​We are please to provide an update on changes occurring in our State in regards to Athletics.  The Governor’s office and IDPH announced today regions who are in phase 4 mitigation level are effectively open for athletic competition.  Districts are awaiting information from the IHSA on scheduling and timing of various athletic programs as a result of this unexpected announcement.  The PORTA District will likely have information on the available activities and their schedules by the middle of next week.  We would encourage everyone to continue practicing safe practices, such as facemask wearing and social distancing as we move forward so that our region can remain in phase 4 and will continue to offer our students access to the activities they love.
 
We are encouraged that we may begin to see a more concerted effort to vaccinate staff as part of the 1b vaccination group.  As we progress through the series of two vaccinations for our staff we would anticipate more opportunities for change for our district and those in the surrounding areas.
 
We will continue to bring you information on Athletic programs and their schedules and vaccination information as we receive notices.
 
Have a great weekend.

As we enter our Winter break we hope your Christmas and New Year are Happy and Healthy.  We are hopeful that the distribution of the COVID Vaccine goes smoothly and quickly so that we can begin to move to a normal school year in this next quarter.  While we are happy about the vaccine, we believe that educators and school staff will not likely have access to the vaccine until late January or Early February. If that is the case, I would guess that a substantial event such as mass vaccinations will have an impact on our daily schedules, but time will tell.  In the meantime please continue to social distance, wash your hands and wear your mask so that we can continue in-person learning as much as possible. 
As for the return to school following our winter break.  We are planning to begin the school year on January 4, 2021 fully remote and will begin in-person learning on January 7, 2021.  This is very similar to our return after Thanksgiving break and allows us to have a better grasp on staff and student COVID cases and quarantine issues.  We anticipate that everyone will be healthy and happy at that time and we should be able to maintain a consistent time period of in-person learning.
Parents between now and the beginning of the school term please be thinking about your choices for return to learn models.  We will continue to offer four day in person, A/B schedule and fully remote options and will anticipate that students will continue with their model choice as of the final day of the semester. If you plan to change your students learning model, for example, from full remote to in-person or in-person to fully remote please notify your building principal.  We will give parents until January 15, 2021 to make a final determination of their students learning model for the 3rd quarter and then will offer the chance to change once again prior to the fourth quarter of the school year.  We would appreciate knowing, as soon as possible, if your student who was full remote on the final day of the first semester plans on in-person learning beginning January 4th. .
Upon returning after the break, meals will continue to be free to all students and on January 4, 5 and 6th anyone can pick-up those meals at the school of their choice, delivery service will not be instituted unless we are forced into an extended period of remote learning.
 
In summary, PORTA Schools will begin the new semester in Full Remote for January 4, 5th and 6th and In-person learning will begin on January 7th, 2021.  If we see a surge in COVID cases we will notify our families of any changes to our return plan early in the week of January 4th. Meals will be available for pickup on those full remote days.  If your child is currently fully remote, as of the last day of the semester, and plans on attending in person after the break please be sure to inform your principal.  Additionally, the district will allow families to make a final choice of learning model no later than January 15, 2021 for the 3rd quarter of this school year.
 
We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year Holiday.

I would like to take this opportunity to offer some information from our school district as we enter the final week of the 1st semester.  To begin we are hopeful that we will be able to continue in person learning in this final upcoming week.  We will continue to monitor COVID related quarantine and positive cases and make decisions based on our ability to maintain the services we provide.  Substitutes are a priority across this state and that is no different here at PORTA. As such, we are very susceptible to reduced staff numbers in times like these so please continue to monitor your children’s health and quarantine those who are showing signs of illness so that we can continue to offer in person learning.  Please remember when our staff and students are in contact with a positive case they are forced to quarantine regardless if they are symptomatic or not.  In the vast majority of cases our staff and students have been forced to stay at home even though they have negative test results.
As we enter the second semester and a new year we will monitor our staff’s health and make decisions as to our back to school plans.  At this time we are planning to return under our current learning model. Students will be offered the opportunity to decide to return to four day in person learning or continue with an A/B schedule or remain full remote.  So, please be prepared to make those difficult decisions in the first few weeks of the New Year so that we can settle into a routine as quickly as possible.
You may have heard that the CDC has offered options for reduced Quarantine in recognition of making it easier for people by reducing the time they cannot work. However, local public health authorities make the final decisions about how long quarantine should last, based on local conditions and needs. As such, the Sangamon/Menard County Health Dept has continued to the current 14 day quarantine rules.  The Health Staff and myself have questioned the local health Department officials about this decision and have been told the department did consider the CDC’s reduced quarantine guidelines but at this time the health board was unwilling to risk increased COVID spread.  We are hopeful that our region’s positivity rates will continue to drop and the Health Board will reconsider moving to a 7-10 day quarantine model.
News from the High School:
PORTA High School will not have traditional semester exams/exam days this semester. All students are expected to be at school and/or remote learning on Thursday, December 17th. Many students will earn the privilege to not have to come to school on Friday, December 18! Students are expected to be at school and/or remote learning UNLESS they have met the following requirement on a class by class basis- 80% or higher 1st qtr. and 2nd qtr. and also, fewer than 5 discipline points for the semester. Students have received more detailed information via email. If you have questions, please call the high school office. 
Thank you for your time and patience.  From the PORTA Family to yours we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

This is a reminder notification that we plan on returning to in person learning on Thursday December 3, 2020 for those who choose to attend in person.  We will continue to offer the A/B and full remote models for those who have chosen those options when we transitioned to the four day in person model.  The school day will be a full schedule meaning no early dismissal at 2pm.  We will have full in person learning available M/T/Th/Fri and a remote learning day each Wednesday. 
If we see an issue with increased Covid positive cases and quarantine before Thursday, that would require our current full remote option to be extended, we will notify you either late Tuesday or on Wednesday of this week.  Please continue to self-certify daily. If your student is symptomatic or has been in contact with a positive case please quarantine and talk with our nursing staff to determine the best course of action. With the return to in person learning we will discontinue meal delivery beginning December 3, 2020.  For those families who are learning remotely after Dec. 3 meals can still be picked up at the school of your choice on a daily basis.
It is our goal to continue in person learning through the end of the semester, but that will weigh heavily on maintaining a healthy staff and student population.  Insuring that students are not sent to school while exhibiting symptoms is extremely important. Please help us keep our staff and families happy and healthy for the holidays by doing your part.  Thank you.
l while exhibiting symptoms is extremely important. Please help us keep our staff and families happy and healthy for the holidays by doing your part.  Thank you.

