Kelly Newsletter
January 2022
PRINCIPAL PRESS
Dear Kelly Families,
We truly hope that everyone had a safe and relaxing holiday break. We are excited for a new
year and the sense of excitement and renewal brought with it. We continue to be so grateful for all the students, parents, and staff that make Kelly Elementary School a wonderful place.
Students and staff are reconnecting this week and revisiting routines and expectations as we
move into the new year.
January will be a busy month at Kelly School. Our teachers will be reassessing all students
throughout the month. We use this assessment data to guide future instruction and provide
appropriate interventions as needed. You’ll also see some of our 5th grade student leaders on
safety patrol after school. They will be helping at the crosswalk and in the north parking lot. If
you get the chance, please let them know how much you appreciate them. We are also preparing and looking forward to the Kelly chorus concert on January 20th .
We will continue to learn about Making a Difference and will have our January assembly this
Thursday. Our 3rd graders will be teaching us how we can practice tolerance and include others. Watch for the YouTube link on Twitter @KellyGFPS or look on our school website to view the assembly.
Wishing you happiness and good health in 2022!
LuAnn Schmidt
Associate PrincipalI
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, January 10th-PTO Meeting-5:15pm-Library or by Zoom
Wednesday, January 12th-1:30 Dismissal
Monday, January 17th-No School
Thursday, January 20th-4th & 5th Grade Chorus Concert-6:00pm
Wednesday, January 26th-1:30 Dismissal
STUDENTS CHECKING OUT DURING SCHOOL HOURS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9TH
The City erroneously included March 9th as an early release date on the 2022 City calendar. Wednesday, March 9th is a full day of school.
COVID MASK UPDATE
GFPS employees and families,
At its meeting on November 22, 2021, the Grand Forks School Board approved the district’s Smart Restart Committee recommendations of the following:
Effective November 23, 2021: masks are recommended at after-school activities (athletics and fine arts performances where audience members or fans are in the stands).
Mask requirements will stay in place for ENCORE (after-school program).
Effective January 17, 2022: masks are recommended for K-12 students and employees in all school-owned or leased facilities during the instructional day.
Masks are highly recommended for staff working with Head Start and Early Childhood Special Education students.
Masks are required for programs that include immunocompromised students or employees.
All individuals using transportation (i.e.: school and city buses, vans) will continue to wear face masks, as this is a U.S. Department of Transportation requirement.
Mask requirements may be reinstated if COVID data dictate so.
As we shared last week, these recommendations were made, in part, due to the eligibility of students aged 5-12 to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination. Waiting until after the December holiday break will provide time for interested families to have their student(s) fully immunized.
If you have any questions, please contact your building-level administrator. Thank you.
Superintendent Dr. Terry Brenner
5TH GRADE TRANSFER REQUESTS
The Grand Forks School District has established school boundary lines for the purpose of creating geographically accessible schools with class sizes that fall within school board guidelines. Each of our schools offers equitable learning opportunities and programs, committed staff, and pride-filled environments.
Families may request a different school for their child other than their neighborhood school by completing a Transfer Request Form. Approvals are contingent on “space available” for both regular and special education programs. Student academic, attendance, and behavior records are also reviewed. The majority of our schools are at enrollment capacity, and therefore, very few requests are approved.
Families contemplating a transfer request must be able to provide daily transportation. Students must be dropped off close to the start of the school day and be picked up at the end of the school day (or end of an activity) to ensure student safety.
If you are considering a transfer request for next year, the completed form is due to the requested middle school office by February 25, 2022. Forms are available at any elementary or middle school office. You will be notified by mail in April/May whether your request is approved or denied.
Thank you for understanding our goals of maintaining appropriate class sizes and positive environments in our schools.
Sincerely,
Catherine Gillach Associate Superintendent of Secondary Education
A FEW REMINDERS
701-746-2265-school office
Telephone Calls: Calls do not ring into the classroom during school hours to minimize interruptions. Messages for students can be left on the teacher’s voicemail.
Peanut/Nut Free School: When sending a snack or packing a lunch, please remember to check labels to make sure it does not contain or have traces of peanuts/nuts.
Birthday Snacks: Due to the increase of students who have severe food allergies and the higher levels of severity, we no longer celebrate student birthdays with a “birthday snack” in our schools. Parents are welcome to find other non-food items to send to school if they wish. Please discuss with your child’s classroom teacher for ideas or preferences.
Arrival:
The first bell rings at 8:20 am. School begins at 8:25 am. Breakfast is offered 7:40-8:15 am. All students coming to breakfast must use door 16. Students not coming for breakfast should arrive between 8:15 and 8:20 am.
