Dear District 99 Students and Families:
Our first week of Continuity Learning has come to a close. I have witnessed so many positive actions from both our staff and students this week. Despite all of the uncertainty, I am certain that our community will remain strong during these challenging times.
Upcoming Schedule
As you may know, this afternoon Governor JB Pritzker announced an immediate stay at home order in order to protect all Illinois citizens. The order starts tomorrow, Saturday, March 21 at 5 p.m. and is in effect through April 7. We had planned to open on Monday, April 6; given the announcement, we will tentatively plan to open on Wednesday, April 8. We will continue to work with our local and state officials and will announce schedule information when we are able to do so.
At this time, District 99 will continue the continuity of learning schedule planned for next week, and Spring Break will take place as scheduled. Next week, we will follow this schedule:
- March 23 - No student attendance. Staff will meet virtually to create plans for the week.
- March 24 - Continuity of learning day. By 8 a.m., students will receive an email from each of their teachers outlining the structure of the upcoming activities. Students should read each of these emails so they understand expectations for Tuesday and Wednesday.
- March 25 - Continuity of learning day.
- March 26 - 27 - No student or staff attendance.
Also next week, District 99 teachers, administrators and support staff will collaborate to continue to enhance our continuity of learning plans. We will develop a schedule that ensures students will continue to learn for the duration of this closure; we will communicate this to you in the days ahead.
Continuation of Meal Support
The Illinois State Board of Education has recently directed that school districts must provide meals to students who request assistance. District 99 has already been providing meals to those students who qualify for assistance and will continue to do so throughout the shelter-in-place. If you do not qualify but are in need of brown bag breakfast and brown bag lunch, these meals will be available to you also. All District 99 families will receive a message within the next 24 hours with details on how to obtain meals next week.
As a reminder, other local resources include:
- Northern Illinois Food Bank - click here to search
- Catholic Charities - 630-495-8008 (Se Habla Español)
- Hope House Emergency Shelter - 800-941-8681
- DuPage County Basic Needs - 630-407-6500 (Se Habla Español)
- PADS of DuPage - 630-682-3846 (Se Habla Español)
Moving Forward
During these challenging times, I hope that you will take care of yourself physically as well as mentally. Please click here for updated resources and ideas.
In addition, there’s no need for social distancing on social media. Please share your stories with others and use the hashtags #WeAreDGN, #DGSPride and #99learns. Our teachers are very active on Twitter and I encourage you to check our other channels.
Please be assured our top priority is the health and safety of our entire learning community and we appreciate your patience as we navigate these unprecedented times together.
We will continue to share information as we receive it.
Thank you for your ongoing support,
Dr. Hank Thiele
District 99 Superintendent