Charleston CUSD 1 -

The Coles County Health Department has acquired the Pfizer vaccine. As this is the only vaccine that has been approved for those 16 and 17 years old, that will be the priority population. Parents of students 16 or 17 years old who would like the vaccine, should email Covid19@co.coles.il.us. The body of the email should include only the student's age and zip code. An emailed response will include a link to register your child.

The Charleston Rec. Dept. is offering 3 different Mother's Day Art Madness Kits for $12 each: https://5il.co/rm8l Register Online @ https://apm.activecommunities.com/charlestonrecdept/Activity_Search (search "art")

The Charleston High School Performing Arts Club will be presenting another musical this spring! Please see the attached flier for all of the details on these upcoming performances: https://5il.co/rjkm

If you had any technical difficulties viewing the previous video message from Dr. Vilardo today, we apologize for the inconvenience and wanted to provide an updated link that should work much better: https://youtu.be/Je2B6l0R_iE Happy Friday!

Please see the following message to our school community from Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Todd Vilardo: https://5il.co/resf

Please see the following press release from the Coles County Health Dept. regarding Coles County Illinois National Guard mobile outreach vaccination clinics on April 9th & 10th. These are for individuals 18+ years of age who live or work in Coles County: https://5il.co/r91c

Happy National Assistant Principals Week! Join us in honoring the enormous contributions CUSD1 APs have throughout our schools. Thanks for your hard work & dedication in leading our schools, playing a critical role in the lives of students, and ensuring student success. #APWeek21

Just a reminder that beginning on Monday (March 29, 2021), we will no longer be conducting COVID-19 symptom screenings for students upon arrival at our schools. We will instead be utilizing home-based symptom screenings, per new guidance from the CDC and IDPH. Please refer to these guidelines each morning before sending your child to school: https://5il.co/qyv6

The district will be utilizing its final two remote learning planning days on June 3rd & 4th, making June 2nd our last student attendance day for this school year. Our 2021 school calendar has been updated to reflect this change: https://5il.co/dd8x

Fourth Quarter Opening Status Update as of March 24, 2021: https://5il.co/qx6p

Welcome Spring! The Rec Dept egg hunts will be this weekend, Mar 26th & 27th. All hunts are PRE-REGISTRATION only and all participants are required to wear a mask. Follow this link & search "egg" to register: https://apm.activecommunities.com/charlestonrecdept/Activity_Search/

The GEM Project is seeking school supplies for foster children in our community.

Those wishing to attend tonight's School Board meeting via mobile device can do so by dialing 1-415-655-0001 and entering the following password (1826259470# and/or 79855972#).

Just before noon today, we received updated IDPH/ISBE guidance on re-opening schools that reduces many of the mitigation strategies and requirements for keeping schools opening during the pandemic. The new guidance was released after announcing our 4th quarter opening plans were announced, so we now have much work to do in considering how our current protocols can be revised to fit this new guidance. As such, we are meeting with our district's re-opening planning team this afternoon to share this news and to start the planning process to re-align our protocols with the new guidance. The process of re-tooling our plans and implementing any potential changes in our schools will take some time. Thank you for your patience during this new phase of planning. In the coming weeks, be expecting additional announcements about any changes to our opening status plans, including the possibility of utilizing full-day schedules, for the remainder of this school year.

Our school district’s 4th Quarter opening status announcement is now posted to our district’s website and can also be accessed through the following link: https://5il.co/q99v

Don't forget to purchase your tickets for the virtual high school musical this weekend! https://www.charleston.k12.il.us/article/394315?org=cusd-1

Charleston High School parents and students, please upload some of your favorite pictures from this school year so the CHS yearbook staff can include more students in the 2021 yearbook. (access code: trojans21) https://snap.yearbookforever.com/index.html#/upload/32969

Our district's "opening status planning team" met this Tuesday to review input on 4th Quarter opening status ideas and identify advantages and drawbacks of each idea. Thank you to everyone who participated! Considering social distancing and remote learning option requirements, data and cost, multiple constituent perspectives and innovative ideas, we continue to weigh options and still plan on making an announcement prior to our March 15 Spring Break. Understanding that no option will be suited for everyone, our collaborative of principals, educators, Board members, students and parents are striving to arrive at an opening status that focuses on health and safety for all and is best suited for our #1 priority: students.

Our district is hosting another "opening status planning team" meeting tomorrow at 2:00. Representatives include district staff, students, parents and Board members. We have valued our past collaboration in achieving our best collective thinking and decision making about opening schools during the pandemic. While we do not anticipate many school-specific protocol changes at this point in the year, we do project a focus on whether our fourth quarter will consist of full-day (as formerly utilized) or early dismissal schedules (as currently utilized). Our aim is to listen closely to advantages and drawbacks and to decide on a 4th quarter opening status to announce prior to our March 15 Spring Break. Your input, which will be shared with the planning team, can be sent to fourthquarter@charleston.k12.il.us before 12:00 noon tomorrow. Thank you for engaging in our school community!

Having driven area roads from 1:00-1:30a.m and 4:35-5:25 this morning, a small, retreating snowfall warrants some extra caution during today's travel to schools. Road crews are out, which will improve conditions prior to travel. Busses will run usual routes; however, bus drivers will be exercising caution as well, so please anticipate delays in pick-up times. As always, parents who determine that travel to school is unsafe for their children can keep their students home and call the school to report the excused absence.