Wildcat Update
April 9th - 17th
King Science & Technology Magnet
Principal's Message
Please look over all of the resources available in our community for support. We also have provided our online resources that are available as well. We may be working virtually but do know we are out there working to support our students and families everyday! Check back in on Friday, April 10th on our district website page and KSTM Facebook page for a special slide show.
Take care,
Dr. Rath
We do!!
Wildcat Spirit Day is tomorrow!! Friday, April 10th
Wildcat Proud!!
What is COVID-19?
Coronavirus or Covid-19 is a virus that affects the respiratory system (lungs, nose, mouth, throat, bronchi, and all other body parts involved in breathing). It passes from person to person through droplets from sneezes, coughs, runny noses, and saliva.
Concern over the virus can make us feel anxious, by being informed you can make decisions based on fact and not fear.
Trusted Information on COVID-19
For information you can trust about COVID-19, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention!
Handwashing Information
Guidance for Stress & Anxiety Support
STAY CALM, LISTEN, AND OFFER REASSURANCE
- Be a role model. Children will react to and follow your reactions. They learn from your example.
- Be aware of how you talk about COVID-19. Your discussion about COVID-19 can increase or decrease your child's fear. If true, remind your child that your family is healthy, and you are going to do everything within your power to keep loved ones safe and well. Carefully listen or have them draw or write out their thoughts and feelings and respond with truth and reassurance.
- Explain social distancing. Children probably don’t fully understand why parents/guardians aren’t allowing them to be with friends. Tell your child that your family is following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which include social distancing. Social distancing means staying away from others until the risk of contracting COVID-19 is under control. Showing older children the "flatten the curve" charts will help them grasp the significance of social distancing. Explain that while we don't know how long it will take to "flatten the curve" to reduce the number of those infected, we do know that this is a critical time—we must follow the guidelines of health experts to do our part.
- Demonstrate deep breathing. Deep breathing is a valuable tool for calming the nervous system. Do breathing exercises with your children.
- Focus on the positive. Celebrate having more time to spend as a family. Make it as fun as possible. Do family projects. Organize belongings, create masterpieces. Sing, laugh, and go outside, if possible, to connect with nature and get needed exercise. Allow older children to connect with their friends virtually.
- Establish and maintain a daily routine. Keeping a regular schedule provides a sense of control, predictability, calm, and well-being. It also helps children and other family members respect others’ need for quiet or uninterrupted time and when they can connect with friends virtually.
- Identify projects that might help others. This could include: writing letters to the neighbors or others who might be stuck at home alone or to healthcare workers; sending positive messages over social media; or reading a favorite children’s book on a social media platform for younger children to hear.
- Offer lots of love and affection.
KEEP EXPLANATIONS AGE-APPROPRIATE
- Early elementary school children. Provide brief, simple information that balances COVID-19 facts with appropriate reassurances that adults are there to help keep them healthy and to take care of them if they do get sick. Give simple examples of the steps people make every day to stop germs and stay healthy, such as washing hands. Use language such as "adults are working hard to keep you safe."
- Upper elementary and early middle school children. This age group often is more vocal in asking questions about whether they indeed are safe and what will happen if COVID-19 spreads in their area. They may need assistance separating reality from rumor and fantasy. Discuss the efforts national, state, and community leaders are doing to prevent germs from spreading.
- Upper middle and high school students. Issues can be discussed in more depth. Refer them to appropriate sources of COVID-19 facts. Provide honest, accurate, and factual information about the current status of COVID-19. Engage them in decision-making about family plans, scheduling, and helping with chores at home.
- For all children, encourage them to verbalize their thoughts and feelings. Be a good listener!
Additional Resources
Douglas County Resources
Douglas County Corona Virus Assistance & Info:
CELL PHONE:
Here’s What Cell Phone Carriers Are Doing to Help People Stay Connected
So what are cell phone companies doing? Let’s look at the details of what some carriers are offering:
AT&T
AT&T says it will support customers for the next 60 days by waiving fees on late payments and not terminating service for those who can't pay their bill due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are the details of AT&T’s measures:
· The company will keep services on for the following delinquent customers: wireless, home phone or broadband residential or small business
· AT&T will waive late payment fees for the following customers: wireless, home phone or broadband residential or small business
· The company will also keep its public Wi-Fi hotspots open for all
Sprint
Sprint joins its rivals by offering two months of free unlimited data plans along with other goodies. Here’s what’s in store:
· For the next 60 days, Sprint says it is waiving late fees for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
· Keep services on for those who are late paying their bill
· Give free international calling rates to U.S. customers calling countries defined by the CDC as Level 3.
· Customers without unlimited plans will get 60 days of unlimited data (a minimum of two bill cycles) for free
· Customers will also get an extra 20GB of mobile hotspot data per month for 60 days (a minimum of two bill cycles) for free
T-Mobile
T-Mobile announced that it is giving more data to its customers. Since many of T-Mobile's customers already have unlimited data plans, here's more of what the company is offering:
· An expanded network capacity boosted by 600 MHz of spectrum (frequency capacity) for the next 60 days
· More roaming access for Sprint customers on T-Mobile's network
· An extra 20GB of hotspot for all T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers for the next two months. The company says this is "coming soon"
· An additional 5GB of free data per month over the next 60 days for its Lifeline partners
· More data for schools using its EmpowerED digital learning programs. The goal is for each user to have at least 20GB of data per month for the next 60 days
· Giving away $500,000 to Feeding America through its T-Mobile Tuesdays app
Verizon
Verizon is helping customers impacted by the pandemic by rolling out several goodwill initiatives, including:
· Waiving late fees for those affected by COVID-19, including residential and small business accounts
· Tripling its monthly data allowance for its Verizon Innovative Learning schools
· Committing $10 million to nonprofits directed at supporting students and first responders
COURT INFO:
-Information can be found at the Nebraska Supreme Court Website regarding COVID-19 response:
https://supremecourt.nebraska.gov/
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:
Women’s Center for Advancement – WCA: 3801 Harney St Omaha 68131 402-345-6555
DOUGLAS COUNTY COVID-19 HOTLINES:
Boys Town Family Help Line: 1-800-448-3000
Douglas County Health Department – 402-444-3400 M-F 8:30am – 4:00 pm
Health and Human Services – 402-552-6645 7 days a week – 8:00am to 8:00 pm
AFTER 8 PM – call 2-1-1
Methodist Health System – 402-815-SICK (7425)
Nebraska Medicine – 1-800-922-0000
Ortho Nebraska – 402-609-2600
INTERNET CONECTIVITY:
Connectivity for Students who do not have it:
FCC agreement stating that providers will waive late fees, not cut of service for lack of payment and open hot-spots.
