Dear JA Families,
For the safety of our community, our students, our staff and due to the increasing positivity rates of COVID throughout the Chicagoland region and all Cook and neighboring counties, I have made the extremely difficult decision to switch all Joseph Academy students to full remote learning beginning on Monday, Nov. 9. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, all Joseph Academy students will return to in-person instruction on January 6, 2021.
Joseph Academy Remote Learning Plan:
· Classes will have live meetings every day during class time (each student has been provided a hard copy schedule as well as a schedule sent to their JA email account)
· ZOOM will be used for all live classes
· Students may also access live classes by calling in by phone (the number to call in will be listed with the Zoom notice in the calendar)
· ALL DAY ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY. If your student does not log into each class, they will be marked as unexcused.
· APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR IS MANDATORY! Every student is expected to behave respectfully and appropriately. If these rules are violated in any way, the student will be removed from the class and will be marked as unexcused.
· Grades will be taken for all assignments, tests, quizzes, etc.
· Individual social work and speech/language calls will be scheduled for each student through their social workers and the speech pathologist
· If you or your child have questions regarding an assignment, you may email the teacher or call the school. Emails and calls will be answered/returned within 24 hours. If you need supplies for your student to complete any assignments, please call your building principal.
· Teachers will be communicating with families on a regular basis. It is imperative that the school has correct phones numbers and parent email addresses. If you need to communicate with your child’s teacher(s), you may do so by email, phone (call your school), or virtual meeting (email or call to schedule).
I was truly hoping Joseph Academy would not have to do remote instruction but I have been keeping an eye on the IDPH and the CDC guidelines and sadly, this is the correct decision to make. I am abundantly aware this may cause a hardship for some families. I, too, have school aged children at home doing remote learning. I know first-hand it’s not easy. But we are here for you. If you or your child need anything, please reach out.
Sincerely,
Lori Smith
Executive Director
Joseph Academy
lsmith@josephacademy.org