Hawk Weekly
April 19th-23rd
Havel Elementary
Email: kristina.tepper@uticak12.org
Website: havel.uticak12.org
Location: 41855 Schoenherr Road, Sterling Heights, MI, USA
Phone: 586 7975200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HavelElementary/
Havel Families,
Prior to our Spring Break, we have had some COVID positive cases reported to us at Havel. We do not have any instances of spread from student to student in the school at this time. As cases are reported to us, we follow the CDC and State Health Department guidelines for quarantine, and conduct contact tracing beginning 48 hours prior to any symptoms or positive test. Students who are deemed close contacts are placed in quarantine. If your child is identified as a close contact, you will receive a phone call from the Havel Office Staff with details about the quarantine. Close contacts are determined to be any person within six feet of a COVID positive person for a cumulative period of 15 minutes or more. We conduct contact tracing in the classroom, lunchroom, recess, specials classes, in SACC, and on the bus. The entire class – or bus – of students would not need to quarantine if they were not within the six foot distance for 15 minutes or more.
We continue with mask wearing, distancing to the extent possible, hand washing and sanitizing, and disinfecting of the school and surfaces. These measures have proved to be extremely effective as evidenced by the lack of transmission between students.
Let’s hope we can ride this current wave with minimal impact to everyone’s health and to teaching and learning as we keep a close eye on the surrounding data to inform our decisions.
As always, the District will continue to monitor the delivery of instruction and our teaching and learning schedule. Parents who are knowledgeable and conduct daily screening of their children before school are our best allies in these current times.
Thank you for all you do!
Mrs.Tepper
#havelstrong
Students Learning When In Quarantine
When home due to Covid quarantine, all students should:
- Log in for morning and afternoon attendance using the links on our Daily Schedule in Schoology
- All students are responsible for all work that is missed. If a child is actually ill, we can work with a family on due dates for assignments. Children who are not actually ill, but are home due to exposure, should turn all work in on scheduled due dates.
- We continue to post most assignments on Schoology, so all students have easy access to homework assignments. If a child is home for an extended amount of time and in need of items from school, we will do our best to deliver.
- Teachers will work directly with the families to offer live instruction, if possible, in one or more core academic areas.
Bridge To Kindergarten
The Bridge to Kindergarten -Young Fives program opening in Utica Community Schools for 2021-22
Utica Community Schools is pleased to announce a new program for parents of kindergarten age students who may need additional time before beginning a traditional program.
The UCS Bridge to Kindergarten – Young Fives program provides young children a year of further development and maturity before entering a formal kindergarten program.
The program will be offered for the first time in the 2021-22 school year.
“The Bridge to Kindergarten -Young Fives program will give many of our youngest students the gift of time as they begin their transition to kindergarten,” Interim Superintendent Robert Monroe said.
The full-day program has been designed and will be taught by highly qualified UCS teachers. The curriculum will integrate early childhood and beginning kindergarten standards that develop strong literacy, math and social and emotional skills in students.
Students will have group and individual work with hands-on activities that are designed around their unique needs. Students will also receive weekly art, media center, music and physical education programs.
The Bridge to Kindergarten – Young Fives will be housed at select elementary schools throughout Michigan’s second largest school district.
For more information, please visit http://www.uticak12.org/UCSbridgetokindergarten
PANDEMIC ELECTRONIC BENEFIT TRANSFER (P-EBT)
P-EBT provides supplemental food assistance benefits to students who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the program is to make sure no child goes hungry by missing out on school meals.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Education (MDE) partnered during the 2019-2020 school year to provide these critical benefits to over 900,000 students. We are excited to be partnering again for the 2020-2021 school year to provide these benefits to students to help reduce food insecurity. Eligible students must:
- Be enrolled in a Michigan school.
- Participate in a virtual or hybrid school schedule.
- Be eligible for free or reduced lunch or attend a CEP school.
