Greetings Margaret Mead Community

Schaumburg Township Council (STC) of PTAs Auction 2020 will be online this school year.  You can check out items now here and bidding is https://stcofptas.memberhub.gives/stcauction  and bidding is Friday, June 5 from 4:00-10:00 pm.

• This money benefits the STC scholarship fund, which provides camp scholarships for D54 students and college scholarships for high school senior D54 alumni.
• Every time you bid you will input your credit card information (pending charge until you win), and you should get notified if you get outbid. There will be an option to help us cover platform expenses (please!), and credit card processing fees will not be added on (STC will be absorbing these).  You will also have an option to make a donation to the scholarship fund.  Winner emails will be sent out from the platform 5 minutes after the auction ends.
• Basket pick up will be at Professional Learning Center (524 E Schaumburg Rd) on Monday June 8 from 10:00 am-1:00 pm and Wednesday June 10 from 6:00-8:00 pm.  Proof of purchase (the email receipt) will be required for baskets to be picked up.
• All sales are final with items being sold as is.  STC has attempted to make sure all descriptions are clear, but they shall not be held responsible for correctness of descriptions or condition of items.  This includes if any items become invalid/expire as a result of the current pandemic situation.

Questions can be directed to the STC Vice President Katie Forsythe at kat625cqf@nullyahoo.com

Scott

Greetings Margaret Mead Community,

Listed below are important end-of-year updates:

Material Pick-Up:  If you were unable to come to Mead to retrieve your child’s items and/or return school-owned items, then please email me directly at scottross@nullsd54.org to arrange a time to come and pick-up your child’s items next week.

Graduation Photos:  If you were unable to get your child’s graduation photos, then please email Visions Photography directly at visionsphotography@nullsbcglobal.net

Eighth Grade Virtual Graduation video:  For posterity, you can view the Class of 2020 Virtual Graduation Ceremony here

Report Cards:  Final Report Cards will be available online within the District 54 Parent Portal starting June 2.  An email will be sent to you once your child’s report card is available.

Chromebooks Usage during the Summer:  Returning seventh grade students will be keeping their Chromebooks over the summer.  The District has decided to keep ALL current returning seventh grade students’ accounts active.  This means that the Chromebooks will be functional over the summer months and able to be used by your child.  With libraries still closed, the Chromebooks can be utilized for students to continue reading over the summer.  Parents, we ask that you please monitor your child’s Chromebook usage during the summer months to ensure they are being utilized for appropriate purposes.  Please let your child know that the notification settings for student accounts will still be active and monitored by school officials and we will be responsive to these notifications as we receive them over the summer.

Summer Enrichment:  If you are looking for a way to improve your Mustang’s academic skills this summer, we have put together mathematics and STEM enrichment opportunities.  Please know that these are not required, but a great way to keep their minds sharp as we step into a new school year:

• Math 930 preparation packet
• Math 830 preparation packet
• Summer Coding and STEM

District 54 Virtual Learning University: Are you searching for an innovative way to empower your children over the summer? Are you looking for a comprehensive approach to summer learning that combats boredom and keeps everyone engaged? Look no further! Visit the School District 54 Virtual Learning University to tackle challenges for literacy, math, science, social science, social-emotional learning, language and culture too!  Each area has multiple challenges or a toolkit to keep your children’s minds focused and active throughout the summer weeks! Within each category you will find family activities, individual activities and possible places to visit in our community and surrounding areas.  We hope you’ll encourage your children to visit our Virtual Learning University often throughout the summer to challenge themselves and to keep your family learning together. Click here to access the Virtual Learning University or find the link under Popular Links on the District 54 website.

School Closure Reimbursements:  Reminder that District 54 will be reimbursing for Chick-Fil-A through your Parent Portal and the Mead front office will be reimbursing for Friday Treats by mailing home a check.

