Addams Family Newsletter
September 3, 2021
Principal's Message
Addams Families,
The first day of school will be Tuesday, September 7th! We're so excited to start the new school year! Our teachers and staff have been working hard to prepare for our students to return to in-person instruction! Also, the summer renovations at Addams are almost complete and the building will look great when the students return!
STUDENT DROP OFF AND PICK UP
Students should not arrive at school before 8:15 a.m. because there is no direct supervision provided on the playground areas. When students arrive, they need to line-up with their classmates at their designated entrance. For safety reasons, students should go directly home after school or be supervised by a parent or guardian on the playground.
Also, during the 2021-2022 school year, we will continue to maintain the practice of not allowing parents into the building at the start or the end of the day. Thank you in advance for letting your child walk into the school independently and for waiting patiently outside at the end of the day as students are dismissed and leaving the building.
However, if you're coming in to volunteer or drop something off at the office, please use the parent lobby entrance to the main office to sign in and take our health screener survey.
Sincerely,
Dr. Youanes
SUMMER WORK AT ADDAMS
REGISTRATION FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR
If you have not completed the registration process yet, please click on the link for directions for registering your child using Parent Portal. If you do not remember your PIN and/or Password, you can contact Mrs. Say, our secretary, and she can provide this information to you.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE START OF SCHOOL
September 7: First Day for students 8:20 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tardy bell and classes begin at 8:25
September 13: PTA Meeting @7:00
September 21: Virtual Curriculum Night
Dk-2- 6:30-7:15
3-5- 7:30-8:15
September 30: Picture day!
Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast
“Grab and go” breakfast will be available to all students for free at the end of the school day for the next school day. Sign up for Grab and Go Breakfast will be sent out next week by the classroom teacher.
Lunch
Students will be assigned a lunch table in the cafeteria and will sit with their classroom cohort. “Grab and go” lunch will be available to all students for free. Students will need to order for the next day. Menus will be coming home the first day of school. Students may also bring a lunch from home if this is preferred. Lunch boxes may be used to carry lunch to and from the cafeteria. *It is my understanding that a more "traditional hot lunch" will be coming soon.
If for some reason your child forgets their lunch and you need to bring one from home, please clearly label the lunch with your child’s name and grade. Lunches should be dropped off in the parent lobby Lunch monitors will deliver the lunch to your child.
OCHD REQUIREMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS
In case you did not receive this communication from our Superintendent, I have included parts that are pertinent to Addams Elementary so that you are aware of the health recommendations for the start of the school year:
Royal Oak Schools is moving forward with face to face instruction for all students, DK-12. Following the recommendations from the OCHD will allow us to maintain our in-person instruction.
We will be requiring universal mask wearing when indoor at all of our school buildings by students, staff and visitors regardless of vaccination status. Masks will be provided to those who need them. Staff and students are encouraged to bring their own clean mask to school daily.
We will also follow additional OCHD mitigation strategies:
Stay home when sick and monitor children for signs of illness every day. Use the attendance system for reporting absences and indicate if it is a COVID related illness or possible COVID related absence.
COVID symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus.
Common symptoms are: Chills/Fever (100.4 degrees or higher); Muscle or body aches; Congestion or runny nose; New loss of taste or smell; Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing; Cough; Sore throat; Fatigue; Diarrhea (2x in 24 hours) Nausea/vomiting (2x in 24 hours).
Symptoms of other common illnesses such as flu, colds, sore throats/infections, etc. should be monitored, and students should remain home.
Maintain physical distancing to the extent possible including at meals. Cohorts will be used when possible. Administrators will share their lunch plans per school.
Use proper handwashing/hygiene using soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds. Hand sanitizer can be used if soap and water are not readily available.
Clean and disinfect hard surfaces. Our custodial and maintenance staff will continue to be diligent in their efforts to keep our schools as clean as possible.
Increase airflow. Royal Oak has installed the maximum filtration possible in our HVAC systems, and is actively installing UVC (ultraviolet light) in our HVAC systems to sterilize the air in our classrooms and large group instructional areas. Read more about the UVC systems by clicking here.
Share information regarding the vaccine for eligible students, staff and community members. Click here to view Oakland County Health Division information about COVID-19 and other vaccinations available.
