AUGUST 28, 2020
FPS Family Newsletter | 20-21 Issue 07
Our Messages Matter
As we open school in the shadow of some distressing local, national, and global events, we know that it is important to care for and comfort our students in very different ways. While we are working hard to initiate instruction while mitigating the spread of COVID-19, we must also focus on our students’ emotional needs. Our message will continue to focus on how their future can be positive and the role that Franklin Public Schools will play in helping them to get there. As a school community, our thoughts are with all the people affected by tragedy, whether it be the events unfolding in Kenosha or the devastating hurricane in the south. Our hope is for peace and everyone’s well-being. We will continue to share with our families how we live our values of equity, personal growth, innovation, stewardship and well-being.
As you prepare your child(ren) for the first day of school, let us all not lose sight of the excitement that children often feel with starting school. It seems like yesterday my daughter was in school and we were talking about the new supplies she needed. It didn’t matter that we had a shoebox full of pens, pencils, and markers from the previous years, starting over was important. What was even more important was the enthusiasm she had for that first day of school. Each year we took a new picture on the front porch and shared in that excitement.
As an educator, I am fortunate because I have been able to feel that excitement my entire professional career. So here we are, ready to open, and it doesn’t matter if our students are wearing a mask and coming to school or working at home from the kitchen table, we can’t wait to see them.
Contained in the rest of this newsletter are items to review so you can understand how we are preparing for the operations of school this year so we can get back to learning.
Take care and stay well.
Dr. Judy Mueller
REOPENING DOORS SCHEDULE FOR NEXT WEEK
Student Reopening Orientation Days (details here)
My child is a virtual student, is he or she expected to come to the school buildings on his/her orientation day?
No. Virtual students remain home and will attend their virtual classes online only on the day assigned based on last name. In-Person students will report to the school buildings.
Are the Student Orientation days full days?
Yes. They are regular school hour days based on the building you attend.
Are buses running on Student Reopening Orientation Days?
Yes. Buses are running their normal and regular routes. You can expect more information on busing as we get closer to school starting.
ATTENDANCE PROCESS UPDATE FOR ALL SCHOOLS
HOLD THE PHONE! Literally!
As we prepare for the start of the school year, we want to alert all parents that Franklin is implementing a new attendance procedure due to the impact of COVID-19. When your child is unable to attend school for any reason, we ask that you fill out THIS FORM located as a button on the Home Page and “Parents Information” sections of your school’s website to report/excuse ANY absence. This form will require you to enter your child’s six-digit student ID number and birthdate before you can report your child absent. The form can be submitted from your phone or other mobile device, and only takes a few minutes to complete. Responses to the items on this form will be used to enter, code, and track absences in our system. Student specific medical information collected by the form will remain confidential, and only be shared within the health and nursing services team.
This form was designed to help us rapidly assess possible cases of COVID-19 so that we can mitigate the spread of the virus. After completing the form, you may receive a follow-up phone call from one of our health and nursing services staff with either follow-up questions or additional information.
To help families transition to this new system, we are still allowing parents to call in your child’s school’s absence line to report your child absent through October 2. As of October 5, this form is the only way you will be able to notify us of your child’s absence. When calling, please be as detailed as possible with regard to the reason your child is absent. If you call the school absence line, and your child is ill, it is likely that you will receive a follow-up phone call from a district staff member.
Parents will no longer be able to send an email to report their child absent.
We advise that you bookmark this form on your computer or make a home screen shortcut on your phone for quick access. The form is the same across the district and can be used for ANY type of absence.
If you have any questions, please contact your child’s principal.
BUSING UPDATE
As shared last week, Franklin Public Schools has been working with First Student to establish guidelines and procedures for bus transportation for this school year. Please review this document and discuss these procedures with your child(ren) so they are aware of the expectations when on the bus.
At this point in time, all busing schedules have been emailed to parent contact email addresses we have for you in PowerSchool.
If you did not receive your busing assignment, please first look in your email and use the search feature to search for any emails from maryjo.herrmann@franklin to see if the message went to a spam or filtered folder. When being contacted by some parents recently, we have found that they did receive the message and a quick search helped them to find it. If you still have not received your busing information, please contact MaryJo Hermann, our Auxiliary Services Coordinator: 414-525-7634 or maryjo.herrmann@franklin.k12.wi.us
We are working to send out bus seat assignments and will email that to parents by the end of Monday. Thank you for your continued patience as we work on these new procedures for this school year.
