October 19, 2020 Principal Message
Jeffreys Grove Magnet Elementary
Dear Jeffreys Grove Families,
We hope you’ve had a fantastic week! The Jeffreys Grove staff is eagerly anticipating the return of our students and working hard to prepare for their arrival. Below you’ll find a great deal of information regarding reopening, as well as reference to resources that may be helpful as you begin planning for the return of your child to Jeffreys Grove. I apologize in advance, because I know I’ve provided a lot of information, but all of it is pertinent to our reopening.
Cohort Information
All families should have received an email from Jeffreys Grove on Wednesday, October 7, 2020 indicating the cohort rotation that their child has been placed on for the first semester.
For students in grades Pre-K – 3rd and K-12 special education regional programs, in-person cohort rotations will start on 10/26. Below is a list of when these students will attend school in-person.
• Cohort 1 – Attend in person week of 10/26. Engage in Virtual learning weeks of 11/2 and 11/9.
• Cohort 2 – Attend in person week of 11/2. Engage in Virtual learning weeks of 10/26 and 11/9.
• Cohort 3 – Attend in person week of 11/9. Engage in Virtual learning weeks of 10/26 and 11/2.
• Virtual Academy – Continue engaging in Virtual Academy through at least 1/15/2021.
All Pre-K – 3rd grade students and K-12 special education regional programs students will return to DAILY in person instruction on 11/16.
For students in grades 4/5, the cohort rotations begin on 11/16. Below is a list of when these students will attend school in-person. When students are not attending school in-person, they will engage in Virtual Learning.
• Cohort 1 – Attend in person weeks of 11/16 & 12/14.
• Cohort 2 – Attend in person weeks of 11/30 & 1/4.
• Cohort 3 – Attend in person weeks of 12/7 & 1/11.
• Virtual Academy – Continue engaging in Virtual Academy through at least 1/15/2021.
I recognize that this can be confusing. Please refer to the Return to Campus Guide for a link to the first semester calendar that lists out cohort rotations by weeks.
Remote Learning Days
In previous messages, I shared information regarding “Remote Learning Days.” To provide further clarification, all students will engage in Remote Learning Days whether they are attending school in-person, through virtual learning or Virtual Academy. Below I’ve listed the remaining Remote Learning Days for the first semester. I’ve included in the list 3 out of the 5 remote learning days that the state required all districts to add to the calendar this year.
• Wednesday, November 18th
• Monday & Tuesday, November 23rd & 24th (state added remote learning days)
• Wednesday, December 2nd
• Friday, December 11th (state added remote learning day)
• Wednesday, December 16th
• Wednesday, January 6th
• Wednesday, January 13th
Materials Distribution
Jeffreys Grove will host our Quarter 2 materials distribution day on Friday, October 23rd (teacher workday) . The event will be for:
• Families to pick up carpool/bus tags (If you haven't completed the survey to be issued a carpool/bus tag please do so here by 10/21). If you reside within our walk zone, please register for a walker tag by 10/21). Tags will be placed in materials distribution bags.
• All students who need to pick up 2nd quarter instructional materials. This includes plan B students and Virtual Academy students.
• Pre-K - 5th grade students to pick up 2nd quarter instructional materials. If you have more than one child at Jeffreys Grove, please pick up all materials during your youngest child's scheduled pick up time.
Distribution will occur according to the following schedule:
- Pre-K and EBS 8:30-10:00 am
- K and 1st grade 10:00-11:30 am
- 2nd and 3rd grade 1:00-2:30 pm
- 4th and 5th grade 2:30-4:00 pm
Parents will need to enter through the bus parking lot entrance and follow a drive-through pick up process. As a reminder, parents are asked to remain in their vehicle and wear a mask in accordance with state health guidelines and district guidance.
Please be reminded that our staff will also be collecting Quarter 1 EL books. Your child's teacher will be communicating with you directly in regards to this.
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Given the upcoming return to school, there will be some changes to our day-to-day operations and procedures that I would like to share with you.
