The Spencer Scoop
Spencer Elementary September 3, 2020
News From the Office
Hello Families,
Ready or not, here I come was a saying that I would always long to hear while playing the game hide and seek. It meant the game was on, and the fun was about to begin.
Well, the same meaning holds for this year. I've never been so excited to start the year even in the middle of a pandemic. I'm thrilled, and the staff is as well.
We wrapped up a week of professional development where we laughed together as a team, as we reviewed the ever-changing schedules and prepared for the year ahead. No matter what you read, hear, or think, Spencer's teachers and staff are ready to embrace you and your family as a Spencer Roadrunner.
Ready or not, here we go to the greatest comeback ever!
B. Renner
The First Day of School is Coming!
Tuesday, September 8th is the first day of school!
September 8 - 11 will be half days. (The school day times will be announced soon) This includes Wednesday for this week only.
The week of September 14th, we will begin full days with our 2-1-2 model, which means,
Monday and Tuesday your child will attend school at Spencer (2 Days)
Wednesday will be an online learning day. Spencer will be closed for deep cleaning (1 Day)
Thursday and Friday will be back to Spencer (2 Days)
Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten Families
We are trying to ease into the new safety protocols and the increased traffic and crowds; we're asking that our Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten families join us a bit later for the first day only.
9:30 - Meet your child's teacher with your child at their designated outside classroom door (See Map)
The students will begin their day with the classroom teacher and end their first day a bit earlier. Due to safety protocols, we won't have a parent meet and greet with the classroom teacher or a classroom tour. However, I would like to invite you to join me outside around 10:00 -10:30 to discuss your concerns and a chance for you to ask questions. We'll meet outside to the right of the kindergarten classrooms in the grassy area.
12:00 - Return to pick-up your JK/K child at the designated outside the classroom door.
Note From the PTO
Last Weekend for the Discount!
Brighton Barbers at 8690 W Grand River Ave (next to Gus's Carryout) is offering Spencer families a back to school discount on haircuts. From Aug. 22 - Sep. 5, receive $2 off per student or father and son cuts for $30. Just mention Spencer Elementary or Mr. Renner's name when you visit the shop.
Did You Update Your Child's Info?
All families need to go into Parent Connect and register for the upcoming school year. Last year the process of registration and re-enrollment shifted to online. If you have a student returning to Brighton Area Schools, you need to go to Parent Connect and complete the back to school information called, re-enrollment. This is for all students coming back to Brighton Area Schools; including the BVA.
If you are having a hard time with Password or Pin, use the Lookup feature. If, for some reason,
you still have difficulty, please send an email to pc@brightonk12.com
for account assistance. No account information will be addressed via telephone.
Lunch
Your child can bring their lunch or purchase lunch too.
PLEASE NOTE: On Wednesdays (our remote learning day), we will still offer a hot lunch option and breakfast to be picked up at Brighton High School.
This year, Spencer students will eat lunch first and then head out to recess to ensure proper hygiene before eating. When the students arrive in the lunchroom, they will sit in assigned seats with their classrooms. This will allow for appropriate contract tracing if needed. Lunch will be 25 minutes and recess 20 minutes.
*We are still working on lunchtimes as we are adjusting to the new and integrating cleaning requirements.
PLEASE NOTE the adjustments that will take place:
- We would encourage you to bring a water bottle that can be refilled throughout the day as the drinking fountains are closed.
- We no longer have microwaves for the students to use.
- The salad bar has been removed.
- We will no longer have a choice for lunch; it will be one entree only—no extra snacks for sale either.
- Condiments such as ranch, ketchup, and mustard will no longer be available.
- We can no longer invite guests to join your child at lunch.
In the past, we had a "late table" for those that needed a little more time to eat. This will not be an option due to the adjustments we've made to our plan for social distancing and contract tracing.
Yearbooks
Classroom Placements
Classroom placement notifications will be available TOMORROW!!
If you've completed the re-enrollment process through Parent Connect, you'll be able to view who your child's teacher will be.
