As educators, it’s the time of year that we appreciate being able to experience the joy of learning and celebrating with your students. It deeply saddens all of us that we will not be able to enjoy the end-of-year school activities and celebratory events in-person and we are grateful for your continued patience and understanding as we work through this closure together. 

In order to prepare for our transition to summer, as well as continue planning for the 2020-2021 school year, we wanted to update students and families regarding what the end of this school year will look like for our schools.

Modified District Calendar

We have updated our district calendar with specific end-of-year dates for elementary, middle school, and high school activities for the month of May.  Please click the link to review important dates for remote learning, remote learning planning days, honors night, graduation, and student material pickup. 

Student Material Pickup

Each individual school will be notifying families with dates and times when they can return to schools to pick up any remaining student items. We will be following the current CDC/IDPH guidelines to ensure everyone can do this safely and will be offering drive-thru curbside pickup.  Our building staff members have been collecting, bagging and labeling student items in plastic bags from student lockers and classrooms.  Each building will provide communication on the scheduled times and procedures for this process. 

Other than our Seniors, student Chromebooks and textbooks will not be collected over the summer.  The use of technology has definitely impacted our ability to enhance instructional delivery during our school closure and our expectation continues to be that these devices are used appropriately for learning during the summer months.  In most cases, you are familiar with the online resources your child now has access and we hope they continue learning during the summer.  The District has installed technology protection measures for all computers in the District, which will continue to block and/or filter content.  If students attempt to utilize content that is not for academic purposes, accounts may be locked to prevent further use.  While we are fortunate to have these measures in place, there are no protection measures that are better than adult supervision.  Please be aware and continually take time to discuss with your child the appropriate use of the device while at home.   

There will be a library book drop off box available at each school building during the days labeled on our calendar as “School Material Pickup”. Parents are encouraged to return library or classroom library books at the time they are scheduled to pick up student materials. 

Remote Learning

The last day of remote learning for Seniors is May 8th.  The last day of remote learning for grades PreK-11 is May 21st. Secondary schools have posted daily school schedule rotations on our COVID remote learning website for your review. Just a reminder that students' 4th quarter evaluation will continue to be determined upon the level of effort, engagement, and work completed during the closure.  As described in the 6-12 Parent Remote Learning Plan, students' final grade reports will be at least the same grade as their 3rd quarter grade if students have stayed actively engaged in their learning. Students at the elementary level will not receive a traditional report card.  Elementary teachers will be sending written communication of student progress and suggestions for summer learning.  Please ensure that your children are engaged with their teacher(s) as they finish the final month of school.  As we initially mentioned, the joy of learning is greatly enhanced for most when done in-person and collaboratively.  I think we can agree that after a month and a half of remote learning, we understand that learning alone has become a bit mundane.  We appreciate your involvement, encouragement, and willingness to work to maintain your child's energy towards learning at home. 

High School Graduation

You might have noticed in your neighborhood and around town that we have a special group of students who are being recognized as they wrap up their high school career at Triad CUSD #2.  Districts throughout Illinois have received joint guidance from ISBE and IDPH that, in lieu of a traditional ceremony, districts may choose to postpone until a later date or offer a virtual event. We will continue to have hope that an in-person graduation ceremony will happen in July.

Triad is planning to have hybrid virtual graduation for Seniors on Sunday, May 31st at 2pm.  The hybrid version of our graduation will involve students being videotaped receiving their diploma and the virtual part will be a Facebook Live and TNT network broadcast of the entire ceremony involving student speeches and recognition. Please look for specific links as event details become available.

We hope that the celebration won’t stop there and that you will take part in helping us recognize the 2020 Seniors in a different way this school year.  We encourage you to recognize their achievements and perseverance with social media “shout outs” and a honk when you go by a 2020 Graduate yard sign as a way to show you are proud of all they have achieved. 

Kindergarten Registration

We need your assistance and believe that you can assist us in identifying parents of students in the Class of 2033 and inviting them to complete our Kindergarten Registration Survey.  Please share these links below with families in the area that may have a Kindergarten age student anticipating attending Triad in the Fall of 2020.  We have designed an online informational presentation and registration in the hope that these parents take a moment to complete the registration information so that we can make plans for their attendance in 2020-21.   

