Maltby Messenger
February 18th Edition
~A message from our Principal~
Dear Maltby and MVLA Families,
We are excited to welcome our first and second graders back to school for in-person learning on March 1st and our third through fifth graders on March 15thl! We know this is an exciting time, and we also realize this will be a change in student schedules and daily life. As with any transition, there will be some adjustment for each of us. We are looking forward to greeting each of our students!
As our first and second grade students are preparing to come back to school so, too, are our first and second grade teachers. This upcoming week, first and second grade students will be asynchronous on Wednesday, February 24th and on Thursday, February 25th. This means first and second grade students will have learning on the computer with no zoom or live instruction. Our pre-school, kindergarten and 3-5 grades will be in session as normal. Friday, February 26th will be a typical distance learning day for everyone.
Our staff has worked extremely hard to develop thorough safety plans and procedures in alignment with the guidance from the Washington Department of Health and the Snohomish Health District and we are confident these plans and procedures will help mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 in our school. Covid-19 information is available on our district website. If you don’t find what you are looking for, please contact us!
Transportation
Our bus drivers are prepared and excited to transport your students to and from school! Our transportation department made a video for families to show the safety precautions they have in place for bus riders, which can be viewed here. If you would like your child to ride the bus to/from school, please let our transportation department know by filling out this form online. The deadline to request transportation for your child is Monday, February 22 by the end of the business day for grades 1-2. If your older child needs transportation, you can fill out the form now, too in preparation for return to school on March 15 so that our transportation department has adequate time to plan bus routes. Families who opt-in for transportation will be contacted the week prior to school starting to inform them of their child’s bus stop information. Another handy tool for families is E-Link, which allows families to get real time routing information for their students.
Everyone is looking forward to welcoming our students! Please contact us if we can be of service to you! Thank-you for all you do each day! You are appreciated!
Fondly,
Bonnie McKerney and Jennifer Murphy
MSD Self-Declaration Checklist Attestation Form
Maltby Celebrates Black History Month
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.
Cohort Assignments 20-21
Important Notice from Transportation...
Our bus drivers are prepared and excited to transport your students to and from school! Our transportation department made a video for families to show the safety precautions they have in place for bus riders, which can be viewed here. If you would like your child to ride the bus to/from school, please let our transportation department know by filling out this form online. The deadline to request transportation for your child is Monday, February 22 by the end of the business day so that our transportation department has adequate time to plan bus routes. Families who opt-in for transportation will be contacted the week prior to school starting to inform them of their child’s bus stop information. Another handy tool for families is E-Link, which allows families to get real time routing information for their students.
From the desk of Nurse Joy...
We will be conducting a vision screening for all children attending in person learning at Maltby Elementary on Wednesday February 24th. As more children return, they will be scheduled for screening.
It has been estimated that as much as 80% of learning occurs visually. Currently, vision disorders are the 4th most common childhood disability in the United States with one in four children suffering from a vision problem. Our school is committed to ensuring every student is healthy and ready to learn.
In support of our commitment to promote healthy learners, all students will be receiving a vision screening tool using the Spot Screening Vision Tool. This tool is a program is a computerized vision screening program that can identify problems much earlier and is more accurate than a traditional wall chart vision screening. The program is highly accurate and meets the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
A child’s vision can change every year, therefore it is important that every student receive a vision screening every year to identify children who have a vision problem and need to be seen by an eye care professional.
Early detection and treatment of a vision problem is critical to your child’s educational success, health and wellbeing. Please contact me if you have any questions. Parents will receive a print out of the screening results if the child does not pass which you can take to the child’s doctor. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Joy Good RN BSN
ESN Certificated School Nurse
Maltby Elementary School
360-804-3170
Monthly Chat with the Principal
Students...bring your parents or guardians to our monthly chat with Principal Bonnie McKerney on Thursday, February 25th at 6 PM. With the end of the semester we want to celebrate all the wonderful learning that has happened. We invite our students to show us some of their best work (pictures, stories, poems…). We will have a “show and tell” time. Principal McKerney will be sharing some great skills for school life including: establishing routines, organization management and goal setting. We will have live interpreting in Spanish for those that need it.
