GATOR TALES
Grace Abbott Elementary
May 5, 2020
Principal: Dr. Erik Chaussee, epchaussee@mpsomaha.org
Secretary: Cindy Wrenn, clwrenn@mpsomaha.org
About Us
Email: clwrenn@mpsomaha.org
Website: abbott.mpsomaha.org
Location: 1313 N 156th St, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: 402-715-2900
Facebook: facebook.com/GraceAbbottElementarySchool
Twitter: @MPS_Abbott
NEWS FROM DR. CHAUSSEE
Dear Families
The last day of school for students will be on Thursday, May 14th. Abbott has developed a plan for students and families to return the items borrowed from school for remote learning and retrieve student items from the classroom. In order to honor your time and follow DHHS social distancing guidelines, we have put together a sign-up genius to allow you to choose a time that works with your schedule to return and retrieve materials from Abbott on Friday, May 15th. In order to follow the social distancing parameters set up by DHHS we will only allow 10 individuals to enter the gym during each 15 minute time period. We ask that one adult from each family comes in to pick up materials. We want to limit children in the building as much as possible to adhere to the DHHS guidelines. It appears that most of the student material was picked up by parents the week after spring break so there shouldn’t be much to pick up-mainly drop off.
Student materials will be organized the same way as the distribution in March. At that time, I had prepared a schedule of dates and times to do this which worked. However, given the need to attempt to do this all in one day, we are using Sign-up genius as the material needs to set for several days before being put away. All student materials will be organized and ready for pick up and drop off in the gym other than first grade which will be in the main hallway. We ask you to enter through the front main door and exit the KidsNet/Gym doors during your scheduled time. First grade parents please exit the east door door as before. Each child's name will be written on a piece of paper taped to the tables. There will be a bag of materials next to your child's name for you to pick up. We ask you to place the bag of materials you are returning to the school on the piece of paper with your child's name. There will be tables in the main hallway for iPads and library books to be returned. Third and fourth graders will not need to return their iPads. An Abbott staff member will be present at the table to check in the device. Please do not place the iPads in the bag of materials you are returning. All band and orchestra instruments need to be returned to Ron Witt at 13737 Industrial Road. Parents of these students should have received a separate email with more details.
Click on this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084EAAAF22A13-abbott to sign up for a time to pick up and drop off materials on Friday, May 15th. If you cannot find a time that works during our times, please email me (epchaussee@mpsomaha.org) and we will find a solution for hopefully Monday.
Listed below are examples of the materials that we will be collecting:
- Library Books
- iPads (5th grade and iPads borrowed from K/1/2 students)
- Wonders Lock & Key books
- Books borrowed from classroom libraries
Your child's classroom teacher will be emailing you a checklist to return with the materials you bag up and bring to Abbott Please include all items in the bag and label the bag with your child's name, include the checklist if you have a printer (We will have copies available at the building also).
Thank you for your partnership during remote learning. We appreciate everything you have done to help keep your child engaged in school work!
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
As of today, August 10 is still our first day of school for the 2020/21 school year. However, this coming year only, it will be an usual start. Only kindergarten, sixth grade, and ninth grade will start the first day. All other grades will start on August 11. This is being done at the elementary level because we were not able to have a kindergarten round up this school year as we have always done. School is a hard adjustment for our youngest students, some of which have just turned five. They will be able to experience arrival, dismissal, lunch, recess, and specials without the 375 older students.
HELPING OUT OUR COMMUNITY
Through a staff connection we were able to help a local retirement community, New Cassel Retirement Center and Franciscan Adult Day Center. They were (and still are) in desperate need of wipes and hand sanitizer. At the beginning of each year, we ask parents to donate these items to their classrooms at Abbott as part of their classroom supplies. With the switch to remote learning, we had some to spare. We knew we could use them next year, but we took the liberty of donating some of the extra supplies as the center was in desperate need of these supplies and couldn’t find them elsewhere. We did not give them any taxpayer funded supplies. We were able to donate 48 tubs of wipes and 14 bottles of sanitizer. New Cassel is the largest assisted living facility in the state with 185 aging adults and keeping them protected from COVID-19 was essential.
Although parents did not know this in advance, thank you. They were extremely grateful. One of our staff members delivered them to the facility.
SEE YA LATER, ALLIGATORS!
MILLARD SCHOOL BOARD 2020
President - Linda Poole
Vice President - Dave Anderson
Secretary - Stacy Jolley
Treasurer - Amanda McGill Johnson
Board Member - Mike Kennedy
Board Member - Mike Pate