Good Afternoon, District 109 Families:

We hope this email finds you well and enjoying the warmer temperatures. We are connecting with you to provide some updates as we enter our 5th week of eLearning and to seek feedback on our eLearning practices. We will continue to be in touch as the year unfolds remotely, and thank you immensely for your support, partnership, and dedication along this journey! 

Our Pledge to You
Per the Governor’s announcement on Friday, while we had hoped to return to in-person learning this year, we pledge to continue putting forth every effort to provide quality eLearning opportunities for our 3,000 students. We cannot replicate the high quality, in-person environment that you have come to expect; however, we are thankful for our teachers, support staff, instructional coaches, and building leaders who have worked tirelessly to make the best of an unprecedented situation. Our mission is to “provide innovative educational experiences of the highest quality that engage, inspire and empower each student to excel and contribute to improving the world.” We will strive to accomplish this goal remotely, and look forward to the day we can reunite with our students! 

Feedback Opportunity
District 109 values parent feedback and input. If you are interested in sharing feedback with us regarding the Remote Learning process or activities, please complete this feedback form by Thursday, April 23rd. We will be providing more opportunities to garner your input as the year unfolds remotely.

End-Of-Year Protocols
The district has several decisions to make now that it has been confirmed we will not be returning to in-person learning this school year. As we end 2019-2020 remotely, our school teams will be carefully considering year-end protocols that are in the best interest of our students and families, while also allowing staff to continue with preparations for the school year ahead. Please be on the lookout for updates in the upcoming weeks. We promise to communicate soon about cleaning out lockers, device collection, graduation, report cards, Extended School Year (ESY), 2020-21 placement decisions, etc.  

Student Services
If your child receives special education services, per an Individualized Education Program (IEP), please click here for additional information from our Student Services Department.

Parent FAQ
This document was previously shared by our building principals, but we hope this Parent FAQ answers some common questions. As always, if we can be of any assistance, please reach out to your child’s teacher, building leadership team, or a member of the Teaching and Learning Department. 

No eLearning on Friday, May 1st or Friday, May 15th
With Friday’s unfortunate announcement that Illinois schools will remain closed for the remainder of the year, Friday, May 1st and Friday, May 15th will be utilized as a professional learning and planning day for staff. On these days, your child will not receive any new assignments from their teacher(s) nor will teachers hold their office hours. Students can use these days to complete previously assigned material, work on extensions, or independently practice on some of the digital tools by clicking here.

Your partners in education,

Scott Schwartz and Danielle Arnold

Scott Schwartz, Ed.D. 
Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning, & Innovation
847-945-1844 x7237

Danielle Arnold 
Director for Learning and Innovation
847-945-1844 x7220
darnold@dps109.org