​As we contemplate when and how we should return to learning after the Thanksgiving holiday we have considered local COVID infection rates, Student and Staff Quarantine rates, colleagues across our area, Staff and Community member input.  We have considered returning on the 30th of November to full in person learning as we believe that our staff will be back to full force, unless we have an uptick in a positivity rate between now and Monday November 30th.  We speculate that we will continue to see COVID-19 rates increase over the next few weeks and through the Month of December as we will be confined inside more often and the holidays will aid in community spread.  In fact, many school districts are now contemplating or have already made the decision to move to full remote beyond the New Year as a result.
From a decision making standpoint we have weighed coming back full days on Monday November 30th vs. extending the current remote learning until December 7, 2020.  The thoughts are that we would likely be assured a full week of in person learning if we return on November 30, if all staff and student quarantine expectations remain as projected.  Unfortunately, we will not really know how our break will affect our quarantine rates until late in the weekend and that poses a problem for families if we are forced to make a last minute decision, something I would rather not do. 
Extending the remote period until December 7, 2020 would certainly allow the district to have a better understanding of our Quarantine numbers after the holiday and if we are able to open safely with expected staffing levels we may have a good chance to have a full two weeks of in person learning to complete the semester.  The down side to this decision is that we may be forgoing a guaranteed full week of in-person learning before our quarantine numbers increase due to the Thanksgiving break.
As such, in hopes that our community, staff and students are able to follow guidelines over the upcoming weeks, I have made the decision to extend remote learning through December 2, 2020 and will expect students to return to in person learning on December 3, 2020.  If between November 30 and December 3rd our community continues to see increases in COVID Positivity rates and our staff and students are compromised to the point we will be unable to hold in person learning we will make the decision to return to full remote and will likely continue so through the end of the semester. 
Beginning Monday November 30th our school day will return to a full day schedule, meaning that school will dismiss at approximately 3:10 across the district.  As we move into our in person learning the full day schedule will be the norm all five days of the week, including our remote Wednesdays, which will continue to be remote but will be based on a 3:10 dismissal. 
While this was a difficult decision to make I believe this will give us the information we need to insure safety for our students while also focusing on the need and desire to return to in-person learning as soon as possible. 
 
In summary:  PORTA Schools will extend remote learning until December 3, 2020 at which time we will renew our four day in person model with full day schedule.  Prek classes will return to their regular dismissal schedule on December 3, 2020 as well.  Beginning, November 30th the school day will return to a full day schedule for all days of the week including our Wednesday full remote days.

The PORTA District will begin full remote learning for our PREK- 6th grades students on Thursday November 19th with a plan to return to in-person learning on November 30, 2020.  Please note we have already moved 7-12 grade students to full remote as of November 16th.  We will continue to monitor our staffing and student counts and determine any future need to extend our full remote learning option.  As such, continue to self-certify on a daily basis while in full remote learning. 
Starting Thursday, November 19th meal delivery will begin again for all of those students who previously signup up for meal delivery during our A/B schedule.  As such, if your child received delivered meals during our A/B Schedule they will automatically be reinstated.  If your child did not receive those meals previously, but would like to take advantage now please email your name, address for drop off and number of students receiving meals to lunch@porta202.org and we will place you on a list for delivery.  As our students move into full remote their schedules will not change, we will continue with the 2:00 pm dismissal.  Also, please continue to self-certify on a daily basis and please call your principal if your child will not be able to remote learn for any reason.
In closing, we apologize that we are forced to make such a decision, it is certainly one that we do not take lightly, but we are forced to make this decision in the best interest of the district, our students and staff.  Thank you and as a follow up, the entire PORTA District will begin full remote teaching on Thursday November 19, 2020 with a return to in person learning planned for November 30, 2020.

​Remember to self-certify daily, even if your child is remote learning.  This allows us to understand the number of potential issues, contacts and need for quarantine.
 
If you have a student or adult in your household exhibiting COVID Symptoms, everyone in the household should quarantine until a negative COVID result can be shown. Your Doctor, the Health Department and our Nursing staff can help you determine quarantine length.
 
Remember to wear your mask, Social distance and wash your hands regularly.
 
COVID-19 Symptoms Include: Fever (100.4 or greater),Shortness of breath, New cough, Sore throat, New nasal congestion or runny nose, Nausea/Vomiting Diarrhea, New loss of taste or smell, Moderate to severe headache, Fatigue from unknown cause, Abdominal pain from unknown cause, Muscle or body aches
 
A High-Risk Exposure=Within six feet for more than 15 minutes throughout the course of the day to a known COVID-19-positive individual in the time frame from two days before until 10 days after the COVID-19-positive person’s symptoms started or person tested positive (if no symptoms). Example: Within three rows on a school bus; desks within six feet; riding in same car
 
Isolation=The person with symptoms must stay in their own bedroom/ bathroom with food brought to them starting on the day of the test (assume positive). If not independent or incapable of self-isolation (child, elderly with dementia, etc.) then attempt to limit the close contact with the symptomatic individual. If test is positive (or not done and therefore assumed to be positive), stay in isolation until completion of 10 days AND fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication AND all symptoms improving.
 
