and will release more when we have it. Until then, enjoy this leap towards normalcy!

Dear C-W families, We wanted to take a moment to remind you of our COVID-19 policies. Please be diligent about following the guidelines- it’s helping to keep our students in school. Please monitor your student daily for the following symptoms: a temperature equal to or greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, headache, shortness of breath, cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, runny nose, congestion, loss of sense of taste or smell, nausea, fatigue from unknown cause, or muscle/body aches. If your student has one or more of these symptoms- they cannot come to school. Contact the school nurse for further instructions. If you have a student who is staying home with one or more of these symptoms, all students who live in the home cannot come to school. Contact the school nurse for further instructions. If anyone in the home has been tested, your student cannot come to school until the person tested has received negative results. If anyone in the home has tested positive for COVID-19, your student cannot come to school until cleared by Clark County Health department. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school nurse. Thank you for your cooperation!

Reminder- There is NO SCHOOL on MONDAY, Jan 18, 2021 due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Holiday

Parents: All student report cards, for the second quarter, will be available for viewing on Teacherease after 2pm today, January 8, 2021. Thanks! Have a great weekend!

Monroe Parents: Just a reminder that this Friday, Dec. 18, 2020 will be our last school day before our winter break. All students will be dismissed at Monroe at 1:45 pm. There will be no ASC. Please make sure that your student knows their dismissal plans. Students will return on Jan 5 at the regular time. Thank you for your help and patience this first semester. It has been greatly appreciated by all staff as we wade through the murky waters of school in a pandemic!. We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Stay healthy and safe! See you in 2021!

Monroe Parents: Our next return date for students in remote learning in Tues., Jan 5, 2021. If you wish for your child(ren) to return to in-person learning on Jan 5, 2021, please contact Monroe Elementary office staff at 1-833-888-8101. If you have already contacted Monroe office, please disregard this notice. Thank you!

Monroe Elementary is continuing to experience issues with our main phone line. Please use 833-888-8101 (toll free) to contact Monroe Elementary. This will be a permanent change, please update Monroe Elementary’s contact information on your phone.

Here is an update on our student numbers. Monroe has 14 quarantined and no active cases. The JH has 1 quarantined and no active cases. The high school has 2 active cases and 12 others quarantined. Of those that are in-person learning, about 96% are able to attend. Please continue to be diligent in washing your hands often, social distancing, and keeping everyone in your family as healthy as possible so we can keep our doors open. Remember, don't send students to school if they aren't feeling well. Stay healthy, enjoy your weekend, and thanks so much for your support!

Monroe Parents: Reminder that with the Holiday dismissal tomorrow, Tues. 11.24.2020, there will be no Homework Help or ASC. Please plan according and make sure your child and their teacher is aware of their dismissal plans. Notice was also provided via DOJO and teacherease.

This is a reminder that tomorrow (Tuesday), dismissal will be like a regular day (1:45 at Monroe). There will not be any after school care or homework help so be sure to make arrangements! We still plan to welcome back in-person learners to the 7-12 building on Monday following the break. Please have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Updated numbers: Currently, there are still two positive cases that are affiliated with Monroe. About 93% of students and staff are able to attend. School staff continue to diligently monitor any adverse situations when they occur and are immediately able to mitigate risk. Pro status! According to our data and the data from other area districts, we are seeing virtually no transmission within our schools. This is great news!

Junior High and high school students and parents: due to the current climate, students will attend tomorrow and prepare for full remote learning beginning Wed., Nov 18. The current return date to full in-person learning is the Monday after Thanksgiving break. Mr. Sullivan will be emailing parents and students with more details within the next day.

