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

Dear Blackwell community,

Where did this school year go?  It’s hard to believe there is only 3 days of school left for the students.  Thank you for your continued support and flexibility over the past few months.  No one could have envisioned our year wrapping up like it has!

Blackwell Bobcats would like to Bid You Goodnight with some read alouds. Check out this Padlet for bedtime stories read by the Blackwell Staff: https://flipgrid.com/blackwellreadalouds

Please enjoy this week’s Spark video from Mrs. Gluskin- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p7Ua08YJR0

Have a wonderful long weekend.

Jillian Sagan and Stephanie Fry

• Our K-6^th grade students will be participating in an end of the year alphabet countdown. During this quarantine everyday including Saturdays and Sundays are spirit days!
  • Saturday, May 23^rd– University Day (wear your favorite college/university gear)
  • Sunday, May 24^th– Vegetable Day (eat your favorite vegetable)
  • Monday, May 25^th– Walk Day (take a stroll with your family)
  • Tuesday, May 26^th– X Marks the Spot (have a scavenger hunt around the house)
  • Wednesday, May 27^th You Day (celebrate each member of your family)
  • Thursday, May 28^th– Zip up your bag and enjoy the summer!

Please note, student access to Google will continue through Friday, May 29 on district devices. Google Access will be shut off at 11:59 PM on May 29^th.  All student files will be saved and ready to go for next school year.

• Yearbooks have shipped and families that have ordered should have received notice of shipping. Even if you didn’t order, it’s not too late. The cost remains $20.
• To Purchase: Go to www.TreeRing.com/validate
• Enter our school’s passcode:  1014797631033545
• If you have any questions about Yearbook ordering or shipment, please contact our Parent volunteer, Tara Gayton at tnjgayton@nullgmail.com

While we are unable to have the Fun Fair this year, planning and receiving of donations for the Silent Auction is a year round activity. As a result, the PTA has 65 items available via an online auction including Spa packages, hotel stays, golfing and a number of restaurants and gift cards, plus board games, movies and other items useful during shelter in place.

• The auction will start Tuesday, May 26th at 8 am and will close on Friday May 29th at 3 pm and can be accessed via this link:  https://www.32auctions.com/BlackwellPTAAuction2020
• Payments must be online via Pay Pal. All local winners (Schaumburg area) will have the option to choose from porch delivery or pick up. You are welcome to share this link with anyone interested in bidding, but out of area winners will be contacted to make arrangements for shipping costs.
• If you have any questions, please contact Tara Gayton @ tnjgayton@nullgmail.com. Happy bidding!

• The Blackwell PTA has created a form to allow our families to request a refund of Hot Lunch and Ice Cream pre-payments.  Please note the max refund per child for remaining hot lunch days will be a maximum of $14.50 and $4 for Ice Cream pre-payments.  Requests for reimbursement must be received by June 1st.  Blackwell Hot Lunch and Ice Cream Refund Form

• This past Wednesday the PTA said goodbye to 4 parents that have gone above and beyond in their contributions to Blackwell PTA over the years.
• Tricia Toledo has volunteered in many positions over her years and most recently has been the ongoing chair for the Cultural Arts Committee which arranges events such as this years Sweat Shop and Made Up Musical. We will miss her support and dedication to bringing varied and unique experiences to the Blackwell students.
• Madhavi Yellapragada has been a PTA member for 9 years and is our outgoing Treasurer and Reflections Committee Chair. Her optimism and contributions during her time have been greatly appreciated. The PTA wouldn’t have run the past two years without her contributions. Her willingness to step up and help out wherever needed will be sorely missed.
• Kyle Mishler has also been a PTA member for 9 years and has been part of many committees, but is a driving factor behind the Magic Closet which ensures Halloween Costumes were available for students that may not have had an opportunity to enjoy the School Parade and party in the same way as their classmates and then expanded to making sure that winter wear was available for students in need. Thank you for keeping us all in costume and warm when we needed it.
• Suzanne McCoy started her Blackwell PTA journey in 2003 and after 17 years, is celebrating her last year with us. Having assisted or run everything from Book Fairs to teacher appreciation, she is best know for managing the Birthday Books for the last 15 years and has worked tirelessly to ensure that every child received their book. In addition, for many of us on the PTA, she has been a knowledge resource, coach and historian. Her presence will be sorely missed by all of us following in her footsteps.
• Thank you to each of you – the entire PTA wishes you all the best as you move on from Blackwell.

May 29th Schedule: Technology Drop off Day 

Materials to Return:

• District issued iPads and Chromebooks from our 2nd graders and non-returning families.
• Please place all items into one trash bag and label it with your child’s first and last name and their classroom teacher.
• Please place the bag in the trunk of your car.
• Parents will enter our parking lot and stop to check in with a member of the Blackwell staff.   Once they have been checked in and given a number, you will proceed to our bus line.  The route will be marked off with cones.
• We will be utilizing curbside drop off procedures.  All families must remain in the car at all times.  Blackwell staff will take the bag out of your trunk and replace it with a bag of your child’s school belongings.

Time                        Room/Teacher

9:00-9:30                   Rogers rm. 109

9:30-10:00                 Wagener  rm. 108

10:00-10:30              Loncsar  rm. 110

10:30-11:00              Brockman  rm. 111

11:00-11:30               Students not returning for the 2020-2021 school year

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.

As many of you know, students traditionally enroll in the District 54 Instrumental Music Program in the spring of fourth grade and begin lessons in fifth grade. Due to our unique circumstances in the spring of 2020, instrumental music enrollment will be held once school resumes in the fall. In the meantime, we encourage fourth grade students and their parents to visit the District 54 website (https://sd54.org/resources/instrumental-music-enrollment-spring2020) to view information about band and orchestra enrollment so that they are prepared to choose an instrument and join the fun!