Principal's Message
Weekly Update November 16th
Contact Information
Takiyah Benson, Assistant Principal
Richard Petroske, Assistant Principal
Ann Ferkler, 8th Grade Counselor
Kia McKinney, 7th Grade Counselor
David Gibbons, 6th Grade Counsleor
Email: shepler.matthew@ccpsstaff.org
Website: lockermanms.org
Location: 410 Lockerman Street, Denton, MD, USA
Phone: 410-479-2760
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LockermanPRIDE/
A Message from Mr. Shepler
As we continue to finalize plans for our 6th graders returning to the building the week of Nov. 30th, I want to continue to provide updated information.
- I will continue to repost all information that has been previously shared related to 6th grade return to the building.
- We are working on finalizing our Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday groupings. This information will be shared with parents and students via School Messenger phone call and email. An email will also be sent to your students CCPS email account. If you do not know which days your child will be attending in-person by Wednesday, Nov. 25th, please email me directly at shepler.matthew@ccpsstaff.org.
- No additional school supplies will be required for students. We will provide all supplies needed for in-person learning.
A few upcoming events:
- Nov. 18th- No School for Students
- Nov. 18th- Parent Teacher Conference Day
- Nov. 25th-27th- Thanksgiving Break
- Nov. 30th- Return of Monday/Tuesday 6th Grade Students
- Dec. 3rd- Return of Thursday/Friday 6th Grade Students
Thank you all for your continued support. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Thanks.
Matt Shepler
Principal
Lockerman Middle School
November A Day/B Day Calendar
Nov. 18th- No School/Parent Teacher Conference Day
Citizen's Advisory Council
- We reviewed our LMS vision and discussed our instructional focus for this school year. We are taking advantage of the additional planning time to establish systems of intentional collaboration (diagram below) within grade level/unified arts content teams. Our LMS teachers are very collaborative and are implementing these systems to drive high quality instruction.
- CCPS Health Metrics- We reviewed the Caroline County COVID-19 website and discussed current health metrics. We also reviewed the Positive Case Response Plan.
- 6th Grade Return- We had a lengthy conversation around what 6th grade return will look like at LMS. Please review the 6th Grade Return section of this newsletter.
- Lockerman Middle School was recognized as earning Bronze for PBIS based on data from the 2019-20 school year. Our goal is always to receive Gold and we are on the right track to get back there. We had a three year trend of increasing office discipline referrals that led to us receiving Bronze. Last year, we established a clear and consistent system for progressive student discipline that provides multi-tiered systems of support to address behavior issues.
- Students took the iReady Diagnostic assessments in both math and reading. The program is adaptive to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses in reading and math. An adaptive diagnostic automatically adjusts the difficulty of the questions (starting at grade level) according to each student’s ability levels. iReady diagnostic assessments are given three times a year (fall, winter, spring). We use this data to inform instruction, provide targeted interventions, and measure growth.
- School pictures- We have received guidance to hold off on school pictures until the spring.
Crisis Resources
6th Grade Return- Repost
The message sent out on Wednesday, November 4th via School Messenger email is included below. Here is some additional information related to how in person learning will work for 6th grade students:
- In person students will be receiving instruction in the classroom from their teacher. They will not be logging into Zoom. Teachers will be provided with wireless microphone headsets to enable them to move around the classroom while simultaneously engaging with virtual students on Zoom.
- Students will be transitioning in an orderly fashion between classes. These transitions will be monitored to ensure mask wearing and social distancing.
For Families of Fine Arts and Performing Arts Students:
Please see the guidelines developed for Fine/Performing Arts teachers of in-person students, and a summary of the guidelines developed for Physical Education teachers of in-person students.
- All student desks will be sanitized prior to students leaving for their next class.
- Students will eat lunch in the cafeteria at socially distanced student desks.
- Students are encouraged to bring their own filled water bottles from home. Student use of water fountains will not be allowed. We will have water for students to distribute as needed.
- Students enrolled in band or chorus classes will not be able to play their instrument or sing while in the building. Here is the link to the guidance on our CCPS website under "General FAQ's".
- Students may bring their own hand sanitizer. Frequent hand washing and use of sanitizer will be necessary.
