Whitney's Jungle Journal
Mr. Stacho's Newsletter - September 25, 2020
Wild About Whitney!
I went APE to see all the kids on the first day!
As I serve as your "safari guide" at Whitney, I honestly can not put into words how wonderful it was to see our students this week. We are so grateful to you for entrusting your children to us and helping us with all the new things we must do to make school safe and successful for our students. We really are a team and it takes us all working together to achieve great things. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Mr. Stacho
Beginning on September 28th, K-5 students will attend school everyday, Monday-Friday, as normal.
Arrival/Dismissal
Students will go in and out of designated doors at each building and go straight to class. Students will not be permitted in the building prior to 8:50 and should not be dropped off prior to that time. Click > WES to see the assigned grade level doors. 5th graders will enter/exit Door G at the back of the building; 4th graders will enter/exit Door E off of the playground; 3rd graders will enter/exit Door C off of the playground near the Music Room; 2nd Graders will enter/exit Door I at the side of the building near the 2nd grade classrooms; 1st Graders and 1/2 Day Kdg will enter/exit the main entrance - Door A; and Full Day Kdg will enter/exit Door J directly into the Kdg rooms.
As we have done in the past, we will assume your child is riding their assigned school bus home in the afternoon UNLESS we get a note to the teacher AND a phone call to the office telling us that they will be a car pick-up. Please be sure to call the office PRIOR TO 3:00 p.m.
If your child is going to be an EVERYDAY PICK-UP, one note to the teacher and phone call to the office will suffice for the year.
*PLEASE review with your children that regardless of how they are arriving or leaving that they are to remain in their mask, they are to WALK, and they are to maintain social distance of 6 feet as they move to or from the school building. We will have staff directing children to the various doors the first few weeks of school, but after that, students will be expected to go to/from the doors independently.
Chromebooks:
K-2 students will need to return their chromebooks to the classroom on Monday, September 28th.
3-5 students will need to bring their chromebooks to school on Monday, September 21st or Tuesday, September 22nd (Green or White day) but will be taking the chromebooks back and forth, to and from school, each day so they can utilize the technology as needed.
Classroom Celebrations
There will be no birthday or holiday parties. Food or other items (pencils, stickers, valentines, etc.) will not be shared or passed out at school. Staff will acknowledge birthdays in their classroom.
Hallways
Hallways will be two directional with students instructed to be on the right side (based on which direction they are going) of the hallway. The hallways will only occupy one classroom at a time during transitions.
Lockers/ Coat Rooms
If a school has lockers and/or coatrooms, they will be used for coats and boots. Book bags and lunches in all elementary buildings will be kept at student desks.
Medications:
In order to drop off medication to the school clinic you will need to contact the Clinic Nurse to arrange this. Please call (440) 268-5909 to arrange for medication drop off.
Playgrounds/Recess
There will be a designated lunch and recess time for each grade level. Each school will design a plan in order to maintain student safety. Students will be wearing masks during this time. Indoor recess will be in the classrooms. PLEASE donate any coloring books, and school/grade level appropriate crossword puzzle books, word finds, Sudoku books, etc. to you child's classroom so that students will have these to use during indoor recess.
Social Distancing
Student desks in classrooms will be socially distanced at a minimum of 5 feet from person to person.
Specials Classes
Encore (Art, Music and PE) classes will have two sets of shared materials in the classroom. This will give teachers the ability to sanitize materials between classes. Encore classes will be rotating on a two week Red, White and Blue schedule.
Please read below for important information regarding changes to our lunch program!
Elementary School Meal Pre-Ordering: Student meals will once again be served in Strongsville and we’re excited to see you back in school!
Breakfast & Lunch meals are now required to be pre-ordered the day before no later than 10PM.
Meals that are not pre-ordered will be pre-selected by the cafeteria manager (Meaning a cold fun lunch will be provided if the lunch is not pre-ordered). You will be able to order meals in advance for up to five business days ahead of time if you wish.
EXAMPLE: For the first day back to school which is Monday September 21st, you will have to have your meal selection pre-ordered by Sunday the 20th no later than 10PM. You will have to select from either the main entree or the alternate entree, all sides will be offered with pre-orders.
