The Eagle Express
Week of: September 4, 2020
Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year!
It's here! It's really here! We are SO incredibly excited to be welcoming students back (both virtually, and in person) next week! The anticipation has been building, and the time has finally come!
It has been two wonderful weeks with staff back in the building. They have been working hard to get ready for all of you. They were most excited for this week's virtual meet and greets. Seeing your smiling faces makes us that much more excited to be together. Please be sure to check out our own quick video update for families below!
As we stated in our last Eagle Express, we plan on sharing a newsletter with families about every two weeks. We will always send them out on Fridays via Infinite Campus. We will also post them to FB and Twitter. Please double check your parent portal account to ensure that you checked the box to receive district emails. We don't want you to miss any important communications this year.
If you are new to Ronald Reagan...WELCOME! We are so excited that you are joining this amazing community. You can read the previous newsletter sent 8/24 HERE (link) or check out the "Archives" button at the bottom of this newsletter.
The countdown is on! Enjoy your long weekend, because Tuesday will be here before you know it!
Yours in Learning,
Angela Patterson, Principal
Matt Stich, Associate Principal
At a Glance:
- Welcome Back from Superintendent Garza
- Mask Updates
- Transportation Updates
- Recess Updates
- Hybrid weeks outline
2nd Grade Board
Susie 6 Foot
Socially Distant Planning
Out and About
Welcome Back from Superintendent Garza
Masks are Mandatory
NEW UPDATES FROM THE RE-ENTRY HANDBOOK
NEW: Teaching, Re-teaching, & Reinforcing
The first weeks of school will include a heavy emphasis on providing clear expectations, support, and instruction to students regarding required face coverings. This will include the information regarding consequences of repeated refusal to wear a face covering. There will be some leniency during the first weeks of school, which may include things such as reminders to wear masks, teaching students how to properly wear masks, reinforcing the mask mandate, and helping students follow this new procedure and requirement for all students and staff. However, all incidents of refusal will be logged in Infinite Campus. Blatant refusal to comply with the district and state’s mask-mandate during the first weeks of school and when instruction resumes 5 days per week, starting Sept. 21, will result in the disciplinary action, as follows:
First Refusal
Teacher redirection
Parent contact
Infinite Campus documentation
Second Refusal
Infinite Campus documentation
The student will be referred to administration and suspended out-of-school for the remainder of the school day.
A reminder of the consequences for further violations will be provided to the parent and student along with the written notice of suspension per BOE POLICY 5131.2 CONDUCT - CAUSES AND PROCEDURES FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTION linked here
Third Refusal
Infinite Campus documentation
The student will be referred to the administration.
An out-of-school suspension will be issued and the student will be auto-enrolled in virtual learning for the remainder of the first semester.
The student will be suspended for no more than 5 days until the enrollment in virtual learning and the student’s course schedule is finalized. A written notice of suspension will be provided with a resolution detail of "enrollment in virtual learning."
**If the student has an individualized education plan (IEP) or Section 504 plan, face-covering accommodations should be discussed with the case manager. In the event a disciplinary response is necessary, the administration will follow all federal and state guidelines for discipline, which will include working with the IEP/504 team and potentially proceeding with a manifestation determination process.**
NEW: What are the student face covering expectations on the bus? What if a child at the bus stop is not wearing a mask?
No students will be left curbside if they refuse to wear a mask while getting on a bus or while on the bus. If a student doesn’t have a mask, they’ll be offered one by the driver. If they refuse it or refuse to wear it, they will be directed to sit in the front seat and the driver will contact the building administrator as soon as possible.
The first mask offense on a bus will result in a warning and a referral. A second mask offense results in another referral AND a bus suspension for 5 instructional days. A third mask offense after suspension will result in a bus suspension for the remainder of the semester.
Updated Aug. 11, 2020: Per Gov. Tony Evers’ Emergency Order, all students in all grades (ELP-12) are required to wear masks while in our buildings and on our buses (with the exception of during lunch and other designated “mask breaks”) through at least Sept. 28. We recognize some students will not be able to wear a mask / face covering all day and we will evaluate this on a case-by-case basis. The SDNB will address any issues related to students intentionally refusing to follow these safety procedures. The CDC and Waukesha County have shared reasoning why masks / coverings should be worn to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Will staff be required to wear a mask / face covering at school? What about visitors?
All staff will be required to wear masks / face coverings or work behind a plexiglass partition while in our buildings. At this point, families are not allowed in the building, unless it is an emergency. All visitors will be required to wear masks / face coverings while in our buildings.
How is a face covering defined in the Governor’s order?
