Iroquois County CUSD 9

Say Cheese! WCHS School Picture Day will be Tuesday, August 25th and Wednesday, August 26th. Picture packets will be available in the Main Office.

1st grade Meet The Teacher is tonight, Monday, August 17th, 5:00-6:30. Drive through the bus lane on North St. to meet your teacher and drop off your school supplies.

Tonight is Freshman Orientation at WCHS. If you have not already signed up for a time slot you may call 815.432.2486. Please park in the student lot and enter door #6. You will go into the gym for a quick meeting and then you will be given your schedule and Chromebook. You are able to tour the school at that time. We are excited to see everyone!

KACC first day is Thursday, August 20. Please arrive in the student parking lot between 6:45 - 7:00 am. You may enter door #6 if you would like to get breakfast. You will also need to complete the Self-Certification form prior to loading the bus. On the first day the bus driver will have this form for you to complete. This is to verify you feel healthy and is to be turned into the bus driver before being transported to KACC. You will be given extra copies at school for you to have. Also, 5th hour begins at 10:58 am so you will go immediately to your class once you return if it is your in-person learning day at WCHS.

To All 5th Graders: 5th Grade Open House will be Monday August 17 from 5:30 - 7pm. You will be entering through the Mulberry Street Office doors. A mask is required and it is the student and parents only. No siblings are allowed. You will receive your schedule and locker assignment that night. You will also be meeting your teacher and take a tour of the building.

The 5th, 6th 7th & 8th grade Open House/Orientation that was to be held tonight, August 12th, has been CANCELLED. It will not be rescheduled. However, the 5th grade Open House information will be going out tomorrow, August 13th. The 6th, 7th & 8th grade students will receive their schedules, chrome books, lockers, etc. on their first day of school. Letters have been mailed to all students/parents notifying them of their maroon/white days, clarifying their first day of school. We appreciate your patience with us on getting this information to you.

WCHS Freshman Orientation August 17th.

Please click on the following link to view the Unit 9 first semester calendar. This calendar includes the days that WCHS and GRS maroon and white groups will be in attendance. https://tinyurl.com/U9MWcalendar

WCHS Class of 2020 Pool Party

Please click on the following link to access the Fall 2020 Return to Learning Plan by Iroquois County CUSD #9. https://bit.ly/33cnNVS

Please complete the following survey regarding your enrollment intentions for your child's education in the fall of 2020. You will need to fill out a separate survey for each child in the district. We are asking that all surveys are completed by this Friday, July 31, 2020. https://forms.gle/UxZxPXE8EH6zUgPF7 Thank you for your time.

Attached is Phase 4 Additional Information. Please click here: https://5il.co/inz3

WCHS Yearbook Pre-Sale Event: Special Pricing Ends 9/7/2020

Have you lost one of your yearbooks from high school? Did you miss out on ordering one for yourself or your child? Check out this amazing deal!! Contact Erika Sterrenberg: erika.sterrenberg@watsekaschools.org

Iroquois County CUSD #9 Registration Information

WCHS graduation is tonight Friday, July 10th. . If you are unable to attend but would like to listen or observe the ceremony from home you can do that by listening to WIQI. Please tune to 95.9FM. To view the ceremony via Zoom go to: Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/93026660273?pwd=aHQxVXlRaVhicVhhWUtCUU9NTzRCUT09 Meeting ID: 930 2666 0273 Password: 111246 To view Live Stream on Facebook: Go to Iroquois County CUSD 9. The ceremony will be posted on the district website at the conclusion of the event. Thank you and stay safe.

Watseka Community High School graduation is tonight, Friday, July 10th. The ceremony will begin at 6:00 pm. If you are unable to attend but would like to listen or observe the ceremony from home you can do that by listening to WIQI. Please tune to 95.9FM. To view Live stream on Facebook: Go to Iroquois County CUSD 9. The ceremony will also be posted to our website at the conclusion of the event. Thank you & stay safe.

