Midwest Central CUSD #191 - Home of the Raiders

Once again we encourage everyone in our school district to please complete your 2020 Census. The future of our district funding and programs depends on you taking the time to fill this out. Thank you for your help!

We're just started our high school graduation ceremony! Feel free to watch live here: https://youtu.be/wbO3bsgvFSM

Our faculty and staff are in route for our end of the school year town drive by!! We have rows of cars and smiles! Step outside and wave hello!

Congratulations to Ms. Sarff for winning the $5,000 Century Link grant. The money will be used for the PE heart rate monitor project! Thank you CenturyLink!!

Join our Team - 2nd Grade Teacher Vacancy

Happy National Nurses Day! To all the nurses out there on the front line, we appreciate you! Nurse Denise and Nurse Shyla, you ladies are top notch and we are blessed to have you as part of our Raider family!

Midwest Central High School will hold a modified graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 17th, between 11 AM and 5 PM. We worked with local health officials to determine a method that would meet social distancing guidelines while providing an opportunity to recognize this great accomplishment. Participating seniors will be assigned a time slot where they'll be able to walk the stage and receive their diploma, in the presence of up to 6 family members of the same household. We will also live stream the event on YouTube (details to follow). Details can be read in the pictures below. It will also be distributed by email and mail. Seniors expecting to participate should contact the school to confirm attendance.

Hello Raiders, We have received the following correspondence from the State Board of Education that they are releasing additional food benefits for all Midwest Central families. Since Midwest Central is a Community Eligible school every student enrolled in Midwest Central is eligible for this benefit whether they qualify for free lunches or not. In order to receive the additional benefit you must apply (information is below) unless you are currently a SNAP recipient. We have been asked to communicate this to our parents. I have also attached a flyer for more assistance. Thank you, Todd Hellrigel, Ed.D. Pandemic EBT Application Available The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) launched the Pandemic EBT application for families on May 1 at https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access/. P-EBT is a new special benefit that can help families buy food for their school age children who would normally receive National School Lunch Program (NSLP) free or reduced-priced meals when schools are in session. All families with school age children who attend schools approved for Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) are eligible for the benefits as they receive NSLP meals at no charge. Families that currently receive 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 who do not currently receive SNAP benefits but do have children who receive NSLP free or reduced-priced meals will need to apply directly with IDHS. The fastest way for families to receive benefits is to complete the application for P-EBT available online (Click “Apply for Benefits” at the link.) A paper application in English and Spanish is also available and can be submitted by email to DHS.FCS.PEBT@illinois.gov. IDHS created a flyer to help families with the application process. We are asking NSLP sponsors to share this flyer with their families. ISBE is working in partnership with IDHS to ensure that this validation is available for all NSLP sponsors, both public and non-public. Thank you to all the schools that participate in the NSLP for submitting data by the April 17 deadline. We are asking that you please continue to verify that count, so that all families who are eligible can access the additional financial support provided by P-EBT. Instructions for this crucial verification can be found online. If NSLP sponsors need assistance with the data submission/update, please email the ISBE Nutrition Department at cnp@isbe.net. If families need technical assistance with the application, please direct them to email IDHS at DHS.FCS.PEBT@illinois.gov. Nutrition Department, Illinois State Board of Education 100 N. First St., Springfield, IL 62777 cnp@isbe.net, www.isbe.net/nutrition

Haven't switched over to Midwest Central's new app yet? Get the most current information and notifications by downloading our updated app. For ANDROID: http://bit.ly/3005X4y or iPHONE: https://apple.co/35BmKfD.

Hello Raider Parents, We have been diligently working on high school graduation and 8th grade transition plans for the past couple of weeks. We were trying to develop alternate plans while also staying in the guidelines of social distancing. We received approval yesterday from the Mason County Health Department to move forward with our plans, and we had planned to email out tomorrow what those plans were going to be. However, as of last night the State Board has banned any kind of graduation ceremony except virtual (online). They have banned any in person type of ceremony including drive up or drive by ceremonies. This is incredibly disheartening for Midwest Central, our seniors, and our 8th grade students. We do not feel a virtual ceremony is appropriate to commemorate these events. We've had this happen to us multiple times already where we've made plans only to have them taken out of our control by the State Board of Education or the Governor. Midwest Central has the desire to do something special for our seniors and 8th grade students; therefore, we're again putting high school graduation and 8th grade transition on hold until we have some better guidance. Our hope is that by waiting we'll be able to do something in June or July although we can't anticipate to what extent at this point. We realize none of this is ideal, and we're also frustrated with the Chicago machine dictating downstate plans. Unfortunately our hands are legally tied right now. As we receive more information, rest assured we'll update you on how we can honor our senior and 8th grade students. I've attached the State Board's email for your information. I'm sorry I have to keep sending you unfortunate news. This will eventually pass, and we'll eventually go back to normal. Sunny days are ahead. Sincerely, Todd Hellrigel, Ed.D.

Join our team! We have an opening for Reading Interventionist.

Join our team! We have an opening for a 1:1 Paraprofessional.

Happy Administrative Professional's Day! MC is lucky to have an amazing group ladies in this category! Thank you all for your hard work, allowing the students to have a better educational experience and making the day to day operations of the the District run as smoothly as possible. You are truly the best! Raider Nation - If you get a chance, make sure to thank an Administrative Professional today.

