Staff Newsletter
because it helps to know what's going on
2020-2021 School Year
I am excited to welcome you all back to the building. Even though things may look a little different, the feeling of South Elementary will remain the same!!!! We are a warm, loving, and welcoming group of people. We are educators who fiercely want to see our students grow and learn. We are compassionate human beings who will nurture and reconnect our students, even in a socially distanced world. We have an important job ahead of us and it's time to get down to business! See you soon!
August 10, 11, and 12
August 10:
Breakfast will be served, grab and go style from the cafeteria. We ask that you take your breakfast back to your room/office. Feel free to get creative (Zoom while you eat, but just remember, no more than 3-4 gathered in the same room to eat and you must remain socially distanced.Be back in the cafeteria (masked up) at 8:30. We will need to cover quite a bit of information, so plan to meet until 11:30.
Lunch will be on your own from 11:30-12:30.
Parent Square training will be offered in the afternoon (time to be announced). Third-grade teachers or teachers of new students may schedule a time for the new student and their parent to come to the building to meet the teacher. Fourth-grade teachers may schedule their Meet the teacher Zoom calls. Otherwise, the afternoon will be time for you to work in your room.
McDugle, Russell, and Swartz will host their Open House from 5:30-6:30
August 11:
8:00-3:30
Legan, Anderson, Bartlett, and Grundlock will host their Open House from 5:30-6:30
The day will be spent preparing and meeting with your grade level/department teams as needed. Third-grade teachers or teachers of new students may schedule a time for the new student and their parent to come to the building to meet the teacher. Fourth-grade teachers may schedule their Meet the teacher Zoom calls.
August 12:
8:00-3:30
The day will be spent preparing and meeting with your grade level/department teams as needed. Third-grade teachers or teachers of new students may schedule a time for the new student and their parent to come to the building to meet the teacher. Fourth-grade teachers may schedule their Meet the teacher Zoom calls.
*If there are any changes that pop up, I may need to schedule a brief meeting on the 11th or 12th. At this time, no additional meetings are scheduled.
Our Schedule
I am also working on finalizing the support schedule tab. Just note, that it is still under construction.
Meet Our Amazing New Team Members
Kim Hawk
Becky Maubach
Jessica Wilson
Special Education Teacher
Erin Bartlett
Third Grade Teacher
Cindy Griffith
School Psychologist
Kelly Adkins
Instructional Assistant
TBD
TBD
TBD
Class Lists
Newsletter Sent to Parents
Upcoming Dates
August 10: Work day-8:00-3:00- All staff, Meet the Teacher night-McDugle, Swartz, Russell
August 11: Work day-8:00-3:00- Certified staff, Meet the Teacher night-Legan, Anderson, Grundlock and Bartlett
August 12: Work day- 8:00-3:00-All staff
August 13: First day with kids,
Our Guidelines
Policy Reminders
We know this school year is going to bring new challenges for us all. I wanted to send a friendly reminder on some key policies that might be more important than ever to keep in mind as we begin school.
Privacy
Since we may be working through more student and staff illness than we previously have, it’s important to keep confidentiality and privacy in mind at all times. Be mindful of naming individuals and of your surroundings when having conversations - little ears are all around! We need to be following Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Families in Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines to respect the privacy of our students and staff at all times. These are federal acts and additional privacy policy information can be found in School Board Policy 8330.
Media Requests
Per School Board Policy 2260, employees are not authorized to, and therefore are restricted from, speaking on behalf of their employer unless specifically instructed. Because of this policy, we ask that all media requests please be directed to me at abrellenthin@danville.k12.in.us or 317-745-2212.
Student/staff communication
Additionally, the recently approved School Board Policy 2260 allows staff members to only communicate with students through a school platform. Approved platforms include school email, Schoology and our new platform ParentSquare. ParentSquare allows for safe one-on-one communication between staff and students. We want to keep you and our students protected and safe!
Employee conduct
It’s important to remember that as employees of Danville Schools, we all represent each other. That means that our actions and words as individuals reflect on us all. School Board Policy 2260 speaks to this as well, noting: As role models for the corporation’s students, employees are responsible for their public conduct even when they are not acting as corporation employees. Employees will be held to the same professional standards in their public use of electronic media as they are for any other public conduct.
Furthermore, the policy states that an employee who uses electronic media for personal purposes shall observe the following:
The employee may not set up or update the employee’s personal social network page(s) using the corporation’s computers, network, or equipment.
The employee shall not use the corporation’s logo or other copyrighted material of the corporation without express, written consent.
The employee continues to be subject to applicable state and federal laws, local policies, and administrative regulations, even when communicating regarding personal and private matters, regardless of whether the employee is using private or public equipment, on or off campus. Employees are subject to discipline up to and including employment termination for content that exceed legal protections even if they disclaim their expression as personal. These restrictions include:
Confidentiality of student records.
Confidentiality of health or personnel information concerning colleagues, unless disclosure serves lawful professional purposes or is required by law.
Confidentiality of corporation records.
Copyright law
Prohibition against harming others by knowingly making false statements about a colleague or the school system.
The School Board Policy Manual can be found at https://go.boarddocs.com/in/danville/Board.nsf/Public?open&id=policies. Additional policies and handbooks also exist at each building level. Thank you for being a positive role model for our students and for each other!