From 4-7pm on Wednesday we'll provide an opportunity for 6th grade students and any NEW to CST 7th and 8th grade students and their parents to walk through the building. This is similar to what was planned earlier in the school year. Please arrive through the event entrance where you'll be let in one group at a time for a self-paced tour. We ask that you walk the course provided at the time of arrival and maintain a constant pace so we can keep the line outside moving as well. The tour ends through the front of the building where you'll walk the sidewalk back to the east parking lot passing by the Chisholm Trail sign on the front of the building--a great photo op! There are no sign-ups for this event but students/parents will be staggered upon entry and distanced in line. Doors will close at 7pm.

A few logistical notes for this night...

• Masks are required for all in the building

• Limited to immediate families only, we will begin in the event entrance--1 group will enter at a time
  

• It's a self-pace tour with an established one-way route

• Families are asked to keep moving forward and avoid gathering--you are free to pass a family along the route if necessary, but please no gathering inside the building.
  
• Parent teacher conferences are being held at this time and rooms will not be available
  
• Exit will be out the main entrance with a photo op near the Chisholm Trail sign on the exterior front of the building.
  

Below are phases of the school day outlined with guidelines and procedures. These are listed because there are many questions surrounding our "return to school". However, CST will still be a school where relationships are a priority and socialization, engagement, fun, and learning will continue. Students will still be able to be social and interact--this is an important part of school and one we aim to keep intact a much as possible while also following the safety guidelines outlined for our buildings.

I'm confident, after the initial transition back to school, our students will adjust and see that much of what they remember about school will be similar even among some changes. We want to keep moving forward and keep school comfortable, fun, and engaging while implementing health guidelines..

Please don't hesitate to reach out to any of us--admin, counselors, teachers--if we can help make your child's transition smoother.

As a district we follow county guidelines. Wearing masks and washing hands will be the expectation.

A direct exposure is defined as: no mask, within 6 feet, for more than 10 minutes.

Anyone with what is considered a “direct exposure” would need to quarantine based on this criteria. While other variables may play into a situation, the emphasis on wearing a mask is not just safety and health, but for continuity of education by avoiding a need for quarantine for our students and staff.

Below are phases of the day and some general guidelines at CST. Teachers will review some of these with students next week in Cat time in preparation for their arrival. In addition, we will have a virtual tour video to share with the whole community prior to October 19th.

ALL Students will have a Daily Check-in

• All students will have attendance taken daily
• Remote students will have attendance taken as normal in their classes throughout the day beginning with 1st hour
  
• Hybrid students in the building will also have attendance taken in each of their hours
• Hybrid students working from home will log into their Cat class at 7:50am to have attendance taken, hear morning announcements, and receive directions for the day. These students will then log off Zoom to continue their learning from home.

General Items

• Masks are required in the building (gaiters are okay but need to be 2 layers)
• Students should bring their own masks, but disposable masks are available if needed
• Temperature checks will not occur at the building per updated guidelines (see "nurse update" section below for more health-related information)
• Hall lockers will not be issued; students will carry their backpack and all items with them during the day
• Music and PE lockers will be issued
  

Arrival

• Car riders and walkers are strongly encouraged to arrive after 7:30am where they’ll go to their Cat class (students may drop off instruments in their music classroom)

• The building will not open before 7:20am (approximate time of bus drop off)
• The auditorium will be used for 6th grade and the main gym bleachers will be used for 7th and 8th grade students prior to 7:30 (Students will be spaced apart and seated based on Cat teacher)

• Breakfast will be grab-n-go in the MPR--after 7:30am students go to their Cat room
  
• Refer to the traffic pattern (below) for car line arrival and pick-up procedures

Lunch

• There will be 5 lunch periods at CST (refer to hybrid bell schedule)
• 6th grade will eat during 4th hour, 7th and 8th will eat 5th hour. The 8th grade lunch will be split due to its higher numbers.
• Students will be expected to wear a mask upon entering/exiting and while seated after finished eating.
• Hand sanitizer stations will be set up in the lunch lines with distancing markers as a guide.

• In order to create a stable group, students will have assigned seats by class in alpha order--consistent day-to-day
  

• Students will sit in a checker board fashion, 4 to a table
  

• Students will enter the MPR through the doors closest to the auditorium and exit through the doors by the bathrooms.