- Students will not be using lockers and will need to carry their things with them throughout the day.
- Students will need to bring their laptop and charger each day. Classrooms will be equipped with extension cords for charging purposes.
If you are unsure about whether you want your 6th grade student to return at this time, please know that you do not have to make a one time decision that is binding for the year. You will be able to have them return when you are ready.
Previously Shared Details:
Students on the Monday/Tuesday Schedule (begins November 30):
- Monday and Tuesday in the building for in-person instruction.
- Wednesday at home for an asynchronous day (same as current schedule).
- Thursday and Friday at home for synchronous virtual learning (same as current schedule).
Students on the Thursday/Friday Schedule (begins December 3):
- Monday and Tuesday at home for synchronous virtual learning (same as current schedule).
- Wednesday at home for an asynchronous day (same as current schedule).
- Thursday and Friday in the building for in-person instruction.
Students in these grades who have already been attending four days a week will continue to come on those days - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Students who remain at home for virtual learning will not experience any change to their schedule.
Please note:
- Families will not be able to choose a Monday/Tuesday or Thursday/Friday schedule. Students will be assigned to a schedule based on bus routes.
- Families will be advised by the school of their student's schedule (Monday/Tuesday Nov. 30, or Thursday/Friday Dec. 3) no later than November 23.
- Transportation will be provided. However, because of social distancing, transportation is a challenge. Please consider if you have an option other than using CCPS transportation.
- Face coverings are required for all students ages 5 and over.
- Protocols for preventing the spread of COVID-19 through cleaning, self-assessment, and social distancing are detailed in the CCPS Recovery Plan.
News from the Nurse- Repost
For students that have returned to the building, we continue to enforce simple actions of wearing our face coverings and washing our hands frequently. In addition, it is more important than ever to not send your student to school sick or not feeling well. Parents/ guardians must review and monitor their child’s symptoms and exposure risk each day before sending their students to school. Temperature screening must also occur daily prior to reporting to school. This information is available in the CCPS COVID-19 Awareness Parent/Guardian Attendance Acknowledgement Statement.
Students cannot attend school or any school activities if they are:
Exhibiting any signs/symptoms of COVID-19
Have been in close contact (within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes) to someone who is positive for COVID-19 or is exhibiting COVID-19 like symptoms in the past 14 days
Has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or has been instructed by a health care provider or the health department to isolate or quarantine.
Students must be fever free (less than 100F) for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication to attend school.
The school nurse must be contacted if the student can not attend school due to illness.
Signs and Symptoms of COVID-19 include the following:
* New onset of cough or shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
* New loss of taste or smell
Or at least two of the following symptoms:
* Fever (100.4F or higher)
* Chills or shaking chills
* Sore throat
* Headache
* Muscle or body aches
* Nausea, vomiting
* Diarrhea
If you have any questions, please call the health room and ask for guidance. Also remember to notify the school nurse if your child is at home due to an illness. Finally, The National Association of School Nurses have developed videos to discuss face coverings, hand washing and not sending your student to school sick. The videos are in English and Spanish. They are great for all age groups of children. These videos can be found on our LMS website, www.Lockermanms.org, located under student.
LMS School Based Health Center- Repost
Did you know that the state of Maryland passed legislation in 2019 making it illegal to purchase any tobacco product, including vapes, Juuls, chewing tobacco, cigars, and cigarettes for anyone under the age of 21? This law was prompted by a recent investigation by the CDC into a mysterious lung illness that is killing kids who vape!
· In 2018 e-cigarette use nearly doubled in high school students
· All Juuls and most vapes contain nicotine
· One Juul nicotine refill pod contains as much nicotine as 20 cigarettes
· Vaping and juuliing increase the chance of developing anxiety and depression
· Nicotine is one of the hardest substances to quit and is at least as hard to quit as heroin
· The aerosol from e-cigarettes contains harmful chemicals and compounds similar to car exhaust as well as heavy metals like lead
Be aware of the different types of e-cigarettes available and talk with students about the dangers of using these products. The Caroline County Health Department and the School Based Health Center at Lockerman Middle School has resources to help kids quit as well as information for parents. The Health Center at LMS is available Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 until 3:00 & Fridays from 7:30 until 11:30.