Quarantine is A waiting period for high exposure individuals without symptoms to see if symptoms develop. Quarantine is a minimum of 14 days, provided the individual remains asymptomatic and without new exposure. It begins on the last day of exposure to someone with COVID-19
 
COVID-19 positive in household? If other household members that were also in quarantine start to develop symptoms, the duration of quarantine for the asymptomatic individual will be more than 14 days. Stay home, wear mask if around other household members, increase handwashing and surface cleaning.

Thank you for continuing to follow my blog and the news about our current upswing in COVID related quarantining and positive cases in our community.  While the number of positive cases of COVID are relatively low in our district we are seeing increasing numbers of staff and students who are required to quarantine due to exposure to COVID cases.  We feel very comfortable that students and staff are doing what it takes to minimize the spread of the virus and in fact the overwhelming majority of issues we see originate outside our doors.  Unfortunately, the PORTA Jr/Sr High Staff has been especially hard hit and as a result we will return to full remote learning beginning Monday November 16th for the students in grades 7-12 and expect students to return to in person learning on November 30th.  We are choosing to begin full remote on Monday November 16th so that students and staff will have the opportunity to make any last minute adjustments on Friday so that they can be prepared for full remote on Monday.  Please note we are continuing in person learning for all K-6 grade students at this time, but we will continue to monitor our staffing and student counts and make a decision to move to full remote for those grade levels as we see the need.  As such, please be prepared for all of our students to move to full remote if the current trend continues. 
Starting Monday, November 16th, meal delivery will begin again for all of those students in grades 7-12 who previously signup up for meal delivery during our A/B schedule.  As such, if your 7-12 grade child received delivered meals during our A/B Schedule they will automatically be reinstated.  If your child did not receive those meals previously, but would like to take advantage now please email your name, address for drop off and number of students receiving meals to lunch@porta202.org and we will place you on a list for delivery.  As our 7-12 grade students move into full remote their schedules will not change, we will continue with the 2:00 pm dismissal.  Please remember 5th hour is prior to 4th hour and attendance is based on logging into your courses.  Also, please continue to self-certify on a daily basis and please call your principal if your child will not be able to remote learn for any reason.
In closing, I apologize that we are forced to make such a decision, it is certainly one that I do not take lightly, but we are at a point where we are unable to maintain an adult classroom presence in every classroom and as such must make this decision in the best interest of the district, our students and staff.  Thank you and as a follow up, the Jr/Sr High will begin full remote teaching on Monday November 16, 2020 with a return to in person learning planned for November 30, 2020.

I wanted to take a bit of your time to give you an update on our current standing in regards to Covid-19 and Quarantining within our district.  We currently have 16 staff members and 45 students in quarantine due to their positive diagnosis, close contact with positive case or are symptomatic.  As such, our district is dangerously close to being forced into a remote learning situation either at the building level and/or district wide depending on progression of our current Covid related data. 
Unfortunately, we have had numerous individuals ignore quarantine rules and have sent students back to school prior to being officially released by the Health Department, their physician or our nursing staff.  Each time someone ignores the quarantining rules we are forced to send more students and staff home for precautionary reasons making it more difficult to remain in our current learning model.  As you all know we are seeing record numbers of Covid positive tests state wide so please be vigilant in monitoring your family’s health and if there are any signs of sickness please do not send your child to school without consulting with your physician, health department or our nursing staff. 
We will continue to strive to remain in session as we believe that is what is best for children’s overall well-being but that will take a team effort.  Please help us remain in session by doing your part. 
We will continue to update you on our current standing, but please be prepared in case we are forced to move into remote learning in the near future. 
If you have questions in regards to Quarantining rules, Covid symptoms or any other Covid related information you can find that on the District’s website under “forms and documents”
 
Please have a wonderful week.

PORTA CUSD 202 will have three (3) four-year seats available on our seven-member Board of Education. The seats will be filled following the April 6, 2021 election. Candidates who are elected will fill four-year terms expiring in April 2025.
To be eligible to serve as a school board member you must be, on the date of election, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years of age, a registered voter and a resident of the State of Illinois and PORTA School District 202 for at least one year immediately preceding the election. 
Candidates for the office of school board can begin to circulate nominating petitions for signatures beginning September 22, 2020. For more information, you may want to consult the "2021 Candidate's Guide," which can be downloaded at www.elections.il.gov/main/publications.aspx?
Interested candidates can find additional information about being a school board member from the Illinois Association of School Boards, at www.iasb.com/elections and can also find the election packet at the following link “Board Packet”.

Member Seats who will be open for the April 2, 2021 election include Robert "Toby"Turek and Jeremy Garner who both reside in T18NR7N leaving two of the three seats in this district vacant, the other seat is currently held by Chris Henderson.  Additionally, the board seat occupied by Jeff Smith, who resides in T18NR8W will also be open for election. Members whose terms will expire in 2023 include Kevin Bettis and Brandy Zanger who reside in T18NR6W and Jeff Schoneweis who resides in T18N R8W.  Other than the district that members Bettis and Zanger reside, all other voting districts will have no more than 1 of the three possible seats taken for the upcoming April election.
If any potential candidate has any questions please feel free to call the Superintendent’s office at 217-632-3803.