Please join us if you can. Copy and paste this link into your web browser:
Picture Day has been RESCHEDULED...
Picture Day is coming!! Monday, March 22nd, Dorian Photography will be here at Maltby taking student pictures. These photos will be available for purchase through their website. Information will be forthcoming on specifics regarding picture day.
Health Room Corner
Hello Maltby families. Our Health Room is currently in need of donations. Please see the list below:
- Brand new girl's and boy’s underwear, sizes 6-10
- Gently used or new unisex sweatpants, sizes 6-12
Thank you so much,
Mrs. Urstad (Health Room Assistant)
Student Pick-up/Drop-off Procedures:
Attention Parents/Guardians:
If your child is CAR DROP:
-It is helpful if your child’s car seat is on the passenger side of the car.
-Please STAY IN YOUR CAR, if your child needs to be buckled, once loaded, please pull beyond the dumpsters and buckle them in.
-Cars will wait in a single line. Please do not pull around.
-Parents will pull up to a cone (red, orange, yellow, green, blue or purple)
-Our staff will monitor your child by the waiting wall until their name is called to go to a cone and load.
-Parents PLEASE do not have your child run across the parking lot or crosswalk.
If your child is a WALKER:
-Please come to the Parent Pick Up area located on the side of the gym near the black iron gate.
Thank you for helping us keep your children safe!!
We NEED Pictures!!
- Holidays
- Virtual Spirit Week
- Masks: Show off your favorites
- Learning Bag/Folder Pick-Ups
- Specialist at Home
Please send all pictures to: birks@monroe.wednet.edu
Thank you,
The Yearbook Committee
Make sure your contact information is up-to date...
It is very important that all families make sure all of their contact information is up-to-date with the school office. In the event of school delays and cancelations, or other emergencies, we need to be able to contact all of our families. When there are urgent messages to share with families, they are sent out via email and phone call. Messages are also posted on the district website, Facebook and Twitter.
If you would like to opt-in to also receive text messages, please send a text message of "Y" or "Yes" to our school's short code number, 67587. You can opt out of these messages any time by simply replying to oue of our messages with "Stop".
Inclement Weather Procedures Reminder
Now that winter is upon us, we wanted to remind you of our inclement weather procedures. Even though it is an unusual school year, we will be following our typical inclement weather procedures just as any other school year. This means that if road conditions are deemed unsafe, we will be delaying or canceling school for that day, including distance learning. Canceled school days may need to be made up at the end of the school year.
While the majority of our students are currently in a distance learning model, we have many staff and students reporting to our buildings every day. Buses are running daily, transporting our preschool, kindergarten and other small groups of students to and from school; many of our teachers continue to work onsite in order to utilize district technology & internet; and many more employees report to work daily in order to provide necessary services to students. Our top priority is always the safety of staff and students when making decisions related to inclement weather and upholding our typical procedures will allow us to keep staff and students safe in the event of unsafe road conditions.
We recognize that canceled school days may disrupt family schedules and that the school year may have to be extended. The decision to close schools in the event of inclement weather is not an easy one and many factors are taken into consideration when making such a decision. It is important to understand that the road conditions of our entire district are taken into account when a delay or closure decision is made. The roads in one part of our district may be clear while other areas are struggling with snow and/or ice and we are unable to close some schools in the district while leaving other schools open.
How the decision to delay or close schools is made:
To help make the best possible decision, weather forecasts are consistently monitored and district staff drive our bus routes to evaluate road and parking lot conditions. We make every effort to make decisions regarding closings or delays in the evening, understanding that parents need time to make arrangements for the following day. However, if the forecast is uncertain and still developing, we wait to get the latest forecast and assess actual road conditions early in the morning. Morning decisions will be announced by 5 a.m. Additionally, if a delayed opening has been announced the night before, and the forecast or conditions worsen overnight, we may need to update the status in the morning and announce that all schools will be closed for the day.
