Wednesday Word
October 7th, 2020
From The Principal
We are less than two weeks until our new hybrid model. Although we will be in school again there will be many changes to our operations to insure our students and staff stay safe and healthy. Many of these guidelines will be detailed in the Sunflower Together Again Logistics and Safety Plan. I have also started adding hybrid information to our Sunflower Landing Page. I have created a new tab called: Hybrid Logistics and Safety, it is linked right under the Morning Community link on the main page. Here you will find the a lot of information regarding arrival, dismissal, temperature policies, etc. Please refer back to this page regularly as I am updating as soon as I get information. There is also a slideshow that plays on the first page and I update slides with new information on a regular basis as well. Here are some things you can expect to see in our hybrid model:
- New arrival and dismissal procedures (see picture below)
- We will still use the circle drive for drop off and pick up and students will walk to their designated grade level doors
- New drop off time-not before 8:30, school starts at 8:45
- No gathering of 10 or more outside the school at any given time
- Daily temperature checks upon arrival (must be less than 100.0), will be checked twice before a parent is called
- No visitors in the school
- One way hallways during high traffic times such as arrival and dismissal
- Breakfast and lunch in classrooms
- No field trips or assemblies, virtual guest speakers or field trips only
- Limited cohort (class) mixing
- No whole class restroom breaks
- No water fountains, only bottle fillers (bring a water bottle daily)
- Recess zones that rotate so cohorts (classes) do not mix
- Music and art in the classroom (limiting the amount of movement within the building)
- Hourly hand sanitizing
- No community supplies
- Required mask wearing in the building with the exception of meal times and recess if students are spaced 6 feet apart.
- Plexiglass dividers will be used when 6 feet of distance cannot be maintained
- We do not have any information regarding Boys and Girls Club, more information to come
- We will send reminders of your A/B day designation soon, for the most part it will follow the alpha split below by last name, some families may be on opposite days due to different last names at middle and high school, we are unable to change days due to current learning pods, we will also need to insure all classrooms have 15 students or less per day due to CDC guidelines
Instructionally you will also see a few changes. Our master schedule will change slightly due to recess times needed to be moved to accommodate social distancing on the playground. When students are at home learning they will access 3 live sessions a day (morning meeting, reading and math) and then will have assignments to work on. The classroom teacher will not have his/her Webex open all day like she does now. After the lives, the classroom teacher will focus on the students in the building. If students have questions they may have to wait until the following day when they are in session to get those answered by a teacher.
A few things you could do this week to prepare:
- Review proper hand washing and mask wearing with your child and practice sustained mask wearing inside
- Make sure you contact info is up to date in Powerschool, if a child registers a fever of 100.0 after two scans parents must pick up the child within the hour. Accurate contact information is very important to insure this happens
- Pick up a pencil sharpener (non-electric) and water bottle
- Label all school supplies, including chargers
- Make sure you have your car tag for dismissal purposes, these were placed in your child's Hy-vee school supply bags (call the office if you cannot find it so we can replace it prior to the first day of school)
As always it is an honor to serve as the Principal of Sunflower Elementary.
Site Council-Are You Interested?
What is the Purpose of a Site Council?
The purpose of the school Site Council is to advise the school on such matters as student learning, education programs, school improvement planning, and accreditation issues. The site council also plays an advocacy role for the school regarding the same issues.
What is the Responsibility of a Site Council Member?
The chair, in consultation with the building principal or his or her designee(s), establishes agendas, conducts meetings, and communicates site council advisement.
Site council members participate in sanctioned school improvement meetings and visits in an advisory capacity.
Site council members periodically communicate with the school community and, at least annually with the local board, on site council activities and other council matters.
Site council members take part in ongoing training to build their knowledge and skills related to site council work.
Who Can Serve on the Site Council?
The site council consists a variety of members that includes the principal,
teachers, other school personnel, parents of students attending the school, the
business community and other community groups.
What is the Time Commitment?
