Blue Ridge CUSD #18

BR Families, we have an update for Thursday and Friday regarding remote instruction. Families of 7th and 8th grade students, please note there is a change for your students from how they have been learning earlier this week. Thank you. https://5il.co/14hav #br_u_knighted

4-H STEM Wednesdays: Join 4-H Teen Teachers from the Blue Ridge High School STEM Club on Wednesdays from February 9-March 16 for Hands on STEM Activities at Schneider Elementary. We are teaming up with the Blue Ridge Y-Zone afterschool program to bring some Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics excitement, but you don’t have to be a current Y-Zone member to participate. This program series is $15 for non-Y-Zone members and FREE to current Y-Zone members who have paid to attend on Y-Zone on those Wednesdays. Register before February 4 at https://extension.illinois.edu/events/2022-03-16-dewitt-county-blue-ridge-stem-club-wednesdays https://5il.co/14cs2. #br_u_knighted

BR Families, please read the attached letter regarding a school closure due to increased COVID cases. https://5il.co/14cqx Thank you for your understanding and support. #br_u_knighted

Reminder: lunch menu change for today! Beef and noodles, mashed potatoes, broccoli and cuties will be served in all buildings today.

Lunch menu change for Thursday, January 13. All buildings will be served Beef & Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli and Cuties.

Good morning! Our purple bus is running about 10 minutes late this morning. Thanks to our sub driver for making this route possible today! #br_u_knighted

Please read the following message from Debby Adams regarding Blue Ridge Athletics. Hello, I wanted to inform you what the current status of the Boosters is. My son graduated last spring. Because of Covid, I stayed on as President. Kristina who is currently secretary and treasurer has no children in high school. We have only one other parent who regularly attends meetings and a very limited number of volunteers. The Cash Bash has been a labor of love for the past 7 years. We have raised money and funded many requests from coaches, community administration, etc. It is a great night to meet new people, catch up with old friends and support the kids of our communities while having a lot of fun. We are trying to figure out if Cash Bash 2022 is happening and what it will look like. WE NEED YOUR HELP, if you have a student in high school we need you to step up and become the future of the boosters. Please, contact Kristina Forrest or I, we would love to talk to you about it. Thank you… Debby

Good afternoon! Please follow the link to read the updated isolation and quarantine guidance for schools. https://5il.co/142ul With the shortened days required for isolation and quarantine, I would like to remind you of the importance of proper masking upon return to school. Please have this conversation with your student to help us in our common effort to keep everyone learning on campus to the greatest extent possible. We are planning that Tuesday, 1.11.22 is a regular attendance day. No message means we're back to regular operations! Thank you for your ongoing patience. #br_u_knighted

Good evening. We've been contacted by a road commissioner stating that the roads west of Bellflower have refrozen and it will not be safe to travel in the morning. We are changing plans and calling an E-Learning Day for all students. No students will be learning on campus. Students will connect via Google Classroom, Google Meets, Clever, or SeeSaw. K-6 students may use an E-Learning Packet if they are unable to connect with their device. Coaches and sponsors will contact students with directions about any events. Students may request meals by 9 am using this form: https://forms.gle/gWp2D5w9fHahJEjS8. #br_u_knighted

Good evening! Late Friday we were informed that there are new CDC guidelines that will now apply to public schools, which will shorten isolation and quarantine days. Your admin team and department heads have been working over the weekend to communicate with as many families as possible, while we're still learning the nuances of the new guidelines. I am asking that if you believe your student is eligible to return earlier than originally stated, please wait until you receive a call telling you so. We will be in touch as soon as possible. As of now, 5th grade will learn from home on Monday, 1.10.22, with all others learning in person. The exception is 5th grade special education students may attend in person. The 5th grade meal request form is here: https://forms.gle/Cmoiu1N71N544h9z9. Please use caution in the morning. Roads and parking lots have been treated, but may still be icy. #br_u_knighted

The administrative team met this afternoon to consider plans for next week. On Monday, 1.10.2022, 5th grade students will again learn from home. The exception is that 5th grade special education students are offered to attend in person. If you would like to request meals for 5th grade students on Monday, 1.10.2022, here is your form: https://forms.gle/j1MagVtFHFqstH977 If additional illness is reported over the weekend, we may need to make additional revisions. We are hopeful to have everyone in person on Tuesday, 1.11.2022. Thank you. #br_u_knighted

Mrs. Barker, 4th grade teacher at BRIJHS, received her DeWitt County EPIC TEACHER WINNER giveaway basket today! This basket was super generous and Mrs. Barker is very deserving. Thank you, Dewitt County Farm Bureau! #br_u_knighted

Good morning. We have monitored test results from the lab and we will stay with the plan announced yesterday. 5th grade students will learn from home today, with the exception that 5th grade special education students are offered to attend in person. If you would like to request meals for 5th grade students, here is your form: https://forms.gle/RBMGqAwG7uCZm6km7. Please complete your request by 9 am. The administrative team will be evaluating next week and will make any necessary announcements as soon as possible. Thank you. #br_u_knighted

BR Families, please see the linked message regarding 5th grade remote learning for 1.7.2022: https://5il.co/13y3s. The meal service request for 5th grade can be accessed here: https://forms.gle/3k98Lak4vwgnaBWS7. A message will be sent before 6:30 am on Friday, 1.7.2022 to confirm any additional changes to the learning environment. Thank you! #br_u_knighted

The Eastern Illinois Foodbank and Trinity Community Fellowship are teaming up to bring the FOODMOBILE to you on January 8 from 9:30-10:30! If you reside in DeWitt, McLean or Piatt County and meet the income eligibility guidelines, be sure and reserve your spot by pre-registering. Check out the flyer for more information! https://5il.co/13bs4

Good afternoon. As an update, we are experiencing a rise in COVID cases with both staff and students. While the health department is not recommending that we close our buildings, we are close to having a staffing shortage that we may be unable to cover at BRIJHS. Today, students at BRIJHS were asked to take chromebooks home as a precaution. Schneider and BRHS will be sharing a similar precautionary message, but at this point, they are less likely to be impacted. Since COVID test results now are coming in overnight, I will make another announcement on Friday morning between 6:15 and 6:30 am with our current status. Best case, we're all up and running. If staffing is negatively impacted, most likely I would announce that BRIJHS students would learn from home. The exception would be that we will offer BRIJHS special education students to attend in person. Thank you for your understanding. #br_u_knighted

BR Families, are you struggling to afford Internet connectivity within your household? Please see the flier and link below to learn more about a current option through the FCC that was recently made available to those who qualify: https://www.fcc.gov/acp-consumer-outreach-toolkit https://5il.co/13wk0 #br_u_knighted

Do you have a high school student who is interested in cybersecurity? If so, please check out the flyer linked here for a fantastic opportunity: https://5il.co/13tax #br_u_knighted

Look what we heard about from the DeWitt County Farm Bureau! Congratulations to Amber Barker, our DeWitt County EPIC TEACHER WINNER of this month's giveaway! Mrs. Barker is a Fourth Grade Teacher at BRIJHS. We are so excited for Amber and cannot wait to give her the basket of goodies that she without a doubt deserves! Thank you DeWitt County Farm Bureau for your generous gift and congrats to Mrs. Barker! #br_u_knighted

Good Afternoon! Here is January's Schneider Elementary Newsletter - https://5il.co/13r06