Bennett Peek of the Week
December 6th - December 10th
The mission of Bennett Elementary School
SHARE THE JOY, Give a Toy!
The Kindergarten & 1st Grade Teaching Teams are requesting
new and gently loved toys
for the children to share during indoor recess.
We’ve created on Online Wish Lists with Gift Hero to help organize needed materials.
Please visit:
Kindergarten:
https://www.gifthero.com/list/8ea01959-7d8b-4ed5-8cb3-85a7a1292ab8
1st Grade:
https://www.gifthero.com/list/aa2f3f7f-d5ee-4e89-84e1-c672bd7792f0
Maybe you’ll find some great deals while you’re holiday shopping or maybe you’ll make some space in your toy bin, either way it’s a great opportunity to directly impact the children at Bennett! You may also make a general contribution towards the Wish List by purchasing gift cards. Please choose “Confirm Gift” on the online wish list once you’ve donated an item.
Materials will be collected in the office by the PTA.
On the behalf of the Kindergarten & 1st Grade Teaching Teams and the students we serve,
THANK YOU for your generosity!
Happy Holidays!
Kind Regards,
Bennett Elementary PTA Board
ATTENDANCE
- 7:57 am | Doors Open
- 8:12 am | Classes Start
Bennett students may enter the building starting at 7:57 am. Please make sure your students arrive early enough to ensure they are ready to start class at 8:12 am.
Please be sure to notify both your child's teacher and the office at (701) 446-4000 or email (thorvir@fargo.k12.nd.us) if your child will be late, absent, or has to leave for an appointment. Also, be aware that our lunch "hour" starts @10:45 a.m. If your child won't be here at the start of the day, but will be eating at school, please let us know by 8:30 a.m. if they will be having hot lunch, cold lunch, or a bag lunch from home. We only have a short window to order before serving starts and want to ensure your child gets their desired option.
Send More than One Mask!
Bus Delay Notification Process
RE: Bus Route Adjustments if Valley Bus experiences a Bus Driver Shortage:
In the rare event that Valley Bus does not have enough staff to cover all the school bus routes for Fargo Public Schools, Valley Bus would implement a “delayed bus route plan” rather than canceling routes. This plan could be used in either a morning route or an afternoon route.
Delayed Bus Route Plan– The “delayed bus route plan” would have the drivers cover for the missing driver after they have completed their assigned route. This would cause the identified route to be delayed by 15 to 30 minutes. Families would be notified the day of the delay by email, text, and voice messaging. Morning route delay notifications will occur between 5:30-6:30 am and after-school delay notifications will occur by 1:00 pm if a driver shortage occurs. This means students may be standing at their bus stop for additional time or they may be returning home up to 30 minutes later than normal. Each route affected would cause a delay for both the elementary and secondary students riding that bus.
The Bus Delay message will only be sent to the affected route and it will say the following:
“Attention FPS families of Bus Route ###. Today, [Monday, October 9, 2021], your morning route will be 15-30 minutes later than normal. Your principal has been notified of your late arrival. “
Or
“Attention FPS families of Bus Route ###: Today, [Monday, October 20, 2021], your after-school route will arrive home 15-30 minutes later than normal. Students will be supervised at their home building until the bus is available.”
Since communication with families is based on what was entered into the FPS PowerSchool System, we asked that each family review their listed emails and cell phone numbers in the Parent PowerSchool Portal. Please update if needed by calling your child’s main office. This type of communication may be used for other situations that cause significant bussing delays.
Students will be excused in the morning if they arrive late to school due to the delayed busing. The buildings will implement a supervision plan for students if the after-school bus is delayed.
Please remember if you decide to drop your student off at their building more than 15 minutes before school the students will wait outside. Please make sure they have dressed appropriately for the weather.
Parents can check their child’s pick-up time using the “bus route by address” options on the FPS Website at https://www.fargo.k12.nd.us/Page/165.
Although the 2021-22 school year has been challenging, the transportation department and staff at Valley Bus are responding to these challenges and working hard to keep students safe. We thank families for their patience and trust as we navigate staffing challenges.
Please contact your child’s school if you have any questions.
Dr. Grosz & Mrs. Eidsness
Associate Superintendent of Fargo Public Schools
Virtual Academy Registration Open for Second Semester
Hello, FPS families!
As we approach the second semester, Virtual Academy wants you to be aware of our learning platform available to all students. Second semester begins Tuesday, January 18, 2022. If you’d like more information about Virtual Academy, please click here.
If you believe this would be a good fit for your student, the survey to request registration information is here. Requests should be submitted no later than Wednesday, December 22, 2021.
