Dieterich Unit 30 -

We are short on bus drivers at this time. We do not have drivers available to transport the JH Baseball team to their regional at Oblong today. The three coaches will transport the team in school vans. The team will depart the school at approximately 3:00p.m. If any baseball parent prefers their student ride with the parent and not with the team/coach please call 217-925-5247 before 2:45.

Pine Street will be open for parent drop off and pick up starting tomorrow morning! Thank you for your cooperation during this construction project!

Our kindergarten students took some time today to supervise the asphalt crew! We all agree that they are doing a great job!

Mrs. Jackson’s 2nd grade class went on a nature walk today and then wrote a story about what they saw!

Dear Staff, Students, Parents and Guardians of Dieterich Schools, I am writing this letter to introduce a temporary addition to our Unit Office staff. Mr. Jeff Fritchnitch will be working as a consultant to the school on special projects as well as covering administrative leave days in the next couple months. Mr. Fritchnitch will be in-district at least a couple days of the week for the near future. Mr. Fritchnitch is a retired superintendent that has led the Altamont School District, and most recently, the Mt. Vernon High School District. He currently works with the Effingham County Chamber of Commerce and Synapsis Inc., an educational technology company. Please join us in welcoming Mr. Fritchnitch to Dieterich Schools. Sincerely, Mr. Cary Jackson, Superintendent

Dieterich High School teamed up with The Greenup American Legion from 2011- 2019 to provide the Veterans at the Danville VA supplies. We were unable to do a collection in 2020 due to COVID. The hospital has reached out to us asking for help, they are in need of supplies. They included a list of things they could use. If you are able to donate items or cash to purchase the items please send it to or drop it off in the High School office by October 1st. Thank you so much for supporting our United States Veterans! Requested items include: more toiletries for the ALA room, snacks such as breakfast bars, granola bars, individual bags of crackers or fresh fruit such as grapes, apples or bananas. We are also in need of bags of toiletries to hand out when a Veteran is admitted to our PRRTP program. A cinch sack with 3 in 1, (or a bodywash and shampoo), lotion, chapstick, a brush, razor, shaving cream (cannot be aerosol) , toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant. We provide a starter kit for the PRRTP Veterans and then they are responsible for budgeting for their own toiletries going forward. Approximately 10 backpacks for PRRTP Veterans, this is something many of the PRRTP Veterans utilize as they have classes throughout the days in various areas of the facility and many of them request backpacks to carry their books, notebooks, pens and supplies.

On Friday September 17th, Howell Asphalt will be completing the construction project in front of school. To help with traffic, we will begin parent pick up at 3:00 pm on Friday. Jr/Sr high school students who are parent pick up will be released at this time also. We will follow the same procedures for parent pick up that we have used this year. Thank you for your patience during this project!

Mrs. Zerrusen and our 3rd grade students looked for different artistic inspirations outside today!

A quick reminder that tomorrow, September 13, is fall picture day for Unit #30 students and staff!

Mrs. Hann’s first grader’s enjoyed a lesson under the pavilion today!

We need your help! HB 4135, the bill that effectively removes local control from school boards, has moved to the Rules Committee. For those that believe local control is vital to the success of public schools, now is the time to take action. Please call and email the following individuals every day!! Dieterich Board of Education

September 9, 2021 Dear Parents: Unfortunately we are currently short on bus drivers this week and will have to adjust our dismissal for our town students who ride Rod Grunloh's bus #9. The students riding this bus will be released early and the bus will leave school at 3:00p.m. today so that students can be taken home and the driver can return to drive an out of town route at the regular dismissal time. While this is only 15 minutes early, we realize that this may be hard for some parents to cover. If you are not able to make arrangements to be there for your student at this time please call Sharon at 217-925-5248 to make other arrangements, like the after school program. We apologize for the inconvenience. Dieterich Schools

Don't Forget! All health forms, (Physical Exams, Immunizations, Vision Exams, Dental Exams) are due before September 30, 2021. Please turn in these forms to your students school office ASAP!

We have been getting a lot of questions regarding the rules and regulations regarding COVID prevention measures in schools. While we are happy to answer any questions you have, we would encourage you to please read the documents prior to calling the school. Those documents are located on the school website under the Documents section, Return to School 2021-22. https://www.dieterichschools.org/o/dieterich-community-schools/browse/232437 Additionally, these documents have been emailed to all parent contacts through TeacherEase. Thank you!

PTO members will be at school on Friday September 8th from 8:30-2:30 for students to purchase books if they would like. The PTO will also have the book fair open from 4:30-6:30 Thursday. A reminder that the book fair is located in the cafeteria.

The Dieterich PTO is having their fall book fair this week! Since we are not having Grandparents Day this year, the PTO members will have the book fair open tonight from 4:30 - 6:30 and then Thursday from 4:30-6:30 for parents and students to purchase books. The book fair is located in the cafeteria.