Masks
In accordance with state and district guidance, all individuals (adults and students) that enter the school campus are required to wear a face covering. If a student does not have a face covering, one will be provided. Each student will be given five masks that will remain in the classroom. If a student wears one of the school distributed masks, it is the responsibility of the parents to care for it, including washing it after every few wears. To prepare students to wear masks for the entirety of the school day, I would highly encourage families to start talking with their children about wearing masks and have students practice wearing them for extended periods of time. Please refer to the district’s Return to Campus Guide for further information regarding facemasks.
Children Experiencing Illness at Home and School
If child(ren) are experiencing symptoms of illness at home, they must stay home!
If a child comes to school and becomes ill with a fever or any symptoms of illness including symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste/smell), they will be removed from the classroom and placed in a Health Care Waiting Room. Parents will be called and are required to pick students up as soon as possible. Please refer to the Return to Campus guide to see additional health and safety information regarding topics including: Returning to School After Diagnosis, Exposure or Illness and Procedure for Report of COVID-19 On Campus.
Cleaning and Disinfecting
I’m sure many families have questions regarding the cleaning and disinfecting practices that will be followed in the school. Jeffreys Grove will be following all district guidance in order to ensure the building is cleaned and disinfected according to their expectations. For more on these processes, please refer to page 19 of the district’s “Return to Campus” guide.
Health and Safety Protocols
Upon arrival on campus daily, each student will be required to complete a health screening and temperature check. Staff will be present in the bus loop, carpool and at the flagpole to screen students. Please follow the procedures listed below for arrival via carpool, walker, and bus.
Arrival
Due to COVID-19, we have made several changes to our previous arrival/dismissal/transportation procedures. When we return to in-person instruction, students may enter the building at 8:45 am, and our instructional day will begin at 9:15 am. Families are NOT permitted to walk students to class because we are required to significantly limit the number of visitors in the building. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
Carpool traffic patterns for arrival and dismissal will remain the same in the upcoming year. All carpool will start by going down Jeffreys Grove School Road and making a right to enter the carpool parking lot. Cars are not allowed to make a left turn from Jeffreys Grove School Rd. into the carpool parking lot. If drivers turn left into the carpool line, they will be redirected. Failure to follow the procedures set forth by the school could result in a letter from the school and/or WCPSS Security Office.
During morning carpool arrival, students will undergo health screenings and temperature checks daily prior to exiting their vehicle. When you pull into the carpool loop, a staff member will approach the vehicle and ask you a series of required health screening questions. Students will then have their temperatures taken and recorded. If students pass the health screening and have temperatures below 100.4 degrees, they can exit the vehicle and proceed into the building. If a child does not pass the health screening, he/she will have to return home immediately. If your child has a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, you will be asked to pull up into a parking spot and your child’s temperature will be taken again in 5 minutes. If it remains higher than 100.4 degrees, he/she will not be permitted to remain at school, and you must immediately take them home. We are aware that the screening process will likely increase the time you are in carpool; however, we are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and staff, so we ask for your patience throughout this required process.
Walker students will continue to enter the building from the main entrance. Walker students will undergo the same health screening process. Upon arriving at the flagpole, students must wait with a parent until the health screening is conducted. Parents of walkers must walk with their child(ren) and must remain with the student(s) until the screening is completed.
Students arriving on campus via buses, cabs, and daycare vans will undergo health screenings before departing the bus or vendor transportation. If they pass the screenings and temperature check, they will be directed into the school building. If the students do not pass the screening, they will be escorted to an outdoor waiting area where they will wait for a parent/guardian to arrive while supervised by school staff on duty. If your child has one of the symptoms of COVID-19 or a fever, he/she must be picked up immediately.
Kindergarten Arrival
In year’s past, we’ve had parents walk kindergarten students to class during the first weeks of school. Unfortunately, we cannot have volunteers or visitors on campus, but we’re still committed to helping our newest friends to class! Jeffreys Grove staff will be in the lobby ready to greet our kindergarten friends and walk them to class. We are hopeful that this will help ease the transition back to school, as well as help them learn how to get to class on their own.
