Charleston CUSD 1 -

Hello, Charleston School Community! We hope you are staying well and taking care of yourselves and each other every day. We recognize the tremendous emotional pressures that the COVID-19 pandemic circumstances continues to place on us all. Like no other, the ending to this school year comes with disappointment and new challenges for us, and we again commend our school community for exhibiting care, empathy, understanding and patience. We also want to thank everyone who shared their ideas for closing this school year under remote learning in ways that are safe, meaningful and memorable. Our principals have considered your insights, as well as guidance from the state superintendent's and governor's offices, to develop end-of-year closing plans that are aligned with social distancing practices and designed to keep everyone healthy. Because they are school-specific, plans for securing personal belongings at school, for returning materials to school, CHS commencement activities and so forth are posted on individual school websites. As for our school calendar, we have established May 26 and 27 as "Remote Learning Planning Days," so our last Remote Learning Day is now Friday, May 22. If you have questions or need additional information about our end-of-year plans, please contact your child's principal. As you might suspect, some of our attention is already turning to planning for potentially holding a summer school session and for the opening of school for next year, but now our first focus is on our individual and collective well-being for a stronger tomorrow. Stay well. Todd J. Vilardo Superintendent of Schools

Though our annual Spring music theatre production is currently on hold, the members of the Charleston High School Performing Arts Club are currently waiting in the wings to perform for our friends, family, and community. While we wait patiently to hit that stage, we wanted to provide you with this video to brighten your day and thank you for all of the love and support you have shown to us. A huge thank you to all the people who helped to prepare this video. We could not have done it without you! Anything can happen if you let it! https://youtu.be/G6tdwckhSTM

https://www.illinoispoisoncenter.org/PR-Increase-in-Cleaning-Product-Exposures The Illinois Poison Center urges people to use caution with cleaning products, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Exposures to cleaning products have increased by 30% compared to last year.

104.3 the Party presents the 2020 Virtual Prom Party this Saturday, April 25th! Put on your prom attire, request your favorite songs, and enter for a chance to win an ipad! Click here for more details: https://www.1043theparty.com/2020/04/01/party-prom/

Governor Pritzker announced at today’s press conference that he was suspending in-person learning for the remainder of this school year. Please keep in mind that we had already planned for Remote Learning through April 30th. We understand this brings up many questions about the end of the school year (for example: extra-curricular and athletic activities, curriculum and grading related items, picking up materials, etc.). District officials will soon be announcing information on related local impact for the remainder of the school year.

The Project Help Preschool Teachers are continuously adding new ideas to their website to help you keep your preschoolers engaged in fun learning activities during this time at home. Feel free to check it out as often as you wish! https://charlestonprojecthelp.eiase.com/

Although many events are canceled or postponed in response to COVID-19, the 2020 Census is still in full swing. I am so proud that Illinois has one of the best self-response rates in the nation! Completing the census safely online, by phone, or by mail means census takers do not have to come in person to your residence. However, 48 percent of Illinoisans still need to respond. So if you have not yet filled out your 2020 Census, please do. The online survey takes only a few minutes. If you have any questions about the census, check out this video, which can also help your students learn this important lesson in civics. Illinois’ number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, Electoral College votes, and certain federal funding streams all depend on everyone getting counted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXZAe8XYeNQ

We are thinking about and miss all students during this time, and our thoughts are especially with the Class of 2020. Questions remain about events that our seniors and their families have looked forward to for so many years. Please know that we are committed to supporting our traditions in every possible way and, while it’s unlikely at this point that the CHS Prom will be held on May 2 as scheduled, that plans for prom, commencement, etc. will be announced by CHS administration as soon as we have confidence that whatever we can feasibly do best brings honor to our students in ways they deserve and in ways for them to create positive, lasting memories. To our seniors: We know this is not what you imagined your senior year to be like, and our hearts go out to you for unmet expectations. In the end, the events may not be held in exactly the same ways as in the past, but they will be uniquely yours. The Class of 2020 – like no other!

