Welcome Back! 2020-2021 School Year
We are excited to reopen the doors for our students
Message from Principal Young and Assistant Principal Valente
Dear Families,
We hope that you were able to take some time to enjoy the days of summer. Maybe you got an ice cream at The Barn or sat on the beach to watch boats race up and down the river. We know many of you went hiking and enjoyed bike rides with friends and family. We are so excited to welcome you back for the 2020-2021 school year! We have many changes that will take place this year and hope that you will find the information in this newsletter helpful as you navigate the start of school with our new plans. Please remember it is important for us to work as a community to keep our students and staff safe. As a school, we have many guidelines that we must follow that resulted in changes to our daily practice. Please continue to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Young
Mrs. Valente
Elementary Principal
Assistant Principal
Returning to School
We are excited and ready to welcome our students back into the school building. We are also ready to provide live virtual instruction for the families that chose not to return to the building. Our teachers have been working hard to make the 2020-2021 school year wonderful for our students. You will find more detailed information and links below with specifics to our re-opening.
School Hours
Student End Time: 2:20
Students will not be able to enter the building prior to the start of school. Walkers should plan to leave home with the intention of arriving to school at 8:25 as they will not be able to wait in groups outside of the school building. Students buying breakfast will be served breakfast in their classrooms not in the cafeteria.
New Members to Our CES Teaching Staff
Please give a warm CES welcome to our new summer hires:
Rachel Bowen- Special Education Teacher
Erin Gibb- Social Worker
Marcella Klaes-Eichhorn- School Counselor
Claudia LiBritt-Teacher Assistant
Andrea Figueroa- Teacher Assistant
Sarah Warren
Marcella Klaes-Eichhorn
Erin Gibb
Beginning of School Year Dates
- Kindergarten Screening
- Chromebook Distribution (see specific times below)
- Medication Drop Off
- Virtual Day for ALL students (both in-person and virtual students) All students will meet their teacher virtually.
September 14th
- First day of in-person learning within the building
Kindergarten
Virtual Orientation
We are so excited to welcome our incoming kindergarten students to CES! We will be having a virtual orientation this year for our kindergarten students and families. This orientation will be a pre-recorded presentation that will be shared with you on Monday, August 31st.
Virtual Teacher Meet and Greet/Q&A Session
We will have a live virtual session that will look similar to our community forums. During this session, you may attend with your child to say hello, meet our kindergarten teachers, and see what your classroom looks like. You will also have the opportunity for a Q&A with Mrs. Young and Mrs. Valente to answer any questions specific to kindergarten. An invitation to this meet and greet session will be sent to you through the email you have provided. It will be a Google Meet on September 3 at 2:30pm.
Kindergarten Screening
Students will participate in the kindergarten screening process on September 9th or 10th. You have received the information with your designated date and time. Please contact the elementary office at 518-654-2960 if you do not receive this information by September 4th.
What to expect:
- You will come to the main entrance and sign in using your drivers licence or photo identification.
- One adult with each kindergarten student will be escorted to the gymnasium for their screening. Additional adults will need to wait outside of the building.
- Families will have a waiting area that is socially distant and are required to wear their mask.
- Students will be screened by the Kindergarten teachers.
- Once the screening is complete you may check out with our attendance clerk.
- Teachers will call families on September 11th to inform them of the class they will be attending.
Chromebook Distribution
Students that already have a school issued chromebook are asked to please charge the chromebook and ensure that it is still working properly. Your child will need this for our first day of virtual instruction on September 11th. If you have any issues with the chromebook and/or charger, please reach out to Amanda Sarro (sarroa@corinthcsd.org ) by September 4th.
If your child(ren) has not already been issued a chromebook, you will be able to pick one up on September 9th or 10th at your assigned times. At the time of pick-up you will be required to sign our Acceptable Use Agreement. Please remember that social distancing and mask wearing will be required when you are on school grounds.
Chromebook Pick-Up: September 9th and September 10th
9:00-10:00 students with the last names starting with A-G
10:00-11:00 students with the last name starting with H-M
11:00-12:00 students with the last name starting with N-S
1:00-2:00 students with the last name starting with T-Z
School Supplies
Medication Drop Off
Teacher Assignments
School Information on COVID-19
You can view the Community Forums that were recorded during the week of August 17th.
Daily Health/Wellness Screening
COVID-19 Symptomatic Protocols
Please review our district symptomatic protocols:
Staff and students exhibiting symptoms are directed to stay home.
COVID-19 Symptoms:
- Fever or chills
- cough
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- fatigue
- muscle or body aches
- headache
- new loss of taste or smell
- sore throat
- congestion or runny nose
- nausea or vomiting
- diarrhea
Attendance and Engagement
Daily attendance and engagement will continue to be a critical factor for academic success whether your child is learning through in-person or remote instruction. We will continue to work closely with all of our families to ensure students are engaged in their learning.
When students are not engaged in their learning the following will take place:
5 days absent- classroom teacher to call home
10 days absent- a letter will be sent home and a call will be made by the social worker or school counselor
15 days absent- You will be invited in to meet with our attendance committee to discuss why your child is missing so much school
18 days absent- your child is considered “chronically absent”- if they continue to miss school we will consider involving child protective services to inform them of a possibility of educational neglect
What should I do when my child is home sick?
