Bourbonnais 53 District

Tuesday October 27th will be a Regular Meeting of the Board of Education for BESD53 at 7 pm. To attend this meeting virtually, please sign up using the link below: https://besd53-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tMpqY0nuShqlnxaUWIL0wQ

Project SUN is hosting a virtual community conversation for youth (ages 16-21) on Thursday, October 29 from 6:30-8:00 PM to address challenges faced by members of the LGBTQIA+ community in Kankakee County. Youth who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as allies, are welcome to attend this webinar-based discussion. This event will be a safe space to openly learn and discuss the importance of identifying and addressing the mental health challenges faced by members of the LGBTQIA+ community. A panel of local LGBTQIA+ community members and activists will guide participants through a brief history of the incredible struggles and feats that the LGBTQIA+ community has made towards equality. Young adults (ages 16-21) who meet participation requirements will be rewarded with a $25 Target gift card. Young adults who are interested in registering for this event can click HERE.

Hi Everyone, I sent a reminder about paying fees last week and we got a great response. However, we still have quite a few families with unpaid fees. Please check to make sure that you have paid your fees. Fees can be paid remotely by logging into Skyward Family Access under the “For Families” tab at www.besd53.org or directly at the school office. Thank You!

Check out the Project Sun Newsletter for some helpful tips/resources for parents. https://tinyurl.com/y6bmdyg3

Dear BESD 53 Families, This is a gentle reminder that you may have overdue student fees for the current school year. Due to the challenges of providing a safe in person registration space we did not collect fees during the registration. Please check to make sure that you have paid your fees. Fees can be paid remotely by logging into Skyward Family Access under the “For Families” tab at www.besd53.org or directly at the school office. Thank You!

We have received some Great News! The USDA Extends Waivers to June 30, 2021-The Illinois State Board of Education Nutrition Department is excited to share that the U.S. Department of Agriculture just announced waiver extensions that will allow schools to operate Summer Meals programs through the end of School Year 2020-21, offering free meals to students. This changes the expiration from Dec. 31, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

Please read the linked letter regarding a positive COVID-19 case within BESD #53: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10o5L9X6GrJX17CF2tt1j9ucILu3cbEpiMLqM1minVEs/edit?usp=sharing

The Kankakee County Health Department will be hosting an IDPH Mobile COVID-19 Testing site throughout October! This will be located in the parking lot at 2390 W. Station St. Kankakee, IL . IDPH mobile testing is FREE and open to anyone regardless of symptoms. The testing site will be available the following dates from 8:30AM- 4:30PM: Tuesday October 6th Wednesday October 7th Thursday October 8th Friday October 9th Tuesday October 13th Wednesday October 14th Monday October 19th Tuesday October 20th Monday October 26th Tuesday October 27th Wednesday October 28th

The Little Boilers youth basketball travel program will have tryouts for 3rd-7th grade boys on Saturday, Oct. 10th from 10-11:30am and Sunday, Oct. 11th from 5-6:30pm at the Bradley-Bourbonnias High School main gym. This is a high level of basketball and is for very competitive players. All boys must bring a ball, water, and wear a mask. Please email Ryan Kemp to pre-register with player name and grade @ ryankemp30@yahoo.com.

Hi, please click this link to view important information from Mr. Chamernik regarding the Worldstrides D.C. Trip. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GTBt_L3Yn66UV4UgXk4uej_0EUI_KB9jEb8jnvvueT0/edit?usp=sharing

Good Evening, there will be a drive through hiring event at KCC North Extension Center on Saturday, October 10 : 9am- 12 noon. See the flyer for more details.

Dear BESD #53 Families and Community, We want to thank all of our parents and families for your assistance, flexibility, and communication with us this school year. Our partnership with our parents has allowed for our Return to School Plans to be successful this year. Evidence of this great partnership was clear in these past 24 hours. We just recently found out that our District had two positive cases, but we had zero close contacts related to these cases. Once again, it appears that our positive cases we have experienced have not originated from the school setting. Additionally, these cases having zero close contacts for BESD #53 were only possible because of constant communication and safety precautions being taken by all parties. This school year has only been possible by everyone working together as a team. This teamwork mentality will make the rest of this school year even more successful. I want to thank all of our students, administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, and the entire community for their support this school year. Thank You, Dr. Adam Ehrman, Superintendent

Tuesday September 29th will be a Regular Meeting of the Board of Education for BESD53 at 7 pm. To attend this meeting virtually, please sign up using the link below: https://besd53-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tVSyq4tmStWT9mAzVyw9aw

Parents and Guardians, Earlier this afternoon we had an issue with our internal account management software that caused several student passwords to be changed. We have corrected the issue and reset all student passwords to what they were this morning. Thank you!

The Northern Illinois Food Bank is offering a Pop Up Market for students, parents and the community. The event will take place at Kankakee High School, Saturday, Sept. 26 from 9 a.m. to noon. There will be enough to feed more than 800-900 families.

Please read the linked letter regarding a positive COVID-19 case within BESD #53: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QWlsY6XfKxDpdtp45fgtHViWQfi5YvzhuT2gIOy2hsA/edit?usp=sharing

Please read the attached District Communication Letter regarding Covid-19. While positive Covid-19 cases have been experienced by the District, we have also experienced a downward trend in the total number of individuals isolated from in-person instruction. Even with this situation today, our total number of individuals isolated from in-person instruction has reached its fourth lowest number to date. We believe that our mitigation strategies and constant communication during this crisis has assisted in allowing us to manage this crisis to the best of our ability. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oGxXAFKERFDjJDDotJxGU8nMoY_eU6MSaUj5b_nX0VA/edit?usp=sharing

Hi, please view this link regarding remote learning expectations. Thanks! https://tinyurl.com/yyteuv6p

Please read the linked letter regarding a positive COVID-19 case within BESD #53. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VIfr31wyZX4S9Ol3vUSp9OedbGDiju8Ge4BaSjRX_qw/edit?usp=sharing

Dear BESD #53 Families and Community, I want to thank you for your trust and flexibility as we worked to return to in-person instruction this school year. Our ability to open and stay open has only been made possible by everyone coming together as a team. While I can not predict the future, I can provide our current data trends that we assess daily to help make our decisions. The good news is that we have been open since August 19th for students. This means that we have made it past 14 total days since the 1st day of in-person instruction. Therefore, we now are afforded the opportunity to truly begin the assessment of sustainability for our in-person instructional model. Over this past week, the data indicates that we have experienced a good decline in the number of individuals required to be isolated from in-person instruction in the District. I understand that our trend data could change tomorrow as we are not immune to Covid-19. However, I want to focus on the fact that we are currently trending well for a continuation of in-person instruction. Have a Happy and Safe Labor Day Weekend! Sincerely, Dr. Adam Ehrman, Superintendent