The Mead PTA Needs Volunteers to serve on the Executive Board:  The Mead PTA is looking for volunteers to help organize events and meet once a month during the school year. Half of the current board will be retiring from our PTA as their children move on to high school. Your help is greatly needed and appreciated. This is an excellent opportunity to participate in your child’s education and help serve the Mead community. Please email the Mead PTA President, Rich Menzia if you are interested at MeadPTA@nullgmail.com

Registration for the 2020-21 school year is open.  Please visit the District 54 Registration page here for updated information.

Yearbook Signing:  We are excited to announce that the Mead yearbook signing has a digital signing option for our students.  Jostens has just launched a new platform called the Yearbook Digital Signing Page that gives every student in our school the chance to create virtual signing pages, invite their friends to leave messages, and print out the final pages to keep with the yearbook as a permanent keepsake. This is free for every student whether they purchased a yearbook or not.  Register an account for your child at yearbook signing.jostens.com. You must register with a personal email. The school district email will not work.  Please email Ms. Morrison at juliemorrison@nullsd54.org or Mrs. Reimel at ameliareimel@nullsd54.org if you have questions.

Family Assistance Information:  District 54 will continue to work with amazing community partners to provide assistance to families who are struggling financially through the summer.  Families needing assistance may benefit from the following:

• Wednesdays and Fridays:  Willow Creek Community Church will host a mobile food truck distribution from 11:00 am to noon every Wednesday in the District 54 Rafferty Administration Center parking lot, 524 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg and from 4:00 to 5:00 pm on Fridays at Keller Junior High School, 820 Bode Road in Schaumburg.
• Thursdays:  District 54 staff will be working with Township High School District 211 to distribute meal bags with five days of lunches, five days of breakfast and a half gallon of milk from 8:00 to 11:00 am each Thursday at Hoffman Estates High School, 1100 W. Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates.

Please visit our Mead JHS Website for the building calendar.  Don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay updated with the latest news and information about the great things happening at Mead.  As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you for your continued support and commitment to ensuring your child’s educational success.  I wish everyone a healthy summer!

Scott

Registration for the 2020-21 school year is underway for kindergarten through eighth grade.

New District 54 families

Click here to begin online registration. After processing your registration, your child’s new school will contact you to request additional information, such as the Student Transfer Form (ISBE form 33-78) for students transferring from another Illinois school; proof of immunizations (list of required immunizations by grade level), birth verification and proof of residence (see details at sd54.org/registration).

For questions, please contact registrationdocuments@nullsd54.org. If you don’t know what school your child will attend, click here to access our School Search program and enter your address.

Current D54 families

Log in in to the parent portal, and update your information for next year by June 1, 2020. You must hit the SUBMIT button after reviewing the information, even if you don’t make any changes. If your children will not be attending District 54 schools next year, please contact your school office and let them know.

If you have previously created a portal account and cannot recall your username or password, you can reset them yourself from the parent portal website. If you have never created a portal account, please email portalsupport@nullsd54.org to create one.

All families are required to prove that they live within District 54 boundaries every year.  If we were unable to verify your residency electronically, you will have the ability to upload your residency electronically through your portal. If you do not have a portal account, you can also email the required documents to registrationdocuments@nullsd54.org.

Information about transportation and the consumable materials fee will be communicated at a later time.

Greetings Future Mead Families,

I hope this email finds you and your family safe and healthy!  On behalf of the Mead staff, I want to express our disappointment that we couldn’t host our future Mustangs at our “Welcome to Mead Night” originally scheduled for this evening.  Due to the school closure, tonight’s event is cancelled.  At this point, the district does not have plans to reschedule the event.  At Mead, we are making arrangements to embed many of tonight’s scheduled activities into our “Move Into Mead” day on August 17—“Move Into Mead” is the first day of school for our new seventh grade students only.