• Initial Registration - https://forms.gle/Qimjn972pc1w42pq7

• Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1EzVIAe55k&t=24s

Student Meal Support

We continue to encourage all families to take advantage of this offer to ensure all of our children are fed. Our student meals will continue Monday-Friday until May 26th. Triad bus drivers and support staff will continue utilizing our bus routes to deliver meals at bus stops daily and via drive-thru pick up at Henning, St. Jacob, and Marine school sites. This brown-bag lunch program contains two meals; one student lunch and a grab & go breakfast item for the following morning. 

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) launched the Pandemic EBT application for families on May 1st at https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access/. P-EBT is a new special benefit that can help families buy food for their school-age children who would normally receive the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) free or reduced-priced meals when schools are in session. All families with school-age children who attend schools approved for Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) are eligible for the benefits as they receive NSLP meals at no charge.

Families that currently receive SNAP benefits do not need to apply for P-EBT benefits. These additional P-EBT benefits will be loaded into Illinois LINK EBT accounts along with regular SNAP benefits. Families who do not currently receive SNAP benefits but do have children who receive NSLP free or reduced-priced meals will need to apply directly with IDHS. The fastest way for families to receive benefits is to complete the application for P-EBT available online.  

School and Central Office Buildings

We continue to implement procedures to limit access to our buildings. Essential employees in our schools and central office building continue to report to work each day and will continue to work throughout the summer months. If you need any assistance during the month of May, school offices will continue to be open from 9am-2pm and the Central Office is open from 8am-4pm for issues that might arise. We encourage you to call the building prior to attempting to visit any school (Building Contact Information).

Staff Appreciation

Over the course of the last month, we have appreciated hearing the many inspiring examples of teachers making sure students are engaged and feel safe and secure during the closure. Neither educators nor parents were trained in Remote Learning and yet both have jumped into this type of learning with virtually no experience and found success!  I think this teamwork speaks volumes for what has been accomplished on behalf of the children in our communities.  We all should be proud of our students’ and teachers’ resilience during this trying time. As Teacher Appreciation Week begins, I hope you will join us in expressing our gratitude to all teachers... especially Triad teachers!  

Congratulations to Lucinda Ball, Paraprofessional at Triad MS, and Karen Howard, Administrative Assistant at Triad HS who recently were recognized by the Illinois Education Association Region 5.   They were named Outstanding Support Personnel for Triad! 

Please take care of yourself and your family. Thank you for supporting each other and celebrating our successes as we close out the school year.

Illinois Governor Announcement

Today, State officials announced the suspension of in-person learning for the remainder of the school year. We will update our Triad COVID-19 Information website with specific details for the implications of this decision for our district, students and families. In the near future, please plan to review an updated remote learning district calendar for the month of May. Next week we will begin to address several end-of-year events and celebrations that previously were postponed and will need to be rescheduled for later dates.

This announcement may not come as a surprise to some, while others this is the realization that the end of this school year will be different than what they would have expected. Just as in the past month, we hope to continue to face this reality together. #TriadProud

Modified April School Calendar

We have posted a modified school calendar for April [ https://bit.ly/Triad2_Covid19 ]. A couple of significant days to highlight:

• April 9th & 10 - Spring Break (No remote learning and no meals)

• April 13 & 27th - Remote Learning Planning Days (No remote learning.) Brown-bag lunches will be delivered to your typical bus stop location and available at school locations.

Student Meals

You may have heard that several bus meal deliveries had a Chicken Patty Friday! As we continue our breakfast/lunch meal delivery, some of the brown bag lunches will contain frozen pre-cooked foods (Chicken McNuggets, corn dogs, hamburger patty, etc). Please visit our website to obtain heating instructions for either the oven or microwave. If you choose not to eat the meal on the day of the delivery, please refrigerate or freeze immediately.

