THS Students and their families,

We are almost complete with the school year! Our last day of remote instruction at THS is May 21 and many of our teachers have started to wind down their classes in anticipation for the end of the year.

We would like to give an opportunity for students to return their textbooks to school and clean out their academic/PE/athletic lockers before the end of the year. With the uncertainty about the future, we believe that it is best to have an inventory of our textbooks along with students having their belongings from the building, so we are going to change what we initially communicated.. To accomplish locker cleanout-textbook return, we ask that students come to the building in shifts throughout the day on May 21, 22, 26 based upon their last name in grades 9-11 to comply with social distancing guidelines. These are suggested times that we would like students in the building, realizing that if families need flexibility, they can freely come at another time that is convenient for them.

The following is the STUDENT SCHEDULE TO ACCESS BUILDING.

Guidelines to follow:

• We have scheduled 30 kids to be in the building every half hour.

• Students should wear masks in the building.

• Juniors should enter through the lower red hallway doors

• Sophomores should enter through the lower green hallway doors

• Freshman should enter through the main entrance doors.

• While in the building, students should accomplish three things

  • Place all the textbooks in their locker. If a student needs to keep their textbook as they have not finished assignments for a teacher, they should keep their textbook.

  • Clean out personal items in locker and throw away trash

  • Clean out PE/Athletic Locker and return PE lock

• 6:00-7:30 on Thursday, May 21 and Tuesday, May 26 are OPEN TIMES that anyone may come in on the evening to take care of locker cleanout.

I would encourage every student to stay in constant communication with your teacher and make sure you know which learning assignments need to be completed before this Thursday. A description of our grading policy as described in an email sent to students May 1 is located below:

If you have been engaged at least ½ of the time with your teachers, then you will earn a semester grade that is equal to or higher than your 3rd quarter grade. The 3rd and 4th quarter grade do not have equal weighting. Stay engaged and complete your assignments so that your 4th quarter average is at least above a 50% or your teacher has indicated you have stayed engaged at least ½ of the time. Your percentage can be seen in your PlusPortals grades for each course. You may be able to earn a semester grade higher than your 3rd quarter grade. Don’t be looking for huge jumps in your grades as the 3rd quarter is when we had the most “normal” instruction. Your teachers are looking for you to communicate if there are issues with remote learning. Make sure you communicate! If you do not meet the standard set by your teacher during the 4th quarter, you will be given an incomplete and have to catch up beyond the last day of remote learning as described above. Incompletes may be used on your final report card and transcript.

Teachers will be finalizing grades on Friday and will communicate in regards to which students who have not maintained their learning for 4th quarter and will receive an incomplete on their report card. These students and their parents will be contacted next week to have the students continue their e-learning in June. If students have an incomplete after June, they may need to repeat the course next year.

Thank you for your work and flexibility during these difficult times. I believe that our students have done an excellent job in maintaining a level of engagement and learning over the quarter. It has been quite a remarkable end to the year. If you have any questions about this email, please contact an administrator in the high school office.

Thank you,

Dr. Winslow

Triad High School Principal

What is the status for end-of-the-year events?

We are excited to share with you news about end-of-the year events that will be set up for our seniors in the Class of 2020. During these unprecedented times, as your principal, I have been impressed with our senior’s resilience and flexibility to manage this abrupt change to the end of their high school career. This has been difficult for everyone, no doubt. I don’t want to lose sight that we are able to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2020. Triad is planning to have a hybrid virtual graduation for seniors on Sunday, May 31st at 2pm. If conditions change for an in-person graduation to take place on our Triad campus during the summer months, we will in addition, host a graduation ceremony for those that can attend. We need your help to create the virtual experience for seniors. During the week of May 11, seniors will be invited with their parents to come to the high school in ten minute increments in their cap and gown. Students will be videotaped as they walk across the graduation stage to receive their diploma cover. This year, we are allowing parents to hand the diploma to their child. This provides a unique experience where families can be together. They will then be photographed with their diploma cover by our school photographer. Once these videos have been created, they will then be added to other speeches and traditions for a virtual experience. More information concerning the filming schedule, social distancing guidelines, and virtual announcements for families will be sent early next week.

The last day for senior remote learning will be Friday, May 8th. There will be no 2nd-semester finals this year. Senior grades will be finalized between May 11 and May 19th. As described in the Parent Remote Learning Plan for THS, semester grades will be at least the same grade as their 3rd quarter grade if students have stayed actively engaged in their learning. Additionally, with teacher discretion, students could possibly improve their semester grade from the 3rd quarter grade based on the level of engagement they have with their learning from the 4th quarter. Seniors who have not been actively engaged with their 4th quarter work may receive an incomplete and need to work with their teacher to continue their learning. Seniors with incompletes may have till May 22nd to finish their work. It is important for all seniors to communicate with their teachers and stay actively engaged.

Honors Night will be held virtually at 7pm on Tuesday, May 19th. If your student is honored this night, you will receive an invitation through the mail to attend the virtual event. Seniors recognized during honors night may then pick up their medals, certificates, and scholarship information from the school on May 20th and 21st. Observing social distancing guidelines, seniors will need to turn in their Chromebooks, textbooks, and empty out their lockers on May 20th and 21st. Seniors will receive notice via email, the time they are allowed to enter the building during these two days. Only a small number of students will be allowed to enter the building at a time. If there are no items in senior lockers, students will be able to drop off their items via curbside drop off.