-AT&T COVID-19 response offers open hot-spots with unlimited data to existing customers. Also offer plans for $10 per month for low income families.
-Charter has a free 2 month Internet offer.
-Comcast COVID 19 response offers free WiFi for 2 months to low income families.
-COX: for the next sixty days Cox is extending the following (03/13/2020):
Updating internet speeds, not terminating service to any residential or small business customer because of an inability to pay their bills due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. They will waive any late fees that residential or small business customers incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus epidemic. Cox Wifi hotspots will be open to help keep the public connected in this time of need.
Locations of Cox Hotspots:
https://www.cox.com/aboutus/wifi-hotspot-map.html
-Connect 2 Compete – will fast track qualification process so student can continue learning from home. (will still cost $9.95 per month).
-Sprint COVID-19 response follow FCC agreement, provides unlimited data to existing customers, and will soon allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days at no extra cost.
-VERIZON COVID-10 response to special offers, but they are following the FCC agreement.
-All Xfinity hot-spots are free to the public during this time
LEGAL ASSISTANCE:
Legal Aid – FREE legal help hotline available for Nebraskans affected by Covid 19 : 1-844-268-5627
MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE:
-Online AA meetings:
http://aa-intergroup.org/directory.php
-Project Harmony Connections Program:
https://projectharmony.com/services/early-intervention-and-training/connections/
-SAMSHA website
NEBRASKA CHILDREN’S COVID 19 RESOURCE PAGE:
https://www.nebraskachildren.org/covid-19-information-and-resources.html?blm_aid=7536642
PEER SUPPORT:
-SAMSHA website offer many things to assist with supporting peers
TELEHEALTH SERVICES:
Boys Town Family Helpline – Crisis counselors available 1-800-448-3000
Nebraska Family Support Network – family peer support services available 402-345-0791
Region 6 Behavioral Health – call Jason Levering for screening and intake 402-996-8377
TIPS FOR WORKING FROM HOME:
https://www.governing.com/now/Working-from-Home-Ten-Tips-for-Staying-Productive.html
TRANSPORTATION:
-Metro Area Transit (MAT) is offering FREE bus rides. Clients are asked to enter through the door at the rear of the bus. This will continue until further notice.
http://www.ometro.com/index.php/alert/covid-19/
BUS SCHEDULE:
http://www.ometro.com/index.php/alert/covid-19/
RESOURCE LISTS:
-Doane University has a searchable website for goods/services around the State:
https://www.doane.edu/covid-19-community-resources
Nebraska Total Care has a searchable resource website for clients to search for goods/services in their zip code:
https://nebraskatotalcare.auntbertha.com/
-Link to Region 6 website: Click on Community Resources 2019 at bottom of the page https://www.regionsix.com/
FOOD:
Communicaton During School Closure
Until further notice, the building is closed to everyone including office staff, therefore, please use the email as your primary form of communication with staff.
All staff has been updated on our district King Science website.
https://kingscience.ops.org/Staff/tabid/648/Default.aspx#46522-leadership-team
Online Learning Resources
Online learning programs available to all students:
For all programs, students need only use their "s" account and password is set to their student id # (their lunch number). Students can also simply go into their Office365 email account and click on the waffle to find whatever app they are looking to work in.
Teams: Teams is a platform within your student's Office365 account that allows teachers to post assignments and communicate with students while providing resources. Students should check teams if they are not receiving assignments through email. Many teachers are utilizing teams even if they never did before.
IXL: IXL is personalized learning. With a comprehensive K-12 curriculum, individualized guidance, and real-time analytics, IXL meets the unique needs of each learner. IXL offers practice in math, science, social studies and language arts!
Legends of Learning: Topics are Mathematics, Life Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences, and Physical Sciences. Math and Science teachers can don their capes with more thousands of Legends of Learning math and science games designed for grades 3-8. The games align with many of the most popular state standards.
Online Textbooks: Most content areas have online textbooks that can be accessed through Office365 waffle.
Example Schedule
KEEP IT MOVING!!!
It is important both physically and mentally to stay active. Due to the pandemic, many educational programs have waived all fees at this time. One such program is GoNoodle!
GoNoodle: Good Energy at Home offers free:
• Movement, yoga, and mindfulness videos
• Downloadable curricular activities
• Recommended off-screen home activities
Food and Shelter Resources
Food Bank for the Heartland
https://foodbankheartland.org/get-food/
Homeless Shelter Directory and Resources
https://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/cgi-bin/id/city.cgi?city=Omaha&state=NE
King Science & Technology Magnet
Email: carrie.rath@ops.org
Website: https://kingscience.ops.org/
Phone: 531-299-2380
Counselor Corner
See Below