WCHS Graduation will be tomorrow, July 10th at 6:00 pm. Please arrive by no later than 5:45. Each senior will be permitted one vehicle for the graduate and family to park in student lot. (If a separate vehicle is driven, please part on Belmont and walk in to stand with your child.) PLEASE consider decorating your child's vehicle to make it more festive! Students will be assigned a parking slot and should park facing the tent. Ms. Dillard, Mrs. Henneike & Mrs. Short will direct you to your parking spot. Your name has been written on the spot as well! You have the option to stay in your vehicle or exit and stand/sit in front of it. Due to Governor Pritzkers guidelines we need to follow social distancing and safety precautions so you are asked to stay with your family and not move about the parking lot. We will follow the traditional graduation program and each student will have their name read aloud. At that time the student and family members will approach the tent/stage area. The graduate will walk through the tent to pick up their diploma and family members can take pictures. Students will exit the tent and return to their car and the next student will be called to the tent/stage area. To view the ceremony via Zoom go to: Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/93026660273?pwd=aHQxVXlRaVhicVhhWUtCUU9NTzRCUT09 Meeting ID: 930 2666 0273 Password: 111246 To view on Facebook: Go to Iroquois County CUSD 9 page. To listen on the radio please tune in to 95.9 FM. When the ceremony is finished, cars will be dismissed by rows. We are excited to celebrate our seniors tomorrow!

Dear Parents and Guardians, We hope this message finds you and your families safe and well. I know you must have many questions about our upcoming school year. As your new superintendent, I too have a bunch of questions running through my mind. This is definitely not what I anticipated my first year to look like! Last week, the Illinois State Board of Education released guidance on the 2020-21 school year. This 60-page document is designed to answer critical questions in determining in-person learning, scheduling, transportation, wearing mask/face shield, social distancing and other measures intended to keep everyone safe and healthy. We are doing everything we can to resume in-person instruction when it is allowable to do so. Rest assured we are doing all that we can to plan for good experiences moving forward. The Governor and State Superintendent discussed the need for our schools to follow mandated guidelines such as social distancing, wearing of masks, and limiting groups to 50 or below in spaces within each school. We know this places a potential major burden on students and parents. The Governor also stated the need for schools to be flexible and be ready to return to remote learning if the metrics state the need to do so. Again, now more than ever, we will need your patience as we plan for and navigate these changes based on the guidelines we received and thank you for your feedback from our survey. Right now, we don't have all the answers to the questions in this document as it was released to school districts at the same time it was released to the public. We know some of the information and implementation measures contained in this document may be out of our control, but it is intended to keep our students safe, as difficult as the messages and allowances may be. We will communicate expectations regarding our next school year and anticipate releasing our own transition plan as soon as possible, most likely around late July. As soon as we are comfortable with the plan, we will release it to parents and try to provide as many answers to questions that may be out there. Items to be discussed range from transportation guidelines, effective sanitization measures, and potential school closures and quarantine issues. There is so much we will need to review and plan for to get this right for our community. Our administration and staff have been working to brainstorm multiple scenarios and discuss considerations as we move forward with the guidelines and what we must now implement. We know that our environment may need to look different as we transition through the different phases, but we are committed to the continued education of the whole child. Our commitment to providing the best education and opportunities for our students will continue as we navigate these new mandates. Thank you again for all of your support and I hope you have an enjoyable 4th of July weekend. Dr. David Andriano

WCHS Graduation will be on Friday, July 10th starting at 6 pm and will be held in the student parking lot. Each senior will be permitted one vehicle for the graduate and family to park in lot. (If a separate vehicle is driven, please part on Belmont and walk in to stand with your child.) PLEASE consider decorating your child's vehicle to make it more festive! A tent will be set up on the east side of the student parking lot along the softball field. Students will be assigned a parking slot and should park facing the tent. You have the option to stay in your vehicle or exit and stand/sit in front of it. Due to Governor Pritzkers guidelines we need to follow social distancing and safety precautions so you are asked to stay with your family and not move about the parking lot. Please arrive by no later than 5:45. The ceremony will begin at 6:00 pm. We will follow the traditional graduation program and each student will have their name read aloud. At that time the student and family members will approach the tent/stage area. The graduate will walk through the tent to pick up their diploma and family members can take pictures. Students will exit the tent and return to their car and the next student will be called to the tent/stage area. The ceremony will be live streamed and recorded/shared on our website. Zoom Live Stream info will be sent out that morning. When the ceremony is finished, cars will be dismissed by rows. We are excited to gather together to celebrate our seniors! If you have questions, please email Mrs. Short: carolyn.short@watsekaschools.org