Fenwick High School will not have a week dedicated to final exams for the first semester. During the first two weeks of January, teachers will be allowed to assess the students during their allotted class time but there will be no dates dedicated exclusively to final exams. More information is to come.
Admissions Testing
The Admissions Office will host the 8th Grade Entrance Exam on Sat., Dec. 5, at 8:00 a.m.
Applicants will have two options for the exam this year:
1. In person exam at Fenwick High School.
2. Remote online exam at home.
The Admissions Office is prepared to move the entire testing pool to the remote online option should it be advisable. As of Thursday, November 19, the Admissions Office is planning to offer both testing options to the 8th-grade applicants.
Athletics
From the IHSA (on 11/19)
All IHSA sports and activities were temporarily paused today based on the newest state mitigations. A full recap of the Board meeting is below, which includes answers to many of the questions we anticipate you will have as a result. Please reach out to our office with any questions or situations that may not be directly addressed for further clarification. I would encourage you to read all the way through to the end of the release and the discussion items, as they highlight some of the topics the Board is already discussing and could act upon in the future when we are able to return to participation.
To maintain compliance with the most recent mitigations issued by Governor Pritzker that take effect on November 20, the IHSA Board issued guidance to pause all IHSA winter sports and activities by November 20.
“All IHSA sports and activities will cease by November 20 for what we hope is a short-term pause,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “Given the rising COVID-19 cases in our state and region, we support the Governor’s mitigations and believe it is imperative for everyone in the state to do their part in following them so that we can return to high school sports participation as soon as possible.”
The Board will revisit the status of winter sports at their update discussion on December 2, and again at their regularly scheduled meeting on December 14 if necessary.
“Taking into account the current state mitigations, the Board believes that early to mid-December will be the most reasonable target to review the status of winter IHSA sports and activities,” said Anderson. “The Board is sensitive to the scheduling difficulties these delays create for athletic directors and coaches. However, our experiences this summer and fall lead us to believe that setting arbitrary start dates hinders the process even more. We realize it may seem redundant, but we have to preach patience as we await more data and direction from the state. Despite the obstacles this unprecedented school year has presented, the Board’s vision to provide participation opportunities in all IHSA sports has not wavered.”
The Board was steadfast in their desire to remind all athletes and athletic programs that adhering to the mitigations is vital to the hopes of safely playing high school sports in Illinois as soon as possible.
“I believe there is a misconception that IHSA and non-school athletic programs have an adversarial relationship,” said Anderson. “In my time at the IHSA, I have not found that to be the case at all. More so, I think there is a mutual respect for the opportunities that each provide for athletes. IHSA schools have been exemplary in adhering to state regulations throughout this pandemic and we are calling upon non-school programs to hold themselves to that same standard. As school and non-school sports temporarily cease in Illinois, and throughout the Midwest, it is a great reminder that putting the health and safety of our fellow citizens at the forefront in the short-term will allow all levels of athletics to thrive in the long-term.”
The Board provided the following participation clarifications to member schools:
Winter Season Start Date: Given the timing of the Governor’s new mitigations, November 16 will not be recognized as the start date of the winter season, regardless of whether winter sport teams conducted any official tryouts or practices. A new start date will be established for each sport once winter sports can be conducted again.
Conditioning & Weight Training: Conditioning and weight training before and after school are paused. Local schools will decide if conditioning and weight training programs that are a part of their academic curriculums continue or are ceased.
Open Gyms: Are paused and cannot be conducted at this time.
Outdoor Workouts: Outdoor workouts may be conducted in any sport in groups of 10 or less with masks and social distancing. Coaches are counted toward the 10. Use of sport-specific equipment is allowable with proper sanitizing practices.
One-on-One Skill Work: Per Tier 3 Resurgence Mitigations and with school approval, one-on-one skill work between a coach and student-athlete is permitted for winter sports only, but is limited to one coach and one student-athlete per facility.
Activities: Practices and competitions may only be conducted virtually.
Non-School Participation: All sports organizations in the state, school or non-school, have been directed to abide by the Governor’s mitigations. IHSA coaches cannot organize non-school participation in any fashion. IHSA by-law 3.100 will be in effect once winter sport seasons begin following this pause.
Follow the latest regional metrics at: https://dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics
Activities
Some activities may continue during this time period. Students should reach out to their moderators for more information.
Health and Safety
Please continue to keep the nurses informed of any confirmed or suspected Covid-19 cases, exposures and testing or test results. This is critical to continue contact tracing and to ensure that Fenwick will be able to safely return on Tuesday, January 19.
Student Services
Student Services will fully function over the course of the e-learning from Friday, November 20, through Monday, January 18 addressing the needs of our students. College counselors, the social workers, learning resource specialists and class counselors will continue to meet with and advise students over Zoom according to prescheduled arrangements. If your student will not partake in e-Learning due to illness or other reasons, please be sure to call your student into the attendance office.
Senior Photos
Per previous communications, if you have already scheduled a senior photo session, those sessions will continue as scheduled on Friday, Monday and Tuesday, November 20, 23 and 24.
Transportation
In light of the fact that students will not be in school during December and much of January, we will be suspending transportation/bus fees for those 2 months. We will also be suspending onsite parking fees for December and January. Fees will resume when in-person classes resume.
Thank you very much for your continued support and understanding as Fenwick grapples with how best to meet the varied needs of our community while keeping everyone’s health and safety our first priority. Please look for more information over the coming weeks.
I ask all of us to keep in mind the deepest meanings of the holiday season and our Christian faith as we struggle with our collective response to this pandemic: love of God and neighbor, empathy, forgiveness and sacrifice.
May God bless you and your families. Stay safe. Have a blessed, grace-filled Thanksgiving.