JK – 1 Classroom (Cowher and Thomas, one class with two teachers)
K – 4 Classrooms (all full-day), Morrow, Price, Andrews, Bridson
1st – 5 Classrooms Clark, Hillman, Phillips, Stamper, and introducing Mrs. McBride to Spencer!
2nd – 4 Classrooms, Miller, Hukkala, Kahl, and welcoming Mrs. Cowgill back to Spencer!
3rd – 4 Classrooms Urso, Copenhaver, Ferguson, and Garza
4th – 4 Classrooms Sobolevski, Howe, Rucinski, and welcome back Ms. Duncan back.
We also have an additional independence facilitator Mrs. Cooke, and a new deaf and hard of hearing interpreter, Mrs. Bull.
Mrs. Vollmer and Ms. Fleet have moved to teach students in the Brighton Virtual Academy.
Mr. Bob helps keep Spencer safe and clean as he will learn from the best, Mr. Al and Ms. Laura in the day and evening with deep cleaning.
Medication
If your child needs to take medication during the school day, the Medication Authorization Form can be accessed by clicking the button below. This form MUST be filled out and signed by the physician and brought in along with the medication. For safety reasons, students are never allowed to carry medications. They must be brought to school by a parent/guardian in its original container. You can call the office and start dropping off medications next week (Monday, 8/31 - Thursday 9/3) between the hours of 8AM and 3PM.
Daily Start Time
Student drop off will be 8:40 (this is different than years past)
First Bell - 8:46
Starting Time in class- 8:50 AM
Dismissal Time - 3:42 PM
Attendance Line*- 810-299-4354
*Please remember to call your child's absence in as early as possible.
District Safety Precautions
Transportation Safety
Notes from the CDC
Drop Off Procedures
Also, we won't have adults outside until 8:40. Please do not drop off your child before then.
Thanks for your help,
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-SNqds3HUw_fnyImIn1dHqK8oWsgeujwBB8VF-CQ0Ao/edit
Where Do They Go After I've Dropped them Off?
We will have adults stationed outside to monitor. Mr.Renner will also loop around each morning to ensure all students are safely in the building.
Click for Class Entrance Door Numbers:
It's the End of the Day...Now What?
If your child is a pick-up, you'll walk up to the classroom door indicated for the end of the day at 3:30. Wait outside the door patiently (please don't knock, we know you are there). Have your pick-up number in hand, and we'll match it up with your child's. If it's a match, your child's teacher will send your child out. For the first week only of early dismissal, pick-ups will be at 12:15 pm.
If you have multiple children at Spencer, please go to your youngest child's classroom first. After, continue to your next oldest child and so on. Yes, I know this can be considered a pain. Once again, we'll make adjustments as needed as we continue to try our best with social distancing and monitor safety protocols.
If your child rides the bus, your child's classroom teacher will walk their entire class out to the bus. If you are not there to pick-up your child, they will join the bus line. Once the teacher has delivered their students to the bus, those students that are pick-up will be dropped off at the office.
If you are late, please call and let us know; life happens. Saying that, please be on time, or make other arrangements. If Mr.Renner begins to see a pattern of late pick-ups, he will have a conversation with you, indicating you will need to develop different structures.
These are your children, and when you are continually late, you send a more profound message to your child. Please be on-time, and when you are, you send a deeper, positive message.
Family Passes
You will need this Family Pass to pick your student up at the end of the day. This year we are asking that you bring in the Family Pass when you come to pick up your child during the day for an appointment so we can match the number with the number on their backpack.
Student Pick-Up:
All students will be issued a number ID card that must be attached to their backpacks. Teachers will take care of securing the number to your child's backpack the first day.
Parents will also be issued matching cards that will be sent home with their child on the first day.
A staff member will ask you to present your number, and he/she will check your card number with your child's number and make sure they match.
It is important to remember that you must have your ID number card to pick up your child.
We all have additional responsibilities beyond the hours of school. I am asking that you try to protect the learning time of your child. I understand it may be more convenient to pick-up your child a bit early to avoid traffic and lines. In doing so, the office staff is taken away from other responsibilities that come with the end of the day.