Dismissal
In the afternoon, dismissal will begin at 3:45 pm. All children should be off campus by 4:10 pm. In the afternoon, all students picked up in carpool require a carpool tag which is to be placed on the dash of the passenger side of each vehicle.
Parents of students in K-2 that wish to be considered walkers need to show an assigned walk zone transportation tag to pick up their students in the afternoon. Parents living in the walk zone who plan to pick up their children as walkers must wear a mask and stand 6 feet apart in the front of cafeteria doors in the bus loop. A staff member will bring your child to you and dismiss them from the outside doors of the cafeteria.
Please note, ONLY families who live in our designated walk zone are permitted to pick up students as walkers. Students of eligible age (grades 3-5) who need to walk all the way home independently (without a parent) must have a signed release from parents on file with our office. No K-2 students may be released as independent walkers unless accompanied by an older sibling (grades 3-5). Transportation tags will be placed in individual materials bag and these will be available to pick-up at the school on October 23rd from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm during our Materials Distribution. Refer to the section above titled “Materials Distribution” for more information.
Afternoons are very busy in our front office; therefore, all transportation changes must be made by 2:45 pm. If you need to change your child’s transportation and you forgot to write a note to the teacher, please call the front office before 2:45, and the office staff will communicate these changes with the classroom teacher. We ask that you do not email or send a Talking Points message to the teacher as they may not check it in time to make the appropriate changes. Additionally, please do not leave this information on a voicemail as the front office is very busy in the afternoon, and there is a chance we will not check the messages prior to dismissal. Due to COVID-19 health guidance, parents and/or students are NOT permitted to congregate on campus during arrival or dismissal. Upon dropping off or picking up your child, please exit the campus immediately.
Parking On & Off Campus
At no time should you park on Jeffreys Grove Road to walk your child into the school. While I know this may be more convenient than using the carpool line, this is not safe and using the carpool line does not take that long in the morning or afternoon. Furthermore, the Raleigh Police Department will be patrolling the area on a frequent basis to write tickets to people not heeding the signs. Please remember this is not done to inconvenience anyone, rather, it’s to maintain the safety and security of our students, staff, and families. Thanks in advance for your support with this.
Schedules – In-person/Remote Learning/Virtual Academy
Currently, we are updating our daily academic schedules. You will receive copies of the schedules we’ll use for Virtual Academy, Remote Learning and In-person instruction during next week’s parent communication.
Updated Building Processes & Procedures
To maintain safety, we’ve had to recreate some of our previous processes and procedures. I’ve listed these below.
• Students will see signage posted throughout the building reminding them to wear a mask, wait 6 feet apart and wash their hands. These will be reiterated throughout the day.
• Water fountains are closed – students are encouraged to bring a water bottle daily that can be filled up from the sink in the classroom. If students do not have a water bottle, they will be given a cup to fill up from the sink and drink from.
• Our hallways are now labeled with arrows and “6 foot social distancing” stickers on the floor. It is imperative that when students enter the building, they follow the arrows and only walk on those tiles. All students will walk on the second tile of the right side of the hallway no matter the direction they are traveling. Staff will be in place to reinforce these expectations as students learn a new way to travel in our building.
• Hallway restrooms are closed during arrival and dismissal except in a case of emergency. During the school day, teachers can send 1 student to the restroom at a time. Whole class restroom breaks are not permitted at this time.
To prepare your student for the return to school, you may be interested in showing them videos on face coverings, social distancing, hand washing, health screenings and water fountains. You can view the WCPSS videos here.
Lunch/Recess/Specials
Although breakfast and lunch will still be offered by our cafeteria, students will only be permitted to eat breakfast in the cafeteria at this time. All students will eat lunch in their classrooms until further notice. Physical activity is an important part of each child’s health; therefore, they will still engage in recess. Weather permitting, recess will be a time for students to go outside and play. Playground equipment is off-limits until further notice, but students will be encouraged to play on the track, field, basketball court, or area behind the school. Activities that promote social distancing will be permitted. Students cannot play basketball, football, four square or soccer, as these games do not allow for 6 feet of social distancing.