As you should already know we will begin offering a four day model for in person learning beginning November 5, 2020.  The schedule for the four day model will include Mon, Tues. Thurs and Friday in-person learning on a 2:00pm dismissal schedule.  Wednesdays will continue to be full remote days. By now you should have been asked to contact your student’s office or teacher to confirm your choice for your students.  For parents of junior-senior high school students, if you want to change your child's attendance status, you must call and notify the appropriate office by 7:00 pm on Thursday, Oct. 29th.  So, if you you are planning on your student attending 4 day in person learning please make sure you have notified the correct office of your decision.  Additionally, if you have not made your final decision for your K-6 grade student’s in-person learning choices you will also be asked to forward your final decision by Thursday Oct. 29th.  It is imperative that we have this information so that we can make any physical adjustments to classrooms and other spaces we will be utilizing beginning Nov. 5th. 
With the learning model change the PORTA District will discontinue meal deliveries beginning November 5th.  Meals for remote learners (full/A/B Schedule and Wednesdays only) may be pickup up daily at any building of your family’s choice.  If you would like to have daily meals (Breakfast and Lunch) prepared for pickup please email the following information:  
Number of Meals
Days meals should be prepared for pickup
Building you plan to pick-up your meals
to Lunch@porta202.org 
 
Meal pickup time will be from 10:30 am to Noon daily.
 
Please remember Parent/Teacher conferences will be conducted on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.  Monday November 2nd will be our final remote planning day for our staff and students will not be in attendance.  Tuesday November 3rd is a State Holiday for Election Day.  Wednesday November 4th will be a normal remote Wednesday and Thursday November 5th will be the first day of our four day learning model.  

Daily we are asked why we quarantine students? What are the indicators?  Who develops the rules we are following?  How do we know we are applying the rules as they were written?  School districts across the State of Illinois are looking to the Illinois Department of Public health and their own local Health departments for guidance on this pandemic and rules we are expected to follow. As you might expect the guidance we receive changes regularly as more is learned about this pandemic and as such consistency seems to be lacking at times when determining quarantine rules.  In general, the quarantine rules have been consistent and the majority of changes we have seen are clarifications of the rules as many might be administering those rules differently than the next community, causing confusion.  Today, we have provided links to the latest guidance on "When to Quarantine" and "COVID-19 Exclusion Guidance".  We hope this will help everyone understand the steps we follow to implement our quarantine rules.  We have found on many occasions families are confused about who should stay home if someone in the household has tested positive or been in close contact with a potentially positive case. This information will help clear up matters.  We have also included this information on our Website under Forms and Documents".

Covid-19 Exclusion Guidance

When to Quarantine

​At our October 15th Board of Education meeting, the board voted to move to a 4-day return to in-person learning plan that will take affect November 5, 2020 for our Prek-12th grade students.  This plan will include in-person learning on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with Wednesday remaining a remote learning day.  The school day will mirror our 2:00 PM dismissal schedules throughout the weeks that we remain on a four day in-person schedule.  Currently, at the 7-12 level, we expect to offer three options: a four day, a fully remote and an A/B option. For students in grades PreK-6, we expect to offer two options: fully remote and four day in-person. In the next week, your child’s building leadership and/or teacher will post information with building specific steps for communicating to us which learning option your family selects. When we have collected all of this pertinent information, we will make adjustments to classrooms. We want parents to be aware that in order to balance classrooms and provide remote learning, we may need to make changes to homeroom classes, but we will do our very best to minimize any of those changes. Throughout this process and over the next two weeks, we will provide you information through group messaging, individual contacts with teachers and through our media so that you and your families are aware of any impending changes. It is also important to know that beginning on November 5, 2020, as we enter our new four-day model, we will do our best to meet standards set for social distancing, ppe wearing, pre-screening and spacing of students while at school. However, we will not be able to maintain the social distancing standards that we have set in our current A/B Model.  We do not anticipate a disruption in our current transportation routes, but would ask parents who are able to transport their children on a daily basis. School meals will continue to be offered for free to all students and we anticipate no changes except the reintroduction of hot meals on a daily basis. We are excited to be offering more opportunities for in-person learning and will do our very best to continue providing a quality educational experience for our students.
 
Please note the following change to the school calendar-Monday, November 2rd will now be a planning day for teachers and students will not be in attendance.
 
As we move forward we ask that you help keep our students and staff safe by diligently monitoring your students’ and family’s health and report any symptoms that may be related to Covid.  We thank you for all your input, advice and attention to this learning plan change and look forward to continued team work as new and unexpected obstacles and challenges come our way.
 
Thank you.

​We would like to share some information about our district and ask for your help in completing a survey for future planning. 
To begin, we had a positive case of COVID at the Elementary on Wednesday of this week that impacted many students and an entire classroom.  Our current case originated outside the building and impacted multiple families who happened to all be connected in some form or fashion.  The instant a report of the positive case was made our nursing staff and administrative/teaching team began tracing within the district, contacted families who were connected to the case and began quarantine of all involved.  At this time we have effectively closed a Kindergarten classroom, and quarantined an additional 25 students and 5 staff members.  I want to make clear that while we have quarantined a large group of people we only are aware of a single positive case at this time.  It is our goal to continue our current daily learning schedule and we will continue to monitor the situation for any increases in reported positive and/or symptomatic cases. Please be vigilant in monitoring your family for symptoms related to COVID and report those on our daily screening tool.  Being proactive will certainly improve chances of reducing the number of day’s students and staff are quarantined.  If you have questions in regards to how we make decisions involving students and staff quarantine you may look to the recent guidance given to local districts on our Forms and Documents page.  Needless to say, tracking, contacting and recording information related to COVID cases is extremely time consuming and stressful but our Nursing staff has done an exceptional job of insuring we are meeting guidelines and have been excellent ambassadors for our district.  Please understand that when they contact you they are doing what is expected of them by IDPH and are doing their very best to insure students and staff remain safe.
With that in mind, as we progress through the school year we are always considering when we should consider revising our return to learn plan.  We are currently utilizing a split “A/B” schedule that allows for the district to maintain social distancing and mitigates large group quarantine or a return to full remote learning.  In our most recent event we are able to allow an “A” day portion of a classroom and the remainder of a building to maintain their in-person learning.  While this might not be the case in every situation, the plan is certainly designed to reduce exposure to students and thereby reducing the spread of the COVID Virus.  As we learn more about COVID and our State Officials reconsider current rules we need to be prepared to move to more in-person learning opportunities.  While we still have lots of obstacles to overcome we want to be prepared with a plan that is safe, meets the needs of our families and addresses our families concerns in relation to COVID-19.  As such, we ask that you complete the survey found at this Survey Link before October 9, 2020.  Your input coupled with current guidelines and PORTA Staff survey results will be utilized to develop plans for our in-person learning program. 
Thank you in advance for completing our survey and remaining vigilant in your assessment of our student’s health.  We all need to work as a team to provide the best possible education we can in these weird and uncertain times. 