From the Dieterich CUSD #30 Board of Education to the Dieterich Community: This week, the Dieterich Board of Education was tasked with the decision to amend the return to school policy and require masks be worn by all people when in the school building. This is a position that none of us want to be in and a call we did not want to have to make. We believe that local control is vital to the success of the public school system and that control has been taken away from us. We are willing to fight for local control. We will continue to look for opportunities and participate where we feel best represents our school. The Board is aware that some in our community feel betrayed by this decision. Please know that this isn't a decision that was made lightly. All opportunities were considered. The Board and administrators have spent countless hours listening, connecting, researching, and understanding what our community wants and what our government expects. We have lost sleep trying to set our own biases aside to ensure that we view this situation for all children, all staff, and our community. We have focused on logic and reason when we want to respond based on emotion. In the end, we made a decision that we believe was best for the future of our school. Please note, this is not about money. This is about lives and livelihood. This is about seniors getting a diploma after 13 years of hard work. Teachers and staff deserve to earn their full retirement for a job that is already under paid and underappreciated. This is about student-athletes and scholars getting a chance to participate in the extra-curriculars that they love because we know it molds them into the adults that they will become. This is about ensuring that this community has a school for the next generations to come. Honestly, we have an exceptional school, and we are proud of the citizens that we produce. Most importantly, this is about ensuring our kids get the education that they deserve so that they can stand up and fight for what they believe in as adults. This entire situation is something no one could predict. Our administrators are working tirelessly to adapt to roles they never expected to play. If you saw the passion and love that they have for students and staff, you would understand that this is a living nightmare for them. They don’t want this. They want to teach your kids. They want to shape their future. They are not doctors, scientists, attorneys, and police officers. They are educators with a passion for our community. We couldn’t have better in our building. As some of you go through the process of protesting this decision, please be careful to not drag our school, our administrators, our staff, and our children through the mud. We are all on the same side, we are neighbors, family, and friends. It would be heartbreaking to lose anyone from our school, whether it be administrator, teacher, staff, or student. We have an amazing district and thriving community. We can't let this tear that apart. We do support your peaceful protests and appreciate the support that you have given us. We will continue to look for opportunities to gain back local control, but we need your help. Call the governor’s office EVERYDAY! Tell every person you know to do the same. The important piece is calling consistently. Springfield Office of the Governor: 217-782-6830 or 217-782-6831 Chicago Office of the Governor: 312-814-2121 or 312-814-2122 Call your representatives. For our community that is Senator Darren Bailey and Representative Adam Niemerg. They are already fighting for local control. Ask them specifically what they are doing on the legislative floor to help this cause. Is there more than just standing up and speaking? Ask them how they get a bill on the floor to regain local control. They have made a stand but there are more personal actions they could take. Introduce a bill!! Fight to create a law! Senator Darren Bailey, State Capitol Office: 217-782-6674 Senator Darren Bailey, District Offices: 618-665-4109 or 217-234-6139 Representative, Adam Niemerg, State Capitol Office: 217-782-2087 Representative, Adam Niemerg, District Office: 217-813-6036 Of course, we can't condone pulling your kids out of school to protest. If you do, we recommend making it a learning experience and strategically choosing when to do it. As an example, take them to the state capitol on the day of the ISBE meeting. Show them how to peacefully protest in a big way with other like-minded individuals. Help prepare them with a speech that they could share on the meeting floor or with a reporter. These are times that mold us all into the individuals that we will become. Individually, members of the board are currently drafting letters to Governor JB Pritzker, Senator Darren Bailey, Representative Adam Niemerg, Executive Director of the Association of Rural and Small Schools (AIRSS) Dave Ardrey, the Illinois State Board of Education members, Illinois High School Association, and Illinois Elementary School Association. We will share them publicly as they are sent. We also continue to evaluate potential legal action. Our school is the life of our community. The board is committed to continuing to search for solutions to take back local control. We look forward to partnering with you. Sincerely, Dieterich CUSD #30 Board of Education Cory Niebrugge Doug Baxter Charity Bohnhoff Devin Aherin Anita Bierman Thad Goebel Dan Niemerg

Mrs. Field’s 1st grade class took advantage of the beautiful weather and the new pavilion addition to have their social studies lesson today!

Notice of Open Position: Custodian Dieterich Schools is seeking applicants for CUSTODIAN. Please contact Mr. Cary Jackson, Superintendent at 205 S. Pine St., Dieterich IL 62424, cjackson@dieterichschools.org, (217) 925-5249.

On August 4th, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced masks will be required for students, teachers and staff at pre-kindergarten-12th grade schools. This measure is part of the state’s ongoing effort to combat a new surge as the Delta variant rapidly spreads. This announcement differs from the reopening plan our school district adopted on July 15th. The Board of Education met on Tuesday August 31st to review the rules. The Return to School Plan has been amended to reflect this requirement. The Return to School Plan can be found on the District’s website and has been emailed, via TeacherEase, to all parents, guardians and staff. Masking is now required for indoor use by all individuals (age 2 and older) regardless of vaccination status. This mandate will be in effect until no longer required by ISBE, IDPH or an Executive Order. The requirement will become effective at Dieterich CUSD #30 on Thursday September 2nd. Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we navigate this school year together.