Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

–Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)

Westlake Christian Academy has prepared the following plan for returning to school, in compliance with guidelines from the State of Illinois, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Public Health. This plan is subject to change, as health guidelines are updated.

If you have any concerns about this coming school year, please reach out to us. We want to make sure that all of our families return to school comfortable and confident.  You can submit questions here.

All students in preschool–12th grade may attend school in the building every day, as long as we are in Phase 4 of Restore Illinois.  Parents may also choose to have their children attend classes remotely. Westlake will follow our regular calendar, but several community-building events will be cancelled or postponed until the spring.  Westlake will make the following modifications to our policies and procedures.

Arrival

1. Upon arrival, all students and staff will receive a temperature and symptom check before entering the building.
2. Everyone entering the school building will wear a face covering.
3. Parents will drop students off at the main door for grades K-12 and at the end of the ramp for preschool and pre-K. 
4. Students will go directly to lockers and then classrooms; there will be no loitering in the halls.
5. The time when students are allowed to go their locker will be extended to 8:00-8:15 for secondary and 8:00-8:20 for elementary to allow for fewer people to enter the building at a given time.
6. Preschool and Pre-K arrival time will be 8:10–8:30.  
7. Parents will not enter the building or walk their children to class. 
8. Before-care will meet in the cafeteria, but students will sit in separate groups by grade level.

During Instruction

1. Elementary students will stay in their classrooms, and art/music teachers will come to them.
2. PE will take place in the gym or outside on the playground.
3. PE will be outdoors as much as possible.
4. Secondary students will travel to their classes as usual.  They will only go to lockers before school, at lunch, and at the end of the day. 
5. All stairways will be one way.  
6. In the classrooms, desks will be placed as far apart as possible and all facing in one direction. 
7. Students will be encouraged to wash hands frequently.
8. Students will wear face coverings during classroom instruction as much as is reasonably possible.  The teacher will have the flexibility to permit students to take off their masks when needed. 
9. Students will not wear masks for PE, lunch, rest-time, and recess.
10. If a student is absent, they will have the option to join the class remotely through Google Meet. 
11. There will be no field trips, at least for the first semester.
12. High school and junior high retreat will happen as usual, though we will need to consider transportation options. 
13. Only essential visitors will be permitted in the building.
14. All visitors must sign-in in the office and complete a symptom questionnaire. 
15. Teachers will wear face coverings at all times, but some teachers will need to wear shields instead of masks when teaching phonics, foreign languages, content with new vocabulary, or at other times when seeing the teacher’s lips moving would be necessary for learning.

Chapel

1. We will continue to hold chapel each week but will rotate which classes are in the gym and which classes participate remotely from their classroom.
2. Parents will not be able to join us for chapel, but when a class leads chapel we will offer a livestream for parents to watch. 

Lunch and Recess

1. Elementary students will eat lunch in their classrooms.  
2. Grades 7-10 will eat lunch in the cafeteria. Grades 11-12 will eat in an alternate location (TBD).
3. Recess will happen as usual, as we will be able to limit the number of children on the playground to 50. 

Dismissal

1. Elementary dismissal will happen on the playground, but classes will need to be spread out more than previous years.  
2. Secondary students will need to leave the building promptly at 3:20, as there will be no lingering around after school. 

Extended-Care

1. We will continue to provide after-care.  Students will be separated by grades PS-K, 1-3, and 4-6. 
2. Before-care will meet in the cafeteria, but students will sit in separate groups by grade level.

Extra-Curricular Activities

1. We will continue to offer band. Students will be spread out in the gym to allow for plenty of social distancing.  
2. Beginning Band will begin the year with individual lessons and wait to meet as a whole group until later in the year.
3. Regarding athletics, we are monitoring the IHSA Return-to-Play guidelines, which continue to change frequently.

Resources and Materials

1. Elementary library books will be on a rotating cart. Books will not be taken home. 
2. Shared Chromebooks will need to be wiped down after each use. 
3. Students’ materials like crayons, pencils, scissors, and glue will need to be kept separate. There will be no community materials.

Cleaning and Disinfecting

1. High touch surfaces will be disinfected at least twice per school day.
2. We will follow all IDPH cleaning/disinfecting recommendations at the end of each school day to ensure that rooms are clean and disinfected before the start of the next day. 