​As we near the end of our second week of remote learning we know that our families are apprehensive about the future plans for in person learning at PORTA.    Currently, we have 7 staff members (teachers, aides and a driver) who are Covid positive and 10 others who are in quarantine due to being symptomatic or in close contact with Covid Positive cases.  We also have 4 students who are Covid Positive and 22 others who are quarantined due to being symptomatic.  At this point we expect the majority of staff to be released from Quarantine or recovered from the Virus by the 21st of September.  We will likely have two staff members who will not be eligible to return next week.  As such, we are planning to return to face to face learning on the 21st of September.  We will continue to monitor our students and staff for active cases and symptoms on a daily basis and if we see a change that would indicate a need to return to remote learning we will do so.  So, as of today, Group A students will be in session on Sept. 21 and Group B students will be remote learning until September 24th at which time they will begin in person learning. 
Please continue to self-certify on a daily basis so that we can monitor potential issues as we move closer to our return date. 
We look forward to our return to in person learning and hope to continue offering a more traditional educational opportunities as we move forward.
 
Have a quiet and safe weekend.

After our first week of full remote learning we hope that everyone at home is able to maintain connections with staff and the plan is working for everyone.  As you know we were forced to move to full remote because we had a sudden increase in staff members who were either Covid positive or were symptomatic and in need of quarantine.  Currently, we have 6 staff members (teachers, aides and a driver) who are Covid positive and 12 others who are in quarantine due to being symptomatic or in close contact with Covid Positive cases.  We also have 1 student who is Covid Positive and 16 others who are quarantined due to being symptomatic.  For daily information on our Covid rates please look to the PORTA Webpage, as we have added a widget in the upper right hand corner that will lead you to daily Covid information. 
I am sure many of you are wondering if we will extend the remote learning or will return to face to face learning on the 21st of September.  While it is our preference to return to face to face learning on the 21st we will not make a final decision until we have a better grasp on our local positivity and quarantine rates.  We will need to have a better understanding of our staffing needs for the 21st and if we make a decision too early we would likely be forced to change our decision at some later point.  We will try to have a decision for our families by midweek and we hope that decision is a positive one.
We will begin delivering meals on Monday.  Drivers will contact families tonight or this weekend to give approximate times for meal drop-offs and locations.  I would like to commend our Transportation team they have worked very hard this week to ensure we could successfully deliver meals on a daily basis for the remainder of the semester. 
In closing, please contact your principal’s office and/or your teacher if you are having difficulties with technology or your student is in need of other helpful services, such as our counselors and social workers.   All services are available and during times like these we need to be vigilant to protect our students. 
 
Have a quiet and safe weekend.

​Good Afternoon,
 
As we begin a two week full remote period we would like to offer some additional information.  To begin we will ask that families continue to self-certify on a daily basis so that we can monitor symptomatic students and staff over the next two weeks. 
Tomorrow, Wednesday September 9th will be a normal full remote Wednesday for our students and as such should be in contact with their teachers for expectations for the day and then Thursday, Sept 10th will be a full remote learning day for students, they should be checking in with their teacher at the beginning of the school day and moving through their schedules as normal.  If students are in need of supplies, technology or textbooks please contact your Principal’s office to make arrangements to pick up those needed items.  The district will continue to provide lunches on a daily basis.  We ask that lunches be picked up between the hours of 10 AM and Noon at your schools location, if your students attend multiple schools you may pick up your meals at one site.  We will begin delivery on Monday Sept 14, so if you would like to participate in the meal program please email lunch@porta202.org, or complete our meal survey at this Link “Meal Survey” if you haven’t done so already.
 
Throughout this two week remote learning period, Athletic activities will continue as planned unless individual members on those programs are affected by COVID and protocol dictates closure of the activity. 
 
As far as COVID activity in the District we currently have 7 staff members; two of which are positive and 5 of which are being tested or are symptomatic at this time.  Of those staff members 6 are housed at Central and one at the Elementary.   From student standpoint we have zero positive cases, but we do have 19 students  (4 Jr/Sr High, 9 Central, 6 Elementary) who are quarantined at this time because they have not passed the daily screening or have been in contact with a known/suspected COVID case.  We have only learned of our first positive case this past Friday evening and all subsequent cases positive or symptomatic have occurred since Friday Evening.  If we believe you child was in contact with a COVID Positive Staff member or Student we have and will contact families individually so that we can maintain some sort of privacy for those affected by the case. 
Daily, we clean buildings and sanitize each building using special equipment during the evening hours.  In cases where we know we have suspected or positive cases we focus our attention to the spaces that person has occupied at school to insure we have sanitized our grounds for everyone’s safety.
 
We would like to note that cases we are seeing locally have nothing to do with festivities associated with Menard County this past weekend.  Unfortunately, our cases came unexpectedly even though our staff and students have been very vigilant about facemask wearing and social distancing.

​The PORTA District has seen a rapid increase in Covid Positive and symptomatic cases in our staff in the past two days.  As a result the District will move to full remote teaching.  Tomorrow, September 8th 2020 will be a remote planning day for staff, as such students will not log on tomorrow for learning.  Remote Learning will begin on Wednesday Sept 9th.  If your student needs supplies, books or technology from the school please contact your building’s office tomorrow to make arrangements to pick those materials up.  This phase of remote learning will continue until Sept 18th with in-person resuming on Sept 21st for Group A Students and September 24th for Group B students. 
Meals may be picked up at your building between the hours of 10 am and 12 noon this week, with Meal delivery beginning on Monday September 14th.  If you are in need of a meal and are unable to pick those meals up between the state hours please call your principal’s office to arrange for another pick-up time.
 