Please click this link for step by step instructions on using the lunch ordering app.
School Menus available anywhere, anytime. Strongsville City Schools, in partnership with Chartwells K12, uses NutriSlice to publish school menus to an interactive website and free smartphone app.
Easy-to-use-features include:
- Daily menu items, with a photo and description
- Nutritional information
- Filters for common food allergens like nuts, wheat and dairy
- Available in 50+ languages
Get started today!
- Download or open the app.
- Find your district.
- Select your preferred location and favorite it.
- View daily menu items.
Please remember to pre-register for breakfast & lunch HERE.
Please view attached NutriSlice walkthrough attachments to learn how to get started. Please reach out to Michael Nowosielski at Mnowosielski@scsmustangs.org with any questions or concerns.
We are asking that each student have 2 spare face masks in a Zip-Loc bag kept at school in case a mask is lost or becomes soiled during the day. Students will be given "mask breaks" throughout the day when they can safely take their masks off for a few minutes at a time.
Mr. Schibley's Newsletter
As we continue to experience learning through Remote Learning 2.0 your feedback is very important. Please take a few moments to answer these questions regarding your successes and challenges as they relate to Remote Learning 2.0. The feedback provided will be kept confidential, but will be used to best support you and your child during remote learning, hybrid learning, and in person learning. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (440) 268-5971. Thank you.
Respectfully,
Mr. Eric Schibley
Important Updates You MUST Make! (Repeat Item)
The following is information from district offices regarding updating your online account. It is vital that you update ALL information in this site, including up to date phone numbers for emergency contact and the form regarding photos. Please be advised that if you say "no photos," this means your child will not be included in class photos or the yearbook. We'd love for all of our students to be included in school photos, so please compete this form carefully.
Online "Information Update" for the 20-21 school year is now available! This task must be completed by September 18, 2020. The Information Update form must be completed prior to your child receiving report cards, transcripts, parking permits, participation in any extra-curricular activities, school dances and field trips, as well as participation in commencement activities. This process replaces the paper forms sent home at the beginning of each school year. You will use the NEW PowerSchool UNIFIED CLASSROOM (formerly referred to as (PASS) Parent Portal) to access the 2020-2021 information update form. Even though the forms are "pre-filled" please check all information and you have to submit for each form and you must do it for each child that you have in the system even if all the information remains the same.
How do I get started?
Visit the Strongsville City Schools Website and click on the Powerschool Unified Classroom icon in the upper right corner and log into your UNIFIED CLASSROOM Parent Portal account.
- Select the student you wish to register along the top
- Click on the "Quick Links" icon in the left hand menu and select "Main Portal Page."
- Choose the Link "2020-2021 Information Update" on the Navigation bar on the left hand side.
- Enter the birthdate for the selected student
- Complete the form and submit.
I can’t remember my login for the PowerSchool Unified Classroom Parent Portal.
If you aren’t able to retrieve your login credentials using the “Forgot Username or Password” link on the Powerschool Unified Classroom Sign In page, please contact your school directly for assistance logging in to the Unified Classroom Parent Portal.
I don't have a Unified Classroom PowerSchool Parent Portal (PASS) account.
Contact your school directly for instructions on setting up your account, and your credentials.
Do I have to answer all the questions?
Questions marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.
What if I make a mistake?
If you would like to make a change prior to submitting the form, you can either navigate back to the page using the “< Prev” and “Next >” buttons or if you are on the Review page click on the underlined field. If you have already submitted the form you will need to contact your student’s school so they can make the changes for you.
I’ve completed the form, now what?
Once you have finished entering your information click “Submit.” This will send all of the information you’ve entered to the school. If you cannot click on this button you will need to make sure that you have answered all required questions. Make sure you click "save and signout" before exiting to insure information is kept.
What if I have more than one student in the district? Do I need to do this for each child?
Yes you will need to provide information that is specific to each child. We recommend that you complete and submit one form and then start another. This will allow you to “snap” (or share) selected family information, which saves you time.
Help! I’m on the Information Update form and I’m having technical difficulties.
For technical support, visit our PowerSchool Community help center or click “Help” from any form page.
Please join our PTA! (Repeat Item)
Here is the live link that you can click on that is mentioned in the flyer below: