Miller Elementary Parent Bulletin
September
From Principal
Hello Dolphin families,
We have appreciated all your patience and support as we have navigated back to a full campus learning experience. While there are lots of changes and added health and safety protocols we have appreciated your positivity and flexibility during these new times. Each day we are evaluating our procedures that are in place and making sure we are observing district protocols while providing a good experience for the children and staff on campus. One area in particular we have come to observe and analyze and that is the PM pick up time at dismissal. We have seen how busy it is in the PM with families and children being picked up and are now finding we need to adjust our dismissal procedure for the continued health and safety of all.
Beginning next Monday (September 13) we will use the dismissal procedure we had in place last year and over the summer.
TK/K/1 grade students will be released by the red tent gate area
Grades 2 and 3 will exit from the white tented gate (main entrance by the office) into the front courtyard
Grades 4 and 5 will exit from the blue tented gate area (down by the 700 building)
This was successful last year for dismissal as it spread things out a little more to support a safer and less crowded exit plan. Please note that AM arrival remains the same with the same two open gates. This change ONLY affects the PM dismissal.
We hope that you find this change helpful and safer for all. Again, we appreciate your support as we fine tune things and improve each day. Please also be sure to not stop your car in the front of the school or in the middle of the parking lot area. Please proceed to a parking spot further into the parking lot so that we can accommodate all families trying for a safe pick up of their child. We are also getting back up onto Shields Street which becomes a further hazard. We would appreciate you moving forward for a more traffic free pick up after school. Our team will be out supporting in the coming days.
We continue to collect forms that have been sent home during these first few days of school. We ask that they are returned as soon as possible so that our records can be updated with your current information.
At this time we are waiting for a new delivery of computer devices for any students still in need. Our teachers know who is still in need and we will work with the teacher in sending children to the office when they get delivered.
A reminder that all families need to submit their COVID-testing preference in their Parent Portal by this weekend. You have two choices - opting in or opting out. A choice must be selected for each child. Instructions on how to access are located below. Again, the due date is this weekend. We appreciate your support in getting this completed. If you are taking your children to test at Canyon Hills High School a few reminders-
- Per regulations you must remain in the car for your testing
- They need to make an appointment.
Instructions are below on how to make an appointment at our district schools. Canyon Hills High School appreciates your cooperation in making that a safe testing location. You can still sign up for weekly testing here at Miller.
Have a safe and healthy weekend
Miller Office Hours
The office will be open every
Mon, Tue, Wed & Fri - 7:00 am to 2:30 pm
Thursdays - 7:00 am to 1:30 pm.
If you need help or have questions outside of these hours please email millelm@sandi.net. Your email will be responded to as soon as possible.
If families are still interested in enrolling and did NOT email virtualacademy@sandi.net prior to August 20th, they can submit their interest to be placed on a waiting list using this link.
New Student COVID-19 Testing Option
As published in parent emails from our district, a new form will be added to the PowerSchool Parent/Student Portal effective Thursday, August 26, 2021. The new form will allow parents and students to indicate if they wish to be included in the district’s COVID-19 testing program. All parents/guardians are required to complete the form and indicate whether they choose to participate in COVID-19 testing, or not.
Parent/Student Portal support for new form:
To assist parents/guardians with submitting the form, a job aid is available with instructions. Parents/guardians should be instructed to login to the PowerSchool Parent Portal at https://powerschool.sandi.net and select Forms from the left-hand navigation, then select the form named School COVID-19 Testing Option. If parents/guardians do not have a Parent Portal account, they may also login using their student’s ID and password. However, please encourage parents/guardians to create their own Parent Portal account in the future.
Any parents/guardians who indicate that they would like to enroll in the District’s COVID-19 testing program will be directed to one or two additional forms based on school of enrollment. These forms will also show in the PowerSchool Parent/Student Portal Forms area if a parent needs to return to them later.
Mask Policy from the District
San Diego Unified community:
As we prepare for a safe start to the new school year, we will continue to update our policies and procedures, as new information becomes available. Today, we are updating our policy on the wearing of masks. We are strengthening the policy in light of the continued presence of the Covid-19 virus in our community.
The new policy is as follows:
Masks are always required indoors. Masks are now required outdoors at all times while students are on campus, unless they are eating. Currently, large-scale events are not recommended for any school sites due to the increased risk of exposure.
We highly encourage students to take mask breaks outdoors. During these breaks students should maintain 6 feet distance from each other. Wearing masks outdoors lessens the likelihood of student exposure and allows more students to qualify for a modified quarantine.
Masks may be removed outdoors in certain situations and with certain distancing
recommendations during physical education, athletics and performing arts programs.
Mientras nos preparamos para un comienzo seguro del nuevo año escolar, continuaremos actualizando nuestras políticas y procedimientos, a medida que haya nueva información disponible. Hoy, estamos actualizando nuestra política sobre el uso de mascarillas. Estamos fortaleciendo la política debido a la presencia continua del virus Covid-19 en nuestra comunidad.
La nueva política es la siguiente:
Las mascarillas se requieren siempre en interiores. Ahora también se requieren al aire libre en todo momento mientras los estudiantes están en el plantel, a menos que estén comiendo. Actualmente, los eventos grandes no se recomiendan para ningúna escuela debido al mayor riesgo de exposición.
Recomendamos encarecidamente a los estudiantes que tomen descansos al usar mascarillas al aire libre. Durante estos descansos, los estudiantes deben mantener una distancia de 6 pies entre sí. El uso de mascarillas al aire libre reduce la probabilidad de exposición de los estudiantes y permite que más estudiantes califiquen para una cuarentena modificada.
Las mascarillas se pueden quitar al aire libre en ciertas situaciones y con ciertas recomendaciones de distanciamiento durante los programas de educación física, atletismo y artes escénicas
PTA News - Facebook.com/MillerPTA
Resources for Military families!
If you wish to utilize services or inquire into other resources available to
military families, please reach out to your school liaison Stacey Bengtson at (858) 349-7678. Additionally, listed below are several resources that provide a broad range of support to the Military community.
Resources:
San Diego Military Collaborative
SDmilitaryfamily.org
(858) 496-0044
Military OneSource
http://militaryonesource.mil/
(800) 342-9647
Fleet and Family Support Center
https://sandiego.navylifesw.com
(619) 556-7404
Additional Resources for military Families:
LCFF
Dear Miller Parents,
Each year the district is responsible for collecting information from our students’ families to support the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) process. The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) is hallmark legislation that fundamentally changed how all school districts in the state are funded, how they are measured for results, and the services and supports they receive allow all students to succeed to their greatest potential.
To support the state’s process San Diego Unified utilizes an online system accessed through the Parent Connect page of Power School in which we ask parents and families to complete a very short questionnaire that increases Miller Elementary School's opportunity to receive more funds from the state. The information is only collected for this process and will not be used for any other purpose. We ask that you complete the short survey before the September 17, 2021. By doing so you will not only be supporting the district’s efforts, but increasing the chances of Miller Elementary School in receiving more funding.
Please complete the survey today. Log onto ParentConnect and submit your information.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Most sincerely,
Gina Camacho McGrath