Attendance

1. Our attendance requirements will be more flexible for the 2020-21 school year.  Students who need to stay home due to a Covid-19 infection or Covid-19 exposure, will be able to join the class through Google Meet and keep up with their class work.  
2. Students with a fever (100.4 or higher), respiratory symptoms, or any Covid-19 symptoms of any kind will need to stay home.
3. If a child develops a fever (100.4 or higher) or respiratory symptoms during the school day, they will need to be picked up immediately. 
4. If a student or teacher is sick, they will need to be fever free for 72 hours and at least 10 days from the start of symptoms before they return to school, OR provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test or a doctor’s note saying they may return to school. 
5. Teachers with a fever (100.4 or higher) or Covid-19 like symptoms will need to stay home. When possible the teacher will be able to teach from home using google classroom, and students will still meet at school for instruction.

Westlake uses 1:1 technology in grades 7-12. This means every student in those grades uses his/her own Chromebook. Parents should purchase a Chromebook prior to the first day of school. The required model for 2020-21 is the Acer Chromebook 311.

When your Chromebook arrives, do NOT log on. WCA will do the initial log on at the beginning of the school year to make sure it is connected to the student’s official Westlake account for proper management. Just have the device charged and bring to school on the first day of classes.

We want to hear your story of why Westlake means so much to you! Please record a short video and submit it by April 20th so that we can all “see” each other during the online Celebrate Westlake event.

In order to get the best quality video, please follow these guidelines:

General:

• Videos should be horizontal orientation, not vertical (if recording on a phone, turn it sideways).
• Whatever you choose to record with (computer, cell phone, iPad, camera) please be sure it is resting on something stable.  DO NOT HOLD THE DEVICE, as in a selfie video, as that will have lots of shake. Position the camera to be at face-height (it’s the most flattering angle), not below you or above you.
• When possible, stand facing near a window – this will give you the best possible lighting.  If that’s not possible, stand somewhere with the least background distraction – a blank wall or an area of your home which doesn’t have clutter or too many “lines”
• Follow the rule of thirds — pretend your screen is cut in 3s, both vertically and horizontally. Whoever is recording, should make sure the subjects face is in the top third of the screen whether on the right or left.
• Wear simple clothing – no crazy stripes or patterns (sometimes these get distracting or the video will distort it).
• Please speak clearly, make sure there are no background noises, and speak slightly louder than you think necessary.  We can always adjust the volume down, but increasing volume isn’t possible.
• Videos can be individuals or families.

Recording:

• Stand or sit up straight — no slouching.
• Smile!
• Press record and take a deep breath, looking straight at the camera, count to two in your mind, then begin speaking.  At the end of your video, please do the same (look at the camera, smile, and count to two) before ending the video.
• Start by introducing yourself and tell us your grade and how long you have been part of Westlake.
• You can just say “hi” to all of your friends at Westlake, or you can take an extra minute to let us know how Westlake has impacted your life.
• Each video should between 30 seconds and two minutes.

Send your completed videos to pictures@westlakechristian.org. Thank you!

Westlake students experience education in an environment where they are loved, challenged, and encouraged to wholeheartedly follow Jesus. YOU make that possible through your prayers and financial support!

Feed My Starving Children

During Spiritual Emphasis Week, our students in grades 7-12 spent time volunteering at Feed My Starving Children.  While working at a station with 7th-8th grade boys, a student who is new to Westlake this year began telling another volunteer about how much he liked his new school.  He shared that the kids are actually nice, and the teachers really care. He said that for the first time in his life he actually had friends at school. Westlake Christian Academy is very intentional about teaching students how to love God and love others.

Seed Nursery

This year the 9th grade biology class has spent a little time each quarter helping at the Lake County Forest Preserve Seed Nursery.  The students plant seedlings, harvest seeds and sort seeds that have already been gathered. This is part of our effort to help our students become good stewards of the environment. 

It gives them an opportunity to serve our community, work hard, and gain an understanding of the work that goes into following the creation mandate by caring for the earth.  

4th Grade Chapel

Recently, our 4th graders presented a skit in chapel about two doctors who spent all their time learning, but never actually helping the sick people.  They made the point that if we just learn about God, but don’t tell others, then we are not following Jesus’ direction to go and make disciples.  At Westlake our students are not just taught the truth, but they are equipped to share it with others. In fact, one of our 4th graders shared her testimony at her church the following week as part of her decision to be baptized.  

Join us Monday, November 4th, 2019 at 7pm for a special evening of fellowship and vision casting. This small gathering will provide an opportunity to engage with school leadership and to hear about the exciting things happening at Westlake Christian Academy.

Schedule:

7:00 Reception and Fellowship
7:30 Presentations
8:15 Discussion

Location:

Hope Presbyterian Church (OPC)
18215 IL-120
Grayslake, IL 60030