Wildcat Update
October 9, 2020
Fourth Through Sixth Graders started on campus this week!
Welcome Back 4-6th Graders!
Mrs. Patel's Red Carpet Greeting
Happy Mrs. Ellis Seeing Her Students
Announcements
Calendar
There is no school on October 12 and 13, October 16 is a full day of school. Parent teacher conferences are October 22 and 23. More information will come about Parent Teacher Conferences.
Early Release- October 9
This Friday's early release was spent by teachers collaborating with their teams of teachers at Gailivan Peak and other schools. Teachers value the time they have to support each other and share ideas on smooth transitions for students returning to school safely. Thank you parents for your support on these valuable days!
Acknowledgement Form
If you have not turned in the purple acknowledgment form please do so as soon as possible.
Arrival Time When Students are on Campus
Students may arrive on campus in the mornings between 8:30 and 8:45 am. Once they arrive they can either go to the cafeteria for a free breakfast or go to their classroom for classroom games and connection. Instruction starts at 8:45 am. It is important that students are in their seats reading to learn by 8:45.
If they are eating breakfast please drop them off at 8:30 so they have time to eat and are ready to learn by 8:45.
Staggered Dismissal When Students are On Campus
All Kinders and first grade students along with their older siblings (yellow group) will be dismissed at 3:20 pm. All 2nd and 3rd grade students along with older siblings (green group) will be dismissed at 3:25 pm and then all remaining students (blue group) will be dismissed at 3:30 pm.
We are asking that all parents please place the colored sign in your front window when coming through the parent pick up line. This will help to speed up the process and allow us to keep our students more effectively distanced for safety purposes. We are also asking for parents to time their pick up arrival time to coincide with the colored group you are assigned to. Example: If a parent who is picking up their kids who is in the 3:30pm (blue) dismissal group and is in line with the 3:20 pm (yellow) dismissal group, they may be asked to drive around and join at the back of the line so as not to hold up the dismissal process.
You may also choose to park your car and wait for your children at the crosswalk. Make sure you are following the staggered times.
* If your child normally rides the bus and you want to pick them up please notify the office an/or classroom teacher before 3:15 that day.
We are hoping these changes will allow for us to dismiss big families in a more streamlined manner. We appreciate your help in making this process successful.
Face Coverings
The students that have been on campus have been doing an amazing job wearing their face masks appropriately. Thank you for your support at home!
It is important that their masks are laundered frequently to avoid any infections. You may want to have 5 masks so you can have them wear one each day of the week and throw them in the washing machine on the weekends. Let the office know if you need additional masks.
See DVUSD update to parents with Face Mask Guidance for families at this link: https://www.dvusd.org/Page/75080
Food and Nutrition
Breakfast and lunch will continue to be free for students when they come on campus until Dec. 31. Curbside services moved to Thursday only and will include breakfast and lunch for 5 days.
Click here to access the virtual breakfast and lunch menu.
Please support our school!
Sign up at frysfood.com/account/communityrewards and secure.escrip.com/signup/index to support New River Elementary.
School Spirit T-Shirt Order
Orders are still being taken online at spiritandpride.com or call 1 (800) 854-4452. See the attached flyer. The orders will close October 22.
First Day Packet Paperwork
The following documents from the first day packets need to be turned in ASAP: pink sheets needs to be edited and signed, blue directory internet permission forms and the green students rights and responsibilities forms need to be signed.
Please turn them into the front office, fax (623-376-3580) or you can scan them and email to lisa.willingham@dvusd.org.
Shot Records
Nurse Holley needs shot records. They can be turned in by person, fax or scan and email them to holley.nelson@dvusd.org.
Wildcats PTSA
If you want to become a member, annual membership fees are $7 per individual member. Cash, check and PayPal payments are accepted. Make checks payable to New River PTSA or submit through PayPal to Nreptsa@gmail.com. There are also membership forms in the office for you to come in person to join.
From Nurse Holley
Dear Parent/Guardian:
The directive from Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) is that during this pandemic year, if your child experiences any viral symptoms, even if mild, to keep them home and getting them tested or isolation for 10 days from when symptoms first started.
This directive is extreme but necessary. COVID is the virus that we are concerned about this year and we want to err on the side of caution for everyone's safety. Please remember that when you use good judgement to keep your child home for viral symptoms, you are keeping other children and school staff safe. It is just not about an individual family this year, it is about keeping all of us in the community safe, especially those that have underlying medical conditions. Our concerted effort is for the greater good!
Schools will also have a low threshold criteria for sending students home; this means that a child will be sent home if he/she displays one or more of the symptoms listed below for COVID-19:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. You know your child best and if they have a complaint, the first thing that should come to mind is COVID; minor symptoms in previous years are now red flags for COVID this year. Please ask yourself each morning before you send your child to school if he/she is well. If your child complained of any mild symptoms the day before, the evening before or during the night, you have to ask yourself, "Is this normal for my child to have this complaint?" Along with using your parental instincts/observations, dig deeper and pull out COVID symptoms list and ask your child if he/she has any other symptoms on the list to get the whole picture. If your child woke up in the middle of the night and complained of a stomachache or headache or if you had to give your child over the counter medication that is not normally given everyday, that means you need to keep the child home for observation that day and isolate him/her for 10 days if he/she has one or more of the COVID symptoms above.