Though we are not together during these unrivaled times, we look forward to celebrating with your graduate in the coming month. They have much to be proud of. Thank you for your support and congratulations to the Class of 2020!

What is the status for Driver Education/Behind the Wheel with the suspension of in-person instruction?

The latest information we have from the Illinois State Board of Education regarding BTW lessons is as follows:

The 6-hour behind the wheel portion of driver education programs must be suspended for the duration of the Governor’s mandated school closure as schools are closed to onsite instruction. The health and safety concerns for students and staff are paramount.

We plan on contacting the students who are currently participating in BTW lessons as soon as we are allowed to resume BTW lessons. The current environment obviously puts us in a situation where we expect to be “back-logged” with students waiting to begin their lessons. Our BTW instructors will make every effort to get as many students through their lessons as possible. Please understand that in order to accomplish this, BTW lessons during evening hours as well as on weekends will most likely be necessary. Parent/student flexibility will be most helpful during this time.

At this time, there are no planned modifications to the 6-hour BTW instructor mandate from the ISBE once we are allowed to resume BTW lessons. If modifications are implemented, we will contact students and parents and adjust our BTW lessons accordingly.

What will happen to end of the year activities such as prom and graduation?

Depending on our situation in May, THS has scheduled some back-up dates for prom events. Graduation is currently scheduled for Sunday, May 17th. Knowing that there is a possibility that graduation could be impacted, we will determine back-up dates for graduation. However, it is essential to note that our ability to host events in May/June is dependent on two things. First, that events can only occur if school closures are not extended through the end of the school year. Secondly, events can only happen if current CDC restrictions are lifted, allowing for larger gatherings.

Athletics: What is the status of spring IHSA activities?

All spring activities have been placed on hold until April 30th. The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) will continue to work collaboratively with ISBE, the CDC, and IDPH to inform their future decisions. More information can be found online at https://www.ihsa.org/default.asp.

Fine and Performing Arts programs?

All spring fine and performing arts programs have been postponed until after April 30th. However, these programs could be postponed again if the mandated school closure is extended.

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) labelled 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.

This being our 2nd week of e-learning, THS has done a remarkable job in transitioning to this learning environment. These are times where you as a student have learned to adapt to a new way of learning and processing through your daily lives. It is hard to navigate when we don’t have control of the environment around us. We as a staff are having to be flexible just like you as students. Besides the priority of our daily classes, It is tough when spring activities have been postponed and there isn’t a clear answer to when or if they will be held. One thing we have learned through this is that flexibility is key to surviving the changes that come our way. There will be future changes that we will have to adjust to as well. We will do everything we can to provide you with an education that helps you become prepared for the next level. The priority should always be your academics and second being activities such as relationships, sports, music, art, clubs, service, etc. These all shape who we are. I will continue to provide you with updates as we move forward with direction from State and Local authorities. As your principal, I want to assure you that we will get through this together and hopefully, be stronger on the other side. However, we need your help. As a student, your job during this statewide school closure is to complete assignments given to you by your teachers. The following is guidance related to the counting of assignments:

As of 3/17/20, 4th quarter student work completed during the statewide school closure may be counted if it either maintains or increases their final percentage/grade coming out of the 3rd quarter.

What does this mean for students?

• Students should continue to daily complete all e-learning assignments given by their teacher. If a student does not understand an assignment or concept being covered, they should email their teacher for help or feedback between 9am-2pm.

• Student work completed during the mandated statewide school closure must not negatively impact a student’s grades or otherwise impact a student’s academic standing.

• If students do not do their work, all reasonable contact will be made by both the teacher, student services staff, and administration to contact the student and parent to encourage students to continue their e-learning and assignments during this school closure.

Do not fall behind by choosing not to complete your assignments for your classes. You will start to see grades being placed into PlusPortals for work completed this last week. If there isn’t a grade listed, this means that you didn’t turn in this assignment. You will need to complete these assignments ASAP. You will only see individual grades for assignments and not an overall 4th quarter grade at this time. If you find that you don’t have the necessary resources to complete your assignments (WiFi, Chromebook issues, etc.), please access the tech support guidance in the Triad E-Learning Resources. After turning in an assignment, if your teacher sends you feedback to correct or improve what you turned in, please take that feedback, make the corrections, and turn it back in to receive a higher grade before March 30th. This type of communication is critical during this e-learning environment. Your teachers will work with you, if an open line of communication is kept through email and Google Apps. You can do this. We believe in you. Above all, stay safe and continue to take care of you and your family. Let’s all come together and do our part to maintain a continuity of learning that will make us #TriadProud!

E-Learning

We are off and rolling with e-Learning activities. Resources below will help students as they organize their E-Learning activities at home: E-Learning Resources and Secondary Student Checklist. These are just a few things to consider before you get started “e-Learning” in your home. We hope you are off to a great start #KeepLearning #TriadProud

• E-Learning Resources

• E-Learning Secondary Checklist

Student Meals

Be on the lookout for a Triad Bus passing your bus stop for a FREE student meal. This service will be provided to ALL students during the closure. We encourage all students to take advantage of this offer. This brown-bag lunch program will contain two meals; one student lunch and a grab & go breakfast item for the following morning.

THS Spring Events

As we have seen with our sporting and fine arts events, the THS junior/senior prom on May 2nd has been postponed. Once the ban of public gatherings has been lifted, we will reassess the status of events towards the end of the school year.

Report Cards

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

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

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)