We apologize for this closure, we had high hopes to continue our in-person learning plan that has been very successful to this point and look forward to Sept. 21, 2020 and the return to our face to face learning.  If you have questions please contact your Principal’s office.

​The Department of Agriculture notified districts that we were allowed a waiver to provide meals under the Summer Meal program free of charge to PORTA Families with children 18 or under.  As such, beginning Sept.1 2020 all meals served will be free for all students 18 or under.  These meals will be very similar to meals served from March through August of this past summer and follow a different set of nutritional guidelines.  Anyone who was charged for a meal on Sept 1, 2020 will have their accounts reimbursed.  As noted, last week we planned on beginning delivery for meals on September 8, 2020 but will now begin delivery for meals on September 14, 2020.  We expect to have a large influx of meals to provide and need to insure we have enough supplies to meet our orders.  Remote learners who are interested in meal delivery please complete the “Remote Learning Meals” survey so that we can create a route and deliver meals reliably.  Meals can also be pickup at any of the school locations, but again we would like to be notified of your choice so we can prepare for the meal service. Each meal will include breakfast and lunch for the day.  If interested in meal delivery or will pick up meals on a daily basis please contact your Principals office or email your families intentions and number of participants each day to lunch@porta202.org.
 
Who can participate?  Anybody in the household 18 or under and/or are a current student in the PORTA Schools.
 
When are Pick-ups?  Beginning Sept 8, 2020 multiple meals will be provided each day.  Delivery routes will be developed around current bus routes.  Drivers will call families in the coming days to give delivery information and ask if families will be participating. 
 
Do we have to qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch to participate?  No, all members in any house in the PORTA District who are current students or are 18 or under are qualified. 
 
Do we have to participate every day?  No, but it is much easier to maintain a meal count each delivery day if we have a fairly consistent usage by our participants.  We encourage families who utilize the service to continue each day.
 
Can I pick-up meals for multiple families?  Yes, you can pick-up meals for multiple families if that takes the stress off of families.  Just let those who are delivering the meals know that you are helping other families in our district and we will help you out.
 
 
How long will the program run?  The program is scheduled to run from September 1, 2020 to the end of the first semester (Dec 18, 2020).  If participation levels are reduced significantly the School District will reevaluate the program and make changes accordingly.

Good Afternoon, 
This is a reminder that students are eligible to receive meals on remote learning days.  Students who qualify for Free or Reduced meals may continue to receive those meals for free or low cost and those students who are paid may also request meals from the school on their remote days.  During the week of August 31, 2020 we will track the number of meals and those who have asked for them to determine the best form of distribution moving forward.  During the Week of August 31, meals may be picked up at the building your student attends or if you have multiple buildings your children attend please choose any one building to gather your daily meals.  We are working on a schedule to begin meal delivery following Labor Day weekend.  
If you would like your student to take part in the daily meals (breakfast and Lunch) we ask that you sign up on a weekly basis so that we can track meals for the National School lunch program and can plan for appropriate amount of supplies each week.  Pick up times for the week of August 31, 2020 will be from 10-12pm.  As we develop the delivery routes for following weeks we will attempt to have all meals delivered between 10:30 and Noon each day.  
What we need from you?
Please respond to this survey "PORTA Remote Lunch Service" or email lunch@porta202.org or call your schools office and express your desire to take part in the lunch/breakfast program. List the students in your household that will take part.  Tell us if they want Breakfast or Lunch or both for the week of August 31, 2020, the week of Sept 7, 2020 and Sept 14, 2020.  As we gather information we will report out on delivery times and schedules that should start after Labor Day.  Please remember meals during the week of August 31, 2020 will be for pick-up only.  If you cannot take advantage of the meals next week, but will participate when delivery service begins please let us know.

One final message prior to the start of the school year.  We are excited to start on Monday with our Group “A” Students who will also be in attendance on Tuesday, both days will be a full day of attendance.  Then we will gear up for our Group “B” students return to school on Thursday and Friday also for full days.  If you are in group “B” you will have no classroom expectations while Group “A” is in session on Monday and Tuesday and the same would hold true for Group “A” on Thursday and Friday while Group “B” is in session.  We are utilizing this first week to acclimate students to our plan and preparing them for remote learning as well.  Those students who are fully remote are being asked to attend an orientation on Wednesday August 26th from 9-10AM:  7-12 students will attend an orientation at the Jr/Sr High and 3-6 full remote students will attend orientation at PORTA Central.  We ask that 3rd-6th students be accompanied by one parent.
 
We have created a new link on the PORTA Website under “Forms and Documents” where you can find items that will help you understand our calendar, the first week of school, progression of events if students/staff are exposed to COVID, Return to Learn expectations, and how to access your Skyward Family page to complete the daily Covid screener. 
We will be asking each parent/guardian to complete the screener every day of the week, which includes those remote learning days, for all students.
 
Other items you may be wondering about:  What if I don’t have a computer?  Don’t worry, we will assign a computer to those who have no access at home.  We will make final determinations of your needs in the next week and assign a Chromebook to those students in need.
 
What if my internet is not adequate or I don’t have internet?  The district is collecting information on family’s connectivity and working to help them find solutions to their internet problems.  In some cases finding a provider that works well might be easily done, but in other cases we might need to be creative in how we find internet connectivity for your family.  Again, please contact your principal’s office if you have no internet or have concerns with your internet and we will help in some way to get you connected.
 
