David E. Walker Wolverines PTA

From the District:

Dear District 65 Community,

As you may have heard, this afternoon Governor Pritzker announced the extension of the ‘Stay at Home’ order for all Illinois residents through April 30. As a result, all District 65 schools will remain closed at least through this date. While we had certainly hoped we would be able to safely welcome our students and staff back sooner, this news was to be expected. We will communicate when we have an anticipated return date.

As educators, having our students present and being able to experience the joy of learning together and in person is truly special. It deeply saddens us that we will not be able to open our schools for at least another month, yet we know that this decision was made with the safety of our community, especially our most vulnerable residents, in mind. Our educators and staff will continue to connect with students virtually and to provide meaningful remote learning opportunities for all children. We could not be more appreciative of their flexibility and that of our families in finding creative ways to engage our students in continued educational and social emotional growth.

Remote Learning Plan Update
Our remote learning plan will go into place when we return from spring break. This plan will be based on guidance received this past weekend from the Illinois State Board of Education as well as important input and collaboration with our educators, school and district leaders, special services staff, and our curriculum and instruction team. Our remote learning plan will focus on the health and well-being of our community as well as our commitment to remain connected to and guide learning for students. We look forward to sharing this guidance with our educators by the end of this week and with our community shortly thereafter.

The decision has been made to schedule Remote Learning Planning Days on this Friday, April 3 and Monday, April 13. Learning activities will be provided for students but neither will be considered an instructional day. Educators will engage in various professional learning opportunities and will be unavailable to work with students or answer questions.

Continuation of Meal Program Over Spring Break
While we do not regularly provide meals over spring break, we recognize the importance of the meal program during this unprecedented time. In partnership with the City of Evanston and District 202, free breakfasts and lunches will be available for students next Monday, April 6, at community meal locations. Students will be able to pick up five days worth of meals between 1-4pm. The meal program will continue as long as schools are closed.

We know this entire situation has been scary and unsettling but this community has come together in the most remarkable ways. We are all in this together and we will absolutely get through it together. Please continue to allow yourselves grace and do not hesitate to reach out to your principal or a member of our district leadership team to let us know how we might be able to better support you during this difficult time. I hope that you can take spring break to relax, unwind, and recharge so that we can embark on this next chapter together. We also request that our very dedicated staff disconnect during Spring Break as they refresh for the weeks of remote learning ahead. Thank you for all that you continue to do for our children and the members of this community.

With health in mind,

Dr. Heidi Wennstrom
Dr. Phil Ehrhardt
Interim Superintendents of Schools

Free, cold breakfasts and lunches will be served to students at locations throughout the city. There are no residency or income-based restrictions to participate in the program. Meals will be grab-and-go; no meals will be eaten on site.

NEW! Youth may pick up five days worth of meals at one time. This decision was made to reduce the number of times individuals will need to leave their homes. Breakfasts and lunches for the week may be picked up between 1pm and 4pm on Mondays only at the following locations:

Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St.
Robert Crown Community Center, 1801 Main St.
Kamen Park David Wood Fieldhouse, 1111 South Blvd.
Mason Park, Church Street and Florence Avenue

Meals are made possible through a partnership between the City of Evanston, District 65, and District 202. For more information, please call/text 847-448-4311, or dial 3-1-1 in Evanston.

Walker Families,   3/30/2020

I have been searching for the right message to send the community and I landed on this — I hope each of you and all of the members of your family are healthy.

A friend of mine in New York City had/has the virus (although undiagnosed due to the situation there) and he said it was a rough seven days for him.

I have been worried about Covid-19 for a while now, but having a friend ‘get it’, personalized it in a big way for me. (He is feeling better now)

My wife is doing a great job working with my two oldest kids, while the younger two climb on top of me while I try to respond to email.

If you are struggling with the reality of the last two weeks, and foreseeable future, in the words of BIll Clinton, “I feel your pain’.

—-

— There is no school this Friday — it is a professional development day for teachers. Virtual professional development of course.

— If the work being sent home is ‘too much’, make the best choices for your family. Seriously.

— I will schedule weekly virtual ‘coffee (or wine) with the principal’ after Spring Break. It will be a chance for you to ask questions and see how fast my hair is growing. I’m hoping for a poor turnout.

— I appreciate YOUR collaboration with Walker teachers to do something we never thought we would have to do.

If you have questions, please ask.

James

The final installment of Next Steps “How to be An Anti-Racist” is TONIGHT!! And you can watch from the comfort of your own home!

Register now for TONIGHT’s webinar with Dr. Diamond: FAILURE, SUCCESS, SURVIVAL

*Download Zoom to your phone or computer before the webinar. Zoom is a free app.

*No pressure: your mic and camera won’t be on. Q & A will be via Zoom chat.
*Registering now helps us with logistics.

March 25th, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM  *new time

Register HERE!!

Open to the community. Reading the book or attendance at a previous session aren’t necessary for participation.

In this final LEARN session, Dr. Diamond will discuss the last three chapters of How to be an Antiracist: FAILURE, SUCCESS, and SURVIVAL.

Dr. Kendi writes about what is required to make sustainable change. Join fellow D65 families in grappling with and considering how these ideas apply to antiracism work in Evanston schools and beyond.