Dismissal: The safety of our students is a top priority for us at Kelly School. As per district policy, schools will have parents meet their child(ren) at a designated location outside the school at dismissal time.
• Teachers will bring their students to a location outside the school at their assigned door. Students will meet their parents or person picking them up at a prearranged meeting place near the assigned dismissal door.
• Older siblings meet the youngest sibling at youngest sibling’s assigned door.
• Bus/Daycare van students will walk through the school to Door #1 to board their bus or van.
SCHOOL CANCELLATION AND POSTPONEMENT PROCEDURES
School postponement and cancellation alternatives will be as follows:
- a. Hold school as normal
- b. Open school but delay sending buses
- c. Delay the start time in all schools by two (2) hours based on each school’s start time
- Elementary School: Start time is 8:25, so school would start at 10:25. Doors will open at 10:15 a.m.
- Middle School: Start time is 8:40, so school would start at 10:40. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m.
- High School: Start time is 8:00, so school would start at 10:00. Doors will open at 9:50 a.m.
- Head Start: Start time is 8:00, so school would start at 10:00. Doors will open at 9:50 a.m.
- When school starts late, there will be no morning Early Childhood Special Education classes. Afternoon Early Childhood Special Education classes will be held.
- Breakfast will not be served at any sites.
- d. No school in Grand Forks Public Schools all day
- e. No school for the Grand Forks Air Force Base School District students all day
- Decisions related to the weather-related delayed opening or closing of air base schools may not always be consistent with those made for in-town schools. On those days when severe weather makes travel conditions so hazardous as to threaten the safety of staff members, opening delays or the closing of base schools will be given special consideration.
- f. Once school is in session, it will not be terminated until the regular closing time except in very severe situations. However, school buses may leave early. Radio and TV stations will be used to notify parents.
The decision to close or delay school will be made as early as possible. Announcements will be made on the District webpage (www.gfschools.org), and District social media (www.facebook.com/GrandForksPublicSchools; www.twitter.com/GFSchools). Announcements will also be made on local radio and TV stations.
Grand Forks Public Schools will be using our Automated Calling system to call staff and parents if school will be delayed or cancelled due to severe weather conditions. Typically, this automated call will occur to staff between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., and to parents between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.Parents or guardians may always exercise their right to keep students home or pick them up early during stormy conditions.
If an emergency situation should develop during the time school is in session, children will be cared for in school until the storm has subsided.
If buses are sent home early, all buses will be sent.
- a. Radio and TV stations will make the announcement of the departure time.
- b. The lead-time needed for the procedure is approximately one (1) hour.
- c. If conditions are dangerous, bus drivers must use common sense in discharging students that must walk a considerable distance. If possible, use the radio and contact the base station. Have parents meet the bus or be on the lookout for their children. If the driver is unable to contact parents and conditions are dangerous, do not let students off the bus but return to school and notify the principal. Schools that have bus students must have a written procedure for caring for students in the event they must be kept overnight at school.
PARENTS LEAD
Let your student in on all of the things you find wonderful about them. They need to hear many positive comments about their lives, who they are as individuals, and all of the great things they have to look forward to if they are safe and healthy.
SAFE KIDS GRAND FORKS
This past fall, volunteers with Safe Kids Grand Forks were stationed at Kelly school one day doing observations during morning drop off and afternoon pick up. They were looking for drivers that were buckled, students that were sitting in the back seat, and students that were buckled and using a booster as appropriate. Sadly, their findings from this observation were nothing to brag about.
Safe Kids Grand Forks found that 87% of caregivers dropping off/picking up our students where buckled. Our state law says that all drivers should be buckled and it is a secondary offence. For where our students were sitting in the car, they found only 68% were in the back seat. This number should be 100% as no children under the age of 12 should be in the front seat (so that covers all kids from K-5!). In a crash, an airbag can be helpful for a full sized adult, but can be harmful to a child. Please make sure your students are always riding in the back seat!
They also found many students who should have been using boosters and a few students who were not buckled at all! Students should be using a booster seat until they fit in an adult seat belt correctly, which is usually around 4’9” tall, but can vary from car to car. Please see the picture below for how they should fit in a vehicle seat correctly. At the very least, we need our students and family to follow our state law. It is illegal for anyone under the age of 8 to be without a car seat or booster seat and anyone under the age of 18 to be unbuckled.
If you have questions on booster seat use or are in need of a booster for your car, please reach out to Safe Kids Grand Forks at safekids@altru.org or 701.780.1489. They have reduced price boosters available to everyone and some grant funding if you need assistance covering the cost.
Observations will be conducted at our school again in the spring, lets work to improve the safety of our students in the vehicle!