Staunton Community Unit School District No. 6

Dear Staunton CUSD #6 Families, I hope this message finds you and your family healthy and well. We are seven weeks into the school year and the seasons are changing. It will be interesting to see how things go in the coming months when flu and COVID collide. Many of the same symptoms between the two will make it very difficult to know whether to treat kids per COVID or the flu. I hope the flu takes it easy on us as we maneuver the challenges. Please be cautious and not send your student to school if they are not feeling well. It’s hard to believe the end of the 1st quarter is near. The first two months of school has brought many emotions. The balance of determining the safest environment with measured risks and providing a quality education program is wearing on everyone. I have had the luxury of talking with parents of students who have not been affected due to absences related to COVID as well as those who have. The story is very similar from a large majority of them. Our kids need to be in school! I agree with our parents and that is why I have been taking the road much less traveled over the last seven weeks. A person who has not seen the benefit of students attending school cannot understand the impact it has on every aspect of their lives. It continues to be challenging and will be so for in the foreseeable future. That said, I have been committed to providing a full In-Person learning environment because I know it is what is best for our students. Our staff’s ability to stay healthy will be a driving force if students can attend school in person. This brings me to another point. We need substitutes who can report to work during times that staff cannot. The last couple of weeks were the first really difficult days we experienced with the shortage of substitutes. It is not that we have had an enormous number of staff absent, we simply do not have enough substitutes. If you are interested in being a substitute please contact Trish Steelman at 618-635-2962 to express your interest. The qualifications needed to be a substitute teacher in our district is located on our school website. Many districts across the state of Illinois have begun to return to school this month. Remote learning continue to be a challenge for all districts including Staunton CUSD #6. We have just under 200 students currently remote learning district wide. Many of these students are not engaging during the expected times and this presents a major problem. Students who are in remote learning are expected to engage at the times established by their teachers. When this does not occur, many absences and missed work result. Because of the these ongoing concerns I am going to open up school to any Elective Remote learner to return to In-Person learning for the second quarter beginning on October 19th. The administration team and I will minimally impact class sizes, especially at the primary and elementary levels. Our protocols will remain the same as this shift occurs. I ask that only parents wishing to change their child’s educational environment to do so in the form linked below. Please understand this selection will go into effect beginning on Monday, October 19 and will go through Tuesday, December 22. This form must be completed by a parent or guardian by Friday, October 9th at 4:00 PM for each student requesting a change in their learning. For families wishing to CHANGE their current learning environment, please click the following link: https://bit.ly/30iT2MI Lastly, as the year continues to unfold there is a strong need to amend the existing school calendar. The current school calendar in place was designed without COVID in mind. Due to the staggered schedule put in place this school year, and the need for teacher remote learning planning and professional development, the school calendar has been revised. Please review the revised school calendar closely as there are several dates that have been modified and/or changed. Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on October 21st through October 23rd. More information on Parent Teacher Conferences will be coming to you soon from your child's school. You can find the revised school calendar for the 20-21 school year here: https://5il.co/8ndl Thank you for your continuous patience and support. Together we can continue to lead, challenge and achieve. Be careful and stay safe! Sincerely, Cynthia Tolbert, Superintendent

DON'T FORGET! The school district is continuing to offer FREE breakfast and lunch to any child, ages 18 years old and younger, who lives in the Staunton School District through the month of December! To learn more information, click the linked news article below. News Article Link: https://www.stauntonschools.org/article/300916?org=district #BulldogPride #TerrierPride #LeadChallengeAchieve

Staunton Families, A letter was sent to via email and posted to the website regarding student MAP testing a couple of weeks ago. Our district is working within each building to review this assessment data and identify where each student is performing academically. Teams within the three buildings will be identifying students needing help in the areas of Math or ELA. Students identified will then be provided supports and interventions to help them improve academically. If your child needs extra supports to help them improve in either academic area, a letter will be sent home to let you know the academic area(s) and interventions and supports that will be provided. If you have any questions when you receive this letter, please contact the building administrator. Thank you, Nancy Werden Educational Services Coordinator

The Staunton School District is in search of a paraprofessional! Duties will be primarily supervisory. Please review the linked job posting. Job Posting Link: https://5il.co/kqjt #BulldogPride #TerrierPride #LeadChallengeAchieve

Staunton Families: Let us know anonymously when you know of anything that threatens the safety of our school using the SAFE SCHOOL HELPLINE. Review the attached flyer for more information. #BulldogPride #TerrierPride #LeadChallengeAchieve

1st quarter midterm grades can be found in Schoology or Skyward. Please check both locations for your child's 1st quarter grades.

Staunton Families: The school district is excited to announce that we are able to offer FREE breakfast and lunch to any child, ages 18 years old and younger, who lives in the Staunton School District through the month of December! The free meal service will begin on Wednesday, September 9th and will continue through Tuesday, December 22nd. To learn more information, click the linked news article below. News Article Link: https://www.stauntonschools.org/article/300916?org=district #BulldogPride #TerrierPride #LeadChallengeAchieve

The Staunton School District is in search of a paraprofessional! Duties will be primarily supervisory. Please review the linked job posting. Job Posting Link: https://5il.co/kqjt #BulldogPride #TerrierPride #LeadChallengeAchieve