In lieu of tonight’s event, I have recorded a video from me that goes through tonight’s presentation.  You can access the video here: Welcome to Mead Presentation.  In the video, I have included important transition details to help your child get ready for the move to Mead.  We are committed to ensuring your child’s transition to Mead is a positive experience so I have also included important dates below:

• June:  Email from Mead with important beginning of the school year information
• August 5  Information Day
  • Pick up your schedule and locker assignment
  • Purchase your PE uniform and yearbook
  • Sign up for specific clubs/sports
• August 12  Mead Made Day
  • Open house where you and your parents can do the following:
    • Practice on your hallway locker
    • Drop off school supplies in your locker
    • Walk your schedule
    • Participate in a locker decorating contest and scavenger hunt!
• August 17  Move Into Mead Day
  • 7th grade only day where you will learn more about being Mead Made

Please visit our Mead JHS Website for the building calendar.  Don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay updated with the latest news and information about the great things happening at Mead.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you for your support and commitment to ensuring your child’s educational success during this exciting time in their educational journey!

Scott

As the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to change, District 54 is working with amazing community partners to provide food to families who are struggling financially. Families needing assistance may benefit from the following.

• Wednesdays:  Willow Creek Community Church will host a mobile food truck distribution from 11 a.m. to noon every Wednesday in the District 54 Rafferty Administration Center parking lot, 524 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg.
• Thursdays:  District 54 staff will be working with Township High School District 211 to distribute meal bags with five days of lunches, five days of breakfast and a half gallon of milk from 8 to 11 a.m. each Thursday through July 16 at Hoffman Estates High School, 1100 W. Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates. 
• Fridays:  Willow Creek Community Church will host a food distribution from 4 to 5 p.m. every Friday at Keller Junior High School, 820 Bode Road in Schaumburg.
• The Schaumburg Township Food Pantry is now running a drive-through pickup from 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the township office, One Illinois Blvd. in Hoffman Estates. For more information, please call (847) 732-7166.
• Church of the Holy Spirit Food Pantry, 1451 Bode Road in Schaumburg, is offering drive-through pickup on Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m. near the garages.
• Living Hope Food Pantry, 777 Meacham Road in Elk Grove Village, is offering drive-through pickup on Thursdays from 11:30-noon.
• Trinity Charities Food Pantry, 927 Plum Grove in Schaumburg, is open from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

We would like to thank the number of individuals and organizations who have inquired about how to make donations to help those in our community who may be struggling. We feel the best practice is to work with organizations who are currently offering these services in our community and will therefore not be collecting food. Please do not bring food donations to the district office as previously mentioned.

The Schaumburg Township Food Pantry and many faith-based charities are providing food to families in our community. Click here to access a list of these pantries on the Schaumburg Township website. In order to encourage social distancing, these organizations are not collecting food at this time.

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT)

The Illinois Department of Human Services has a new special benefit called the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer to help families buy food for children who would normally receive free lunch when schools are in session. To apply online, families should visit https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access and click on Apply for Benefits.

Families that currently receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits do not need to apply for P-EBT benefits. These additional P-EBT benefits will be loaded into Illinois LINK EBT accounts along with regular SNAP benefits. Families that do not currently receive SNAP benefits but do have children who receive free lunch, will need to apply on this website. A paper application in English and paper application in Spanish is also available and can be submitted as an attachment by email to DHS.FCS.PEBT@nullillinois.gov. IDHS created a flyer to help families with the application process. A Spanish version of the flyer is also available.

Crisis Fund

The District 54 Education Foundation has also created a new fund called the D54 Foundation Crisis Fund, which will be used to support our most at-risk families, including the 20% of students who qualify for free lunch. This emergency fund will help families impacted by this virus, and could be used in the future to provide immediate access to financial assistance for financially struggling families.

To donate, visit any of the following websites:

• District 54 Education Foundation – select Crisis Fund
• Greater Chicago Food Depository
• Schaumburg Township Food Pantry

Lugares de despensa de alimentos y oportunidades de donación

A medida que la situación en torno al nuevo coronavirus de 2019 continúa cambiando, el Distrito 54 está trabajando con increíbles socios de la comunidad para proporcionar alimentos a las familias que tienen dificultades financieras. Las familias que necesitan asistencia pueden beneficiarse de lo siguiente.