Depending on the winter weather conditions, one of the following four options is decided:
- Schools start on time (no messages will be shared)
- Schools start on time with limited bus service
- Schools start two hours late (no a.m. preschool, no out-of-district transportation) - a delay would only be utilized if/when students and staff return to full days of in-person learning
- Schools are closed (When schools are closed, all after school activities and evening facility use are also canceled.)
If schools are delayed or closed, information will be shared through the following communication channels:
- Email and robocall: An email and automated phone call will go out to all staff and families. Please make sure your contact information is up to date in Family Access to ensure you receive these notifications. Families who have 'unsubscribed' from district emails and/or automated calls will not receive these notifications.
- Text message: A text message will be sent only to those families who have opted-in to receive texts from the district. Learn how to opt-in here.
- District website: A message will be posted to the front page of our district website.
- Social media: Messages will be posted to the district Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
- School schedule hotline: 360-804-2950
We will not send or post messages if schedules are normal. No news means that schools are open.
Snow bus routes are posted on the district website, here.
New Opt-OUT Procedure for Student Use of Online Resources
This year, we have made a change in our procedure for our students’ use of technology, Internet, and online digital resources. In prior years, all parents have been asked to sign an Online Digital Resources Student Permission form to allow their student to use our approved online resources while at school. This has become a tedious process for both parents and staff, and we feel by changing the procedure to an opt-OUT, we can make this process easier for all.
Starting this school year, the new procedure requires parents to sign a form only if they would like to opt their student OUT of having access to the Internet, Google Suite for Education, online curriculum services, and other online applications and services that have been selected for use by the District, the child’s school, or the child’s teacher.
If a parent/guardian wishes to deny their student access to the above referenced resources, they will need to fill out the Opt-Out form located on the district website. Because of the essential nature of digital resources in the classroom, if a parent wishes to opt out their student, they will also need to schedule an appointment with the building administrator of their child’s school to discuss the request.
If opt-out documentation is not on file, it will be assumed that permission has been granted for access to the Internet, Google Suite for Education, online curriculum services, and other online applications and services that have been selected for use by the District, your child’s school, or your child’s teacher. Please refer to our website for a list of district approved online resources.
We hope this new procedure will be easier for our families each school year. If you have any questions, please contact DeAnn Hermes via email (hermesd@monroe.wednet.edu).
Learning Assistance Program
Our Maltby Intervention Team has begun serving students in the Learning Assistance Program (LAP), offering support in reading and writing. Your child may have been invited to special Zoom meetings with Jeannette VanDuine, Shae Hill, Jacque Hunt, Jennifer Russell or Becky Baker. Some groups meet Monday through Thursday and others less frequently. In some classrooms LAP support for reading and writing may happen during part of the classroom teacher's regular program in a breakout room or with a shared lesson. This LAP time gives students a chance to get individual attention at their current skill level and also work on grade level tasks for their classroom. Your child's classroom teacher can answer specific questions you may have about our program. In addition, Becky Baker ELL/LAP Intervention Specialist, can provide additional information.
Becky Baker
ELL/LAP Specialist
Maltby Elementary School
Library Check-Out
Free Lunch Distribution
Free meals will continue to be provided at all elementary schools and Monroe High School daily, from 11:30 - 1:30 p.m. It is important to note that duplicate meals are not allowed in the free meal program. Please choose to pick up a meal kit or meals daily, not both.
Food Pantry at Maltby...
The Maltby Food Bank in partnership with the Monroe Public Schools Foundation has created a Food Pantry at Maltby Elementary. It will be open every Thursday during the lunch pick-up time 11:30-1:30 pm in the car drop area to the east of the school.
If you have any questions please contact Kathy Jackson at jacksonka@monroe.wednet.edu
Free and Reduced Lunch and Discounted Internet
While we are currently offering FREE breakfast and lunch to all students, the funding for this program has been extended through June 2021. We know that each year many of our families qualify for free or reduced price meals and it is very important that families who may qualify fill out the annual application in order to receive free or reduced price meals for the remainder of the school year.
