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Please see the updated Return to School Plan below with the latest updates.
 
Please note: When Governor Pritzker’s state-wide educational Mask Mandate is rescinded, Summit Hill School District 161 will fully implement our Opening Plan, premised on local control.

• Return to School Plan

 

Greetings Summit Hill School District 161 families,
 
We are eagerly anticipating the return of our students on Monday, January 3, 2022, in-person. Despite the recently surging numbers in both positivity percent and in case counts per 100,000; we feel that schools are still safe as long as mitigations are in place and we have the staff in place to receive the students. A key to keeping in-person learning going will be the need to keep students at home in the event COVID symptoms are present. Sending children to school who may not be feeling well may mean additional quarantines and the possibility that if students and staff become symptomatic, that we will have to quarantine a classroom, a school, or return to remote learning as a District. If students are not feeling well, please, please keep them home…we are urging staff to do the same. In the event something changes within the state, schools are mandated to pause, or staffing becomes an issue; an additional correspondence will be sent as soon as possible.
 
Please remember that vaccinations, masking, social distancing, frequent hand washing, and more are the tools we have in place to reopen schools and offer in-person learning. This will be a total community effort, so please participate by respectfully working to keep yourself and others healthy.
 
The CDC has offered additional and changing guidance related to COVID-19. We have reviewed the guidelines and are prepared to implement these changes if adopted by IDPH.  Until then, we will continue to adhere to our current practices. We will notify families if/ when we are able to modify our quarantine time frame. Below is a list of highlights from their most recent release.

1. If you test positive for COVID-19, you should stay home for 5 days and can return to school/work if you have no symptoms, or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days.
2. If you were exposed and are considered a close contact to someone with COVID-19 and you are fully vaccinated, you can continue to attend school/work if you are asymptomatic, and it is recommended to test on day 5 after exposure.
3. If you were exposed and are considered a close contact to someone with COVID-19 and you are not fully vaccinated, you should not attend school/work for 5 days and it is recommended to test on day 5 after exposure.
4. All individuals above must adhere to wearing masks upon return to school/work for an additional 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter. 

 
Again, at this time, Summit Hill School District 161 will continue to follow the IDPH and ISBE guidelines.  The current IDPH Exclusion Chart can be found here.  Additionally, we will be updating our “Opening Plan” as Illinois adjusts its guidelines and this document is posted at www.summithill.org for your convenience.
 
Also, as we head back to school, please be prepared for delays in transportation as our bus service continues to face a driver shortage. Some routes may be combined in order to accommodate, thus increasing the overall route time. The winter weather will also impact route times, so please be patient as we work to provide this service.
 
Thank you for your partnership in education, as we work together to ensure our schools are safe and our learners flourish! See you on Monday!!
 
Sincerely,
 
Dr. Paul McDermott
Your Superintendent

Mission Statement

The mission of Summit Hill District 161, in collaboration with the family and the community, is to provide our students with the highest quality educational opportunities in a safe, supportive,and stimulating learning environment which will empower them to become productive global citizens and successful lifelong learners. 

Welcome Dr. McDermott to Summit Hill!!

Good afternoon SHSD161 Families,
 
We’re open, cautiously, but we’re open for in-person learning. Thank you to our families for adhering to COVID mitigations, for keeping sick students home, and for our amazing staff for showing up, covering classrooms, subbing where needed, and for warmly welcoming students back for school in 2022! In our last correspondence, we talked of this being a total community effort, and it clearly showed today as we opened our schools.
 
We have received a handful of emails and calls asking about quarantine periods for schools. Quarantine periods for schools remain at 10 days for individuals who test positive for COVID-19.  There has been no further action taken by the IDPH or ISBE to reduce quarantines for schools despite the CDC’s recent updates. As such, until this is considered and approved by IDPH and ISBE, we will continue to adhere to the 10-day quarantine period. Individuals who have been exposed to a positive case will continue to follow the 7 to 14 calendar day exclusion. 
 
Transportation continues to shift and change as well. Please check your PowerSchool information regarding bus routes, numbers, and times. Please log in via the PowerSchool parent portal at https://summithill.powerschool.com/public/ with your username and password to view transportation information. Also, please make sure to be out at your bus stops and visible. New drivers may miss you at your stop if you are not easy to see. Please continue to be patient with transportation, the driver shortage is real and our bus service is doing a commendable job trying to cover routes for our students.
 
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we continue to work together to keep schools open and our students learning in person.
 
Sincerely,
 
Dr. Paul McDermott
Your Superintendent
 
 

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District News

 
Kindergarten registration kickoff starts February 7th
Click here to schedule your appointment at the Administrative Center to register your child for Kindergarten for the 2022-23 school year. For information on what documentation is needed at the time of your appointment, click the Student Registration button under our Quick Links section below.
 
 

 
Listen to to the latest Podcast of "Today Matters" by Superintendent Paul McDermott.
Click Here to Listen 
 

E-Learning Plan for five scheduled emergency days receives approval
Approval of the district's E-Learning Plan now enables student instruction to be received electronically while students are not physically present in lieu of the district’s scheduled emergency days. The E-Learning Plan contains the  requirements to ensure staff and student participation in an E- Learning day will allow the day to be counted as a day of student attendance. The plan will be implemented for a period of three years (2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24) prior to renewal.
 

February 19, 2022 Regular School Board meeting, Mary Drew Admin. Center, 7 PM
Public attendance at the meeting is allowed.  Social distancing will be maintained by all attendees and masks are required. The meeting audio will be available to members of the public who wish to attend the meeting remotely at https://livestream.com/shsd161/events/9059359.
 
 
 
 

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COVID Information Trimester 2 

*Numbers reflect cases that were reported to the school health offices last week and over Winter break.  Please note that not all positive cases had been in the building during the week of January 3rd.

Quick Links

Supply Lists

Check to see what your student will need for the school year. Supply Lists are listed by school.

Student Registration

• Registration for existing students may be completed online. New student registration must be completed in person.
• Click here to review the checklist on the required documentation.
• New student registration by appointment only. 

   

Contact Us

Have a question? Let us know

Email School Board

Communicate with your elected officials on the School Board.

Online Payments

Need to make a payment for school registration, clubs, band, or fundraiser? Click here to access our webstore through Revtrak for online payments. 

Emergency Closing Procedures

It never seems soon enough to communicate our plan concerning inclement weather or a school building heating or power emergency. Should the need arise, school closing will be communicated in a variety of ways:

• Parents automatically receive alerts via text, voice, or e-mail.
• Closing information is at www.emergencyclosingcenter.com.
• Local radio stations: WGN 720, WBBM 780
• Local television stations: Channels 2, 5, 7, 9 (WGN), 32 (FOX), & CLTV

General Guidelines

•   We review wind chill chart from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
•   If the air temperature reaches -10°, we will strongly consider closing school.
•   If a sustained wind chill of between -25° and -30° is forecast, we will strongly consider closing school.
•   We will generally make a decision and communicate with parents around 5:30 a.m.
•   A status update will be provided to parents the evening before.
•   If schools are closed, all school-related activities are cancelled.

Educational Foundation

Summit Hill Educational Foundation creatively generates financial support to enrich the educational experiences of District 161 Students.

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