Conway Catch-Up
Week of May 26th
Goooooood Morning #OneFamily!
We hope you had a great weekend and were able to find time to relax, rejuvenate, and recenter. We also hope you found time to remember those who serve, have served, and those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms. We bow down to all of our military families and thank you greatly for all that you sacrifice for all of our Nation. We are grateful!
Well, we made it....ish! It is hard to celebrate when we are not together. We are doing our best to honor our kiddos' year and to provide closure for the 2019-2020 school year. We hope to see you at the Drive Throughs scheduled for your kiddos' grade level. If you did not make it to yours, it is 100% fine to come through another grade level to at least allow your kiddo to see the school and say goodbye to Michele and I. In addition, each grade level has a recorded video to celebrate our kiddos and to say good bye. They are below and also can be found @conwayelemsch on Twitter.
The last learning board can be found below and will be sent out via your child's teacher later this morning. I have a longer explanation about learning boards and this final one below.
While I would love to give you closure and not make you have to read more JR Raybold newsletters, I cannot do that for you this year :). I am sorry. You will hear from me regularly (most likely every two weeks) via these newsletters. In addition, I will be doing a live broadcast via my Youtube channel every Monday morning at 9:00 AM. I will do some fun things for kids but will also give parents an update on the current Covid situation and any news we may have from the Governor and Dr. Kizner. Sorry. You are stuck with me this summer!
Please remember, Michele and I are available via phone and email all summer long and hopefully soon, via a stop in at Conway (when we reopen to the public). Please reach out if you need anything at all! We will do our best to help in anyway we can. This also includes mental health support. Please know, we are here for you all summer!
Thanks for an incredible year. It has been an honor to be a part of bringing our #onefamily together. I look forward to the times we will be back together under the same roof again, high fiving, hugging, and fist bumping! Until then, stay safe and healthy. Please tell our kiddos we miss them greatly.
Much love for you all!
JR :)
Important Things to Know:
- My Phone Number: If you need anything at all, please call me at 571-385-3566.
- Class Placement Input: If you would like to provide input for next year's class placements, please click on this link: https://forms.gle/WvHKawrB1fTkHJW38 .
Up-Coming Events
June 2nd: Student Materials Pick-Up Day. Many more details to come about the times and procedures for this. We wanted you to know that this event is coming and we are working to get the materials to you. We were unable to get teachers into the building until last week and this week to get all of the kiddos' belongings all bagged up due to construction. That work has been completed so we are able to get in and take care of business now :)
Spirit Week: Last week of school.
May 25: USA Day
May 26: Crazy Hair Day
May 27: PJ Day
May 28: Conway Team color day (from our celebrations) or Favorite Team Jersey Day
May 30: Crazy Conway Spirit Day! GOOOOO Crazy. Paint your faces, wear our colors or gear. Show everyone your love of Conway!
Drive Through Celebrations: They continue this week. Click HERE for details, map, directions, and times.
- 5th Grade - 5/28 at 5:00 PM
- 4th Grade - 5/26 at 5:00 PM
- 3rd Grade - 5/27 at 4:00 PM
- Kindergarten - 5/27 at 5:00 PM
Conway Community Cares Race Series: Last 5k this Saturday at 7:45 AM with Delegate Cole, Tim White, and Mrs. Johnson singing the National Anthem. Join us @JRRaybold on Youtube to participate live or later in the day to thank all Essential Employees, Military, and Non-profits.
LAST WEEK OF LEARNING BOARDS
We set out two months ago to create an experience for kiddos and families that was consistent, predictable, on the same platform, looked very similar across K-5, remained within the expectations of Dr. Kizner and Governor Northam with no new learning, while keeping it engaging for kids. It was a huge collaborative effort among all educators at Conway. And after hundreds of virtual meetings, emails, texts, and phone calls, we put forth some incredible opportunities for kiddos. I am so very proud of the collaborative efforts of our staff and just as proud of all of those parents who became teachers instantly over the last two months. Your work and efforts helped all Conway children continue to learn and grow, despite not being in a schoolhouse.
These times will undoubtedly be remembered for years to come and quite possibly read about in history books. We hope these learning boards helped forge new learning experiences in your home and also got you primed and ready for many future learning experiences together. To help capture some of the learning, the memories of these times, and to help catapult kiddos into the summer, we have created a remarkable last week of learning experiences for you and for our kiddos.
CLICK HERE for the last week of school's learning boards. We hope you enjoy!
Great Information to Know:
Video From Dixon Smith to Welcome Fifth Graders. Click HERE
Summer Learning Continues:
Reading
Read what you want all summer long while earning virtual badges and become eligible for raffles!
Take the summer reading challenge!
LEXIA - Everyone still has access to Lexia through the summer
Math
Parent resources, games, and grade level specific resources.
