Class Placement and Dismissal

 

Class Placement
As I write this, Mrs. Farley is busy stuffing our summer mailing envelopes. These envelopes, which will go out in the mail at the end of the day, are filled with a lot of important information. In this mailing you will find the following:

• A placement letter which indicates the teacher to whom your child is assigned (or teaching team if they are with a team of 2 or 3 staff members as outlined in my last blog) and the door they are to use when entering and exiting the building;
• Information about transportation, including how to access your child's routing information on the Traversa Ride 360 mobile app;
• Information regarding the School Building Meal Plan;
• Information regarding the School Meal Program, including an application for free and reduced meals;
• Annual Student Information Verification Forms (Emergency Forms);
• Important information about Arrival, Health Screening, and Dismissal; and
• An informational flyer from the PTA.

Dismissal

Because of the large number of families picking up students this year, we are using a car tag system as was explained in my previous blog as well as the Arrival and Dismissal Procedures document coming home in the summer packet (sample below).

Families that indicated that they would be picking up their children on the district survey will be mailed a car tag at the end of next week. You will get two car tags and enough corresponding backpack tags for your child(ren). We ask that you securely fasten the tag to your child's backpack. IF you did not indicate that you will be picking up your child, but your plans have changed and you now plan to do so, please either call the office (315-487-4648) or email me (lcraig@westgenesee.org) to let me know. If you plan to pick up your child more than a couple of times a month, please contact us and we will also issue you a tag. If you plan to carpool, we must have a note indicating with whom your child is allowed to ride home. If your child plans to ride a bike to/from school or walk home, we also must have a note granting your child permission to do so. If you have any questions about any of this, after you have completely read this document, please give me a call or shoot me an email and I will gladly try to answer your questions! 

Remote Students

Remote students will also receive a packet with information about their placement, the meal plan, and the PTA. We are asking that all remote students come to school on Wednesday, September 9th between 12:00 and 3:00 to pick up their Chromebooks and instructional materials. Please call the office if you are unable to come at this time. 

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend. I look forward to seeing your children in less than two weeks!

- Lisa

Mid-August Update

 

Panel Discussion on the Reopening of Schools

Superintendent David Bills, along with other district staff, will be giving a detailed presentation about the reopening of schools. This presentation, given both Wednesday, 8/19 and Thursday, 8/20, is intended for parents and guardians. Today is the deadline to register and submit questions. As of this morning, the 8/19 meeting is full (met the Zoom capacity), but there are still openings for the 8/20 meeting. Here is the link to register for Thursday's meeting. 

Classroom Configurations

I have had a few people ask about the classroom configurations for this coming year. Because we are now limited in the number of students we can have in each classroom, we have had to increase the number of sections. At East Hill we have gone from 18 sections (K-5) to 25 sections (K-4). We are now using every nook and cranny in the building that we can find! Class sizes will be between 8 and 18. While some teachers will remain in one room all day with their students, some teachers will be working in teams of two or three. Two-person teams will be comprised of a teacher and a teaching assistant. They will rotate between the two rooms during the day with the teacher delivering the bulk of the academic instruction. Three-person teams will be comprised of two teachers and a teaching assistant. The team will rotate to each of the classrooms throughout the day. In an effort to limit movement throughout the building, special area teachers will come to the classrooms. When the weather is nice, physical education will take place outside. 

Mask Use

There continues to be some confusion over the wearing of masks. Students will be required to wear masks throughout the day. Teachers will give students "mask breaks" during the day (when all students are seated and the teacher is not moving about the room) and students will obviously be able to remove their mask when they eat. Face shields cannot be worn, unless they are in addition to a mask. Please let me know if you have any additional questions about mask-wearing. 

Arrival and Dismissal

Arrival, and particularly dismissal, will be a challenge to say the least. I expect it to be rather lengthy at the start of school but I'm sure it will become more efficient with time. Here are the current (DRAFT) procedures:

Arrival

The elementary school begins at 9:00 a.m. Parents may drop off their children between 8:40 and 8:55. Buses will enter the parking lot at 9:00. If parents are late in dropping off their children, they will wait to enter the parking lot until after the buses have unloaded. Parents must stay in their car at all times. Students cannot begin unloading from cars until 8:40. Walkers may arrive at the school between 8:40 and 8:55. Students will be given a designated door to enter. Families will be provided with screening slips. These slips, which indicate that a child’s temperature has been taken prior to arrival at school, the temperature is less than 100℉, and that the child is symptom-free, will be given to school staff upon entering the building. If a child does not have the screening slip, their temperature will be taken. Students will then walk directly to their assigned classroom. Lockers will not be used. Breakfast (and lunch) will be delivered directly to the classroom.

Dismissal

Bus dismissal will begin at 2:15. Parents can enter the parking lot after all buses have arrived. Parent

pickup tags, similar to the ones pictured here, will be provided for all students being picked up. Each family will get two car tags with the same number. Students will be provided with a backpack tag with the corresponding number. School staff will be able to easily identify the correct car in the pickup line outside of school. If a parent is designating someone else to pick up a child on a particular day, it will be up to the parent to make sure they provide that person with their pickup tag. Again, parents must stay in their car at all times. If you are having someone else pick up your child on a particular day you will need to make sure you provide that person with your tag ahead of time. More information will be sent out later this month.

Kindergarten Screening

We can't wait to welcome the class of 2033! Kindergarten screening will take place on Monday, August 24th. All families should have received a letter with a screening time. We will not be holding an in-person kindergarten orientation this year but are hoping to put together a video orientation for all students before the year begins.

Please say hello to your children for me! I miss them! Have a great rest of the week!

- Lisa

Happy August!

Happy August!

I hope you and your family have been having a nice summer so far! Mrs. Farley and I have returned to the office after our annual summer break. Mrs. Farley was able to spend some time at her camp on Seneca Lake and I was able to spend some time in the Adirondacks. We both enjoyed the time with our families. The office is now open from 8:00 to 3:00 daily.

Seneca Lake Sunset

Mt. Baker, Saranac Lake

Reopening Plan

You have hopefully seen West Genesee's plan for reopening by now. If you have not, please visit the West Genesee homepage where you will find a great deal of information regarding reopening. In the plan, elementary parents have the option of selecting in-person or remote learning for K-4 students, and in-person/hybrid or remote learning for 5th grade. East Hill students in grades K-4 will remain at East Hill; grade 5 will be housed at West Genesee Middle School. The elementary (K-4) school day will run from 9:00 - 2:30. Grades 5 & 6 will start at 8:00 and end at 1:45.

A questionnaire was sent to all parents on Monday asking them to select and commit to the format (remote or in-person) they would like for their child(ren). Parents are also being asked if they are willing to transport to and/or from school. If you have not yet completed this survey, please follow this link and log in to Schooltool to let the district know of your decisions. You will find further instructions on submitting the survey at the top of the Schooltool page. Parents are asked to complete the survey no later than August 10, 2020. Thank you!

School Supply Drive

For 11 years, the West Genesee District Council has been providing school supplies to students in need. If you have questions about the program, please contact them at wgschoolsupplies@gmail.com. If you are in need of supplies, click on this link. 

Yearbooks

We are still awaiting delivery of our yearbooks. Lifetouch, the company that distributes the yearbooks, was also affected by COVID-19 and is behind in production. They are currently scheduled to ship the last week in August. We will send out more information regarding the yearbooks as the information becomes available.

Enjoy the rest of the summer! I will be in touch!

- Lisa