Remote Learning Plans

Do you find yourself asking questions like… How long should your child be working on academic activities each day? ...How will my child’s progress be reported?... What subject is being taught today? Triad has taken the opportunity to design and publish remote learning plans for parents that fit with our current technology capabilities specific to each level (i.e. PK-1, 2-5, 6-8 and 9-12). It is our hope that these plans will allow you to better understand the structure for remote learning, attendance expectations, daily schedules, and grading. Please take the time to review your child’s grade-level remote learning plan.

Website Information

In an effort to keep you updated and informed over the period of the school closure, we have re-organized our website [ https://bit.ly/Triad2_Covid19 ] to contain a specific section for school closure communication and services. We hope this will be a helpful resource if you are searching for something in particular in the future.

Thank you for being patient over the past two weeks while we shifted gears to a new way of teaching and learning. The Governor announced today an extension of the stay-in-place and school closure until the end of April.

Beginning Wednesday, April 1st Triad CUSD 2 will make the switch from Act of God Days to Remote Learning/e-Learning Days. This past weekend the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released guidance on Remote Learning Recommendations.

During the first two weeks of the closure, Triad implemented e-Learning which essentially is the same as Remote Learning. The guidance by ISBE is closely aligned to Triad’s e-Learning Plan. Two of the main differences between Act of God days/e-Learning days and designate Remote Learning days are as follows:

• Student attendance information will be collected and used when making decisions about how to service students when we transition back to the classroom. It is important that we understand your child’s participation in learning activities during the closure.

• Activities and assignments may count towards students’ grades. This is particularly important at grades 6-12. Students with an “incomplete” at the end of the closure will have to complete the work before a grade or credit can be earned.

During the extended closure, the district’s priorities will continue to focus on the needs and well-being of the students and families, to ensure meal service is provided and to continue providing remote learning activities for all students.

We have learned a lot about providing e-learning/remote learning in a short time. We are extremely proud of the Triad staff for continuing their work despite the challenges, questions, and concerns that are raised.

Remote Learning Planning Day

Due to the extended closure announcement today, we will provide the staff with a day to review, to plan and to prepare for the coming weeks. On Friday, April 3rd, Triad Staff will have opportunities to teleconference with their colleagues and to participate remotely in professional development activities. Students will have the day to enjoy activities with their families, engage in learning activities remaining on their choice boards or catch up on learning activities they’ve missed. Students will not be reporting attendance on Friday, April 3rd.

We have posted a modified school calendar for the month of April on our website [bit.ly/TCUSD_April2020]

With only two weeks of the school closure behind us, it seems without an official word from Governor Pritzker, that schools will remain closed until the spread of Covid-19 is under control and experts in the field deem it safe to go back to school. Until we are reopened, Triad will continue to engage and support students remotely and to deliver breakfast and lunch to neighborhoods, as well as, be available for pick-up at C. A. Henning, St. Jacob Elementary and Marine Elementary. Check the district website for more detailed information.

With the closure being extended from March 30th to April 7th, the Illinois State Board of Education will release guidelines to districts on how teaching, learning and assessing students might look in the weeks ahead. We are confident that our staff is ready to meet the challenges of serving students and families very differently. We appreciate your patience and support as we navigate our way through the school closure.

Tech Support

With our student Chromebooks going home for the first time for some of our students, we know that there are going to be some technical issues. Please visit our tech support website at TriadTSI.org or use the link from any school building website which will direct you to a web-based form. We are addressing these issues as quickly as we can and hope we can continue to support your needs at home.

Triad Elementary Building News

Beyond the Bell Program

While Beyond the Bell is not able to provide child care during this mandated school closure, a credit has been issued to your account for non-attendance days between March 17th and March 30th. At this time, if you are current with your Beyond the Bell payment (i.e., paid for March services), please hold off on making April's payment (due April 1st). Stay connected with Triad for further communication regarding the closure of our schools.

Kindergarten Registration

Depending on the status of the school closure, we will announce a future date in April or release an online presentation that will include an initial registration process for parents to complete. It is important that we collect this information during mid-April as we make plans for programs and staff for the 2020-21 school year. Please assist us in passing this information along to families with Kindergarten age students.

