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FAMILY WELCOME MESSAGE FOR 2022-2023

August 10, 2022

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Hello Maine East Students and Families,

We cannot wait to see all of our students back to school next week! As a reminder, all information about the start of school can be found on this webpage. Below you will find important information on several topics for the 2022-23 school year. We encourage you to review the information together as a family.

Student Behavior Expectations

The unique challenges associated with the pandemic over the last two years resulted in a school environment that was less structured and less predictable than our students deserve. This year we look forward to an opportunity to reset some building expectations so that our students can maximize their learning opportunities. We will use our behavior framework, R-Code, to share expectations with students. R-Code signifies that Maine East students are Respectful, Responsible and Resilient.

In order to ensure that all students can thrive in our school community we will be putting extra focus in the areas of attendance, study time and cell phone use. Please read the sections relevant to student expectations below, carefully.

Attendance

Daily attendance in all classes is essential to success. Students are expected to be in all classes, on time, each day. We believe that attendance is important, and correlated with a student’s academic and social emotional success. Being on time to class is as important as being present. Any time a student misses time in class, whether it be for an authorized or unauthorized reason, they are missing valuable learning experiences that cannot be recreated. We see it as the responsibility of each student, parent, teacher, administrator, and staff member to promote and stress the value of good attendance. Families can expect frequent communication via phone messages and text messages when students are missing from class. Our Attendance Office number is 847-692-8321 should you need to call out your student.

Student ID Cards and Scanning

Students are expected to have their ID card on them at all times. Student IDs will be passed out during the advisory period on orientation days. Beginning on August 18th, students must scan their ID card when entering the building. Students may only enter the main entrance (door 1) and the bus shelter door near the student parking lot (door 3).

Assigned Study Options

Students’ time is valuable. We know that many of our students dedicate considerable time after school hours to jobs, caring for siblings, and participating in athletics/extracurricular activities. Thus, we want our students to utilize the non-class time they have to complete assignments, seek assistance for academic or social-emotional needs and quiet study. All students that have an assigned study options period on their schedule will report to a designated location. An adult supervisor will be present to issue a pass if a student needs to see a teacher or utilize the library or other resources.

Early Release

Any 11th or 12th grade student with acceptable attendance, behavior, and academic performance may apply for the privilege of early dismissal from the last block period of the day if they have a currently scheduled Study Options during 7th/8th block. Students can pick up a permission slip from the Attendance Office window. The Attendance Office will call home to verify parent/guardian signatures. Early release will begin 9/6/22 and students will be required to scan out of the building through doors 1 and 3.

A student who is granted the early dismissal privilege is permitted to leave the school grounds for the day at the conclusion of their 5th/6th block period class. (Note: If a student has “C Lunch” at the end of 5th/6th block leading into Study Option, they may be able to leave during that time with permission)

Cell Phone Use

We value the use of technology as a critical learning tool. Our school provided Chromebooks and teacher tools in the classroom are sufficient for the learning activities our staff provides.

Students do not need to use their personal cell phones during class time. We want our students to engage in learning and be free from the distractions and social stress that cell phone use may cause. For this reason, Maine East will dedicate attention to helping students use their phones responsibly so that they can maximize learning opportunities in the classroom.

This year, phones are expected to be silenced and out of sight during class time. When students struggle to keep their phone away, we will support them by providing a secure, visible space to hold their phone. If students cannot comply with this expectation, further intervention will be utilized through our Student Supports Office.

We understand that the pandemic increased cell phone usage for students and adults alike. We take the opportunity to teach your students self-management skills that will support them throughout life very seriously. We appreciate your partnership in reinforcing our expectations with your student(s).

Parking / Student Drop-Off & Pick-Up

In an effort to centralize and monitor student entry and access to the building, we have introduced changes to the parking procedures. All student drivers will be required to park in the lot near the door 3 entrance by the bus shelter. Students are only permitted to enter the building through doors 1 &3, door 9 will also be used for students requiring special transport. As part of our new procedure, we will scan the ID’s of all students entering doors 1 & 3 in the mornings before school. After 8:45am, students will only be allowed to enter Door 1. Thank you for your cooperation. Please reach out to Romelle Taylor Associate Principal of Student Experiences if you have any questions or concerns. Click here: Map

After School Hours

After school students are encouraged to attend their teachers’ office hours to receive additional support Tuesday through Friday. The student cafeteria closes daily at 3:30 p.m. The Learning Resource Center (Library) is open daily until 4:30 p.m. Students that need to stay after school for an activity that they are actively involved in should attend their teachers’ office hours or wait in the LRC. In-sport athletes are encouraged to attend teacher office hours, sit in a designated area in the cafe, report to LRC, or wait for their coach outdoors until practice starts. Students waiting to be picked up can wait in the LRC until 4:30 p.m. and by doors 1 or 3 after 4:30 p.m..

