Dear JTHS Families,
It’s raining. But despite all the craziness in our world, I am seeing so much kindness. Our food service workers and administrators handed out 1,006 meals today. The photos below are from Central, West, and Dirksen (District 86). Lunches are being distributed with smiles, and words of encouragement. At Central, Restoration Church was giving out bags of groceries. We have the best community.
Health and Wellness
I want to take moment to talk about health and wellness. As we continue to transition to online learning, we also need to remember that our students, families, teachers, and staff need time to disconnect as well. We all need balance in our lives, and this is important. Take this time to eat meals together and to do family activities. Most students are enrolled in physical education, health or ROTC and these teachers are sending out great lessons to students and they have shared their lessons with me as well. As a parent, I am also ensuring my students are continuing their learning from home. Here is a video of me and my son completing “Death By Burpees,” a creative lesson sent to us by Joliet West teacher, Mrs. Karales. Wait until the end of the video. I almost didn’t make it through! Our Applied Life teachers continue to create lessons that can be beneficial for the entire family. Mrs. Karales also shared a video of the home obstacle course she created for her family. We can still have fun as a family while we are at home!
There are many good articles out there regarding our social and emotional well-being. Here is a good link that was shared by Mr. Kusnik (another one of our fantastic Applied Life teachers) for managing stress and anxiety during this outbreak.
These are the Top 10 Practices they recommend that I found helpful.
Top 10 Practices:
- Social distancing does not mean emotional distancing; use technology to connect widely;
- Clear routines and schedule, seven days a week, at home—don’t go overboard;
- Exercise and physical activity, daily if possible;
- Learning and intellectual engagement—books, reading, limited internet;
- Positive family time—working to counter negativity;
- Alone time, outside if possible, but inside too; but remember, don’t isolate;
- Focused meditation and relaxation;
- Remember the things that you really enjoy doing, that you can do in this situation, and find a way to do them;
- Limit exposure to TV and internet news; choose small windows and then find ways to cleanse yourself of it;
- Bathe daily, if possible, to reinforce the feeling of cleanliness.
I know we might all laugh at #10, but it would be really easy to binge-watch a new series. We need to establish the new normal during this closure and these are great practices to make sure we are reinforcing with our kids.
Free E-Books
We want you to know that the JTHS Library is offering FREE access to E-Books. This is a great time to encourage your student to read for fun. All students need to check out an E-Book is their 14-digit library barcode. This is the number below the long barcode on their Student ID. You can also download the Axis 360 app to your phone. Students can have five checkouts at a time for 21 days so this might be a great option for younger siblings to gain access to a new book as well. Books are automatically “checked in,” which means no late fees. Our awesome Media Specialists have created a screencast with instructions on how to access your account.
Attendance
Finally, I also want to remind you that “virtual attendance” is important. 5,294 students checked in today to record their attendance! The attendance code will be posted towww.jths.org no later than 8 a.m. each morning. Please reinforce our message that attendance is important, and that students need to be completing their work online. In the upcoming days, Deans and Counselors will call the homes of students who are not checking in for attendance to see if they can help them in any way. Additionally, to dispel any rumors out there, teachers are assigning work and will be grading work to provide valuable feedback, ensure students are demonstrating understanding of the content and skills within the course, and to improve student’s grades. Please know that that this is a great time for students to increase their GPA. Online learning resources have been posted to our website. Visit: http://www.jths.org/covid-19
And Finally, Know We Are Here For YOU
I cannot say it enough. At JTHS we are here for you. Do not hesitate to reach to me if you need anything.
Dr. Karla Guseman
JTHS Superintendent
kguseman@jths.org