Report Cards

Elementary report cards were mailed today, Friday, March 27th. Progress summaries from IEPs are either included in the mailing or were sent in as a PDF through email.

School Staff Video Messages to Students

* Silver Creek (https://youtu.be/lV_OccRzkSI)

* C.A. Henning (https://youtu.be/oE7alcD0sEg)

* Marine (https://youtu.be/uil861rxNvs)

* St. Jacob (https://youtu.be/AeqBVBFSVx4)

Triad Middle School

Report Cards

Third-quarter report cards have been posted through the PlusPortals website.

TMS Staff Video Message to students - https://youtu.be/h1ZFCHZlv28

Triad High School News

Report Cards

Third-quarter report cards have been posted through the PlusPortals website. A traditional report card may be printed out in a PDF format by accessing the E-Locker, which is towards the top of PlusPortals. Within the E-Locker, access the E-Portfolio tab for a traditional view of a report card. Parents may want to use this form in certification of student grades for auto insurance, etc. Other items on the top of the report card tab are the cumulative grade point average (GPA) labeled as, adjusted GPA (weighted), simple GPA (unweighted), and cumulative credits earned.

Student Schedule Changes for 20-21

Students for the coming school year need to have their schedules finalized by 4/1/20. If there is a question about schedules next year, please email your counselor.

College/University/Scholarship Applications Seniors should have completed all college applications and financial aid forms by this time. If you have not completed this, please email your counselor. Students should also inform colleges by May 1st as to whether or not they will be attending their school. You do not need to let them know until this date, so please take the time to think about which school best fits your needs. Once you decide on a school, please send in the deposit to your school by May 1st. Seniors will be asked where they would like a copy of their final transcript sent to after graduation. Final transcripts will be sent in early June. Seniors can check scholarship availability at the THS Guidance webpage. Many local scholarships are now available. Scholarships are added on a continuous basis, so check back often! Additionally, colleges that you are applying to will have scholarships available on their financial page.

THS staff video message to students - https://youtu.be/IwVBTl7DKSk

Today, State officials announced a ‘stay-at-home’ order.. The details of this announcement will be available at https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/coronavirus/Pages/default.aspx.

In addition to the ‘stay-at-home’ order, the public school closure will be extended for an additional week - as a precaution for the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure for all Illinois schools will now continue through April 7th. This includes students who attend special education schools outside of the district. All events and activities will continue to be postponed until further notice.

As this is not our first communication over the closure, we hope you understand our goals for providing services to our communities during this time. The Triad District continues to feel it is important that we focus on providing student services and learning activities. This includes…

• provide families with national school lunch meals

• engage students mentally and socially through e-Learning activities

• communicate accurate information with families on a regular basis

Meals

Triad is committed to continuing to provide school lunches Monday - Friday. As of Monday, March 23rd the lunch pickup sites and times will be the following:

• CA Henning Elementary (Noon-1:30pm)

• St. Jacob Elementary (Noon-1pm)

• Marine Elementary (Noon-1pm)

We will no longer offer meal pickup service from Silver Creek Elementary. We will continue Brown-bag lunches delivery to typical bus stop locations starting at 11am Monday through Friday. We encourage families to take what is needed for children as we try to manage resources for the duration of the closure.

E-Learning

We feel it is important that we continue to focus on providing student services and learning activities. Triad District staff will continue to communicate with parents and students regarding the implementation of our e-learning plans.

Communication

District-wide and building procedures will continue to be conveyed through email (Triad.News@triadunit2.org) and the district website (www.tcusd2.org). We will continue to provide you with regular updates as the situation develops.

While this may be a time for staying apart, we hope the services and activities we provide will help pull our families, students, and staff closer together. #TriadProud

E-Learning

Student attendance has been simply outstanding! Thanks to all of our Triad families for your support as we explore this new method of learning. Our teachers continue to collaborate and use video-conferencing to discuss effective strategies to use during this alternative/e-Learning time. Teachers are impressed with what has been occurring in the first few days and are ecstatic about the levels of participation and student engagement. #KeepLearning #TriadProud

Student Meals

We have heard so many wonderful stories about the meals program and are very appreciative of the staff and volunteers who have stepped up to make this possible. Our kitchen staff is working hard and each day we are getting a better gauge as to the number of students that would like a grab & go lunch and breakfast. We encourage families to take what is needed for school-age children as we try to manage resources for the duration of the closure.

