Falcon's Nest
Alcova Elementary School
October 5, 2020
Principal's Message
HAPPY MONDAY!
Who could believe the first nine weeks would go by so fast, but here we are approaching the second nine weeks! I hope you all are doing well and enjoying the crisp air. I appreciate you and glad we are able to partner together to ensure the very Best for our ALCOVA students!
Proud to be Your Principal,
Cortina Harris
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are asking for all staff and students to wear PINK on Wednesday's for the entire month.
Please let your children know so they may join in with us and paint the school PINK! Virtual students can join in on the fun. We look forward to receiving photos from you of your child wearing pink. Photos may be submitted on eCLASS (look for a discussion board under the morning announcements) OR on Facebook (look for a facebook post to attach your picture to!)
PLEASE COMPLETE ASAP IF YOUR CHILD COULD QUALIFY FOR FREE & REDUCED LUNCH!
Digital and In-Person Families!
This is a courtesy reminder...the Free and Reduced Lunch application status expired on 09/23/2020. However, if you didn't get a chance to complete it, they have extended it for a short time. Please go to link and apply, if you haven't already. If you have any questions or need help please call the Parent Center at 678.226.7996 OR 678.376.8500. Thank you.
School Lunch App - NLAPPSCLOUD.COM
Getting Started . If you’re ready to apply, simply click the 'START APPLICATION' button to begin. The quick and simple step-by-step wizard will walk you through the process, resulting in a complete application that is ready for us to qualify!
¡Hola!
Este es un recordatorio de cortesía... el estado de solicitud de almuerzo gratuito y reducido expira el 23 de septiembre 2020. Por favor, llenar la solicitud enline. Si tiene alguna pregunta o necesita ayuda por favor llame al Centro para Padres al 678.226.7996 O 678.376.8500. Gracias.
What's new at Alcova ES??
A clothing and shoe donation bin has been placed in the Car Rider Parking Lot. The bin is from Charity Recycling Services. CRS provided the bin to our school at no cost, yet our school will receive money for the items that are collected! The CRS bin will help Alcova raise extra funds to enable us to build our ecoSTEM program and help us to sustain our efforts to connect our STEM learning to our community!
Early Release/Parent-Teacher Conference Time!
The week of October 19th will be parent-teacher conference week, with K-5 students being released from school at 12:15 PM on both Wednesday, October 21st, and Thursday, October 22nd. There will be no student checkouts after 11:45 AM. Please be thinking ahead about afternoon transportation and after school arrangements and childcare for your child on those two days.
This year, all of our conferences will be virtual unless your teacher invites you in individually. Click HERE to sign up for a conference.
Teachers will contact you with Zoom links closer to your conference date.
If you need help scheduling a conference, please reach out to your child's teacher or our parent liaison, Billy Gibson, at billy.gibson@gcpsk12.org or 678-226-7996.
Reflections Entries are due October 13, 2020 for interested students!
Visit our website for more information.... https://www.gcpsk12.org/domain/12886
AKS At Home
You are an important partner with your child’s teacher, whether your child is learning at home or at school. To help you support your child’s learning, GCPS is launching a new initiative called AKS at Home. With this project, families will learn ways to help their child practice skills they are learning in class as part of the district’s Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum.
Where: Virtual meeting via Zoom, links can be found here
Who: All Families of students in K - 5
Why: To learn an activity to help support your child at home in math and language arts.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can find the parent tip sheet and a recording of the meeting on the county website
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2020-2021 TEACHER OF THE YEAR- MRS. YVONDA THOMAS!
GCPS PARENT MENTORS
Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) Parent Mentors help provide parents of students who receive special education services in GCPS information, guidance, and resources to help support their children at home, school and in their communities.
GCPS’ parent mentors are parents of a child who receives or have received special education supports in GCPS. We work within the school district to teach and guide families in a variety of ways. We can provide support and information regarding special education services, transition planning, parent support groups, Social Security Income, Medicaid, other disability funding, agencies that support individuals with disabilities, community resources, and other information related to disabilities.
We also collaborate with school administrators and teachers, supporting educators in their efforts to help families and students plan for and achieve their educational and post-secondary goals.
