EMS Newsletter
March 18, 2020
Dear EMS Families,
During this unprecedented time I want to send my care to each of you. Over the last week I have received emails, calls and texts from many of you connecting and checking in. On Monday and Tuesday teachers' highlights were the many emails they were receiving from their students as well. I am grateful to be in a community where the focus is on this connection and support.
Let’s continue to “pass it on” and find creative ways of caring for each other during this time.
Write "snail mail" letters to family and friends.
Make facetime dates.
Get silly with each other and laugh by playing charades or pictionary.
Take a walk outside and write an inspiring message on the sidewalk with chalk.
As we begin to charter this new reality of having our children home from school and the uncertainty of what is ahead, let’s focus first on self care. Here are suggestions to help spark fun and a 30 day fitness challenge to keep us active.
Below are some additional resources and articles for how to support our children during this time:
- CDC: Caring for Children in a Disaster
National Geographic: Talking to kids about Coronavirus
Remote Learning Plan:
The first phase of remote learning in the Burlington School District is posted on the BSD site under EMS resources.
The second phase of remote learning is scheduled to start March 30th, when individual teachers will begin rolling out their own curriculum virtually.
In the meantime, teachers are prioritizing connections with their students. If your children haven’t yet heard from their teachers, they should soon.
Finally, I want to encourage you all to continue social distancing as suggested at this time by the CDC and the Surgeon General, knowing that guidelines are changing hour to hour as we learn more.
While the EMS building will be closed as of today, March 18th, at 2:00, we will all be on email throughout the day moving forward. Please reach out with any questions or needs.
Sending my best to you and your family during this time,
Meg
Community Announcements
Childcare: As a pre-k-12 institution, we have hundreds of children who will not be able to stay home alone and we have many parents in our District who will still need to report to jobs while schools are closed. We have a team in place looking at ways to provide childcare for our community. Right now we are working to prioritize services to essential Burlington City and Burlington School District employees, first responders, and medical providers. We expect to have more information by the end of the week.
Special Education Services: All Student Support Services staff, including teachers, paraeducators and service providers, will be available by phone and email during school closure. Staff will check email daily at approximately 8 AM and 1 PM. Whenever possible, all special education meetings will be held by phone or virtually as scheduled. IEPs and Evaluations must be completed or appropriately delayed as directed. Laura Nugent, Director of Student Support Services, will contact you as needed. Be sure to contact Laura via email with any questions.
English Learners: Our Multilingual Liaisons will continue to be employed during this time and will continue to help our families with a variety of things, including accessing the internet, curriculum resources, and translation of BSD and school-based messages where appropriate. At this time, each New American family is being called individually to communicate about school closure and ascertain needs. We have translated previous messages and will continue to do so moving forward.
School Resource Officers: Since our buildings will be closed, our SROs will shift back into the Burlington community, making themselves available where students often gather. To be clear, it is not recommended and we do not want students meeting up or hanging out in groups during this closure, but our resource officers will be present and available for our students if needed.
Internet Access: Both Burlington Telecom and Comcast are offering free services for low-income families in Burlington.
Comcast: https://www.internetessentials.com/
Burlington Telecom: https://www.burlingtontelecom.com/rates/ (click rates and select “discount”) Or call (802) 540-0007
Parent/Teacher Conference Update: Information regarding this will be forthcoming.
A Caring Message from the Edmunds Guidance Team
As we are all out of school at this time, we wanted to touch base with our Edmunds families about how you can continue to access support. We are here for you.
We will be checking our email throughout the day so that we may continue connecting with students and their families. We will be available to support during our regular school day hours. Please email us if you have any questions or concerns.
Email is not for crisis situations. Please know that when you send an email, it may be many hours before someone is able to read it. If you are concerned for your child’s safety, regarding self harm or harm towards others, please call First Call - # 488-7777. First Call provides support during moments you need it the most. If you are unable to make this call, please seek out a trusted adult who can support you in making this call.
Food bank: #658-7939
Information on lunches for your child(ren): Please refer to the Superintendent's email for pick-up sites.
If you or your child is feeling ill, please call the doctor’s office BEFORE going into their office.
Take special care of yourselves and your families.
Mrs. Hulbert- phulbert@bsdvt.org , School Counselor, Monday-Friday
Ms. Brady - klozier@bsdvt.org, School Counselor, Monday-Friday
Ms. Angela- ahalsted@bsdvt.org, Student Assistance Counselor, Monday a.m, Tuesdays, Wednesdays,Thursdays, Friday a.m.
Ms. Zajan- czajan@bsdvt.org, School Psychologist, Monday-Friday
Nurse McCray - rmccray@bsdvt.org, School Nurse, Monday-Friday
Health Recommendations for Families as Schools are Closed
If you or your family members become ill, please CALL your primary care office BEFORE you go to the office so medical staff can prepare for your arrival.