Call school when your child will be absent.
Send in a note stating the reason for their absence upon their return.
You can print the note linked below and send it into school with your child when he/she is well.
If your child is home due to Covid symptoms, but feeling well enough, they may engage in instruction for the day through their Google classroom.
Return to school note:
Mask Up CES!
Tips:
- Tell your child you think wearing a mask is important in school.
- Let them know they are keeping their friends and teachers safe when they wear a mask.
- Practice wearing a mask at home for up to 30 minutes. This may be when they are having screen time.
- Show them where clean masks will be kept in your home and what they should do with their mask when they come home from school.
- Let them pick out the material for their mask. (plan on having a clean mask ready each morning)
- Stay positive!
- Be proud of your child(ren) for wearing a mask and keeping others safe!
American Academy of Pediatrics https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/Cloth-Face-Coverings-for-Children-During-COVID-19.aspx
Wearing a Mask Social Story: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bD-8DZBXh619sSbywfUbwgGhVH-Nnyyy
Parent Tips to Prepare Your Child to Return to School
Transportation
Transportation Supervisor- Kathleen Wardell- (518) 654-2231
Food Service
Food Service Director- Lisa Tevendale (518)654-9005 x3114
Breakfast $1.50 Lunch $2.00
Parents are responsible for any meals charged in the cafeteria. For your convenience, you may deposit funds into a meal account on https://family.titank12.com/ for your child to use in our cafeteria. The service is free. You can monitor student accounts to track their transactions and balance. Participants are charged a $2.60 fee for deposits. Questions concerning setting up this account, Free/Reduced Meal application, or our food service program can be made directly to our Food Service Director, Lisa Tevendale.
Breakfast- students will not enter the building early for breakfast. Pre-plated meals will be delivered to classrooms at the start of the school day.
Lunch- students may eat the cafeteria at individual desks spaced six feet apart or in their classroom. Students may remove their mask while the eat and must put it back on when they are done. Students may not get up during the lunch period without permission from a cafeteria monitor.
Virtual Learners- meals are available for purchase for all students. More information will become available in the coming weeks.
Cafeteria Social Distancing
Classroom Social Distancing
Instruction
- Desks are placed six feet apart in each classroom.
- K-4 class sizes are up to 16 students. The 5th grade is located in the middle school and can have up to 14 students.
- Masks are required. Each teacher will give permission to take a mask break during instruction.
- Classroom and teacher changes may occur during the second semester if more students choose in-person for the second half of the school year. We will work hard to make minimal changes for the students.
- Live streaming instruction may occur for virtual students during the second half of the school year. This means that virtual students will be streaming into an in-person class. This will occur if a large number of virtual students come back for in-person instruction and we have the same safety guidelines from the Department of Health.
Virtual Instruction
- For the first semester (through January 30) students will be assigned a virtual teacher.
- This teacher is teaching two different grade levels am/pm. For example the teacher will provide live instruction for Kindergarten in the first hours of the day and first grade later in the school day.
- Your child's virtual teacher will send home a schedule for instruction before September 11th.
- This model may change for the second semester if students choose to start in-person instruction. Additional students coming for in-person could mean we will open another classroom. We will then need a certified teacher for that classroom.
- During the second semester, virtual learning may be live steaming into the in-person classrooms.
Remote Learning Plan
2019-2020 Yearbook Update
We know everyone is excited and anxiously awaiting the 2020 yearbook! We are too!
Lifetouch provided the statement below regarding production. Unfortunately their facility was hit hard during this unprecedented time. They are working to fully complete our order. Once we have our completed order, we will work diligently to distribute your keepsake.
"Dear Corinth School District and Community,
Yearbooks are a tradition for schools throughout the US and Canada. At Lifetouch, we are humbled to be a part of providing that tradition. We know how important yearbooks are, especially in times like these.
We want to take a moment and fully acknowledge that this is not what you, as an adviser, or our customers expect nor deserve from Lifetouch. Your local Lifetouch Yearbook Account Manager is doing everything he/she can to support you and be as transparent as possible regarding your yearbook's delivery.
As you may know, our yearbook production facilities are located in some of the states that are being hardest hit by the pandemic. We have prioritized the safety of our employees and we are following all state and local health guidelines to create a safe working environment. Social distancing requirements mean that there are fewer people available to work at any given time. These changes have impacted our production schedule, slowing production down significantly.
We realize you, our yearbook adviser, and your families, are eager to receive this year’s yearbook and it has been frustrating to not have an estimated shipping date. Please know that teams are doing everything possible to get you your finished yearbook. Shipping is monitored and as soon as your yearbook ships, you will receive tracking information so you can arrange to distribute the yearbooks to the students and families in the manner that is best suited for everyone's safety.
As we navigate COVID-19, we will continue to provide you with a yearbook that your students will treasure for a lifetime. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this unprecedented time together.
Lastly, we know families are wondering when they will receive their yearbooks and are looking for answers. Please share this letter with families and community members on our behalf.
Sincerely,
Your Partners at Lifetouch"