Dear Raider Parents and Community Members: I hope this message finds you and your families safe and well. Friday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced that remote learning in Illinois will be extended through the end of the 2019-20 school year. Although in-person learning has been suspended for the remainder of the year, at Midwest Central, I assure you our entire staff remains committed to learning and engaging with all students through remote learning, as well as continuing with our food distribution program. Like you, we are saddened by the reality that our school community will not be able to reconvene in person this school year due to this public health crisis. So many of you have worked so hard to learn and grow in both the classroom and in extracurricular activities that today’s announcement may feel like a step back. I wanted to update you with the current plans for the remainder of the year: 1. We will provide a 3rd learning packet to students next week. We will have a pick up on Wednesday, April 29th from 6am - noon and Thursday from noon - 6pm. These will be due May 13th. We’d ask you to drop off your 2nd learning packet April 29th. 2. We will be using a pass/incomplete grade for the 2nd semester grades. We again ask that you work with your student to do the best they can in completing these packets. I have asked our building principals and teachers to work with those students that were failing 3rd quarter as this is an opportunity for them to bring up their grades. 3. Lockers will be cleaned out by the custodial staff and student items will be bagged for a pick up on the 13th of May. Student items in classrooms will also be bagged up for a pick up on the 13th of May. 4. We ask that you bring both class texts and library books to return when you pick up your packet on the 29th or 30th or when you drop off your packets on May 13th. These are expensive items so we ask that you work hard to get them returned to us. 5. High School Graduation and Middle School Transition are currently on hold. As we get further guidance on social distancing our hope is we can perhaps hold some sort of recognition for these in May. (thinking positive). Unfortunately, we’re at the mercy of our Governor on this. We are committed to trying to do something to recognize the hard work of both our 8th grade students and our seniors who have been robbed of these special moments. 6. We will continue to serve meals through the 22nd of May. Don’t forget to pick up meals M, W, and F if you’re not on a delivery route. 7. Last official day for seniors is May 8th and for all other students it will be May 15th. Sincerely, Dr. Todd Hellrigel

Hello Raiders, I hope you're all staying home and staying safe. These are certainly strange times, and I'm sure cabin fever is getting old at this point. We appreciate all you're doing to help your students. We had a great packet pick up turn out and I wanted to thank you all for your efforts. We've also been asked to share with you food bank locations. Here is a link to area food bank locations. https://tazewellcounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Nearby/index.html?appid=bcaaa73edb8043febd79c83b70c94c26 Thank you for your support in these troubling times. Keep smiling! Dr. Todd Hellrigel

To improve access to technology at home and assist remote learning, Midwest Central will be selling our older Chromebooks (with soft case) to district families for $15 each. These Chromebooks were purchased by the district approximately 5-6 years ago and are no longer supported by Google; however, they all have been reset to factory settings and work very well. Students will need to use their gmail account to log into them. We will be organizing the sale based on demand and need. Midwest Central will not providing service or support for devices after sale. INTERESTED? Please fill out this form OR call your school between 8-2 on Wednesday. https://forms.gle/d8ToRbtasTxzMadW8

April 3, 2020 Parents and Students, On March 27th, the Illinois State Board of Education communicated information to all school districts pertaining to the development of Remote Learning plans. Midwest Central values all students as learners. After reviewing the details of this document, please contact your child’s principal if you have any questions. Remote Learning Rationale Remote Learning is designed to: • Maximize student learning in a challenging situation. • Promote instruction focused on Core Content • Communicate a commitment to our high educational standards through regular and meaningful contact with each student and/or family. • Promote independence and responsibility for our students as learners. • Promote flexible learning in a family-friendly manner. • Model technology use in the digital age. Core Content For the purposes of this document, Core Content refers to the standards that are most significant for student success in subsequent years. Core Content must be aligned to state standards. Teachers will work in collaboration to determine Core Content. Family-Friendly Instruction For the purposes of this document, Family-Friendly Instruction means: • Flexible due dates. • Flexible ways for students to work on mastering and demonstrating mastery of Core Content . • Clear, consistent and reliable ways for students and parents to receive support from teachers. Process Starting April 13 and continuing through the end of the remote learning period, Midwest Central weekly schedule will be: • Every two weeks students will be provided learning packets to complete. The first packet pick up will be Monday, April 13th. • Packets will need to be picked up at your student’s respective school. • Packets will be available for pick up from 6am – Noon Monday, April 13th and Noon – 6pm on Tuesday, April 14th. • Please return the 1st packet with completed work when you pick up the 2nd packet. • Monday, Wednesday, and Friday meals will continue to be provided either by pick up or delivery by bus. Student Attendance No formal reporting of attendance is required during this time, but teachers will keep track of which students are engaged in the process and how often each student is involved, based on student responses. Grading Teachers will continue to grade student work that is turned in and will assign grades to work as normal. Regards, Dr. Todd Hellrigel

Midwest Central has transitioned to a NEW website and app! It provides better access to content and enables us to keep you more informed. Download the app on Android: http://bit.ly/3005X4y or iPhone: https://apple.co/35BmKfD.

Staff volunteers getting ready for deliveries today!

Staff preparing the packets and meals for tomorrow’s delivery to our students.