• Miércoles:  Willow Creek Community Church llevará a cabo una distribución móvil de camiones de comida de 11 a.m. a mediodía cada miércoles en el estacionamiento del Centro de Administración Rafferty del Distrito 54, 524 E. Schaumburg Road en Schaumburg.
• Jueves:  Distrito 211 de Township High School, cinco días de almuerzos, cinco días de desayuno y medio galón de leche de 9 am a mediodía cada jueves en la escuela secundaria Hoffman Estates, 1100 W. Higgins Road en Hoffman Estates. Esta es una camioneta drive-through. Cuando llegue a la escuela, quédese en su vehículo. Cargaremos las bolsas en su maletero o asiento trasero.
• Viernes:  Willow Creek Community Church también llevará a cabo una distribución móvil de camiones de comida de 4 a 5 p.m. cada viernes en la escuela Keller, 820 Bode Road en Schaumburg.
• Schaumburg Township – La despensa de alimentos del municipio de Schaumburg ahora está llevando a cabo una recolección de 1 a 3 p.m. los martes y jueves en la oficina del municipio,  One Illinois Blvd. en Hoffman Estates. Para obtener más información, llame al (847) 732-7166.
• Iglesia del Espíritu Santo Despensa, 1451 Bode Road en Schaumburg, ofrece servicio de recogida los jueves de 2 a 5 p.m. Cerca de los garajes.
• Living Hope Food Pantry, 777 Meacham Road en Elk Grove Village, ofrece servicio de recogida los jueves de 11:30 a mediodía.
• Trinity Charities Food Pantry, 927 Plum Grove en Schaumburg, está abierto de 4 a 6 p.m. Jueves y de 10 a.m. a 1 p.m. Sábados.

Nos gustaría agradecer a la cantidad de personas y organizaciones que han preguntado cómo hacer donaciones para ayudar a aquellos en nuestra comunidad que puedan estar luchando. Creemos que la mejor práctica es trabajar con organizaciones que actualmente ofrecen estos servicios en nuestra comunidad y, por lo tanto, no recolectarán alimentos. No traiga donaciones de alimentos a la oficina del distrito como se mencionó anteriormente.

La despensa de alimentos del municipio de Schaumburg y muchas organizaciones benéficas religiosas están proporcionando alimentos a las familias de nuestra comunidad. Haga clic aquí para acceder a una lista de estas despensas en el sitio web del municipio de Schaumburg. Para alentar el distanciamiento social, estas organizaciones no están recolectando alimentos en este momento.

Transferencia electrónica de beneficios pandémicos (P-EBT)

El Departamento de Servicios Humanos de Illinois tiene un nuevo beneficio especial llamado Transferencia electrónica de beneficios pandémicos para ayudar a las familias a comprar alimentos para niños que normalmente recibirían almuerzo gratis cuando las escuelas están en sesión. Para solicitar en línea, las familias deben visitar https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access y hacer clic en Solicitar beneficios.

Las familias que actualmente reciben beneficios del Programa de Asistencia Nutricional Suplementaria (SNAP) no necesitan solicitar los beneficios P-EBT. Estos beneficios adicionales de P-EBT se cargarán en las cuentas de Illinois LINK EBT junto con los beneficios regulares de SNAP. Las familias que actualmente no reciben beneficios de SNAP pero tienen niños que reciben almuerzo gratis, deberán presentar una solicitud en este sitio web. Una solicitud en papel en en español también están disponibles y se pueden enviar como archivo adjunto por correo electrónico a DHS.FCS.PEBT@nullillinois.gov. IDHS creó un volante para ayudar a las familias con el proceso de solicitud. U

Crisis Fund

La Fundación Educativa del Distrito 54 también ha creado un nuevo fondo llamado D54 Foundation Crisis Fund, que se utilizará para apoyar a nuestras familias más expuestas, incluido el 20% de los estudiantes que califican para el almuerzo gratuito. Este fondo de emergencia ayudará a las familias afectadas por este virus y podría usarse en el futuro para proporcionar acceso inmediato a asistencia financiera para familias con dificultades financieras.

Para donar, visite cualquiera de los siguientes sitios web:

• District 54 Education Foundation – select Crisis Fund
• Greater Chicago Food Depository
• Schaumburg Township Food Pantry