Dear parents, staff, and students, As you may be aware, the COVID situation has been trending in a direction that is not desirable. However, with flu season upon us, we shouldn't be too surprised. As we enter the colder months, it's more important now than ever to take precautions to stay healthy. Making sure your students are eating well, getting enough rest, and creating positivity for them at home will benefit them in their mental health, along with their physical health. Being healthy will set them up to succeed in the classroom. Be sure to continue with diligence in checking symptoms daily and if your student doesn't feel well, please keep them at home. This week, we are experiencing our largest number of active cases (3) and quarantines (77). The board of education and I still feel that it is important to offer in-person learning and we will continue to do so as long as it is sustainable. We still have about 91% of our students and staff able to attend. Please keep in mind that online learning is immediately available at any time you feel the school buildings are not safe enough for your student to attend. Any student that is remote learning has the ability to come back to in-person at the end of each quarter and at each of the mid-term points in the quarter. Ultimately, we want to see as many students as we can everyday. However, we respect any decision made to remote learn as well. The school staff, in coordination with the Clark County Health Department, continues to be diligent in quarantining appropriate people in our school buildings in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID to others. These efforts, while likely annoying and inconvenient to those quarantined, have effectively mitigated the spread in our schools and community, and have allowed us great success in keeping our doors open to students. This cannot be overlooked and I applaud the community for the patience and understanding they have afforded us throughout the year. Please know that our students and staff have done a tremendous job following suggested health guidelines, which has also contributed to our success thus far. I urge everyone to do their part to continue this trend. There has been little to no evidence of any spread happening in the schools. There have also been studies published showing that children are less susceptible to catching and spreading the virus. Through our experience and the research available, I am confident in saying that school is one of the safest places for our children. I hope this information eases any anxiety you may be experiencing regarding this situation. Many of you may also be interested in the district's stance on athletics. We have seen a lot of success in following the guidelines set by the Illinois Department of Public Health thus far. There is no indication for us to assume that by not following their guideline to delay the winter sports season, we will continue with this success. Therefore, as much as I hate to share this bad news, it is highly likely that the winter seasons will be delayed at a minimum. There would be a tremendous amount of liability involved and it is probable that we would be uninsured if we were to proceed with the seasons. Obviously this is a huge disappointment and a travesty for our athletes but it is a decision that preserves the district's long term success, and ultimately, its athletic programs. It's been our motto to take one day at a time and keep striving for excellence as much as the situation allows us to. Be patient and kind. Look for, and celebrate, positivity. This isn't easy for anyone but we are building our endurance for greater things to come. Hang in there and please know we are doing our very best to provide a quality education for our students, despite these troubling times. Jon Julius, PhD Superintendent of Schools Casey-Westfield CUSD #4

Monroe Parents, On September 2, 2020, we shared a request for assistance from you. We asked your help when dropping off your student(s), in the mornings at Monroe, that you do not block any driveways while you are waiting your turn to move forward and let your child(ren) out. It appears that we are still having issues with driveways being blocked while you wait to drop students off in the morning. Please help us by making sure that you allow for all driveways along the south side of Monroe street between Rt 49 and the school to remain open and clear. We also have been informed there is quite a line that builds on Rt 49 waiting to turn onto Monroe in the mornings. We ask that instead of stopping on a highway, please come one road east and wait on 1st street until it is your time to move toward the school. We know the line moves pretty quickly once we open our doors but we are still blocking traffic on Rt. 49 and driveways along Monroe. We just want to make sure that all vehicles can easily access all residences and facilities along those routes, at all times. We appreciate your assistance in this matter.

Reminder: No school Monday, Nov. 2 due to school improvement planning and no school Tuesday, Nov. 3 due to the Election Day state holiday this year. Enjoy the big Halloween weekend and be safe!

Just a reminder: no school tomorrow, Oct. 16 as it is a remote planning day for staff.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced waiver extensions that will allow schools to operate Summer Meals programs through the end of School Year 2020-21. This means all meals (breakfast and lunch) are free for all students for the rest of the school year, excluding extra items.

Reminder: Monday, Oct. 12 there is no school due to the Columbus Day holiday. Also, Friday, Oct. 16 there is no school as the staff will have a remote planning day. Enjoy these three day weekends!