The Triton Tribune Parent Edition
Be Kind ~ Be Awesome ~ Make The Right Choices
Volume 3 ~ Issue 3 ~ August 2, 2021
Wonderful Triton Parent/Guardians and Students,
“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Week Two was quite unexpected with our first positive cases reported to us. While it may have caused you a temporary panic as I know it did for me, I hope you know with certainty that we are doing our very best to carry out protocols that ensure everyone's safety while on campus. Unfortunately, reported cases are now part of our new normal. Everyone MUST do their part to ensure the safety of all students who enter your classrooms as well as outside during non-instructional time and outside of the school day. For clarification, I created a Covid-19 Positive Notification Protocol so that you understand how schools have been instructed to notify the community.
This brings up the debate to be vaccinated or not. Know that at this time, SUHSD is NOT requiring staff members to vaccinate as there is an option to be tested regularly. Moreover, since there is no law requiring students to get vaccinated, we need to understand that families have rights to make the choices that is in the best interest of their families. In essence, getting vaccinated is a personal choice. We do not know why individuals are making decisions that might be contrary to mine or yours, so this is an opportunity to exercise our Triton Trait of Kindness. As stated in the quote above, "Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness." Now is the time to choose to be kind about individuals who may have chosen something entirely different that you. The only regulation I can enforce is that you and I do not get to ask each other or students of our choice in this matter UNLESS you fit the criteria in a reported case. Let us be kind and honor each other's choices.
As we finish our 10-day SEL focus, I hope you had an opportunity to talk with your children about Triton Traits and the role of Student Voice and Choice in School Expectations. A shout out to PE-8 team for giving students voice and choice a place in their student expectations. It was great to observe. On Monday/Tuesdays, teachers will introduce restorative circles with each subject area having a different focus.
Tuesday, August 3rd is the contractual deadline for balancing classes. We made some major changes on Friday in order to meet this date. Please check your children's schedules as they may have had a change in classes, which could mean a different teacher. A reminder that Infinite Campus Portal is the OFFICIAL information system for the district. This means Jupiter Grades is an ancillary system for you to regularly check your children's grades and schedule. When checking schedules, use Campus Portal.
This Thursday, we will be hosting this year's Open House. Please read the section on Open House below. In addition, to "visiting" your children's classrooms, we will be voting for this year's members of the School Site Council. If you are interested in being on the ballot, please email Ms. Quinn at courtney.quinn@sweetwaterschools.org.
Our ELM Parent Teacher Student Organization is looking for members. If you are interested in being a part of our PTSO, please reach out to Gigi Prieto at gigiprieto07@gmail.com or Cynthia Castillo-Barrios at mygirls.2004@yahoo.com.
Finally, please read the newsletter in its entirety as there are many pertinent information regarding school for the next two weeks.
Let's have an amazing first week!
Mrs. Finley
I hope that you will be able to join us on Thursday, August 5, 2021 for our Virtual Open House. Due to an increase in COVID positive cases, the district has decided to limit in-person activities OUTSIDE of the school day; this includes open house, which was planned as in-person event. It was decided that all open houses will be 100% virtual.
Below is the tentative agenda, which will contain all the links to either a TEAMS or Google MEET Meeting Room. The classroom visits will follow the 10-minute rotation. Most teachers will be hosting live meetings. There are a few teachers who have informed us they are not available due to various reasons. They will have prepared a video for you to watch instead. The final agenda will be released on Thursday at 12:00pm and will be available on our website, ELM app and all ELM social media.
New this year are the pre-classroom visits with me, counselors and assistant principals. I hope to see you in my session and that you will attend your counselor's and assistant principal's sessions.
See you on Thursday.
Schedule Change Request Criteria
Student class schedules are not changed except to correct placement, scheduling errors or change of elective. Final day for schedule changes will take place on the 10th day of school.
Reasons For Change
- Enrolled in the wrong grade level i.e. an 8th grade student enrolled in a 7th grade class.
