Dear Parents and Guardians,
As we now find ourselves in the last week of the 2019-2020 school year, I want to thank you and your students once again for embracing our distance-learning program and for partnering with the teachers and administration at your school to keep our students connected and engaged each day.
In advance of your child’s final report card, which you will receive next week, I wanted to share some important information about final grades and how we arrived at them.
First, it’s important that you know that no child will receive a failing grade for work completed or not completed since our schools closed on March 16. Every student will be promoted to the next grade; none of our students will be retained or held back in his or her current grade.
Next, it is important that you know that every student’s 4th quarter grade will be either “Pass” or “Incomplete”. The Illinois State Board of Education has directed us to use these two designations to note the level of student engagement and work completion during the pandemic school closure. An “Incomplete” is not a failing grade; rather, “Incomplete” indicates that the student may be at risk for some learning gaps to start next school year unless that student participates in some form of intervention.
The letter grades (for students in Grades 3-8) that will be noted in a student’s cumulative folder reflect the student’s performance through the third quarter of the year. Neither the 4th quarter “Pass” nor the “Incomplete” grade will be recorded in the cumulative folder.
Finally, it is important that you know that our teachers and administration are working to develop supports to be put in place during the summer, as well as into the start of the next school year, to provide extra assistance in reading and math for students who may need it. These supports may include summer school, “mini courses” that we are looking to offer in early August, and additional before-, during-, and after-school academic support opportunities that we will have in place at each school when the new school year begins.
I hope that your family and you have a very happy, safe, and healthy summer. My hope for all of us, after what we’ve been through these past twelve weeks, is to take a few days after our school year ends on Friday to turn the devices off, put the books away, and just spend some time relaxing and having fun with our families.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to your building principal or me with any questions you may have about your child’s fourth quarter or cumulative grades.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert Machak Superintendent of Schools
Estimados padres y tutores,
Al iniciar la última semana del ciclo escolar 2019-20, deseo agradecer a ustedes y a los estudiantes una vez más por aceptar el programa de aprendizaje a distancia y por unirse con los maestros y la administración de su escuela a mantener a nuestros alumnos conectados y participando cada día.
También es importante que sepan que cada calificación del 4o trimestre de los estudiantes será “Pass” o “Incomplete”. El Consejo Escolar del Estado de Illinois nos ha indicado que usemos estas dos designaciones para anotar el nivel de participación del estudiante y la realización de trabajos durante el cierre escolar debido a la pandemia. Un “Incomplete” no es calificación reprobatoria; “Incomplete” indica que el estudiante puede estar en riesgo de tener algunos huecos de aprendizaje al inicio del siguiente ciclo escolar a menos que el estudiante participe en algún tipo de intervención. Las calificaciones con letra (para alumnos en grados de 3-8) que serán anotados en el folder acumulativo del estudiante reflejan su desempeño durante el tercer trimestre del año. Ninguna de las dos calificaciones del 4º trimestre de “Pass” ni “Incomplete” serán registradas en el folder acumulativo. Por último, es importante que ustedes sepan que nuestros maestros y administración están trabajando en desarrollar apoyos que se realizarán durante el verano, y al inicio del siguiente ciclo escolar para proporcionar ayuda extra en lectura y matemáticas a los alumnos que lo necesiten. Estos apoyos pueden incluir clases de verano, “mini cursos” que pensamos ofrecer a principios de agosto y oportunidades de apoyo académico antes y después de clases que tendremos cuando el nuevo ciclo escolar inicie.
Espero que ustedes y su familia tengan un feliz, sano y salvo verano. Mi esperanza para todos nosotros es que cuando nuestro ciclo escolar termine este viernes, apaguemos los aparatos, guardemos los libros y simplemente pasemos un tiempo relajándonos y divirtiéndonos con nuestras familias.
Por favor no dude en contactar a el/la directora(a) de su escuela si tiene alguna pregunta sobre el cuarto trimestre o las calificaciones acumulativas.
Atentamente,
Dr. Robert Machak Superintendent of Schools
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