FOOD SERVICE UPDATES & VIRTUAL STUDENT LUNCH PICKUP
LAST CALL FOR VIRTUAL STUDENT LUNCHES SEPT 1-11
As a reminder, we sent out a form asking for families to fill this out if you are planning to get school lunches during the first two weeks of school. We closed the form this past Sunday so if you already filled it out, thank you. If you missed that deadline, the form is here and will close this coming Monday, August 31 at 12p noon.
- If you are a requesting a meal for an in-person or virtual student during the first two weeks of school (Tues, Sept 1 through Friday, Sept 11), please complete this form.
- Virtual student families: this helps us to prepare your lunch and have it ready for you at pickup.
- In-Person student families: this helps us to order and stock what's needed.
- Going forward, please look to our district newsletters on Fridays for lunch forms for the upcoming weeks.
VIRTUAL STUDENT LUNCH PICKUP DETAILS
All virtual student lunches will be distributed outside of Forest Park Middles School's Main Entrance from 8:30AM to 9AM Monday thru Friday. Please have ready your child(ren)'s 6-digit student ID number(s). The meals follow the online menu so the high school lunches are different then the other grades. Families should pull up to the main entrance, exit your vehicle and find the food cart that will have your meal bagged and ready to go. Please social distance where appropriate.
COVID-19: YOUR MOST REQUESTED INFORMATION!
There has been a lot of information about our plans for health and safety in the upcoming school year shared in a variety of ways. Here is a brief summary of some of the most key concepts for our FPS families to know.
- Students and staff members showing any signs of illness not related to an ongoing medical condition will be asked to stay home.
- In order to to our best to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in our buildings and keep as many students in school as possible, all students and staff will be practicing consistent, healthy behaviors:
Wear a mask or facial covering
Wash hands frequently
Minimize close contacts whenever possible by keeping your social circle small and maintaining social distancing
Scheduled disinfecting of surfaces that are frequently touched
- When a student/teacher is confirmed to have COVID-19:
When FPS learns of a confirmed case of COVID-19, there will be an investigation done in collaboration with the Franklin Health Department to identify those individuals who would be considered close contacts. We will exclude those students who were identified based on our investigation and notify parents/guardians for each contact. The Franklin Health Department will follow up with families.
If you do not hear from us or the health department, you have not been identified as a close contact and have not been identified as someone at increased risk. You will be notified by the school if there is a need for your child to stay home and to shift your child’s learning plan. Because COVID-19 is present in the community, we ask all families to monitor students for signs and symptoms of illness daily (checking for temperatures if able).
- Students will be able to take mask breaks when they are outdoors when socially distanced. Staff are being encouraged to ensure that students take breaks to stay hydrated and to think about creative ways to incorporate outdoor time into their plans. Building administrators and student services staff are prepared to teach student expectations and support challenges related to the mask requirement.
CHROMEBOOK PASSWORDS & TECHNOLOGY UPDATES
As we embark on another school year, we will be heavily dependent on technology for both our virtual students and in-person students to provide continuity of learning throughout the school year should we need to pivot to at-home learning. Early next week, families will receive a communication with their child’s chromebook log in credentials, process for chromebook technical support, chromebook troubleshooting guidance, the 1:1 chromebook handbook, and other technology relevant information for families.
In-Person Students:
During the orientation days next week, use the following protocols:
Broken chromebook: If your child’s chromebook needs repair, please have your child ask their teacher if they can take the device to the Tech Depot in the library. The staff will provide your child with a loaner while the device is being repaired.
Student doesn’t have a chromebook: If your child turned in a chromebook to be repaired at the end of last school year and does not have a chromebook in their possession, please have your child ask their teacher if they can go to the Tech Depot in the library to pick up their repaired device.
Student has a loaner chromebook: If your child has a loaner chromebook, please have your child ask their teacher if they can go to the Tech Depot in the library to return their loaner and pick up their original device.
PLEASE REVIEW BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS
In addition, our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page is where we are constantly updating information with questions and answers that will be helpful. We are marking new or updated questions with (NEW) in front of the question to draw your eye to newer information.
Franklin Public Schools
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Email: communications@franklin.k12.wi.us
Website: http://www.franklin.k12.wi.us
Location: 8255 West Forest Hill Avenue, Franklin, WI, USA
Phone: 414-529-8220
Facebook: facebook.com/franklinpublicschools
Twitter: @fpsdistrictwi