- Missing a class period or two classes are in the same period.
- Placement level change i.e. a student changes from Math 7 to Compacted Math 7.
- Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that necessitates a change.
- Elective changes- these changes are based on space availability and impact on the student’s schedule.
What we cannot accommodate are requests for specific teachers or periods. All teachers are fully qualified to teach in their assigned subject area. If you have any concerns that arise during the school year, please contact your counselor.
Click on this link to request a class schedule change.
Nurse Flood has updated many immunizations in the first three days. We only have 171 students who are still non-compliant. You may already have received an email from her. The following deadline must be met otherwise we will have to drop students who are non-compliant:
- August 3, 2021 - All immunizations except Tdap
- August 6, 2021 - Tdap
- Bring your complete records to school Monday - Friday before the deadline.
- Submit a PDF copy of the entire records to elm.immunizations@sweetwaterschools.org.
If you still need to get your immunizations, below are links to documents that will help you with getting your immunizations up-to-date.
Required Immunization List [link]
San Diego Clinics Giving Vaccines [link]
South Bay Pharmacies Giving Vaccines [link]
If you want your immunizations easily accessible, click on this link for more information.
We are seeing the COVID-19 virus still actively impacting our community. We understand that vaccination, mask wearing and testing are our main protections to stop the spread and ensure schools return to normal.
We will continue to offer Rapid Antigen COVID testing, in partnership with San Diego State University (SDSU) and Communities Fighting COVID, at various campuses throughout the week.
This week's site testing schedule is:
- Monday: Granger Junior High School
- Tuesday: Eastlake High School
- Wednesday: Chula Vista Middle School (Cancelled)
- Thursday: Southwest High School
- All sites will operate from 9:30am-12:30pm with a pause for lunch and reopen from 1:00pm-4:15pm.
Click on this link to register for testing. Or you can scan the image in the flyer below.
For the month of August, the testing calendar will be posted on the district’s COVID website here: http://www.sweetwaterschools.org/covid-19-information/#rapidcovidtesting
We are so excited for the new school year and ask for your continued help in keeping all students and staff safe by wearing your mask, washing your hands, getting vaccinated and getting tested.
We are in need of many parents to participate. Click on the link below if you are interested in being a part of School Site Council (SSC), and District Parent Advisory Committee (DPAC). Click on the link below to indication your interest.
Thank you for your patience as we make slight adjustments so that we can feed everyone who wants to access the free meals for this school year. At ELM, we serve two meals: breakfast and lunch. ELM does not have after school program so we do not serve supper.
Breakfast will be served during two time slots:
- Before school: 7:30am - 8:05am (35 minutes)
- Nutrition break Monday - Thursday: 10:09 - 10:19 (10 mins)
Lunch will be served during two time slots:
- 7th Grade: 12:17pm - 12:47pm
- 8th Grade: 12:52pm - 12:22pm
Due to the split lunch, we anticipate that we will be able to serve everyone who want to access the meals during lunch from Mondays - Thursdays.
For Friday, we will continue to release groups of students in 5-minute increments during the last 10 minutes of class.
- Schedule A typically occurs Mondays and Wednesday where students go to Periods 1, 2 & 3, which starts at 8:15am and ends at 3:15pm.
- Schedule B typically occurs on Tuesdays and Thursdays where students go to Periods 4, 5 & 6, which starts at 8:15am and ends at 3:15pm.
- Schedule F typically occurs on Fridays and are minimum days, which starts at 8:15 and and ends at 12:51pm.
The other schedules, C - H, are used on occasions. We have created a rotation calendar that shows you when these bell schedules occur. Please look at the two images below so that you are aware of bell schedule changes throughout the year.
Eastlake Middle School
Email: easter.finley@sweetwaterschools.org
Website: elm.sweetwaterschools.org
Location: 900 Duncan Ranch Road, Chula Vista, CA, USA
Phone: 619.591.4000
Twitter: @erfinleysd