Students will still have Specials (Art, Music, PE, Media, Spanish), but the schedule and instruction may look a bit different. Most Specialists will go to the students’ classroom for instruction.
Cafeteria
All students will receive free breakfast and lunch until December 31st .
Medication
Students taking medication (over the counter or prescription) at school must have the 1702 form completed by a doctor. These forms must be updated each year and presented to our office prior to the first day of school. You may drop off medicine or pick-up or drop off 1702 forms during our Materials Distribution events on 10/23.
Before and After School Care
Currently, we are not operating the Before/After School Care programs in our building. We will make a decision about second semester and communicate this to families by the end of November. Our ability to offer BAC will depend on staffing, health data, occupancy limitations.
Visitors to our Building
To prioritize the health and well-being of all students and staff in the building, we are required to minimize the number of visitors that enter during school hours. This means parents cannot eat lunch with students, visit classrooms, or come to the office when checking students in or out. To the extent possible, visitors on our campus will be addressed through the intercom system, and office staff will do their best to meet their needs using that system.
Volunteers
At this time, the volunteer registration is closed. We will not permit volunteers to be in the building. We will update this as new information becomes available.
Field Trips
In-person field trips are suspended until further notice.
REMINDERS
Technology Needs If you are continuing to experience technology difficulties or something arises throughout the day, please don’t hesitate to contact the WCPSS Technology Help Desk at 919-694-8100. WCPSS Technology Services has also created a support page for families experiencing difficulties or needing support to learn new tech tools. You can access their website here.
Join Memberhub
If you are looking for ways to get connected with the JG PTA and other Jeffreys Grove families, I invite you to join Memberhub. The Jeffreys Grove PTA uses Memberhub as a means of communication with families throughout the year. Cheri Thomas, the JG PTA President, sends out a weekly newsletter, providing "save the date" information, fundraising updates, advocacy information, and other school-wide information. Please click here to join Jeffreys Grove Memberhub."
As always, please reach out to either Ms. Scott or me for support. We are more than happy to answer questions, address concerns, or provide guidance when needed. Sincerely,
Sincerely,
Juli Ventura
Counselor's Corner
Hello JG Families,
I hope you are taking some time each week to find a balance between work, school, and fun!! 🙂
Did you know October is National Bullying Prevention Month? Click on my newsletter below to find out more about being kind to others and helping stop bullying! I also included the link again to my previous newsletter with some anxiety/worry resources. Also included are the October character strengths we are focusing on through the Positivity Project!
Take care and SOAR on Eagles,
Mrs. Jacobs
Kindergarten Spotlight
Thanks to our wonderful teachers, specialists and IAs, our Kindergarten students have been participating in many fun and engaging learning experiences.
In literacy our non-immersion K students are finishing up their first EL module: Toys and Play. They are learning how to close read by answering questions about key details through fun stories like Llama Llama, Time to Share and Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon. They have also been “visiting” the Letterland world and have learned all about Clever Cat, Annie Apple, Mr. A the Apron Man, Dippy Duck, Harry Hat Man, and Munching Mike!
Our Spanish immersion students have also been actively engaged in fun reading activities. They have been working on recognizing and writing initial vowel sounds and are already reading high frequency words!
In math, K students have been focusing on describing attributes of objects. They are also working on rote counting to 20 and understanding relationships between numbers and quantities. They have learned how to write numbers 0-5, and can show how many up to 5. They have also been introduced to perceptual subitizing up to 5.
In Science our Kindergartners have been learning about the various ways that living and nonliving things move.
In Specials, they have had fun drawing self-portraits in Art, practicing throwing and catching in PE, learning about different voice types and steady beats in Music and applying creative and critical thinking skills to artistic expression in Media.
Way to go K eagles!
Jeffreys Grove Magnet Elementary
Website: wcpss.net/jeffreysgrovees
Location: 6119 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh, NC, USA
Phone: (919) 881-4910
Twitter: @JeffreysGroveES