Dear Jones Family,
I hope this message finds you all well. The spring weather, although still a bit chilly, brings the promise of positive change even in these uncertain times. At Jones, we are doing our best to stay on top of the ever-evolving school situation; we all share the frustrations that come from uncertainty. Please be assured that our faculty and staff are doing their best to help our students continue their learning while we plan for the coming days and months.
GRADING POLICY: CPS announced the new Quarter 4 grading policy on April 30. Since this happened almost two weeks into the quarter, we have developed the following guidelines for implementing the policy at Jones. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your students' teachers.
- For Jones students, the new grading policy went into effect Monday, May 4, the first week following the CPS rollout, not the beginning of Quarter 4, as previously stated. Assignments given from May 4 through the end of the quarter fall under the new grading policy.
- Student work turned in during the first two weeks of Quarter 4 (April 20 - May 1) can be accepted for credit for the quarter, but may not negatively impact the student's grade. This is in keeping with the old grading policy announced by ISBE.
- Student incompletes from April 20 - May 1, which were assigned under the old grading policy, will be left blank or marked excused so they do not negatively impact the student's average.
- If a student wants to turn in work from Quarter 3 or the first two weeks of Quarter 4, they will be allowed to do so. Again, work turned in before May 4 may improve but not harm the student's grade.
- Work due the week of May 4 but assigned the week before would fall under the new grading policy. If necessary, students will be given additional time to complete the work, as they were not yet aware of the new policy when the assignment was given.
- We will not be holding final exams on June 1-2 for Seniors and June 15-17 for undergraduates, as previously scheduled. Teachers may assign some form of cumulative assessment for the quarter (tests, projects, essays, etc.), but the grade will be included along with other assessments for Quarter 4.
LAST DAYS OF INSTRUCTION:
- Seniors: The last day for instruction for Seniors will be Friday, May 29. The week of June 1 will be set aside for distributing caps and gowns, collecting belongings from lockers, and returning textbooks, library books, Chromebooks, and other school materials.
- Undergraduates: The last day of instruction will be during the week of June 15, depending on when we will be allowed to have students come to school to collect their belongings and return books and other school property.
SENIOR UPDATES:
- Graduation: To celebrate our wonderful Class of 2020, we are planning a “drive-through” graduation ceremony tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday, June 7. This will take place on State Street in front of the school. We will have a photographer and may be streaming it live. This is all pending permit approvals. Details to follow.
- Senior Awards: Seniors receiving department and other awards will receive letters of congratulation informing them of these recognitions. This will be followed by a virtual online recognition for the school family. All of this will take place before the end of May, if at all possible.
- Senior Yard Signs: Friends of Jones has been kind enough to order graduation yard signs for all of our Seniors! These will be distributed sometime during the week of May 11. Please be watching the website for an announcement.
- Cap and Gown Pick-Up: Seniors will be picking up their caps and gowns and personal belongings, returning textbooks, library books, Chromebooks, musical instruments, rented calculators, and any other school property issued to them. We are aiming for the week of June 1.
SUMMER SCHOOL: We have more than 100 students signed up for Summer School and are still accepting registrations. Unfortunately, CPS has already announced that all in-person school events are cancelled through June 30. I have made inquiries about the possibility of moving the starting date for Summer School to July, but have not yet heard back. Alternatively, we will look into a remote learning option for these classes.
FRESHMAN CONNECTION: It is looking increasingly unlikely that we will be able to hold our regular in-person Freshman Connection for July 13-24. We are exploring other options, including a virtual program, a shorter welcome/orientation in August, or a combination of the two.
TRANSITION TO 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR: It is hard to think too far ahead, given our ever-changing circumstances. We do not yet know, and may not know for some time, if we will be having a normal start to the school year or some other form of remote learning. Regardless of what happens in the fall, be assured our faculty and staff will be working to support our students as we transition to a new and hopefully more normal school year!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time at pjpowers@cps.edu.
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