A face covering is defined as a piece of cloth or other material that is worn to cover the nose and mouth completely. Face coverings include, but are not limited to, bandanas, cloth face masks, a disposable or paper mask, a neck gaiter or a religious face covering. The order states a face coverings do not include face shields, mesh masks, masks with holes or openings or masks with vents.
The SDNB suggests all students have a minimum of two face coverings / masks among their school supplies, provided they satisfy the above-definition. The district may be able to provide masks / face coverings to students whose families are unable to provide / purchase them or to students who forget or lose them. The SDNB reserves the right to require students to wear a District-provided face covering if the District determines that a student's face covering does not satisfy the above-definition.
For our younger students, we encourage families to have their child(ren) practice wearing and getting used to masks / face covering prior to the start of the school year. You can make it fun or a game. Perhaps they could pick out their masks or try different ones on to see how they feel and what they prefer.
Please reach out if you have additional questions regarding face coverings.
We're Still Hiring!
- 2 Student Learning Assistants (5.45 hrs per day)
- 2 Building substitutes (full year, full time positions)
If you know of anyone that might be interested in these positions, please have them reach out to Mr. Stich at matthew.stich@nbexcellence.org
Drop Off, Pick Up, and Bus Updates
This week, we sent out a letter via Infinite Campus regarding our transportation updates. This letter can be found linked in the button below. In addition, a paper copy has been mailed to all household with your numbered household tag. A few additional reminders:
Please do not drop students off prior to 8:35AM. Our start time this year is 8:50.
Both pick up and drop off families will need to enter in from Calhoun Rd. this year. This will help support our bus routes in entering uninterrupted. As always, all cars must yield to buses that are trying to enter or exit our lots.
- Your car tag will only be necessary at PICK UP. You will NOT need it for drop off
- As a reminder, no parents/guardians/visitors will be allowed in the building, unless it is an emergency. This means that we cannot allow parents to walk their student to class or enter the building for any reason other than an emergency.
- K5 teachers will be greeting their parent drop off students on the front lawn for the first two weeks to help routines become established. You may drop them off in the drop off line, and adults will be there to guide them. IF you feel you need to walk them to that teacher outside the first day, please park and use the crosswalks.
- All students and families should use crosswalks/sidewalks at all times. For safety/security, please do not weave between the cars in the car line.
- When using the drop off or pick up line, please remain in your car. Please ensure your students have their materials ready to exit the vehicle. This will prevent back ups, and allow the line to move in a timely way.
- Students may only exit vehicles in the loading zone that is marked in the yellow box in the attached letter. This is to help with social distancing, as well as to monitor the safe exit of our students.
- If you need an additional car tag or lose yours, please contact Tammy Kane in our main office (tammy.kane@nbexcellence.org)
ELP/EC/Y-Wrap Students:
- All ELP/EC/Y-Wrap students will go to the library for parent pick up dismissal.
- Parents of ELP/EC/Y-wrap students should park in the lot and walk to DOOR 2, which is the door connected to our library
- Parents will go to DOOR 2 to retrieve their ELP/EC/Y-wrap student, so they can be directly handed off to an adult. Parents will not be allowed to enter the building due to our current visitor restrictions
- Older siblings of these students can also go and wait in the library with their younger siblings. Parents should notify the older student's homeroom teacher, so they know that that student must go to a different location at the end of the day.
- Parents of ELP/EC/Y-wrap students should not use the car line, as it may require exiting their vehicle to buckle their student into a car seat. Parking in the lot will allow you the necessary time to load your car. This will also keep the car line moving for our K5-6 grade families.
Lunch and Recess Updates
NEW UPDATES:
In addition to the information below from 8/24, we have a few additional recess updates/recommendations:
- Mask Free Zones have been painted on both the North and South playgrounds. These are large areas that contain socially distanced "dots" for kids to stand on while they take their breaks
- Due to having 4 sections of 1st grade, we split the classes onto both playgrounds (2 per side) to allow for better distancing.
- Towels & Trinkets: If your child is like me (not-athletic), if I was assigned the "field" for recess, I might not have much to do. Due to this, we encourage kids to bring a towel to sit on. They may also bring small, non-valuable items to play with on that towel (examples: books to read, action figures, matchbox cars, pokemon cards, etc.). Please send items in a labeled bag, and please do not send electronics or expensive/irreplaceable items. We cannot be responsible for lost/missing items.