Kindergarten Registration

At this time, we are postponing the Thursday, March 26th Kindergarten registration program that is held at each elementary school. Depending on the status of state closure, we will look to announce a future date in April or release an online presentation that will include an initial registration process for parents to complete. It is important that we collect this information during mid-April as we make plans for programs and staff for the 2020-21 school year. Please assist us in passing this information along to families with Kindergarten age students.

Tomorrow is the launch of our District’s 1st e-Learning day. Attached to this message are three checklists: Parent Checklist, Elementary Student Checklist, and Secondary Student Checklist. Also attached is a list of resources and helpful tips. These are just a few things to consider before you get started “e-Learning” in your home. We hope you have a great day! #KeepLearning #TriadProud

• E-Learning Resources

• E-Learning Parent Checklist

• E-Learning Secondary Checklist

• E-Learning Elementary Checklist

Student Meals

As mentioned yesterday, a FREE student meal service will be provided to ALL students during the closure. We encourage all families to take advantage of this offer to ensure all of our children are fed. On Tuesday, we will begin providing a brown-bag lunch service via drive-thru pick up at selected school sites and bus delivery routes. This brown-bag lunch program will contain two meals; one student lunch and a grab & go breakfast item for the following morning.

Listed below are the lunch pickup sites and times:

• CA Henning Elementary (Noon-1:30pm)

• Silver Creek Elementary (Noon-1:30pm

• St. Jacob Elementary (Noon-1pm)

• Marine Elementary (Noon-1pm)

Brown-bag lunches will also be delivered to your typical bus stop location starting at 11am on Tuesday, March 17th. It is anticipated that bus stop times will vary as much as 15 min as a result of the delivery of food. If you need assistance locating a bus stop to receive a lunch, please call 667-5400.

Parents Overview for Navigating E-Learning

We would like to encourage all parents to take five minutes to view an overview video on navigating and supporting e-Learning as a parent. The video will briefly introduce concepts of recording online student attendance, locating classroom e-learning activities and some best practices to support your child in the home. (http://bit.ly/triadelearningvideo).

School Building Access

We are implementing procedures to limit access to our buildings. Starting on Tuesday, March 17th school offices will be open from 9am-2pm for issues that might arise. We encourage you to call the building prior to attempting to visit any school (Contact Information).

Good evening Triad Families. This is one of many email communications that you should expect over the next few weeks. In an effort to be sure you are not inundated with messages during the school closure, we will make every effort to consolidate district and school building communications. In summary, below are a few important topics highlighted as well as links to more detailed information…

Communications

District-wide and building procedures will continue to be conveyed through email (Triad.News@triadunit2.org) and the district website (www.tcusd2.org). Please know that our decisions are going to be made with the safety and best interest of everyone in mind. This will require decisive action and the ability for all of us to be adaptable. Moving forward we will communicate with you regularly via all of our communication platforms. It is imperative that you regularly check your messages and the district websites for information as we obtain new guidance from state and local government services.

District Calendar

To clarify, the key dates on the district calendar will now be the following:

• Monday, March 16th: This will be a normal school day. Buses will run as usual and Beyond the Bell, services will be available. Students should plan to take all necessary items home at the end of this day.

• Tuesday, March 17 - Monday, March 30: All Illinois schools will be closed. All activities and events will be canceled.

• Tuesday, March 31: Students and staff will return. (This return date will be re-evaluated as needed).

Student Health

If your child has medicine at school, please make arrangements to pick it up with the school nurse.

Student Meals

Our district will continue to provide student meal services at no cost to all students during the closure. We hope that all families consider using this free service. We will offer both pickup and delivery services starting on Tuesday, March 17th. This brown-bag lunch program will contain two meals; one student lunch and a grab & go breakfast item for the following morning.