What will my Child’s Day Look Like? The truth is that at every grade level your child’s day might be somewhat different.  As students increase in age, we will have higher expectations of their abilities to work on line with our staff in real time.  The best way to determine what your child’s day will look like is to contact your teacher and/or principal.  Teachers, especially at the K-6, level have been making personal contacts with parents preparing them for the upcoming weeks and additional information will be sent through Classroom DOJO, Remind apps, district email and newsletters and website.  One consistent pattern across the district is that we are focused on keeping students socially distanced and wearing masks.
 
What about lunch? The school district is required to follow National School Lunch guidelines and as such students who qualify for free/reduced lunch may receive meals (Breakfast and Lunch) for free and reduced and those who are paid may also pay for those same meals.  We are required to track student usage daily and as such will provide meals to both in person learning students as well as remote students on a daily basis.  If your student is remotely learning and would like a meal we will ask that you contact your principal’s office and notify them of your choice or email lunch@porta202.org your preference and students names and grades.  During the first weeks of school we will ask parents of remote students who choose school meals to pick those meals up between 10 am and noon each day at their buildings.  As we move forward, we will investigate and develop a method of delivery for meals, especially if we are required to be fully remote.

Today we will share information from the IDPH on Covid-19 return and quarantine protocols, our beginning of the year school schedule, Lunch and Breakfast updates and daily self-certification routines. 
We are just a little over a week away from beginning the 2020-21 school term and as you can imagine this school year will not start off as normal and will likely see many changes throughout the school year.  Students will attend in split “A/B” groups beginning Monday August 24th.  During the first week of school Group “A” will meet on August 24 and 25th and Group “B” will meet on August 27th and 28th for orientation and preparation for the following weeks of instruction. All 7-12 students who have chosen to be fully remote will meet on Wednesday August 26th at 9AM at the High School for orientation, which will last approximately an hour.  The School year will begin with full days of attendance or 8:00pm to 3:15pm for Groups A and B.
We will ask parents to self-certify their students each day of the week, including those days when your student is remote learning.  If you look at your Skyward family access page you will see that on the front page each of your children will have a link to a very short two question self-certification page.  Please answer those questions and send.  Our administrative team and office staff will be tracking responses daily ensuring students have certified daily.  For those who have not self-certified, we will make arrangements to check those students as soon as they arrive at school and if any symptoms exist students will be quarantined and parents called to retrieve their child.  Again, we will ask parents to compete the self-certification each morning even if their student is learning remotely.
 
This was the final week of the summer meal program and we would like to thank all of you who participated.  We would also like to recognize our Cafeteria staff and Menard County Housing partners for all their hard work.  During the months of June, July and August we provided 23,026 meals, quite an accomplishment.  As the New Year nears we will start the school year under the normal National School Lunch Plan that everyone is accustom.  We will provide meals at a cost to those who do not qualify for Free/Reduce meals.  If you feel your family will be interested in meals during the school day for your remote education students please email lunch@porta202.org,  your students names, whether they will want breakfast and/or Lunch on those days they are learning remotely.  We will collect the information and determine the best means of providing those meals on a daily basis. 
 
We have provided links on the website, in the District Forms section, to the most recent IDPH question and answer document on returning from COVID exposure, our school Schedule and a return to learn flow chart to help with making determinations for returning to school after contact with Covid-19. 
 
As you have the opportunity to read through these documents you will see that the guidelines we are expected to work within are very stringent and will make it very difficult to manage as we have students and staff present with COVID-19 symptoms.  The fact that we will eventually have a case within the district that will affect numerous students and staff will force the district to consider full remote learning for lengths of time throughout this fall.  Let’s all hope a solution to this virus that will allow us to return to school as normal as possible.
We look forward to the return of our students and staff.  See you soon.

​The PORTA Board of Education met last evening to finalize a return to learn plan.  After careful consideration of the requirements placed on the district to insure social distancing, face-mask wearing, regular and thorough cleaning and minimizing of 50 or less people in a space, the district has decided to begin the school year utilizing an A/B Split schedule.  In short an A/B Split schedule will allow for half the class to learn in person on their scheduled days. For instance if a student is in group “A” they will attend on Monday and Tuesday and remote learn on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  If your student is in Group “B” they will remote learn on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and be in-person on Thursday and Friday.  In some instances students will be invited to attend four days a week if they have special educational needs or programming and those will be determined on a student by student basis.  The process of determining who will be in Group “A” or “B” will begin by a simple split of student by alphabetical order by last name, beginning with Group “A” including last names beginning with A-K and Group “B” comprised of those with last names L-Z.  Obviously, there will be exceptions to this order which might include insuring families attend on the same day, a need to balance classroom sizes, as well as other exceptions.  Your building principal will contact families individually next week to notify you of exceptions that may affect your family.  If you are not contacted please take note of the group your child is initially assigned to by Alphabetical order.
 
Group “A” students will begin on August 24th and 25th and will utilize the first two days for orientation to our new plan. Group “B” Students will begin August 27th and 28th for their orientation.  Those students who are opting for the full remote learning option will be required to attend an in-person orientation on August 26th at 9AM. We anticipate this orientation will last approximately an hour.  Beginning August 31st, students will begin attending in their prospective groups and remote learning on those days they are not assigned to in-person learning.
 
All students, in-person or remote, will have access to daily lunch and breakfast.  Our lunch program will follow National Lunch program guidelines and will be very similar to the normal lunch program.  Students who qualify for Free or reduced meals will be able to receive those meals at their normal rate and those paid participants will continue to pay for meals if they choose.  Remote students may pick-up meals if they choose.
 
All parents, remote or in-person learners will be required to certify that children are symptom free prior to the school day start.  We are developing a system similar to our school reach call system that will text a daily self-certification form to each family to complete.  The form will consist two or three simple check off questions to be sent back to the district. 
 
