#SaintNation
Sandalwood High School e-Newsletter
Greetings Saint Nation
This week has finally ended with a significant increase in our positive COVID numbers. Please make sure you are receiving my weekly (Sunday) COVID updates via telephone. You can also review the DCPS COVID tracker and you can also track our numbers. Sunday’s message will reflect the increase, but please know we are continuing to work hard to keep students safe.
We actually had a school nurse on campus the entire week due to our increased numbers to assist with contact tracing.
Please continue to notify us as soon as possible if your child tests positive for COVID. This information is forwarded through our chain of command the same day to begin the contact tracing process. We will then process your child for an excused absence through our attendance office and allow teachers to post work on Microsoft Teams to keep students fully engaged pending their absence.
Our faculty & staff receive daily COVID updates and reminders so they can have their classrooms prepared for our sanitation protocol in the evening by our custodial staff. We also have employees in the hallway each class change enforcing mandatory masks at all times. Temperature checks are taking place with fidelity each morning as we remind students during daily announcements to wash their hands often. Additional safety messages are currently being added to our student announcement Microsoft Teams page called – Saint Nation.
This week we allowed multiple classes to start lunch early to reduce the number of students in the lunch line. More and more students are bringing their own lunch to school, so we installed microwaves in the Cafeteria for them. We also stagger dismissal as well, to reduce students in the hallway at the end of the school day. We will continue to look for opportunities to reduce crowds as much as possible. We met with our athletic coaches to reaffirm our Athletic COVID Plan with efforts to reduce the number of lost athletic contests in the future. We believe a sustained commitment to the protocols I outlined will help a great deal in the effort to reduce our positive cases.
Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions.
Duval Homeroom Parents
The Florida Department of Education is requiring all students in grades 6-12 to take their Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) and End of Course (EOC) exams at a school location. There will be no online options or alternative locations available.
In order to meet high school graduation requirements, 10th graders must score a Level 3 or higher on Grade 10 ELA FSA and earn a passing score on the Algebra I EOC.
In addition, the Algebra 1, Geometry, Biology and US History End of Course exams are all state assessments that count as 30% of each student’s final course grade.
With these factors in mind, we would like to use the Progress Monitoring Assessment (PMA) #3 as a practice session for FSA.
Sandalwood is prepared to ensure that all COVID safety precautions are used during the assessment time. These precautions will include temperature checks at the front door, masks required for all students and staff, a well-ventilated room away from other students who normally attend school in person, and social distancing adhered to within the testing classroom.
We strongly encourage you to allow your child to take their PMA assessment at school as a practice for FSA and EOC exams. This will assist both our students and teachers in becoming familiarized with testing in the classroom setting and get used to the timed sessions prior to these important assessments. A schedule for testing is attached to this letter.
Please indicate your participation below and return to Sandalwood. If you prefer an online survey is available for your convenience at: https://bit.ly/3ou6d6K
Please select one option by February 5th, 2021.
Feel free to ask questions
Mon, Feb 1, 2021 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM (EST)
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/204682909
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (669) 224-3412
Access Code: 204-682-909
Survey Season
It is now Survey time. Please let us know how we are doing.
https://survey.5-essentials.org/florida
Community Feedback on Acceleration Program at Sandalwood
Progress Reports
Progress Reports are scheduled to be distributed on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.
Progress Period 3 ends on Friday, February 5, 2021Saint Contact Information
Email: hatchers@duvalschools.org
Website: www.dcps.duvalschools.org/sandalwood
Location: 2750 John Prom Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL, USA
Phone: 904-646-5100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandalwoodhs/
Twitter: @SandalwoodHSJax