I want to start off by thanking you so much for your patience over the last week. With all of this being so new, it has been a learning experience for everyone involved. Thank you for working with our teachers and supporting your students at home. I know there have been so many questions and hiccups along the way, but the Ferson staff truly appreciates your perseverance as we work through so many unknowns together. Teachers have been making adjustments and learning throughout this week as well, so I'm hopeful that things were smoother for you as the week progressed. If you are inclined, please take a minute to complete this survey. I am looking for feedback on how things are going so that we know what changes need to be made, and what is going well. I really appreciate you taking the time! Please know that we truly do not want students to be overwhelmed at home. We are trying to keep them connected to their learning, to their teacher, and to each other. If your child is overwhelmed, or if the workload is too much, it is okay to let the teacher know and make the necessary adjustments.

Thank you again for your true partnership. I look forward to having smiling faces back in the halls of Ferson!

Take care and be well,

Kristy McKnight

These are unprecedented times, and it's inspiring to see communities rising to the challenge. However, not everyone has the resources to "shelter in place" especially the millions of people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Living paycheck to paycheck is hard when millions of businesses around the nation are closing down indefinitely, and hourly workers (including those dependent upon tips) are the hardest hit. In particular, families with kids whose primary meals happen at school are especially vulnerable when those schools shut down.

With this in mind, Expensify.org is going to temporarily redirect all of its charitable funds to Expensify.org/hunger. With its ability to reimburse volunteers directly in real-time, Expensify.org is uniquely positioned to help families in need immediately. Until today, this fund was focused on paying off kids' "lunch debts" , but with schools closed around the nation, that isn't the top priority. Instead, we're devoting everything to a new program: matching SNAP grocery purchases up to $50 per family. It works like this:

1. Purchase food as normal with your SNAP card

1. Download Expensify on iOS or Android, for free

1. Join the Expensify.org/hunger policy

1. SmartScan the receipt, which will tell us how much you paid and show that it was paid for with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card

1. Submit it to volunteer@expensify.org

1. Set up your bank account to receive the funds

1. So long as we have funds available, we will reimburse up to $50 per family (one time), the very next day.

To be clear, we can't commit to reimbursing every single person in need — we have no idea how many people will do this, and unfortunately, we don't have unlimited funds. We also don't know how long this crisis will last and how far our brand new charity's resources will stretch. But we're going to do what we can with the funds donated on behalf of Expensify Cardholders via the Karma Points feature, as well as by the extremely generous donors who have signed up for our Corporate and Personal Karma programs.

This is a truly global crisis, and it is only beginning. We all need to work together to weather the storm, and on behalf of Expensify.org's many generous members, we're eager to help.

This year, our building was fortunate to receive a grant from Project Lead The Way and the Bemis Corporation to support our Project Lead the Way program in grades K-5. Included as part of the grant reporting process is a parent survey. Please take a moment to complete the survey. Responses are anonymous and information gathered from the survey will help to provide feedback to Project Lead the Way as they plan for the future.

https://pltw.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7Vh1GhzsHBcBLqB

The D303 donation drive for Bernie’s Books will be the two weeks right after spring break, April 6-17, 2020. Please consider bringing in new and gently used children’s books for birth through 6th grade to Ferson Creek during the donation drive. Parents or students may place books in the collection bins located in the front foyer. D303’s goal for the 2020 donation drive is 20,000 books. Every book will help us reach our goal.

• Tuesday, March 17 - Friday, March 27th All D303 school buildings closed, students participate in eLearning
• March 30th - April 3rd; Spring Break
• Tuesday, April 7th & Wednesday April 8th IAR Testing 3rd-5th Grade
• Tuesday, April 14th - Thursday, April 16th IAR Testing 3rd-5th Grade
• Thurs. April 9th - No students in the afternoon - Spring Conferences
• Fri. April 10th - Teacher Institute Day - no students