The site council meets 3-4 times a year for approximately one hour. Meetings will be held virtually this year.
Are You Interested in Sponsoring a Little Library for your Neighborhood?
The "READ" organization, which stands for Race Education and Development is working to get more "Little Libraries" around Lawrence. Interestingly, there are certain parts of Lawrence that are devoid of these cool little neighborhood resources, known as "book deserts". READ's goal is not only to construct and provide 10 Little Library kits for underserved areas in Lawrence, they want to help expose Lawrence kids and adults to matters of racial justice and equity. This summer, READ has collected books written by BIPOC authors about BIPOC experiences.
Do you think it would be possible to try and set up a Little Library in front of any of the school community's homes as a way to get more diverse literature in the hands of our kiddos and our community members?
Each Little Library kit will:
- be delivered assembled or unassembled school members (including students) prefer to assemble it themselves
- include a supply of BIPOC books to start the library
- include setting materials (cement & mixing bucket)
Woodworking staff from both FSHS and LHS have already agreed to build the kits. Also, in each book there will be a library card and a message asking readers to share their thoughts about the book on their social media using #READLawrence.
Please fill out the Google Form linked below if you are interested. Thank you!
From The Office
If you want your children to continue their current learning model, you do not need to take any action.
IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE learning models, please submit one form for each elementary student by clicking on the Elementary Enrollment Form link below and submitting the form by Tomorrow October 8, 2020.
IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE your enrollment, do not submit this form.
From The Nurse-Covid Safety During Hybrid
From The Counselor
HARVESTERS BACKSNACK IS BACK!
If you would like your scholar/s to receive a FREE bag of food for the weekends, please let me know! The bags of food include non-perishable foods such as various snacks, cereals, canned soups, canned vegetables, and canned fruits. If you are interested in this free program, all you need to do is let me (Julie Heatwole, school counselor) know! I just need to know the first and last name of your scholar/s. There are no eligibility requirements or paperwork to complete. Each scholar will receive a bag of food each week of school, on the last day of each week! You may reach me on my direct school line #785-330-4860 or email me at jheatwol@usd497.org
From PTO
The next PTO meeting will be Tuesday, Oct 13 @ 7pm. Please email Heather Flachsbarth for Zoom link. sunflowerelementerypto@gmail.com
Grab your gardening gloves, rakes, and lawn bags! We are having a landscaping clean-up on Wednesday, October 14th at 6pm. This is outdoors but please bring your mask in the event you are unable to socially distance.
KONA ICE
Need a break from being online?! We’ve got you covered! Plan to walk, drive, bike, or scooter on over to Sunflower on Friday, October 16th to connect with our school community, grab a Kona Ice and celebrate 6 weeks of online learning!
Kona Ice will be available from 4-6pm. However, due to COVID-19, preordering is REQUIRED and can be done so here: https://kurbsidekona.com?id=1757
You will make your selection of Kona cup size and pick up time frame.
20% of sales will be donated back to Sunflower.
We can’t wait to see you all!
Marathon Club
Sunflower Marathon Club:
Sunflower Marathon Club is in full swing. For those of you new to Sunflower or Marathon Club, our club provides sustainable fitness opportunities for Sunflower students and their families. The kids will be challenged to achieve a full marathon distance of 26.2 miles when running or walking throughout the school year. Kids can run or walk any day of the week. We will cap mileage at 5 miles per week. Examples of activities that would not count towards Marathon Miles - bicycling, swimming, and sports kids are already participating in.
All virtual mileage will be tracked this year by parents using this form:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZHEtbvkMulTVs-CFmPiZXgUpllZLKRxCR021XsB0kic/edit?usp=sharing
All Sunflower Students K-5 are encouraged to participate. We ask that any student participating fill out this consent form:
https://forms.gle/4oDDzE2PrK4eo82y7
We will be using both our new email sunflowermarathonclub@gmail.com and our Facebook Sunflower Elementary Marathon Club page for all communication this year. Remember to reach out if you have any further questions or need more information!