Due to the pandemic, the monthly informational meetings and other in-person workshops we have provided for parents during past school years are not being offered the current school year. However, as opportunities arise during the school year that may benefit families, we will send out information through GCPS’s website and though the local schools.
In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns or need our support, we welcome you to email or call us.
Jackie McNair
jackie.mcnair@gcpsk12.org
(678) 301-7149
Dawn Albanese
dawn.albanese@gcpsk12.org
(678) 301-7212
BUILDING BABIES' BRAINS GWINNETT
Did you know that only 48% of children in our community start school prepared to learn? Early brain development is a key factor in making sure children in Gwinnett County are ready to thrive in kindergarten and beyond!
Children exposed to positive early learning experiences—like reading, singing, and talking with caregivers—are less likely to have academic and behavioral problems in school. They are more likely to be strong readers by 3rd grade and graduate from high school.
This early learning initiative is vital to our community's success, Building Babies' Brains Gwinnett offers a toolkit with resources and opportunities to help enhance brain development in children under the age of 5 here: buildingbabiesbrains.com.
COVID-19 MORNING CHECKLIST
Every morning before your student leaves for school, please check your student’s health. Ask these questions every day.
1. Does your student have a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher?
2. Does your student display any other symptoms or signs of illness?
- Congestion or Runny Nose
- Cough
- Shortness of Breath or Difficulty Breathing
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Muscle Pain and Fatigue
- Sore Throat
- Nausea or Vomiting
- Chills
- New Loss of Taste or Smell
3. Was your student in close contact— within 6 feet for 15 minutes, with or without mask— with someone with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 (lab or diagnosis) in the last two weeks, or someone getting a test or waiting for test results?
If you answer YES to any of these questions, DO NOT SEND YOUR STUDENT TO SCHOOL.
Instead, call the school to report your student’s illness or possible exposure. You will be advised to isolate your sick child from others and seek medical care and testing if appropriate. Self-quarantine will be advised for anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19 but has no symptoms.
Gwinnett County Public Schools • 437 Old Peachtree Road NW, Suwanee, GA 30024-2978 • 678-301-6000 • www.gcpsk12.org
Current 8/20/2020
Guide for Families: Returning to school after COVID-19 illness
When a person contracts COVID-19, symptoms may develop within two to 14 days from exposure, although some people never show symptoms. It is very important— for your student’s safety and for the safety of others— that you monitor his or her health for 14 days from the last possible exposure to COVID-19. Your ill student— whether symptoms are present or not— should remain at home (apart from others in the family, if possible), avoid group settings and public activities, and practice social distancing.
Students with a positive case of COVID-19 (lab-confirmed, diagnosed, or suspected), and those who have been exposed to the virus, may return to school under the following conditions:
If Your Student is a Close Contact
This timeline is for a student who has been in close contact with a person with a confirmed case of COVID-19. The CDC defines a close contact as someone who has been closer than 6 feet for 15 minutes, with or without a face covering.
Return to School Timeline
No Symptoms
Individual has stayed home and self-isolated for 14 days from the last day that he or she was with the confirmed case of COVID-19.
*Note: If this person is tested for COVID-19, a negative test would not change or decrease the 14-day quarantine period, but a positive test would move him or her into one of the Positive Case categories based on whether the individual continues to have no symptoms or has developed symptoms.
At Least One Symptom
- At least one day (24 hours) has passed since recovery, which is defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications
- Improvement in other symptoms (for example, cough, shortness of breath);AND
- At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
If Your Student is a Positive Case
This timelines applies to students who have a laboratory-confirmed, diagnosed, or suspected case of COVID-19. Remember that this guidance is based on the date symptoms started or, if no symptoms, the date the test was administered, not the date the result was received.
Return to School Timeline
No Symptoms
- At least 10 days have passed since the positive laboratory test and the person remains asymptomatic.
- Asymptomatic individuals who test positive and later develop symptoms should follow the guidance for symptomatic persons to the right.
Symptoms
- At least one day (24 hours) has passed since recovery, which is defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications
- Improvement in other symptoms (for example, cough, shortness of breath);AND
- At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.