- Per the OCHD, “Reporting positive cases and identifying close contacts in school is important to quickly identify those who should isolate and quarantine due to a COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure to COVID-19.” Royal Oak Schools will:
Maintain isolation rooms within schools should students become ill during the school day until children are able to be picked up.
Report positive cases and close contact to the OCHD, ideally within 24-hours.
Notify close contacts of the exposure.
Follow the new guidelines per the CDC regarding quarantining:
Required to quarantine:
Close contacts exposed at less than 3-feet of space must quarantine.
If 3-6 feet of space has been maintained, and one or both were unmasked, then quarantine is also required.
Exclusions from quarantine:
If 3-6 feet of space has been maintained, and both were properly masked, the parties do not have to quarantine.
People who have tested positive for COVID-19* do not need to quarantine or get tested again for up to 3 months if they remain symptom-free. Those who develop symptoms again within 3 months of their first COVID-19 positive test may need to be tested again if no other cause is identified for their symptoms.
Vaccinated persons* are not required to quarantine if they are more than 14 days since receiving the last dose in the series or have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure.
*If exposed parties have tested positive in the past or are vaccinated, proof of that status is required to avoid quarantine. If you do not wish to share that documentation, a quarantine period will be enforced.
Quarantining period:
We will follow the 10-day reduced quarantine strategy.
Stay home for 10 days after exposure while wearing a mask and physically distance yourself from others.
Those who quarantine for 10 days must cooperate with the contact tracing efforts while monitoring for symptoms for two weeks after exposure.
If symptoms occur, immediately isolate and get a COVID-19 test.
UVC Technology In Classrooms
MASK POLICY
Masks will be required to be worn by all staff, students, and visitors while inside the school building. This is a recommendation that has been made by the Oakland County Health Division. By having all people wear masks and keeping at least a 3-feet distance from one another, this will help to prevent having whole classes having to quarantine.
Quarantine Guideline:
In a K-12 indoor classroom setting where all students are wearing masks and additional prevention strategies are in place, students who are 3-feet or greater from a student who tested positive will be exempt from quarantine.
CALENDAR FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR
STUDENT SUPPLY LIST
HOMEWORK CLUB
STUDENT ENTRY & EXIT FROM THE BUILDING
Door 1 (Orange): Young (K), Szelinski (K), Bontumasi (DK), Hagopian (3rd), Todd (3rd)
Door 3 (Green) : Smith (3rd), Dionne (5th), Kaan (5th), Ouellette (5th)
Door 4 (Black) : Sloan (4th) Linderman (4th), Carlson (4th)
Door 15 (Purple): Haxhiaj (K), Masterson (K), Johnson (1st), Tcholakian (1st)
Door 16 (Blue) : Berger (2nd), Nellis (1st), McAlpine(formerly Cardelli) (2nd), Stafford (2nd)
CHROMEBOOK RETURNS
BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK
In light of the tough economic times facing our area, we are attempting to help Royal Oak Schools families by making sure that all of our children have enough food. “Blessings in a Backpack” is a program designed to provide students on the free and reduced lunch program with enough food for three meals a day during the weekends. This program, sponsored by Community Foundation of Greater Rochester and the Meijer Corporation, is active in Royal Oak Schools. If you agree to take part in this program during the school year, your child will receive a bag every Friday filled with food for the weekend. While we are remote, the food will be delivered to your home by volunteers. The simple meals may include food like macaroni and cheese, beef ravioli, canned fruit, granola bars, peanut butter, soups, juice and other items.
LUNCH BUDDY PROGRAM
Welcome New Staff Members!
Kindergarten: Mrs. Pam Haxhiaj
1st Grade: Mrs. Jessica Johnson
4th Grade: Ms. Ali Linderman
Physical Education: Ms. Katrina Ellis
Music: Mr. Scott Watson
We are in the process of hiring a Spanish teacher, so once this person is hired, I will let you know.
Please help to make our new staff members feel welcome!
Joe Youanes
Email: youanesj@royaloakschools.org
Website: http://www.royaloakschools.org/profiles/Joseph_Youanes_Profile/
Location: 2222 West Webster Road, Royal Oak, MI, United States
Phone: 248-288-3100
Twitter: @jyouanes_ADDAMS