It also is a disruption to the other students that are learning. If anyway, please try to protect all of the student's learning time and respect the office staff's time.
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Transportation
The Brighton Transportation Department is sending bus and route information soon for those that are in the district. If your child is to be picked up or dropped off anywhere but home, you will need to fill out an alternate destination form before school starts. Contact the office and we can email you the form.
Questions
-That would be Mr. Renner. He's in charge of monitoring the staff and other visitors that come to Spencer. We have a QR code that will be filled out and monitored for indications that someone is not feeling well.
He's also in charge of providing personal protective equipment to the staff and visitors to the building.
Are We Going to Have Media Center?
-Yes! Mrs. Adams is going to push-in to the classrooms where your child will get a chance to select books from her cart of specially selected books. There might even be some new Mr.Renner Books to choose from.
When your child returns their book, we'll put it in a container that will be indicated for disinfecting. After, it will be placed back on the shelf to go home with another family.
What About Art, Music, and Phys. Ed.?
Art and music will go to the classroom to teach the lesson. P.E. will be outside unless inclement weather. If they come inside, Phys.Ed. will be in the Multi-Purpose Room.
Can My Student Ride the Bus?
If you are resident in Brighton and in the school boundary for Spencer, you'll have a spot on the big yellow bus. If you are a school of choice, you'll need to provide transportation to and from school.
Will You Call if My Child Shows Signs of COVID-19?
Yes, we will. We will use the information from the Livingston County Health Department to indicate symptoms of COVID-19. Please know, we are not medical professionals. We can triage, this is why we use the latest guidelines from the county. When in doubt, we will quarantine your child and you'll need to come and pick-up your child immediately. The district nurse will be contacted as well to help with the diagnosis.
Where is the Quarantine Room?
We have our clinic, for those scraped knees and bruises. The former teacher's lounge is now the COVID quarantine location. The medication area is the back area of the office.
If your child is quarantined, an adult will be present at all times to monitor the situation.
When Will the Students Be Required to Wear Face Coverings?
At all times throughout the day except lunch, and when they go outside.
Will My Child Have Recess?
Yes, twice a day.
One time will be at lunch, the other will be in the morning or afternoon depending on the lunch schedule for your child.
While outside, your child will not be required to wear a mask. This also will include any time a teacher chooses to take a nature walk, do a lesson outside, or takes her class to play kickball.
What Does Recess Look Like?
The playground will be divided into five zones. Each teacher will have a designated zone to play in for that day. The zones will be clearly designated. The classroom cohort will remain in their zones while playing. For example, Teacher A's third-grade class will play in zone 3, and Teacher B's third-grade class will play in zone 2. See the map.
What if I Forget to Bring my Mask?
You will not be allowed in the building.
What if a Child Refuses to Wear a Mask?
We will remind them why it's important to and how it keeps everyone safe and healthy. If they still refuse after several attempts, Mr. Renner will come down and have your child call you to explain why they are refusing. If they continue to refuse, you will be called to take him/her home.
This is a health and safety matter. Please begin to have these conversations now with your child. Use the video link HERE to help navigate the discussions.
What Will the Before and After Care Look Like? (Friendship Center)
Friendship Center has been moved to the music room due to the increased space and additional locations of restrooms, sinks, and increased space for social distancing. For additional information click HERE.
What Supplies Will My Child Need?
It would be best if your child had crayons (12 of 24 counts), markers, scissors, a couple of glue sticks. These will be your child's that he will use throughout the day. We will no longer have community supplies to help eliminate possible cross-contamination. If your child doesn't have these selected items, they will be provided for her. The teacher will have a more detailed list that will be more grade-specific. Check the Spencer webpage for updates.
Spencer Elementary
Email: rennerb@brightonk12.com
Website: https://www.brightonk12.com/Domain/238
Location: 10639 Spencer Road, Brighton, MI, United States
Phone: 810-299-4350
Twitter: @SpencerElem