Passing Periods

• Passing periods will be 4 minutes in length
  

• Restrooms are available while limiting bathroom crowds (appox. 4 per restroom at a time)
  

• Markings on the floor will guide students to stay to the right during passing and to keep moving from class to class

• Hand washing or sanitizing is encouraged and available hourly

Classrooms

• Distancing will be followed to the best of our ability in classrooms

• Students will wear masks

• Desks will be sanitized a minimum of 2 times per day

• Hand sanitizer is available in every classroom

PE

• Students will be issued lockers strategically spaced out in the locker room

• Students will dress out for class--students may wear school issued clothes or clothes brought from home (see document below if you'd like to buy CST PE clothes)--PE teachers will share expectations in class.
  

• Masks will be worn in PE, but teachers will work with students for appropriate times to get a break from masks (i.e. outside and distanced, swimming, etc.)

For other classes and/or full details regarding our return to learning, you can access the "Return to Learning" plan at the link below...

https://www.olatheschools.org/Page/10415

Below is the bell schedule. Please note 6th grade will have an alternate 4th and 5th hour to accommodate 2 extra lunches. Remote students will also follow this bell schedule. Teachers will communicate with their students when lunch will occur.

Reminder: Remote students do not have a Cat time.

Dear CST Family,

See below for some updates and reminders...

Hybrid:
You should have received an email from district administration yesterday regarding our return to in-person learning via hybrid model beginning on October 19th. Basic building processes and procedures will be outlined in this weekend’s Weekly Wildcat newsletter (no later than Friday). Included will be information on arrival/dismissal, lunch, passing periods, and classrooms. CST's alpha breakdown will be A-L (A group), and M-Z (B group) which will provide balance in overall daily attendance at CST. We will work closely with our assigned alpha breakdown to maintain appropriate balance within the building, but understand there may be a highly justified reason to adjust the alpha split on an individual basis. Please fill out the form HERE by 11am Friday, 10/9 if you need to make a hardship request to adjust the alpha group for your student. If you have more than one student at Chisholm, please fill out a form for each student.

Please know how excited we are to meet your kids in person…we’ve been waiting since March for this!

Transportation:
All new bus registrations may be completed using the online registration link found on the OPS website or the link below. If using a PC, please click the ‘Bus Info’ icon for all registration information. To access bus registration from a mobile device, click on Menu/Parents/Bus Transportation and the link will be near the bottom of the page.
https://dsbuslines.revtrak.net/olathe-transportation#/list

10/14--1/2 Day:
As a reminder, Wednesday, 10/14 is a half day for students. Students will still attend each of their daily scheduled hours with shorter class periods. The complete bell schedule for this day will be shared this weekend.

Conferences:
Parent teacher conference details are in this past week’s newsletter (dated 10/5) (https://www.smore.com/hnz0k-weekly-wildcat). Middle and high school families may be contacted by the academic team or by individual teachers to schedule a conference. If you have a concern or wish for an update on your child’s progress, please do not wait for an email and contact the teacher directly by Friday, 10/9 to allow time for scheduling.

THIS Friday (10/9)--Remote Learning Day:
Finally, please remember this Friday (10/9) is a remote learning day--all students will check in for attendance during morning CAT time and be provided direction about when/how to turn in the day's assignments.

Have a great rest of the week!

Rick Sola, Principal

Dear Olathe Public Schools families and staff,

On Thursday, Oct. 1, the Board of Education voted to continue following the (updated) Johnson County Department of Health and Environment’s gating criteria for learning mode decisions. They also added the absentee category used in the Kansas Department of Health and Environment gating criteria, with all metrics weighed equally. To view the updated JCDHE gating criteria, please visit https://www.jocogov.org/school-reopening-criteria.

Using the current data from the county and our absentee metrics, the district is in the Yellow Zone of the gating matrix. Secondary students may now return to school in a hybrid format. Elementary students will remain in full time, in-person learning.

Middle School Learning Mode

Middle school in-person students will return to in-person learning in a hybrid learning environment beginning on Monday, Oct. 19. Hybrid learning only applies to middle school families who chose in-person learning at registration. Remote students will continue the same schedule they have been following. The remote learning model for middle school will not change.