Meal Applications can be found on our website and can be submitted in-person or online here. Once you submit an application, you will receive a notice in the mail as to whether your child/children can receive free or reduced-price meals. If approved, your letter can help you access the K-12 Internet Access Program. Every eligible form that is not submitted means lost resources for your family and our schools.
If you qualify for free or reduced price meals, you may also be eligible to receive free internet service at your home. If you qualify for the free or reduced price meal program, you will receive a letter of approval. Once you have this letter, and if you are interested in the free Internet Access Program from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), please contact Brenda Hunt at: huntb@monroe.wednet.edu or 360.804.2500 (English) and Olga Flores at: floreso@monroe.wednet.edu or 360.804.2570 (Spanish) to receive the name of the internet provider and the offer/promo code to sign up for free internet. You can find more information on OSPI’s internet program here.
Maltby Food Bank
WAYS TO DONATE
Amazon Smiles
Do you shop at Amazon? Did you know that you can help our school by shopping through AmazonSmile?
We have an account that each time you purchase on the site, our school will earn 0.5% of funds back on your purchase!
Charity Name: Maltby Parent Teacher Organization
To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. On your first visit to AmazonSmile smile.amazon.com, you need to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. We will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.
Benevity
Does your company partner with Benevity to give back? Did you know that you can choose our school to receive funds?
Search for MALTBY PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION , our unique ID # 911126130
Important Upcoming Dates!
February 1-28 ~ Black History Month
February 22 ~ School Board Meeting @ 6 PM
February 22 ~ Taproot Theatre Virtual Assembly
February 24 ~ Vision Screening at MBE
February 24-25 ~ Independent learning day for Grades 1-2; no live instruction (regular in-person schedule for Kinders, regurlar distance learning schedule for grades 3-5)
February 25 ~ Principal Chat @ 6 PM
February 26 ~ Regular distance learning day for students in K-5
March 1 ~ 1st and 2nd graders return for in-person learning
March 8 ~ School Board Meeting @ 6 PM
March 15 ~ 3-5th graders return for in-person learning
March 22 ~ Picture Day
TRANSLATE THIS NEWSLETTER
We are so excited to be using Smore for our school newsletter this year! Our newsletter will be delivered directly to your email inbox and can be translated to any language in three easy steps:
When you receive the school newsletter in your email inbox, open the email and click on the title in the newsletter to open it in Smore.
Once in Smore, scroll to the very bottom of the newsletter. Above the red word ‘Report’ you will see the word ‘Translate’. Click ‘Translate’.
Next, select your preferred language in the drop-down menu and the newsletter will automatically translate to the language you chose.
About Us
Principal
Bonnie McKerney
Counselor
Gail Gronwall
Office Manager
Junelle Lewis
lewisj@monroe.wednet.edu
Office Support
Jamie Porter
Health Room
HR Assistant
Becky Urstad
Nurse
Joy Good
360-804-2984
Family Engagement Liaison
Kathy Jackson
Fax ~ 360-804-3599
Health Room ~ 360-804-3532
Attendance Hotline ~ 360-804-3501
Bus Delay Information ~ 360-804-2951
Transportation Office ~ 360-804-2650
School Hours: 8:55 am-3:25 pm (Monday-Thursday)
8:55 am-2:25 pm (Fridays)
Email: maltbyelementary@monroe.wednet.edu
Website: https://www.monroe.wednet.edu/mbe
Location: Maltby Elementary School, 212th Street Southeast, Snohomish, WA, USA
Phone: 360-804-3500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Maltby-Elementary-School-153985141874072/
Twitter: @monroewaschools
About US
Principal
Jennifer Murphy
Email: MVLAelementary@monroe.wednet.edu
Website: https://www.monroe.wednet.edu/schools/monroe-virtual-learning-academy
Phone: 360-804-4900
Twitter: @monroewaschools
MSD Notice of Non-Discrimination
Monroe School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Civil Rights Coordinator: Joanne Dickinson and Title IX Coordinator, 360-804-2539, dickinsonj@monroe.wednet.edu; and 504 Coordinator: David Paratore, 360-804-2609, paratored@monroe.wednet.edu. Address: 14692 179th Ave. SE, Monroe, WA 98272.