Games, puzzles and other resources for problem solving.
Math games that are unique to your students learning needs.
How to Get Lunch Account Refunded or Used for next year: Information below and also can be found on an attachment on the email I sent this newsletter in.
- REFUND REQUESTS: Parents/Guardians may request a refund of unused meal account funds. To request a refund, simply complete the Refund Request form found on the School Nutrition webpage on the SCPS website at staffordschools.net. If you need assistance, feel free to email Joe Korzen, the School Nutrition Automations Specialist at korzenjw@staffordschools.net.
- TRANSFERRING UNUSED FUNDS BETWEEN STUDENT ACCOUNTS: If a graduating senior has leftover money, School Nutrition will automatically transfer the unused funds into their returning sibling’s account before the start of the next academic year. At any time, parents/guardians may request a transfer of funds between their children’s meal accounts. The Fund Transfer Request form is available on the School Nutrition webpage.
- NEGATIVE MEAL DEBT REPAYMENT: Payment for negative student meal debt may be repaid by credit card at MYSCHOOLBUCKS.COM or by mailing a check to School Nutrition at the following address: Stafford County Public Schools Nutrition Services 25 Wyatt Lane Fredericksburg, VA 22406 Please include your student’s first and last name and the school’s name on the check. NEGATIVE MEAL DEBT DONATIONS: Unused meal account funds may be donated to help students with unpaid meal debt. All funds donated will be applied directly to offset meal debt for students with the greatest need.
- To donate, simply complete the Donation Request form on our webpage or submit an email to Joe Korzen, the School Nutrition Automations Specialist at korzenjw@staffordschools.net.
Oh The Places You Will Go!
HELP that families may need at this time:
Updated May 26 (I will update each week).
Pandemic EBT - Food Assistance to those who have students who qualify for free or reduced lunch will be provided via an EBT food card. It will be sent to you in the mail from the State. You do not have to apply. It will automatically come in the mail. Flyer is attached to this email for further information.
SCPS Hot Line for Help in Pashto, Dari, and Spanish: Click here
The FredFood App has launched a Hunger Hotline for home-bound individuals without access to transportation to call and schedule a delivery of food (540) 310-975
CLICK HERE TO FIND ANY RESOURCES IN OUR AREA: https://www.auntbertha.com/
Phone lines - Family Resource Access line. Please call (571) 492-9270 to access any support in the following languages.
Spanish
Dari/Farsi
Arabic
Pashto
French
Social Emotional Support for families and kiddos: Click here for a new resource.
New Resources: For several languages to include Dari, English, Spanish, and Arabic. https://corenav.org/en/resources-about-covid-19/
For Refugees: https://coresourceexchange.org/
Need Help? We know these unprecedented times are going to create hardships that none of could have predicted nor could fathom. Conway and SCPS is at the ready to support you during these times. For an immediate list of resources, click
https://findhelp.org/. Please share this with anyone you can.- Micah Ministries: Micah offers many different resources for families - housing, furniture, and food. They offer breakfast and dinner every day of the week at a different church downtown Fredericksburg as well as offer food pantries all around downtown. Click here for a schedule for these resources.
Fredericksburg Food Bank: They are offering food pick ups on Thursdays for any person in need of food from 11:00 - 3:00.
Food Pick-Up: With school being out and times being very very difficult for many families, SCPS is providing food to families beginning today. They will have grab and go stations for breakfast and lunch at the following schools from 11:00 - 1:00 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Kate Waller Barrett Elementary located at 150 Duffey Drive in Stafford;
Falmouth Elementary located at 1000 Forbes Street in Falmouth;
Rocky Run Elementary located at 95 Reservoir Road in Fredericksburg; and
North Star Early Childhood Education Center located at 101 Shepherds Way
These locations are determined by the State of VA, which is why Conway is not one of them. (I wanted to be).
Grab and Go Neighborhood drop off sites are also listed on the division website at https://www.staffordschools.net/Page/29205.
- Free Internet: A few companies are offering free internet to families that are in need. You can find these resources at these two links below. Please share this with anyone that you feel may need this.
- Resources Hub for Coronavirus: Click Here for a HUB that a principal friend of mine found that has all kinds of resources for parents and teachers to access to include how to talk to kids about this, tutorials, CDC information, and much more.
- The VDOE has created a COVID-19 Parent Guide for School Aged Children and developed a comprehensive COVID-19 Resource List for parents, families and caregivers.
- Resources from Va Dept. of Education for Parents:
The Conway Elementary
Email: rayboldws@staffordschools.net
Website: https://www.staffordschools.net/ces
Location: 105 Primmer House Road, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
Phone: 5403611455
Facebook: facebook.com/Conwayelemsch
Twitter: @conwayelemsch