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Happy Earth Day!
What did you do today to celebrate?
Do you know what today is? Here's a hint - Midwest Central is lucky to have some of the best around.
Today is Administrative Professionals Day!
Make sure to thank all of the hard-working Administrative Professionals in your life.
Hello Raiders,
As I mentioned last week, I want to provide you some information on some of the bills being run through Springfield. Below are two bills I'm concerned about. As a parent, I personally wouldn't want a teacher talking to my children about sex education and providing their viewpoint on the topic. As a school leader, I don't think it's the job of the district to educate students on this topic to this extent. Naturally we touch on sex education in our health classes; however, these bills will put us in positions to provide much more intense education on the topic. I would encourage you all to reach out to your senator and representative to explain your displeasure with these bills. If you're unsure who to reach here is a link to search for both your senator and representative.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/maps/
HB 1736 Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-Northlake)
HB 3071 Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Chicago)
We grouped these bills together because both focus on sex education curriculum.
HB 1736 mandates that a comprehensive, standards-based sex education course be taught in Preschool through 12th grade, including school disclosure, parental requests and notice of program. The bill allows school districts to collaborate with public health departments to identify a point of contact for inquiries and comments about course instruction and materials.
HB 3071 provides that school districts providing sex education are required to deliver a standards-based evidence-informed curriculum.
Best,
Dr. Todd Hellrigel
Mr. Guenther won this awesome new computer from the Meemic Foundation teacher’s grants last week!!!
High Five Mr. Guenther!
THANK YOU Meemic Foundation!
It's time for Preschool Screenings!
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Hello Raiders,
Midwest Central stands to receive over two million dollars in stimulus money. The use of the money is for addressing learning loss, addressing social emotional health, and improving indoor air quality. We plan to use the money to hire some additional personnel next school year to help meet the needs of our students as well as improving indoor air quality. We were fortunate to have a project lined up for this summer at our primary school, and a portion of the money will be used for that. We also will be hiring some additional aides and/or teachers to help individual students, and we also hope to hire an additional counselor to help with emotional issues that many students currently face.
Our villages and counties also will be receiving large amounts of stimulus money. Here are the approximate amounts:
Village of Manito $183,000,
Village of Forest City $27,000
Village of Green Valley $79,000
Village of Topeka $8,000
Mason County $2.6 million
Tazewell County $25.5 million
If you'd like to look at other states or areas, here is a link to an easy to use option.
https://wirepoints.org/how-much-is-your-community-getting-under-the-american-recovery-plan-searchable-database-for-the-nation-is-here-wirepoints/
Best,
Dr. Todd Hellrigel
Reminder - Tomorrow will be a 1/2 day for students.
Parents are you looking for an inexpensive, super fun summer activity to do with your kids?
The Peoria Academy of Science and the Peoria Riverfront Museum are proud sponsors of the 31st Annual Science Treasure Hunt. The Treasure Hunt is a combination of family adventure and scavenger hunt focusing on science and technology facilities and resources in the tri-county area for students between 1st grade and 8th grade on April 16, 2021.
For more information, visit the website: https://sciencetreasurehunt.org/
🏆STATE CHAMPION🏆
We are excited to announce that Evan White of the Midwest Central FFA Chapter has been named the State FFA Proficiency Winner in the area of Forage Production!
Illinois FFA recognizes students in fifty different areas based on their work-based learning, also known as Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE). FFA members who demonstrate outstanding agricultural skills and competencies through record keeping, leadership, and scholastic achievement may be considered for this award.
We would like to congratulate Evan for his hard work and dedication towards his SAE over the past four years!
Wishing you nothing but smiles, sunshine, and lots of sweet treats this Easter day.
With the recent change in the amount of spectators that can be allowed for an indoor event, the District has made a couple changes to the numbers allowed to attend our indoor events. Below are the new guidelines that we will be following at this time. Please remember while attending our events, we ask all spectators to follow our guidelines that have been set. By doing so, it will allow us to continue to allow spectators into our events. Failure to follow our guidelines may result in the spectator(s) being asked to leave the event. Our goal is to allow our spectators to view their children participating. In order to do so, we need to continue to do what we have been doing so far by keeping the athletes as safe as we can while they are participating in their sport. We will continue to stream our events on our YouTube channels.
Hello Raiders,
Our school district is now able to provide COVID-19 testing for symptomatic students using BinaxNOW Rapid test kits. For the 2020-21 school year, testing will be performed at the unit office after 2:00 PM dismissal. As you can imagine, this is a new process for our nurses and continued patience is appreciated as they incorporate this into our setting. Initial appointment numbers will be limited until a system is fully established and more appointments will be added as time allows. Initial appointments will be at 2:15 and 2:30 as long as staff are available.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who can be tested? Symptomatic staff and students who are excluded from school due to COVID-19 district policies. Asymptomatic persons who are excluded due to household symptoms will not be tested as the symptomatic person's negative test will clear them to return to school.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19? Intermin Guidance from IDPH is subject to change. As of 3/15/21, symptoms include the following: fever, headache, shortness of breath, cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, new loss of sense of taste or smell, fatigue, and muscle or body aches.
What type of sample is collected? The testing performed will require a simple nasal swab of both nostrils. A fact sheet from the manufacturer will be provided to answer additional questions.
Can anyone bring my student for testing? No, a parent/legal guardian is required to sign consent and must be present for testing for the 2020-2021 school year.
Will my student(s) still be sent home from school? Yes. For the 2020-21 school year, testing will ONLY occur for symptomatic students at the unit office after 2:00 PM. There are currently no changes to the call in/send home policies regarding student symptoms. There are multiple factors that were taken into consideration on this decision.
Will the nurses be assessing my student(s)? Midwest Central CUSD 191 is not acting as your student(s) medical provider. Student(s) will be tested ONLY, and testing does not replace treatment by a medical provider.
They still have vomiting, diarrhea, and/or a fever, but tested negative. What now? Asymptomatic student(s) and staff can return to school immediately. Symptomatic individuals must also be 24 hours without vomiting, diarrhea, and/or fever without the use of medication per non-covid policies.
My student fears testing, what should I do? The school setting is a place of trust. If your student(s) are fearful of testing, please seek other testing locations. Our nurses WILL NOT perform testing on a student who is needing to be restrained. Denial will be at the school nurse's discretion. We need our students to continue to trust our nurses. While we understand the importance of returning to school as soon as possible, we also do not want this process to be traumatizing. The nurses are happy to assist you in finding alternative testing locations if this is a concern.
Who will see my results? School nurses will see the results and are bound by FERPA to keep results confidential. Additionally, all administered tests must be reported to the State of Illinois. If COVID-19 is detected, student(s) and staff will be required to follow the IDPH and local health department guidelines on quarantining. You will be provided with a results form for your primary care physician.
Can this test release us from official quarantine (not school exclusion)? No, please contact your local health department for their quarantine release policies.
What if it's a "false positive?" Our district is required to report ALL test results. If you are concerned that your student received a false positive result, you will still be required to follow your health departments release guidelines.
I'm at the Unit Office awaiting a test, now what? Stay in your vehicle and call 309.968.6868. A nurse will come out to your vehicle to assist you.
Very best,
Dr. Todd Hellrigel
It's time... for Spring Break (March 29 - April 5). We hope all of our Raiders have a fun and safe break!
There are still slots open for Kindergarten Screenings. Call to reserve your time today!
Wishing you a rainbow of happiness and good cheer today and always!
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Hello Raiders,
We realize that rules on COVID are beginning to relax across the country as more and more people get vaccinated. We're excited about the day we can loosen our rules as well; however, we're not at that point yet. We've been successful at keeping schools open because of your kind cooperation in following our rules. To that point please don't send your students to school when they are experiencing COVID symptoms. If your student has symptoms, please call them in ill. Depending upon their symptoms you'll be contacted by our nurses for further instructions. Thank you for your help as we make our final push towards the end of the school year.
Best regards,
Dr. Todd Hellrigel
Today is World Social Work Day!
MC is LUCKY to have Ms. DuWaldt and Ms. Ranallo. Both are genuine and caring people. They encompass what a good Social Worker should be. THANK YOU for all of your hard work... you are appreciated!