Hoping Easter Break has been one for pause and reflection, we remind our school community that Monday, April 13 is also reserved for Easter Break and Friday, April 17 is reserved for a Remote Learning Planning Day. We miss our students and are grateful for parents and educators--partners who focus first on our student's individual well being so we can learn and lead together every day.

The Census Bureau reminds you to return your 2020 Census questionnaire. Every person is mandated to be counted. It is now easier than ever to do that. Simply return a mail form, call 1-844-330-2020, email my2020census.gov, or submit your form online at 2020census.gov. There are still job opportunities for census takers as well. (All done online and pays $17.50/hr+) Visit 2020census.gov/jobs for more info.

Charleston School District originally scheduled our Timely and Meaningful Consultation for April 14th at 5:00 PM at Central Office. Our intent is still to have this meeting, but we will be doing this through video conference. If you received a letter and would still like to sign up for the Timely and Meaningful Consultation, please call 217-639-1000 and leave a message and someone will be in touch with you to give you the information about the meeting. If for some reason, you are unable to participate and would like consultation at a later date, you can also call the number and leave a message to set this up.

WILL Radio TV Online has made adjustments to their TV schedule to support your family’s at-home learning during Illinois school closures. Their main channel, 12.1, now offers PBS KIDS programming for children in grades Pre-K-5 Mon. - Fri. from 6am until 5pm. These TV programs support social-emotional, science, art, math, social studies, engineering, language arts and history learning.

Governor Pritzker launched a new effort to reinforce the message that we should all stay home and stay safe. The campaign is called “All in Illinois,” to remind us that we’re all in this together. “I’ve taken virtually every action available to me to protect our residents and slow the spread, and now, our strongest weapon against COVID-19 is you,” the Governor said. “For everyone in Illinois, we as individuals must commit to stay home, stay safe and practice social distancing to stay healthy.” You can show your solidarity by updating your Facebook profile photo with the All in Illinois frame image, or by sharing messages on social media using the #AllinIllinois hashtag. If you’d like to download an “All In” sign to print, color, and display in a window, you can download one here: https://www.enjoyillinois.com/assets/Media-Files/AllInIllinois-Printable-Signs.pdf

Governor Pritzker announced today that he will extend Illinois' Stay at Home order and Remote Learning Days through the end of April. These circumstances have placed many educators, students and families into difficult to manage, increased anxiety situations. We all are striving to create some kind of order out of the chaos with which we've all been dealt. All families don't have the same supports and resources in terms of meals, electronic devices, internet connectivity. Some parents are pulling "double duty" of working from home while supporting learning at home. Other parents aren't able to be at home to support learning. Educators are doing their best to provide for kids without a uniform remote learning platform. Kids are trying to make sense out of all this, too -- from "why can't we go to school" to "what about my friends, sports, prom, graduation," etc. I call on our school community to continue to empathize with our students, educators and parents -- take time to look at each other's lives through these various lenses -- and, perhaps, slow down. Not a race, this marathon is about pace, and we will be stronger together at the finish, hopefully with clearer answers, by FIRST focusing on our individual and collective well-being. We DESIRE individual sustained academic learning; we REQUIRE collective healthy emotional support. Thank you, first, for exercising empathy as we travel together one day at a time.

Like so many dedicated parents, Charleston resident Tony Coleman supports remote learning by engaging his kids in badminton for physical education on this beautiful day! Way to go, Dad!

If you haven't already taken part in the 2020 census, please take a minute to complete it now and help make Charleston count! https://colescounty2020.com/

Help make Charleston count! Do your part by participating the 2020 census: https://colescounty2020.com/

Help make Charleston count! https://colescounty2020.com/

This website was created by our Speech Pathologists to provide parents and students in the Charleston, IL school district with resources and ideas to implement speech therapy at home during school closure. https://sites.google.com/view/charleston-cusd1-speechtherapy

It is now more important than ever to take the census. It impacts your community, your schools, and your local businesses. Do your part today! https://colescounty2020.com/