Staunton Families: The school district is excited to announce that we are able to offer FREE breakfast and lunch to any child, ages 18 years old and younger, who lives in the Staunton School District through the month of December! The free meal service will begin next Wednesday, September 9th and will continue through Tuesday, December 22nd. To learn more information, click the linked news article below. News Article Link: https://www.stauntonschools.org/article/300916?org=district #BulldogPride #TerrierPride #LeadChallengeAchieve

Staunton Families: This is a reminder that on Friday, September 4th, the Staunton School District will be running an early out schedule. The schedule is attached for your review in advance of Friday. Students in 6th - 12th Grade will be dismissed from school at 11:18 AM. Students in K - 5th Grade will be dismissed at 12:30 PM. #BulldogPride #TerrierPride #LeadChallengeAchieve

Searching for a rewarding job? Become a Substitute Teacher! Earn up to $105 per day dependent on qualifications. Click the link below to learn more information about becoming a substitute for the Staunton School District. Informational Link: https://bit.ly/3bkDDQ0 If you have further questions, please contact applications@stauntonschools.org. #BulldogPride #TerrierPride #LeadChallengeAchieve

Staunton Families: This is a reminder that on Friday, September 4th, the Staunton School District will be running an early out schedule. The schedule is attached for your review in advance of Friday. Students in 6th - 12th Grade will be dismissed from school at 11:18 AM. Students in K - 5th Grade will be dismissed at 12:30 PM. #BulldogPride #TerrierPride #LeadChallengeAchieve

Staunton Families: This is just a reminder that students in Preschool, Kindergarten, Sixth grade, Freshman, and Seniors must submit medical requirements. Medical requirements are due by October 15th, 2020 in order to remain in attendance. THIS APPLIES FOR BOTH REMOTE AND IN-PERSON LEARNING. Documents can be turned into the office, emailed or faxed (618) 635-4637. If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Ali at 618.635.3831 x253 or ahughes@stauntonschools.org Please follow the link for your students requirements! https://www.stauntonschools.org/o/district/browse/66819

There have been some questions about what time breakfast begins for In-Person learners. Junior High and High School students can eat breakfast starting at 7 AM, and Elementary students can eat breakfast starting at 8 AM.

Staunton Families: Please complete the linked survey about Remote Learning and Schoology. This will assist the school district as we move forward with the 2020 school year. Please submit your response by September 2nd. Thank you! Survey Link: https://bit.ly/3ljoUtf #BulldogPride #TerrierPride #LeadChallengeAchieve

Reminder: Students will return back to school on Wednesday, August 26th for In-Person learning. All athletics will resume. We look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday morning!

Dear Staunton Families, There have been some questions on why students will be returning to school earlier than anticipated. To help alleviate confusion, I want to be transparent with you on why the decision was made for students and staff to return to school on Wednesday, August 26th. The Macoupin County Department of Health has made contact with all the necessary individuals that needed to quarantined due to last week’s situation. Individuals required to quarantine under the direction of the Macoupin County Health Department will not be returning to school until they are officially released by the Health Department to return to school. Since students left Thursday, our district custodial staff has been working diligently sanitizing and cleaning all of the buildings. Knowing the most recent situation has been controlled by the Macoupin County Department of Health and all district safety measures have been met, we are ready to bring students back to In-Person learning on Wednesday. Our Elective Remote learning students will continue to follow the Elective Remote learning plan beginning on Wednesday, August 26th. Our goal at Staunton Schools is to continue to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for all our students while meeting their social, emotional and educational needs. The district administration and I appreciate your continuous support in helping us provide a safe learning environment for all our students. Sincerely, Cynthia Tolbert Superintendent

Good Morning Families, Good news! Students are able to return back to school for In-Person learning earlier than expected. Students will return back to school on Wednesday, August 26th. Athletics will resume. We look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday morning!

FOOD SERVICE TIME UPDATE: Staunton Families: Due to the school closure August 24th - August 28th, we are planning to offer 'grab and go' pre-packaged breakfast and/or lunch to students in the district. Please complete the linked survey below if you plan to pick up breakfast and/or lunch for your student(s). Completion of the survey will help the district in planning for the distribution of the pre-packaged meals. Meals can be picked up in the Bus Lane on the Staunton Schools campus or at the Bus Garage in Livingston. Starting, Tuesday, August 25th, both Breakfast and Lunch will be distributed to families from 7:15 AM - 9:15 AM. Breakfast Prices: Paid-$1.75, Reduced-$0.30, and Free - $0.00 Lunch Prices: Paid-$2.86, Reduced-$0.40, and Free-$0.00 Meal Survey Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSem-lCHN2HpcoltdxbBdlk0rVAwehAFyw_CtlhQ6a1uZRZa8A/viewform

Staunton Families: Due to the school closure August 24th - August 28th, we are planning to offer 'grab and go' pre-packaged breakfast and/or lunch to students in the district. Please complete the linked survey below if you plan to pick up breakfast and/or lunch for your student(s). Completion of the survey will help the district in planning for the distribution of the pre-packaged meals. Meals can be picked up in the Bus Lane on the Staunton Schools campus or at the Bus Garage in Livingston. Breakfast is served from 7:15 AM - 7:45 AM. Lunch is served from 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM. Breakfast Prices: Paid-$1.75, Reduced-$0.30, and Free - $0.00 Lunch Prices: Paid-$2.86, Reduced-$0.40, and Free-$0.00 Meal Survey Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSem-lCHN2HpcoltdxbBdlk0rVAwehAFyw_CtlhQ6a1uZRZa8A/viewform #BulldogPride #TerrierPride #LeadChallengeAchieve