We are planning to provide locations and our method for meal distribution through delivery. Specific details for the locations and delivery methods will be posted on the website once we have the specific details finalized.

School Building Hours

Our schools will be open for normal school hours on Monday, March 16th. As an additional precaution, and following the example of other institutions, we are implementing procedures to limit access to our buildings. Starting on Tuesday, March 17th school offices will open from 9am - 2pm for parents to pick up their children’s medications and other necessary items. All building administration and school nurses will be on hand.

e-Learning Opportunities for Students

Monday is an important day for all students! Teachers will be using this time to ensure that students are set up and ready to participate in completing the e-Learning classroom activities that have been developed for this closure. The State Superintendent has stated that it is important that all schools continue to provide learning activities for the educational continuity for all students.

Chromebooks will be sent home for all grades 2 through 12 students and are the responsibility of the parents and students. Chromebook Usage Form will be sent home with each device. Our technology department is creating a help desk if problems arise during the closure. All teachers will be available through email during the hours of 9am-2pm. Teachers will provide an assortment of learning activities through their websites and or through Google Classroom. Work done at this time will not count toward a student’s overall grade. Assignments will be designed to keep students engaged and to prepare them for their return to the classroom.

We will continue to provide you with regular updates as the situation develops.

Today, State officials announced that all public schools will close Tuesday, March 17th, as a precaution for the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure for all Illinois schools will continue through March 30th. This includes students who attend special education schools outside of the district. All events and activities have been canceled until further notice.

Because there are no confirmed cases in our area, schools will be open Monday, March 16th and will operate on a normal schedule.

An introduction to e-Learning will be available on the District website starting at 9:00 am on Wednesday, March 18th. Expectations for recording online attendance and e-Learning activities will begin at that point. E-Learning will consist of digital activities for grades 2-12 and non-digital activities for Pre-K-1st grade.

We feel it is important that we continue to focus on providing student services and learning activities. As a result, we will continue to communicate with parents for obtaining meals through the National School Lunch Program and the implementation of our e-Learning plans. The district and staff will continue to use the Triad District website (tcusd2.org) as the primary method to communicate updates.

This is a stressful and unprecedented situation for our schools, our families, our local and global community. We know there will be “bumps in the road” along the way, but together we will support our students and do what is best for them. We are all proud to be part of a community with a strong history of support for education. #TriadProud!

We will continue to provide you with regular updates as the situation develops.

Today, Madison County Superintendents and the Regional Superintendent of Schools met with the Director of the Madison County Health Department, Toni Corona, to hear recommendations from the Health Department regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Superintendents collaborated and shared information regarding our approaches to addressing the potential spread of COVID-19 in our districts.

Triad will continue to monitor the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) news releases and guidelines regarding measures to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, such as COVID-19. Triad is increasing our disinfecting efforts in both resources and frequency, giving special attention to high-touch areas. Our staff will continue to encourage students to wash hands frequently, not touch their faces or mouths, and to cover coughs and sneezes. We are following the recommendations shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

We are asking parents to please keep your children out of school if they exhibit any signs of illness, such as cough, fever, breathing problems, etc. Please follow the district's typical procedures for reporting your child absent from school. Additionally, please anticipate that school personnel may be asking about your child's specific symptoms and diagnosis, if they have been seen by a doctor, we will be tracking information and working closely with the Madison County Health Department, as we work to determine next steps.

Director Toni Corona stated, “As of today there are no confirmed cases in Madison County of COVID-19.” Madison County Health Department will continue advising individual school districts in the event of a confirmed case. The Health Department shared COVID-19 doesn’t seem to be targeting school-age children at this time.

Resources are available for families through the Madison County Health Department website at www.madisonchd.org.

As this situation continues to remain fluid, districts are exploring options to meet students’ individual needs to ensure a continuity of education. We encourage everyone to continue to actively follow official district communications through our parent email notifications, the District website (triadunit2.org) or the Triad CUSD2 Mobile App.