Dr. Diamond will consider Kendi’s ideas around “demonstration” and “protest”: one having goals for momentary publicity of an issue and the other having the goal of organizing people for sustained change. Dr. Diamond will also delve into ideas around changing hearts and mind and policy change.

The City of Evanston, Evanston/Skokie School District 65, and ETHS District 202 have announced an updated meal distribution schedule to assist youth affected by school closures.

As previously announced, free, cold breakfasts and lunches will be served to youth ages 1 to 18 years old at locations throughout the city.

Beginning on Monday, March 23, this program will transition to a Monday-only schedule.

Youth may pick up five days worth of meals at one time in order to reduce the number of times individuals will need to leave their homes.

Breakfasts and lunches for the week may be picked up between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Mondays only at the following locations:

• Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St.
• Robert Crown Community Center, 1801 Main St.
• Kamen Park David Wood Fieldhouse, 1111 South Blvd.
• Mason Park, Church Street and Florence Avenue

Meals will still be available for pickup between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20, as previously announced. The City is investigating options for spring break.

For more information, please call/text 847-448-4311. For convenience, residents may simply dial 3-1-1 in Evanston.

Walker Families, 3/18/2020

I hope everyone is holding up ok this week. I’ve been encouraged by the compassion of parents in our community and the creativity and tenacity of our teachers.

I recognize that parents have been bombarded with emails from the District, me, teachers, etc and we are working to streamline our communication.

I recommend bookmarking Ms. Hertel’s website as she is curating all of the great learning opportunities (museums, etc) as well as the D65 learning packets:

https://d65walkerlibrary.weebly.com

I think everyone understands these are unchartered waters and we don’t know how long this period is going to last.

We want to make sure we are connecting with your kids and I have asked teachers to keep track of student engagement — whether it is a comment on a google classroom page, an email from a parent, etc. Undoubtedly there are kids we are missing, and your help in verifying your child’s engagement helps a lot.

—-

Finally – Walker Supporting Walker is a volunteer effort to deliver food and provisions to families who need support.

Please fill out this link if you need assistance – https://forms.gle/eMs7UipYpH2eWcyk7

James

The City of Evanston, Evanston/Skokie School District 65, and ETHS District 202 are partnering to provide food distribution services to assist those affected by school closures.

Free, cold breakfasts and lunches will be served to youth ages 1 to 18 years old at locations throughout the city, Monday through Friday, beginning Monday, March 16 through April 3. There are no residency or income-based restrictions to participate in the program. Free meals are available to all youth. Meals will be grab-and-go; no meals will be eaten on site.

Both breakfasts and lunches will be distributed from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day at the following locations:

Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St.
Robert Crown Community Center, 1801 Main St.
Kamen Park East Fieldhouse, 1115 South Blvd.
Mason Park, Church Street and Florence Avenue

Youth can pick up both meals at each pickup.The City is still investigating options for spring break.

For more information, please call/text 847-448-4311, or dial 3-1-1 in Evanston.

LA CIUDAD DE EVANSTON Y LAS ESCUELAS DE EVANSTON SE ASOCIAN PARA BRINDAR SERVICIOS DE DESAYUNO Y ALMUERZO A LOS JÓVENES

La Ciudad de Evanston, el Distrito Escolar 65 de Evanston /Skokie y el Distrito 202 de la Escuela Preparatoria ETHS se están asociando para proporcionar servicios de distribución de alimentos para ayudar a los afectados por el cierre de escuelas.

Se servirán desayunos fríos y almuerzos gratuitos a jóvenes de 1 a 18 años de edad en distintos lugares en toda la ciudad, de lunes a viernes, desde el lunes 16 de marzo hasta el 3 de abril. No hay restricciones de residencia o de ingresos familiares para participar en el programa. Las comidas gratuitas están disponibles para todos los jóvenes. Las comidas serán para llevar; no se podrán consumir en el lugar donde se reciben.

Tanto los desayunos como los almuerzos se distribuirán de 11 a.m. a 1 p.m. todos los días en los siguientes lugares:

Centro comunitario Fleetwood-Jourdain, 1655 Foster St.

Centro comunitario Robert Crown, 1801 Main St.

Kamen Park East Fieldhouse, 1115 South Blvd.

Mason Park, Church Street y Florence Avenue

Los jóvenes pueden recoger ambas comidas en cada recolección. La Ciudad aún está investigando opciones para las vacaciones de primavera.

Para obtener más información, llame/envíe un mensaje de texto al teléfono 847-448-4311, o marque 3-1-1 en Evanston.

Two Letters from our Principal:

Walker Families

We realize many children depend on schools to eat breakfast and lunch each day.

Many parents have asked me how they can help. ‘Walker Supports Walker’ is an effort to support our children and families who may need support (food, toiletries, learning packets, etc) over the next month.

If your family needs support, please fill out this very brief form and we will be in touch soon:

https://forms.gle/heC6gyRaEDVMszHK7

James

Walker Families,

Your kids will:

A) Come home with a paper packet of activities for next week

and

B) Be shown how to access the documents online (upper grades)

We have a small supply of chrome books we can loan to families while schools are closed.

If you are interested in and need technology for your child, please contact Shawna Matten mattens@district65.net). Ms. Matten is coordinating this effort for Walker.

James

Our minutes from the March meeting are posted: March 2020 PTA Meeting Minutes