For additional information, please contact:
Lori Nappe, Virtual Academy Elementary Dean (K-5) (701) 446-1601 nappel@fargo.k12.nd.us
Holly Fiechtner, Virtual Academy Secondary Dean (6-12) (701) 446-1602 fiechth@fargo.k12.nd.us
Two Testing Sites: Asymptomatic & Sympotmatic or Special Needs/Sensory Needs Students
Fargo Public Schools is pleased to offer COVID-19 testing sites to its families as part of it’s testing program. FPS will test students and staff members who are deemed a close contact in the school setting in order for the individuals to remain in school. To remain in school, individuals who have been deemed an unmasked or unvaccinated close contact must submit to COVID-19 testing at least every other day, test negative, and remain symptom free.
The COVID testing program is now offering two testing locations. Please see information below. Testing registration with the ND Department of Health must be completed prior to tests being administered. Use the link posted below or snap a photo of the QR code above to register. An individual needs to register using the provided link or QR code upon their first time at the FPS testing site, regardless of the number of tests issued. Additionally, parent/guardian consent is required at the time of the test administration. Parents/guardians can provide consent using the FPS testing consent form in PowerSchool.
Testing Locations:
NEW!!! North High School:
Room 77, 801 North 17th Ave
Park on the south side and enter door 31
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
South High School:
Room C11, 1840 South 15th Avenue, Fargo
Park on the north side of the school and enter door 4
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Symptomatic Students and Children with Special Needs &/or Sensory Difficulties should continue to use the Fargo Cass Testing Site at: 3051 25th Street South, Fargo, Suite K, as the South High Location is not yet set up for this option. Remember to Pre-Register ND Dept. of Health COVID Testing Registration: https://testreg.nd.gov/?eventid=c7725ef9-2711-ec11-b6e6-001dd8308015 For Special Needs/ Sensory Needs students: The parents may then come in the FRONT door and notify testing staff that they will be pulling into the back. Please pull around to the back of the building, near the loading ramp and dumpster. Public Health Nurses will then go to them allowing the child can stay in their car. Staff cannot see out the back door, so you must notify them before pulling up to the back. ***This process is only for students with Special Needs/ Sensory Difficulties.***. All others should enter through the front door.
State of the Schools Address & Public Focus Group
Fargo Public Schools will hold the 2022 State of the Schools Address & Public Focus Group on Thursday, January 13, 2022 from 6:00 to 8:15 p.m. at South High School, 1840 South 15th Avenue, Fargo in the theater. Parents, staff and community members are invited to participate and are encouraged to pre-register by 4:00 p.m. on December 17, 2021 by signing up online at www.fargo.k12.nd.us/focusgroup or calling 701.446.1005. Questions posed in the focus groups will concentrate on the District’s Strategic Plan. Pre-registered attendees will receive reading materials electronically in advance of the event. For more information, including the questions to be discussed in the focus groups, visit www.fargo.k12.nd.us/focusgroup.
Written Notification of School Accountability Report
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Now more than ever, it is important for schools to be transparent to its stakeholders. The world
is in an unprecedented pandemic, and much has changed in our schools and education in
general due to COVID-19.
Transparency to the Public
North Dakota is committed to informing communities about how well its schools are doing. North
Dakota’s future success depends on tapping into the potential of all students, so they graduate
choice ready with the knowledge, skills, and disposition to be successful.
State education departments are required to annually create an accountability report for every
public school in the state. The School Accountability Report outlines how schools are
performing on the accountability elements North Dakota selected within its ESSA plan.
North Dakota has a public dashboard designed to help communities across the state access
important data regarding K-12 districts and schools, including COVID-19 Response. Insights
features easy-to-read reports on multiple measures of school success, including test scores,
graduation rates, English Learner progress, student engagement results, and state
accountability. To find out information about our school, visit the dashboard at Insights.nd.gov,
select “Find My School” and search alphabetically.
Please note, data made available to the public masks or hides data for groups with less than 10
students to protect confidential information about individual students and will say “no data
available”.
Family Engagement
We have robust plans for working to continuously improve educational programs at our school,
even in the midst of a pandemic. We would like you and your child(ren) to continue to be active
participants in our educational system. Please help support our high expectations for student
achievement by participating in school initiatives, offering input and support in our endeavors to
raise student achievement, and volunteering at school. Meeting our school’s goals will take a
united effort, and we look forward to working with families to ensure success for each student.
Continuous Improvement
All schools engage in continuous improvement for general support; therefore, our school has
completed a continuous improvement plan. As part of the overall school improvement plan, a strategy map is generated for each school. Our strategy map, outlining our key school improvement initiatives, is also available on the Insights Dashboard.
Bennett has a student membership count of 647, and it is not a participating Title I school.
If you have any questions regarding the information in the memorandum, please contact the school at (701) 446-4000.
Bennett Elementary
Email: schafes@fargo.k12.nd.us
Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us/Bennett
Location: 2000 58th Avenue South, Fargo, ND, USA
Phone: 701-446-4000
Twitter: @SchoolBennett