West Central Students and Families
On March 20, during Governor Pritzker’s press conference, he issued a statewide Shelter in Place Executive Order, beginning, today, March 21 at 5:00 p.m. During this call he also gave a directive for all Illinois schools to remain closed through Tuesday, April 7. We sincerely hope to resume school on Wednesday, April 8.
West Central continues to have two top priorities:
Our Number 1 priority is the health and safety of our students and their families, our staff and their families, and our communities. Thankfully, the Governor has communicated that school districts can continue to provide meals to our students during this Shelter in Place Order. School personnel involved in providing meals will not be in violation of the Governor’s Executive Order. As a result, we will continue to provide free meals to students 18 and under who are enrolled in the West Central School District. We will continue the same distribution process that we have been using this past week. If you have not already done so, you can let us know you want to receive meals by visiting our website and filling out the order form.
Our second priority is the continuity of learning throughout this closure. We do not know exactly what will be expected of school districts with regard to the continuation of learning at this time. We are waiting on guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education. As soon as we have further guidance, we will communicate our plan. For now, the plan remains the same as it has been this past week. With that being said, we know this is not easy for our families and students or an ideal way to provide an education. Our students need face to face contact on a daily basis. In the words of one of our teachers, Mrs. Neira, we want our students to feel like we still have a community here and to keep their brains warm and occupied. We want our seniors to be ready for life after high school. West Central staff members are trying to provide a variety of opportunities in keeping with our mission. Some will work, and some will have to be modified. We are all learning together. We don’t want this to be a more stressful time for our families and students, so we just ask that you do the best you can under the current circumstances.
At this time, I want to take a few moments to talk directly with our students: First we want you to know we love you, and we miss you! This is a stressful time for children, for teenagers, and for both young and older adults. We completely understand you may have frustrations, concerns, and questions wondering how is this all going to work out. We understand you may be concerned about your friends and family and want to see them. We know some of you are worried about missing spring sports, prom and graduation. You have every right to be experiencing all of the emotions you are. All of these are legitimate concerns and questions. However, during this time, it is also important to focus on and be thankful for the blessings we have in our lives right now. For now, let’s focus on those blessings and follow the directions of the Governor, so that we can all reunite sooner, and please, please do us a favor and reach out to your West Central Family for anything. We are all checking our emails and phone messages daily. All email addresses can be found by visiting our District website, selecting the District tab, and clicking on Staff Directory. We are a family. We are here for you. We are in this together, and together we will get through this.
Now, I want to talk specifically with our seniors. This is tough for you. This is supposed to be the best time of your life. We get it. We really, really do. I am sure over the last week someone has told you what a unique group of seniors you are. You came into this world when the country was recovering and healing from the aftermath of 911, and now you are graduating when the country is experiencing the Coronavirus pandemic. You have worked hard the last 17 or 18 years to reach this important milestone in your life. You are fighters. You are strong. We will get through this, and we will be stronger as a result. Right now, I cannot tell you exactly how the next few months are going to play out. What I can tell you is if necessary directives continue, and impact our ability to hold these activities on the dates that they are currently scheduled, we will do what we can to reschedule as many of them as possible, particularly graduation if possible.
Please use this opportunity to stay home and focus on staying safe and healthy, so that we can help to slow the spread of this virus. As always, thank you for your support, patience and understanding as we all work together to overcome this.
As you have seen, this situation is evolving rapidly. As events unfold, we will continue to communicate in a timely and transparent manner. Thank you and blessings to you all!