Students eligible for the P-EBT benefits will be notified by MDHHS directly. Please reference the attached FAQ document. Additional information is also available by calling (833) 905-0028 or at the following MDHHS website:
https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-71547_5527_104768---,00.html
April Dates to Know
April 19th- Wear Blue For Autism Awareness &
Bus Evacuation Practice-
Each class will be assigned to an individual bus and each student will sit in their own seat during the bus evacuation practice
April 20th- Fire Drill
April 21st- Remote Day
April 22nd- 5th Grade M-Step Testing & Go Green Day- Wear Something Green
April 23rd- 5th Grade M-Step Testing
April 26th- 5th Grade M-Step Testing
April 28th- Remote Day
April 29th- 5th Grade M-Step Testing & Hat Day
April 30th- 5th Grade Virtual DIA Field Trip
This week at our staff meeting our teachers shared their professional goal for the 4th quarter. I was impressed with their reflective, heartfelt responses and wanted to share a few of them with you!
VIrtual Academy for the 2021-2022 School Year
The Utica Community Schools Virtual Academy will begin accepting applications on April 19 for families seeking a virtual learning option featuring the district’s nationally recognized academic programs.
“Our Virtual Academy offers the choice to combine the district’s educational excellence in a virtual environment,” Interim Superintendent Robert Monroe said. “We are proud to now offer the academy as part of the Utica Community Schools portfolio of options that meet our students’ unique needs and interests.”
Families interested in the program can learn more at a virtual informational night at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 15. Pre-registration is recommended for the event, which will allow parents to receive an overview of the program and participate in a virtual Question and Answer period.
The virtual academy gives families virtual access to K-12 programs offered through the Utica Community Schools, including core elementary and specials and secondary elective and required courses. Students can participate in extra-curricular activities, including marching band and athletics, through their home schools.
The program is open to UCS families and those wishing to enroll through Schools of Choice who reside in Macomb, St. Clair, Wayne, Lapeer and Oakland counties.
This year, more than 5,000 students were part of the inaugural year of the academy.
“This has been an amazing opportunity for my family,” said parent Meghan Ciacchella, who has two students in the program. “This program is distraction-free, education-focused and it provides students with unique 21st century skills.”
The initial enrollment period for next year’s program will be open from April 19 through May 2.
2021-22 Informational Town Hall
Thursday, April 15
7-745 p.m.
April 19th In Person Breakfast/Lunch Menu
3rd, 4th, 5th, & 6th Grade M-Step Testing
April 1st 2021
Dear Parent/Guardians,
All students enrolled in Michigan schools in grades 3-8 and 11 will take the M-STEP (Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress) assessment. The M-STEP will measure your student's growth and progress on the Michigan Academic Standards. Those standards are available at this web site: www.Michigan.gov/academicstandards
M-STEP for third, fourth, and sixth graders will test in English language arts and mathematics. Our fifth graders will be tested in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies using a computer. They will be assigned specific dates and times to take the M-STEP during the April 19 – May 21, 2021 online testing window. The M-STEP will provide an accurate view of your child’s achievement levels and learning needs to help us identify areas where we can improve instruction and teaching.
As parents/guardians, you play an important role in your child’s academic success.
We are asking your help to ensure he/she is prepared for this new online assessment series. Here is what you can do:
· Encourage your child to approach the M-STEP with a positive attitude.
· Ensure your child gets plenty of rest the night before, has a good breakfast and comes to school on time each day.
Your child’s attendance is vital to his/her achievement. In addition, full attendance is necessary for our school to meet state participation requirements.
To learn more about the M-STEP assessments, please visit the Michigan Department of Education Web site: http://www.michigan.gov/mde
Your child’s teacher will be sharing testing dates with you as the testing window approaches.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Tepper
Safety Protocols - As a school, we will continue following the protocols that are important to keeping everyone safe, including encouraging frequent hand washing, use of sanitizers, distancing to the extent possible, decreasing density in common areas, and wearing face masks. Cleaning practices will include common touch points sanitized every four hours and all classrooms cleaned nightly. These protocols are all detailed in the updated parent handbook that is on the district website.