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SFMS Messenger – August 14, 2020

 
August 14, 2020
Welcome Back!
 
Welcome back to school! It is hard to believe that school is less than one month away. There has been lots of planning going on as we prepare to welcome students back to school face to face and virtually.
 
While we look forward to seeing our students face-to-face on September 1st, it is important to recognize that we are not yet back to “normal.” Our students and staff will be adjusting to a new daily schedule, smaller gatherings, physical distancing, and adherence to public health guidelines. We have the utmost confidence that our school community will come together and provide a safe and positive experience for our students. It is obvious that there are many questions on what school will look like this fall.
 
As always, please contact the middle school office at 467-7880 for any questions that you may have. We recognize that our families may have many questions as the first day approaches. For your reference, here is a link to our district Return to School Plan. This plan was emailed to district families last week. This document contains the our school return to school plans.
 
What does a cohort look like?
As detailed in the Responsible Return to School Plan, middle school students will be a part of a specific cohort each day. Students will report to their cohort upon arrival to school each day. Backpacks will be kept with students in their cohort at this time. Students will remain with their cohort for core (language arts, math, science, and social studies) and related studies instruction (except for physical education and band/choir) and lunch/recess. Movement breaks will be built into the day for students. Students will have assigned seats for the time-being. Plexi-glass barriers will be added to tables to account for further distancing.
Bus Information/Drop-off/Pick-up
Drivers and riders will wear facial coverings in accordance with the Governor’s order and the District’s Responsible Restart plan (exceptions may be made for those with medical conditions); riders will apply hand sanitizer upon entering the bus; riders will sit in assigned seats and siblings will share a seat; non-resident students will no longer receive transportation services; special education transportation will have individually assigned seat belts/harnesses. 
 
When students riding the bus arrive in the morning, fifth and seventh grade students will enter Door 7 and sixth and eighth grade students will enter Door 10. This is to help spread out student flow and traffic as they enter the building. The same exits will be utilized when bus students leave at the end of the day.
 
All students arriving via parent drop-off will enter through the main entrance and head to their neighborhoods. At the end of the day, seventh and eighth grade students either walking or pick-up will exit the main doors. Fifth and sixth grade students walking or pick-up will exit their neighborhood outside exit doorways. This will help spread out students as they wait for their rides.
 
If you have further questions regarding bussing, please contact Heidenreiter Bus at 467-2551.
Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast and lunch times will look different to start the year. Students will have the opportunity to grab breakfast when they arrive at school. All items offered will be of the grab-and-go nature. Students will bring their breakfast directly to their cohort room and will not have the opportunity at this time to sit and eat in the commons when they arrive. We are currently working on a no-touch, ID badge option so that students do not have to put in their personal identification numbers.
 
For lunch, students will eat in the commons and the gymnasium in order to allow for physical distancing and sanitation. Half a grade-level will eat and the other half will go outside for recess. All students will go outside for the time being. This is so that we can rotate eating locations for cleaning and sanitizing. Same as above, students will be offered options that are pre-package and or served by staff following social distancing guidelines. Students will NOT be able to purchase a la carte items until further notice to give kitchen staff time to adjust to the new school year. Microwaves will not be available for student use at this time. Finally, plexi-glass barriers are being added to lunch tables to assist with distancing while eating.
Facial Coverings Resource for Families
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin has shared some insight on how to help our children transition to wearing masks in the school setting and beyond.
 
Virtual Instruction
For those families who have chosen virtual instruction for your child(ren), a few words on what to expect. Classes will be live streamed for virtual students using Google Meet. Virtual students will join their core classes (language arts, math, science, and social studies) online regularly scheduled times and follow the schedule consistent with in-person students. Teachers will take attendance based on the student’s online presence. Grade-levels will share their daily core schedules with you. Students will receive related studies instruction via Canvas and will have the opportunity to meet virtually with their teachers.
 
Canvas will be the primary tool for access to daily learning activities and resources. 
All students will be provided a Chromebook to access materials.
The virtual experience may look different for hands-on activities and elective courses and may require alternative activities based on the specific materials needed to complete in-person tasks. Some activities and course offerings may not be offered virtually.
From the Principal
Dear Families,
 
We have missed your children! We look forward to the start of school on September 1st. Student schedules were initially to be released on August 7. However, we are delaying this in order to address family choices in face-to-face or virtual learning. We will release student cohorts/schedules in late August. Our schedule will visually look different than in prior years to account for the temporary change in our schedule. As the school year moves along, we will reflect upon the current situation and modify schedules when given clearance to do so.
 
We look forward to the start of the school year! Thank you for your collaboration and support as we embark on this new adventure.
 
 
Sincerely,
SFMS Principal