• Middle school students who chose in-person learning at registration will be assigned to one of two groups: A (last name starting with letters A-L) or B (last name starting with M-Z).
• Middle school students will follow an ABAB schedule: Week One, Group A students will attend Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Week Two they will attend Tuesday and Thursday. Group B will attend Tuesday and Thursday in Week One and Monday, Wednesday, Friday in Week Two. They will continue alternating as long as the hybrid mode is in effect.
• There could be variation by building with the alphabetical distribution depending on alphabetical breakdown in specific buildings in order to ensure the groups are as similar in size as possible.
• Schools will work with families who have unique and justifiable circumstances on an individual basis to switch groups. Contact your building administrator for guidance.

The purpose of the ABAB schedule is to provide more time in a school setting. Students will have a daily check-in with a teacher and independent learning expectations on the days they are not in school buildings. Santa Fe Trail Middle will follow a different schedule because of their state redesign school designation and the school will communicate that information.

Middle school principals will follow up with school-specific details in the coming days.

High School Learning Mode

High school in-person students will return to in-person learning in a hybrid learning environment starting on Monday, Oct. 19.

• High school students who chose in-person learning at registration will be assigned to one of two groups: A (last name starting with letters A-L) or B (last name starting with M-Z).
• High school students will attend school for half days, five days a week. Group A will attend in the mornings and Group B will attend in the afternoon.
• Hybrid learning only applies to high school families who chose in-person learning at registration.
• There could be variation by building with the alphabetical distribution depending on alphabetical breakdown in specific buildings in order to ensure the groups are as similar in size as possible.

Schools will work with families who have unique and justifiable circumstances on an individual basis to switch groups. Contact your building administrator for guidance. High school principals will be following up with additional hybrid details specific to each school. The purpose of this schedule is daily personal contact between students and teachers. When students are not in attendance on-site, students will have independent learning expectations.

Lunches for high school students will be packaged individually and offered as a grab and go option for students in both the morning and afternoon groups.

Remote learning students will stay in that format; however, the high school remote learning bell schedule and meeting times will change. This is necessary to continue providing the wide offering of remote classes. Remote learning students will receive additional information in the coming days.

Providing the best quality educational experiences for our students, while balancing the safety and health of our students, staff, and families, is a priority. The district will review data again every few weeks to determine if students will remain in their current learning environment or will transition to full, in-person or back to remote learning, depending on JCDHE gating criteria data.

The district will review the gating criteria data on November 9 for a potential change on November 16 and will look at data on December 14 to plan for second semester. Parents and staff will receive information at these times.

John Allison, Superintendent

Olathe families,

We are looking forward to the upcoming fall conferences, held October 12-15. As we will not be hosting conferences in the traditional format, we wanted you to be aware of some of the changes.

Regardless whether students are enrolled in remote or in-person learning, conferences will be held the same way for all students; scheduled via Zoom or phone call. Email conferences are also possible. To help provide information clearly, additional information can be found below by grade level.

Elementary

All elementary families will be contacted by classroom teachers to schedule a conference. Additionally, families might be contacted by specialists and/or teams to schedule a conference. If you are not contacted by a specialist and/or teams but have a concern or wish for an update on your child’s progress, please email the teacher directly.

If you have a student that receives special education services, please reach out to your special services provider directly.

Zoom conference appointments may need to be prioritized for students with academic or emotional needs.

You will notice that effort grades for art, general music and PE are blank and the skills checklist boxes for each of the subjects are marked “N/A.” Due to the late start and hybrid schedule, students have had limited contacts with these teachers and has not allowed adequate time for teachers to gather data to assign grades. We anticipate that typical grading will be back in place for the second quarter and throughout the rest of the year for students learning in-person.

Secondary (middle and high school)

Middle and high school families may be contacted by the academic team or by individual teachers to schedule a conference. If you have a concern or wish for an update on your child’s progress, please do not wait for an email and contact the teacher directly.

Zoom conference appointments may need to be prioritized for students with academic or emotional needs.

Please continue to monitor ParentVUE for your student’s academic progress. As always, any time that you have questions about how your student is doing in class, contact the teacher.

Olathe Public Schools administration

Student Privacy:

Reminder for parents/students in remote learning: As it’s wonderful to highlight your experience with remote learning, to respect and maintain student privacy, please refrain from taking pictures of your screen when other students can be individually identified. We appreciate your help in respecting the preferences of other students.

