Dixon Public Schools

Sauk Valley Community College will be hosting virtual information sessions about the Impact Program on Monday, January 10th at 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, January 12th at noon. The Impact Program allows students in the Sauk Valley Community College district the opportunity to earn up to three years of tuition and fees in exchange for volunteering in our community. To register for an information session, please use this google form or visit www.svcc.edu/impact. Participants will be emailed the Zoom link the weekday before the session. If you have any questions, please email impact@svcc.edu.

DPS #170 will be back in session on Thursday, January 6, 2022 for a full day. The School Improvement half-day will be rescheduled in the future. RMS & DHS students-remember to bring your fully charged Chromebooks tomorrow to class. #GoPurple

DPS #170 is closed today due to the inclement weather which includes blowing and drifting snow. Be safe out there today and we will see you tomorrow.

DHS & RMS students – Remember to charge your Chromebook so you are ready for school on Wednesday. Don’t leave your Chromebook in a vehicle. The extreme cold will drain the battery and could damage the device.

Parents this is a reminder that school will be in session with in person learning Wednesday, January 5th. This will be a half day. Students will be dismissed at 11:00 a.m. If you have not seen the letter from Mrs. Empen it is on our website and social media pages. We are following the Covid 19 protocols that have been in place since the beginning of the school year and will continue to do so. Free Rapid Testing will be available tomorrow, Tuesday Jan. 4th at DHS Cafeteria Door 12 again see Mrs. Empen’s letter for details on the testing. Thank you.

School resumes on Wednesday, January 5, 2022! Click on the link below for a message from Supt. Empen about returning and free COVID testing tomorrow for students and staff at the DHS cafeteria from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm if you are interested. https://5il.co/13ong

January 3, 2022 Dixon Public Schools families and staff, Happy New Year! There is a lot of information since the CDC has issued new guidance regarding isolation for positive cases and changing protocols for those that have received the first two doses of the vaccine, but not a booster - as of now, none of it applies to Pre-K – 12 schools in Illinois according to the IDPH and the Illinois State Board of Education. I believe this will continue to be a topic of discussion throughout the state next week and I will issue a revision to this letter when more information is available. Until then, our protocols for positive cases remain the same as the first semester. If we are issued additional guidance, we will apply it. Parents need to be ready to pivot to remote learning should our numbers warrant it. I will continue to monitor our numbers daily. If we need to move to remote learning, the turnaround will be quick. Please get your plans in place now to ensure a smooth transition for you and your students. We will continue to be vigilant in our layered mitigations in the days to come in order to continue in-person learning. While I understand our community has different views on how COVID should be handled, I am extremely concerned about not having the requisite staff available to continue in-person learning if we let down our guard at all. We are asking for continued patience and support as we come back to in person learning this week. We all know that COVID numbers are very high in our region and this is impacting our health care system tremendously per my conversations with local health officials. The good news is that in the readily available data, we are currently maintaining or decreasing our case prevalence compared to when break began. Free rapid testing for staff and students will be available Tuesday, January 4, 2022 for anyone who may need it. Rapid testing will occur at the Dixon High School cafeteria from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. tomorrow. A parent must be present for a student to be tested. Testing takes at least 15 minutes, so plan to be at DHS while you await your results. Social distancing and masks will be required prior to entering door 12 at Dixon High School. Thus, to start the new year, I have a few requests for you. 1) I can’t stress this next statement enough….if your child has symptoms DO NOT SEND THEM TO SCHOOL!!! 2) If your child has symptoms, please take advantage of our on-site, free COVID testing, or seek offsite testing through your physician or local COVID testing sites. 3) If someone in your home has symptoms or has COVID, follow the protocols that have been sent by our nurses and err on the side of caution 100% of the time. 4) If you have questions, please contact our nurses. They will be on-site beginning Wednesday, and are a great source for guidance and information. One thing I believe everyone can agree on is that we want to continue in-person, daily, face-to-face instruction. As we navigate changing guidelines, please understand that our administrators and health services staff are absolutely doing the best they can. I’m asking everyone to please be kind to our teachers, principals, and nurses as they try to navigate ever-changing CDC, IDPH, and ISBE changes and updates. As we move into 2022, I am confident that we will meet the challenges that lie ahead. I’m looking forward to starting our second semester together, and will continue to communicate as we carefully monitor COVID cases in our buildings. Thanks for your continued support. #GoPurple #DPS170 Sincerely, Margo Empen Superintendent

Duchesses are tournament champions!

Dixon High School is currently seeking applicants for the position of Athletic Director / Assistant Principal for the 2022-2023 school year.

Check out the 2021 Jefferson School 12 Days of Christmas video #gopurple https://youtu.be/qcNx6OE0ed0

Click on the links below for this week's COVID data. This data reflects those out due to being positive or quarantined. RMS is on remote learning for the next two days due to high numbers and known internal spread. https://5il.co/13dcw https://5il.co/13dcx

The phone message sent to families on Friday, December 17th at 4:15 p.m. stated that final exams are optional. If a parent wishes to have their child take their final exams, please have them come to Dixon High School on Monday and Tuesday.

Important information for Reagan Middle School staff, students, and parents…. Reagan Middle School (Grades 6-8) will be going on an Adaptive Pause for Monday, December 20th and Tuesday, December 21st. Please view attached letter and remote learning schedule for those days.

Madison School students reached their goal (and then some) for the coin drive for United Way. Their principal, Mr. Sagel, agreed to be duct taped to the wall if they reached it. It took us 3 large rolls of duct tape and we are happy to report - he stuck to the wall. Thank you Madison School for your support to United Way.

Dixon High School is taking applications for the Athletic Director / Assistant Principal position now.

Please click on the link below from Superintendent Empen regarding the District's response to a Tik Tok Challenge. https://5il.co/13b04

DPS #170 Staff, Students, and Families, I am writing this not to alarm you but to inform you. There is another Tik Tok Challenge circulating nationally that dubs Friday, December 17th as "shoot up your school" day. The original post is general and not directed at a specific school. We do not have any threats against any of our schools. I am sharing this notice out of an abundance of caution and as a precautionary measure. My intent of sharing this information with you is to be transparent, and let you know we are always vigilant in the safety and security of our buildings. This information has been shared with our District and school administration, our school resource officers, and local law enforcement. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. All safety concerns to our school or students are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. Here are some reminders on how you can help ensure safety in our schools: • Be sure to report any concerning message you hear or see in person or online to a trusted adult, school administration or staff member, or police. • The Safe2Help Illinois is a 24/7 program for students to share school safety issues, find resources to get help and find encouragement to help others. Reports can be submitted by clicking https://app.safe22helpil.com/. • Please do not promote social media rumors, instead, tell us. • If you feel uncomfortable about something you read, something you hear, something you see please, report it so we can do something about it. • Know who is connecting with your children online and set rules for social networking, instant messaging, e-mailing, online gaming and using webcams. Dixon Public Schools is committed to keeping our schools a safe place for learning, and we will work together to continue to keep it that way. Please don’t hesitate to contact me or any building or district administrator if you have any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Margo Empen - Superintendent

Dixon High School is taking applications for the Girls Soccer Head Coach position for the upcoming spring 2022 season. Contact Athletic Director Jared Shaner for details.

Normal phone service has been restored to all schools. Please resume using the main numbers for each school posted on our website for each school building.

We are currently having power issues at Madison Elementary and Reagan Middle School. We are working with local officials to rectify the situation. We will keep you updated.