Visitors

For the purpose of maintaining safety within our building, visitors will only be permitted to enter through the main entrance. All visitors will be required to present photo identification. Before entering the building from the security lobby, visitors will be issued a lanyard with identification that must be worn for the duration of their visit. Upon return of the lanyard to the security lobby the visitor’s photo identification will be returned.

Covid Updates

As we prepare for school to start, we wanted to share with all families the COVID-19 mitigation plans for the 2022-23 school year. District 207 is a mask optional environment for students and staff. Masks are highly recommended for anyone who is not vaccinated but not required for anyone.

As was implemented last school year, District 207 is no longer conducting contact tracing at school and the district will no longer exclude students and staff who were close contacts of a positive COVID-19 case at school. In accordance with IDPH Guidelines isolation for 5 days is recommended for students with Covid-like symptoms and who have been in close contact with a confirmed or probable case of Covid.

While these changes have been made, the following mitigation strategies are still in place:

Individuals who are sick should NOT come to school.
Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 should contact the health office and must remain out of school for at least five days. After five days, if the student (or staff member) still has a fever and/or symptoms have not diminished, they should continue to stay home. When fever free and symptoms are no longer present or they have diminished, the student may return to school.
Individuals are welcome to visit the health office if they are in need of a COVID-19 rapid test (with parent permission). Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 through the health office would be excluded from school for at least five days.

Construction Update

As you know, many improvements have been made to Maine East High School through a massive construction project over the last two years. The project has transformed most of our building; our new learning spaces are unbelievable! Unfortunately, some unforeseen issues have altered the completion schedule for our fieldhouse. At this time, we do not expect the fieldhouse will be reopened until December 1, 2022. Our Health & Wellness department is working hard to ensure that our students will have great learning experiences throughout semester one despite the loss of this space.

Chromebook Updates

The District will be switching its Chromebook classroom management program from Hapara to GoGuardian. GoGuardian will be installed on all student Chromebooks just as Hapara was in the past. GoGuardian will create a more secure environment that will enable us to better protect student information contained on our servers and protect the District’s technology infrastructure from being breached. Two further safety measures will be taken. Student personal email accounts will not be accessible to students while on the District server and students will only be able to download “green listed” applications. The installation of GoGuardian will be completed remotely at a future date so students will not need to configure the program on their device.

Thank you so much for your attention to these important details for the 22-23 school year!

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

The Maine East Administration

Administrator Contact Information

PRINCIPAL’S SUMMER MAILING – START OF SCHOOL INFORMATION FOR 2022-2023

August 2022

Informacje w języku polskim | Información en español | المعلومات باللغة العربية | ગુજરાતીમાં માહિતી

The purpose of this communication is:

To inform you of important dates and deadlines for the upcoming school year

To alert you about some information you should have already received (either by mail or email)
- Proof of Residency verification process for students (https://bit.ly/2V1rKuy)
- Free/Reduced Lunch, Fee Waiver, (https://bit.ly/3BRVH11) and Infinite Campus registration information (https://bit.ly/3ljCkrV)
- Note: All school mailings are available on the school’s website (east.maine207.org) – the school site is the best source of accurate, up-to-date information about the start of the school year along with events and news throughout the school year.
To provide other information that may be of importance to you
- Application information to join the Maine East Athletic (https://bit.ly/3NN24HD) and/or Fine Arts Boosters (https://bit.ly/3Ih3ucj)
- Notice of the Uniform Grievance Procedures

Links for the full content of the Principal’s Summer Mailing with Start of School Information

and all enclosures are listed below:

A MESSAGE FROM THE NEW PRINCIPAL

July 2022

Dear Maine East Families,

I am excited to share that I have officially started my role as your Principal. Moving into Maine East has been the highlight of my summer! I have loved learning about our school community. My family enjoyed the Park Ridge Fireworks on July 3rd; what a great show!

Over the past several months I have had the opportunity to explore all that Maine East has to offer including visiting classrooms, attending extracurricular activities and watching sporting events.. I loved having a chance to speak with students. I am so impressed with the ideas students shared with me and I cannot wait to collaborate with them to ensure a safe and engaging high school experience for all. High school should be some of the most memorable years for students. I take the responsibility to support them throughout high school very seriously; it is a privilege to work with your students!

I believe strong partnerships between school and family are integral to building successful future pathways for our students. Please know that I always welcome your questions and concerns. Do not hesitate to reach out at any time. I look forward to meeting you!

Our building leadership team has been working this summer on plans for the 2022-2023 school year. You will receive more information about the start of school in a message by the start of next week. Please watch for that message in both email and through a hard copy mailing.

I encourage you to follow Maine East High School through the outlets listed below. We are committed to frequent family communication through both email and these resources:

Maine East High School: https://east.maine207.org/

Read the East Side News: https://east.maine207.org/east-side-news/

I am grateful for the warm welcome I have received from the Maine East community. It is an honor to serve your family. Wishing you a wonderful rest of your summer!

Melissa Pikul, Ed.D.

Principal

[email protected]

847-692-8502

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