- Indoor Recess: In the event that indoor recess is necessary, we are also encouraging all students to bring a gallon ziplock bag of small items to keep at school for at least the first semester. All items MUST fit in the gallon ziplock bag. Again, we recommend things that are not of great value. Items that might fit: small puzzles, small Lego sets, action figures/cars, small independent games, art/craft supplies, etc.
RECESS INFO FROM 8/24:
Providing children with regular opportunities to play, socialize, rest, and re-energize through recess is a critical aspect of each school day. In an effort to ensure that recess is carried out as safely as possible, each child will remain with their grade level classroom, separated into different zones for both the north and south playground. Each classroom within a grade level will rotate on a daily basis from one zone to the next. For example, a kindergartener could play on the equipment one day, play in the field the next day, and then play on the blacktop the day after that. The rotation would then continue, so that each child has access to different zones throughout the week. This will allow for each grade level to have an uninterrupted thirty minute block of time per day. An example of potential zones is in the photo above.
Masks are also a critical, preventive measure and are most essential in times when social distancing is difficult. Masks will be required at recess, on both the north and south playgrounds. However, each playground will have its own “mask free zone.” These zones will allow for children to take a break from mask wearing, while also being socially distanced from their grade level peers. These zones will be monitored by adults, to help ensure safety of all.
Equipment capacities will be posted and enforced by recess supervisors to help keep children socially distanced. During instances when the field conditions are wet after inclement weather, then blacktop only recess will be called. When this happens, one cohort within each grade level will rotate through an indoor recess station.
All children will be required to sanitize their hands before and after each recess period. Sanitizing dispensers are located in every classroom, specialist area, front entrance, and at each recess entrance.
LUNCH
In order to keep children safe and within their same classroom of peers, students will be eating lunch each day in their classrooms. Students will be supervised by their classroom teachers during this time and handwashing time is built into their lunch period. School lunches ordered from our Food Service department will be individually packaged. These lunches will be sorted by class and delivered to their homerooms prior to the lunch hour. Any home lunch items that are delivered will need to be left in the vestibule outside of the office. Food allergies at each grade level will be noted and students will be seated in a way that does not isolate any individual or small groups of students.
These lunch and recess safety practices will remain in place until further notice.
A Helpful Link from Mr. Hrenak
An Update from Our Library
A Message From the Ronald Reagan Library…
Dear Parents,
The beginning of the school year is coming up soon! As you prepare for this, I would ask that you look around your house for unreturned school library books. Don’t know if all books were returned last June? Here is how to check: Destiny - See What Materials Are Checked Out
For those families choosing to stay home - please drop those library books off at the office at your earliest convenience. For those families returning in person - you can either drop them off at school, or bring them to school on the first day your child(ren) returns. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have:
julie.myszkowski@nbexcellence.org.
Thank you so much! Mrs. Myszkowski
Hybrid Learning Outline
September 8-9
- Virtual students begin instruction in their virtual classes 9/8
- For those that elected in person, Last names A-Lam will be in person;
- For those that elected in person, Last names Lan-Z will be virtual
September 10-11
- Last names A-Lam will be virtual
- Last names Lan-Z will be in person
September 14
- All students virtual
September 15-16
- Last names A-Lam will be in person
- Last names Lan-Z will be virtual
September 17-18
- Last names A-Lam will be virtual
- Last names Lan-Z will be in person
September 21
- All in person students report to Ronald Reagan
Students may bring their supplies over their 4 in person days those first two weeks. They do not all need to be brought to school at once.
A more detailed calendar of these two weeks is linked below.
Start and End Times
Please note that Ronald Reagan's start and end of day times have been changed. Our start time is now 8:50 AM, the end bell is 3:50 PM. Students cannot be dropped off before 8:35 AM unless they are scheduled to attend Y-Care. For more information on Y-care please see:
https://www.nbexcellence.org/prospective/after-school-care.cfm
Save the Dates
Food for Thought
I have always loved Kid President, so when I heard about Kid Superintendent, I had to tune in. His message is powerful and needed right now.
- Let's show each other GRACE, not grief
- We've got this
- We're needed here
- Being present...no matter what that looks like
- and my favorite....no matter your job, you each have something special and amazing to offer.
We know next week will feel weird at times, but it will also feel exciting and amazing. We cannot wait to be back together--either in person or virtually! As he said, YOU'RE GREAT, and WE GOT THIS!
So thankful to be starting this journey with all of you! Have a great weekend, everyone!
About Ronald Reagan
Website: https://www.nbexcellence.org/schools/rr/
Location: 4225 South Calhoun Road, New Berlin, WI, USA
Phone: 262-789-6550
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ronald-Reagan-Elementary-267815246680257
Twitter: @ReaganSDNB