Parent Education Seminar:

The first topic of the 2020-21 Parent Education Seminar is "How to Address Topics of Race and Culture with Your Child" (English) (Spanish). Presenters are district staff, Erik Erazo, Coordinator of Diversity and Engagement, and Marquis Harris, Facilitator of Diversity and Engagement. The community is invited to this virtual presentation addressing race and culture on October 8, 6-7:30 p.m.

Attendance Corner

Welcome Parents to the 2020-21 School Year. A few suggestions to help us tackle attendance for your student(s) during this hybrid learning experience. Attendance is more crucial during these unprecedented times. We ask that you notify Chisholm Trail Attendance Office, preferably before 8:00am with your students all day absence. You can use any of the following methods of contacting us:

1. Call dedicated Attendance Line (voicemail only) – 913-780-7241

2. Call CST Main Line – 913-780-7240 (voicemail after 4:00pm)

3. Email Connie Bray, Attendance Secretary @ cbraycst@olatheschools.org

*all emails will be responded to with a follow-up email for verification of receiving

Information needed to report absence:

· Student Name

· Student Grade

· Your Relationship to Student

· Reason for absence (i.e. illness description, appointment, etc.)

· Phone number to return call (if needed for further info)

Due to remote learning, if your student checks out for an appointment, we ask for a second notification to Attendance (again via any of the 3 methods listed above) if student returns to learning with a time of return. If you contact your student(s) teacher via email please cc Connie Bray with info as to help us.

Please refer to this request as we proceed to continue to help make this school year as positive as we possibly can. We are always here to assist you in any way we can. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions. Thank you, and together we can do this.

Attendance Secretary,

Connie Bray

Need technical support? Go here for solutions and direction...consider bookmarking this page.

https://www.olatheschools.org/domain/3042

Surface Go Tip

If students are unable to connect to WiFi (example: worked one day but not the other):

o Press and hold the Power button until the screen goes black (ignore the “swipe to shut down PC” option)

o Press Power button again

o Give it a minute to restart – this should “kick out” new updates to Surface Go

Instructional videos for StudentVUE:

StudentVUE video tutorial ENGLISH: https://youtu.be/36ODz_CxG9o

StudentVUE video tutorial SPANISH: https://youtu.be/MZqHT8Kwqwk

Olathe Public Schools parents,

As we approach the first day of school on Tuesday, September 8, we wanted to share some vital information for families to get ready for the school year ahead.

ParentVUE and StudentVUE Training for Parents
With the expanded use of ParentVUE and StudentVUE as the district’s learning management system, helping parents navigate the system is vitally important. The district will be offering parents ParentVUE training to teach families how to log into ParentVUE and StudentVUE, how to access student course and class content and the class website for each teacher.

The parent trainings will take place via Zoom. See attached flier for more information on dates, times and how to sign up. Additionally, if you would like to watch a video to learn how to log in and use ParentVUE and/or StudentVUE prior to the trainings, you can access videos in English and Spanish. Here is a direct link to the ParentVUE video tutorials in English and Spanish: https://bit.ly/2EZDa9K. Here is a direct link to the StudentVUE video tutorials in English and Spanish: https://bit.ly/3bgE4uN.

Technology and Learning Help Desk
Parents and students in need of technology or learning system help can contact the Technology and Learning Help Desk via phone at (913) 780-8058 or via email to helpdesk@olatheschools.org. The Help Desk will be open from 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Mental Health Support for Families
The mental health and social emotional growth of our students is a great focus in the Olathe Public Schools. Attached is a document that outlines various ways our families can seek support. Please reach out to your child’s school if you feel your child needs help and support.

Student Learning Logs
Learning logs have been shared with you and our community as a requirement of KSDE for students when they are learning at home. However, KSDE has recently shared the specific situations that will require learning logs. In Olathe, we will have very few, if any, situations where this will be needed. If students have access to daily live instruction and we take attendance when we see students participating, we should meet the requirements.

District Parent Guide
The Parent Guide to the Olathe Public Schools: This helpful guide will serve as an informational tool for you in addition to resources readily available on our district website www.olatheschools.org. The guide contains information on the Board of Education, a listing of feeder schools, transportation, health services, safe schools, student information, directory information, FERPA and school hours.

Please visit with your building principal, if you have any questions.

Best wishes for an outstanding year!