As more data is collected and we learn more about COVID-19, here is further detailed findings about symptoms in children per MCDPH experience to date (09/24/2020):
• Approximately 13% of all COVID-19 cases in Maricopa County to date have been among kids ages 0-19
• The majority (over 75%) of all children with positive COVID-19 tests reported at least one symptom
– The most common symptoms reported are similar to many viral infections ~ fever, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, cold symptoms, or diarrhea
• Pre-school children have fewer symptoms overall
– Fever is the most common symptom in preschool children
• More than half of elementary school aged children reported fever and/or headache
• Children age 12 and over reported more symptoms overall
– Over half reported fatigue, headache, muscle aches and loss of taste and smell.
– Less than half report fever.
Some existing health conditions warrant considerations by the school nurse:
- Students with Asthma: Student having asthma symptoms like coughing and wheezing can take his or her inhaler and child may return to class if symptoms improve after taking rescue inhaler.
- Students with Other Chronic Medical Conditions: Any student with a known and documented diagnosis e.g. allergies, migraine headaches, may return to school when symptoms have improved, and student has NO fever for 24-hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and student has no other symptom that could be associated with COVID-19. A physician should assess any student with unresolved symptoms.
Below are some information that can be helpful to know:
When can my child return to school?
Per Maricopa County guidelines, in order for your child to return to school the following must take place:
- See a healthcare provider and receive a negative PCR or antigen COVID-19 test and provide proof of negative test to nurse AND at least 24 hours since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medication AND other symptoms have improved
OR
2. Your child does not see a healthcare provider. The following must occur:
- Child MUST stay home from school for ten (10) days from when symptoms first appeared, AND at least 24 hours since last fever without the use of fever-reducing medication AND other symptoms have improved
3. The child may return to school as soon as feasible, if symptoms are confirmed by a doctor’s note to be part of a known chronic noninfectious condition (e.g., allergies, asthma). The person may return to school 24 hours after fever resolves and other symptoms improve if diagnosed with an alternate laboratory confirmed illness (e.g., Strep throat, influenza) by a doctor’s note.
What is the difference between isolation and quarantine?
- Quarantine keeps someone who might have been exposed to the virus away from others during the incubation period
- Isolation keeps someone who is infected with the virus away from others, even in their home
Regarding COVID testing:
- People with symptoms awaiting COVID-19 test results should isolate until results are known.
- People identified as close contacts of a person with COVID-19 should quarantine for 14 days after their last exposure, even if they have a negative COVID-19 test result
- AHCCCS covers testing at any testing location, you do not need to take your child to see the PCP first but you can call the healthcare provider for advice.
- Alternative methods to collect samples for testing (e.g. saliva, oropharynx and nasal swabs) are less painful than the nasopharyngeal swab
What is the point of getting tested if you or child have been identified as a close contact since you have to quarantine for 14 days anyway?
- Knowing COVID status is very helpful . If positive, we can start that chain of contact tracing to identify close contacts to keep your family, friends and community safe. Remember that COVID testing results are confidential and a positive confirmed case also helps us identify outbreaks at a school so that we can take action to keep other students and staff safe.
Again, please don't hesitate to reach out to me via phone or email, I'd be happy to discuss any concerns or questions you might have related to symptoms, testing, etc. I want to also say "THANK YOU" in advance to all of you that are making this concerted effort for the greater good. For more information about COVID-19 and FAQs for parents,please visit: https://www.maricopa.gov/5493/K-12-Schools-and-Childcare-Facilities#childcare
Parents can email MCDPH regarding outbreaks at COVIDparenthotline@Maricopa.gov • Parents can call the hotline: – Dial 2-1-1 – Press option 6 for COVID-19 – Press option 3 to connect to a hotline staff member
We will now be exploring our Quarter Two Theme: Am I using positive self-talk? Becoming aware of our self-talk is an essential skill. Many studies show how positive self-talk can enhance self-confidence and reduce cognitive anxiety.
How do we help our children to develop helpful, encouraging self-talk? Well, the first step is to become aware of our self-talk. Which is why this week’s motto is:
I pay attention to what I tell myself.
Understanding that our self-talk is a choice and that we determine the quality of the messages we tell ourselves is very empowering. Help your child pay attention to their self-talk by pointing out keywords such as always, never, or should. These words are usually associated with negative self-talk, such as, “I will never understand math” or “I am always messing everything up.”
Once we can recognize our unhelpful self-talk, we can begin to restate our self-talk into messages that are more helpful and encouraging, such as: “I am getting better at math” or “We all make mistakes. I am learning from mine.”
A fun activity to do with your kids is to create a family or personal motto. Having a family motto creates a sense of unity that is comforting, for example, “In our family, we have each other’s backs.” Once you create a personal or family motto, post it somewhere in your home as a positive reminder of what you believe.
“Self-talk is the most powerful form of communication
because it either empowers you or defeats you.”
-Unknown
Let’s help our children be good to themselves!
Be well,
Danna Evans
All Things E.Q.
New River School
Email: tina.craig@dvusd.org
Website: https://www.dvusd.org/newriver
Location: 48827 North Black Canyon Highway, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone: 6233763500
Facebook: facebook.com/NewRiverElementarySchool
Twitter: @NewRIverWildcat