Please stay in contact with our various social media, website and newsletter outreach opportunities so that we can continue to update you on daily schedules, expectations for students and any changes that may occur between now and the beginning of the school term.  Please have patience as we are sorting out issues and creating solutions as fast as we can.  If you have questions, concerns or solutions please feel free to seek out your building principal.  

Hello PORTA Families. Please take the time to read our short update on our fall return to learn plans.  After we have gathered information at registration on the number of students planning on beginning the school year utilizing remote learning, we will have a better understanding of our classroom and building spaces.  With this knowledge we will be able to determine if we can maintain social distancing guidelines in classrooms, lunch areas, etc.  We have surveyed parents and staff and will use that information in conjunction with registration data to make a final recommendation to the Board of Education in the upcoming week. Our “Return to Learn” plans remain the same at this point and I would expect that we will have a final decision very soon on whether to return to a full 5 day schedule or incorporate a split schedule at the beginning of the school term.  Again, that determination will be based on our ability to meet Illinois State Board of Education Mandates for social distancing, wearing of face masks and meeting a 50 person per space limit for large groups.  We have made a final decision for the PREK return to learn and at this point we will offer a split week schedule for our PREK Students, so that we can individualize manipulatives and play items to ensure a safer environment.   Our PREK families will also be offered an online curriculum for those who choose not to attend or are not in session as a result of the split schedule.  Information on the PREK format was made available during registration and you can expect your student’s teacher to offer more information in the near future.
 
As you know by now the Governor and IHSA have cancelled most sporting events for late summer and early fall.  At this point Cross Country, Golf and Swimming will continue to be offered at the High School level and we expect the IESA to reverse its decision from last week and allow Softball/Baseball, Golf and Cross Country as well.
 
As we move forward we want to reiterate that families need to be prepared for another lengthy shutdown of the schools this fall.  We have already seen the Governor’s warnings this week and increasing COVID-19 cases and so we can only believe that a shutdown will be imminent if these trends continue.  As such this is a great time to determine if your internet and technology access is adequate and if it is not please investigate options that may be available to you.  The district is currently working on acquiring hotspots and working on programs with local providers to ensure access for families.  If you are unable to garner access please contact your Principals office and let them know your situation.  We will ask you several questions to determine who/what companies might be able to offer access and then help you get the access needed to take part in an online distance learning scenario. 
 
There are many things that can change in the next few weeks, as we are constantly affected by decisions made at the National and State Executive levels.  We are also being affected by COVID-19 delays in materials and shipping for our current construction projects, technology acquisition and in many cases supplies we will need for sanitation and food preparation.  We will do our best to keep everyone up on the latest news so please hang in there and pray for better days and positive decisions.

​Good Morning PORTA Families, This is Matt Brue, PORTA Superintendent bringing you yet another weekly message on our “Return to Learn” plan.  Last week we explained that we will have a backup plan for our Phase four “Return to Learn” portion, that included split weeks for our students, but our first choice is to start the year 5 days a week, full days and we continue to move forward with this plan.  So, in essence if all things stay the same we will begin on August 24th with students 5 days a week, under normal school times schedules. We will ask parents to self-certify each morning that their children are not exhibiting signs of Covid-19, we will also ask those who are able to transport their children to school to reduce overcrowding on our buses.  Classrooms will be socially distances to the best of our ability, lunches will take place in new and expanded areas and large group classes such as PE, Band and Choir will see alterations to make them more social distancing friendly.  Students and staff will be asked to wear a mask that is comfortable for them during this stage four “Return to Learn” plan.  While mask wearing is a state requirement, we understand there is some controversy over this mandate, and we hope that we can overcome issues that result from mask wearing.  We would encourage families to practice and model face-mask wearing between now and the beginning of the school term.  We would also encourage having fun with the process by purchasing masks that fit your personality, novelty masks or variations of traditional masks that are more comfortable for you and your children.
For those families who decide not to return to face-to-face learning in Stage 4, we will be offering remote learning in real time for our grades 3-12 students.  Students will access the live classroom, through google classroom and participate as if they were physically present. 
Grades K-2 are particularly difficult to plan for and so we have decided to utilize an online curriculum that is a home-school platform, making it easier for parents to offer a good educational experience to their young children. Additionally, we will be offering supplemental small group activities with our teaching and ParaPro staff to help parents through the teaching and learning process.  As we solidify our online choices and practices for our “return to learn” plan we will be reporting back to families.  While this is a summary of our plan the full plan can be found on our website at www.porta202.org. 
We do ask that parents be prepared to return to Stage 3 full remote learning, we will do our very best to prepare students and families early in the school year if we are able to meet face to face.  We also understand that this plan does not meet everyone’s needs but it does meet the majority of family’s personal needs. We will continue to tune our plan and take into consideration changes that take place between now and the start of the school year.  As we begin school we will monitor our communities local health issues along with our county health officials and make informed choices on when and if we need to alter our plans.

Things are changing daily and information I shared today may be different next week so please begin to take steps for the return of your students to in person learning by purchasing masks and reinforcing social distancing and hand washing.


​Registration for K-6 will take place at “Roots” on July 30 from noon to 7PM and on July 31 7AM to 11 AM. Registration packets will be mailed or arranged for pickup at the end the July 13th week or early in the week of the July 20th.
Families may pickup registration packets at PORTA Central beginning on Monday, July 20th from 9:00-11:00, Tuesday, July 21st from 4:00-6:00p.m. and Wednesday, July 22 from 9:00-11:00.  Parents will take packets home to fill out and then return them with fee payment on July 30 from Noon-7:00p.m. at Roots and also Friday, July 31 from 7:00-11:00a.m. at Roots.
 
Jr/Sr High registration packets will be mailed between July 17th and 24th and registration will be held at the Jr/Sr high on July 30 (noon to 7pm) and 31st (7am-11AM) for new students.