Olathe Public Schools Administration

Parent_Training_for_Synergy.pdf (8.3 MB)
Mental_Health_brochure_ENGLISH.pdf (179.9 KB)
08102020_English_Parent_Guide_ENGLISH.pdf (741.7 KB)

Lunch and Breakfast Pick-up at CST--the short version...

We will plan on curbside pick-up in front of the school. Food will be hot and bagged ready to hand off. First day instructions...

1. Please have your kids with you the first time you pick up meals
2. You'll receive a red card you can use after that for meal pick up (instead of bringing all kids every day)
3. If you haven't yet registered, you can go to their website and do that---click https://www.olatheschools.org/Page/10605
   
4. Registering for meals each week helps our kitchen staff with meal counts
5. More details in earlier emails (below) and linked
   

Carryout Meal Service

Students who are receiving remote instruction while the District is operating under any of the learning models will have carryout breakfasts and lunches available for pick-up at their home school.

These meals must be pre-ordered via the MyPaymentsPlus.com website or mobile app 1-week in advance of the week the meals are wanted. You may pick up your meals at whichever site is most convenient.

The meals will be boxed/bagged during lunch time from the serving line in the lunch room. You will pick up and pay for the carryout meals inside the front entrance of the school.

Facemasks are required to be worn when picking up meals.

Breakfast and lunch meals are free of charge for all children ages 1-18 years old

To ensure the Federal limit of only serving 1-breakfast and 1-lunch to each child each day is met, the following procedure will be in place for picking up carryout meals:

On the first day you choose to pick up carryout meals, have all children present with you at the school pick-up location. If this isn’t possible, you may arrive the first day and explain your extenuating circumstance.

You will be issued the cards needed and the number of children for whom you’ll be picking up meals will later be verified. You will be issued one carryout meal card for each of the children for whom you’ll be picking up meals. From that point on, you only need to bring the cards for the children for whom you’re picking up meals – the children will no longer need to be present.

Carryout Meal Pick-up Times

Middle School Breakfast and Lunch Pick up time: 11:30am-12:30pm on School Days

High School Breakfast and Lunch Pick up time: 10:30am - 12:00pm on School Days

(Exception: No meal service will be available on September 25th or October 9th)

All this info and more can be found HERE!

Olathe families,

The Food Services division of Olathe Public Schools wanted to share a few updates regarding student meals. Earlier this week, the USDA announced they would be extending flexibilities for the summer food service program to run through December 2020 or until Federal money is no longer available. This means school breakfast and lunch will be served free of charge to all children aged 1-18.

If you have already pre-ordered for a week of meals, we ask that you honor the location you have selected. Moving forward, when you place a meal pre-order, you will be able to choose a location most convenient to you for daily pickup.

To ensure the district and families are following USDA regulations, on the first day you choose to pick up carryout meals, please have all children present at the school pick up location. If having your children with you isn’t possible, you may arrive and explain the circumstance and receive the meal cards. The number of children for whom you’ll be picking up meals will later be verified.

The carryout hours are:

Elementary Carryout Meal Pickup Time

11:00 -12:45

Middle School Carryout Meal Pickup Time

11:30 - 12:30

High School Carryout Meal Pickup Time

10:30 - 12:00

Food Services' website has been updated to make it easier to find the Pre-ordering information along with an instructional video: https://www.olatheschools.org/domain/2915

Due to the limited time we anticipate the free meal funding may be available, it is important that families continue to submit updated free/reduced meal applications if there are any changes in household size or income. Household applications are accepted throughout the school year and, if approved, are effective through the last day of the 2020-2021 school year. In addition, households must still apply for meal benefits to be eligible for building fee and/or bus transportation discounts.

If you have questions, please contact Food Services at catering@olatheschools.org or (913) 780-7005.

Sincerely,

Olathe Public Schools Food Services

You should receive an email and a text alerting you of the updated weekly. If you do not have an email we do not have an accurate address. Please contact Melynda Marquardt to be added or verified.

CST Data Operator: Melynda Marquardt (mrmarquardt@olatheschools.org)

Receptionist: Chrissy Walters

Assistant Principal's Secretary: Angie Peterson

Attendance Secretary: Connie Bray

Bookkeeper/Principal's Secretary: Andrea Wescott

Data Operator: Melynda Marquardt

School Nurse: Jennifer Ross

Please keep info updated (email, phone number, medical, etc.). Contact the office at 913-780-7240 if you are concerned you may be missing communication or need to update your family's information.