EGMS Weekly Update
January 14
To read this newsletter in another language, please look at the bar to the right that says "translate newsletter" and pick your language.
Para leer este boletín en otro idioma, mire la barra a la derecha que dice "traducir boletín" y elija su idioma.
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
- MLK Day- No School: Jan. 17
- Conferences - Jan. 27 4pm to 7:30pm and Jan. 28 8am to noon
- No School- Jan. 28
- Kemple Dental Screenings- Jan. 31
- No School- Feb. 7 District Wide Curriculum Day
DISTRICT ANNOUNCEMENT-- please read
Jan. 13, 2022
RSD Families,
Since coming back from winter break, our district has seen a dramatic number of COVID cases in our students and staff. Several of our schools are currently seeing high numbers of staff out sick. If that worsens, it may be impossible for us to safely operate in some buildings.
We intend to do everything in our power to keep our schools open and our students learning in person for the duration of the 2021-22 school year, and to continue extracurricular activities as well. We know students do best when they are in school – academically, socially, mentally and emotionally.
That said, it is now time to ask our families to prepare a plan for the possibility that their student’s classroom or school has to pause for a short period of time or return to distance learning on a temporary basis.
We know that such closures would be a hardship to many of our families. At this time, we have no intention of moving to distance learning. The district believes that with mitigation strategies in place like masking, vaccines and social distancing, our schools are a safe place for students. However, if we don’t have sufficient staffing, we cannot operate in a safe manner.
Any decision to pause in-person instruction at a classroom or school because of either COVID spread or a staffing shortage will be made on a case-by-case, school by school basis. Our district leaders will explore all options, including deploying administrators, district office employees and substitutes to schools in need.
Any closure would likely be five days in duration – the first two days will be teacher preparation days with no instruction, followed by three days of instruction through distance learning.
During a pause, activities and athletics will continue as long as staffing levels allow. Meal service will be offered in the event of a school’s temporary pause.
We will make every effort to provide as much notice as possible if we have to temporarily transition a classroom or school away from in-person learning, but ask you to remember that these decisions often have to be made quickly as a result of rapidly changing information.
Thank you for your understanding.
Charan Cline
Superintendent
Parent Drop Off & Pick Up
Please drop your child off and pick them up along the curb in front of EGMS. As you enter the loop, please pull as far forward as possible, up near the gym entrance. *We have a few parents pulling through the parking lot and dropping kids off. This presents a safety concern as your child must cross traffic and it rarely saves time. In addition, it slows the traffic flow through the loop as cars stop for students crossing the street. We appreciate your help!
ASW Fun! Teamwork
Masks
Huskies,
Masks are still required to be worn in all indoor spaces in Oregon. That includes EGMS. With COVID cases rising in our county we need to be diligent about wearing our masks correctly. Please help us in reminding your student of this expectation. We know it's not fun to wear a mask but we want to remain healthy and keep our doors open. Thank you!
Navigating Social Media
Dear Husky Families:
Recently, we’ve had students and families report an uptick in inappropriate, harmful, anonymous, or impersonating social media accounts where student/staff pictures are being taken and posted without consent. Some accounts with cruel and hurtful themes tag students on posts.
We ask that you talk with your student(s) about their presence on social media.This is also an opportunity to engage in conversations around empathy and standing up for others. An easy way to help resolve this problem is for students to stop following these malicious accounts, and also to have students and parents report the accounts to Instagram.
We currently have 11 pages we are aware of that are using our EGMS logo without permission and we are teaming with district officials and law enforcement to get these accounts removed. Our official EGMS Instagram page is @eltongregoryms.
The vast and ever-changing landscape of social media is often accompanied with students having to face peer and societal pressures. Students too easily get wrapped up in the ease of acting from behind a screen, instead of demonstrating compassion and empathy for their peers and others. At EGMS, we strive to ensure a sense of belonging for all students and are committed to having a supportive and safe community within our schools. Managing social media in today’s culture is a challenge and all of us need to support our youth in making responsible choices. We expect students to respect one another and demonstrate good citizenship both at school and within the community. Your assistance with helping to create this environment is greatly appreciated.
If you have any questions, have information to share, or would like to discuss these concerns further, please contact us any time.
Thank you for your partnership!
Here are some helpful links for navigating your student's social media:
Parent Tips, Tricks and Resources
#icanhelp (Parent Guidelines for Social Media and cell phone usage)--PDF
Hello Elton Gregory Families,
My name is Emily and I am the yearbook coordinator for our school this year! This year is already off to a great start. I am reaching out to see if anyone is interested in sending some great photos of their students during Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations this year. Please feel free to send me photos of your students at emily.paiva@redmondschools.org.
TIME TO ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK!
News from Nurse Grubb
RSD Annual Health Screening Days
Dental Screening
All students receive dental screening and the possibility of free sealants and/or other dental treatments done at school January 31 - February 3, 2022, courtesy of Advantage Dental! Information on how to qualify for free dental treatments and the option to opt-out, was sent home this week. Please return forms no later than January 24th.
Vision Screening
Vision referral letters were mailed out recently, if your student does not receive a letter, that means their vision was within normal range. If your student is complaining of any vision issues, it is worth seeing an eye care professional. Spot is able to detect a variety of vision problems including nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. It can also detect unequal vision power (anisometropia), eye misalignment (amblyopia), unequal pupil size (anisocoria), and eye structure problems.
Immunizations
Exclusion day is February 16, 2022. Please respond by either providing proof of immunization, or doing the steps for exemption. Feel free to visit Oregon.gov for more information on how to do an exemption https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/PreventionWellness/VaccinesImmunization/GettingImmunized/Pages/SchExemption.aspx
New Quarantine/Isolation Guidelines
The Redmond school district has implemented the reduced five-day quarantine and isolation that has been approved by the CDC/OHA/ODE.
Sports
Girls Basketball Schedule
Wrestling Schedule
Sports Attendance Policy at EGMS
2021-2022 EGMS Bell Schedules
Inclement Weather Information
Community Resources
CENTRAL OREGON COMMUNITY RESOURCES
(updated as often as possible; some resources/numbers may not be current)
Mental Health Resources:
Deschutes County Behavioral Health https://www.deschutes.org/
Information and appointments. 541-322-7500
Deschutes County Crisis Line https://www.deschutes.org/
24 hour crisis support. 541-322-7500 ext. #9 or call 9-1-1
Trevor Project https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ+. 866-488-7386 (24 hr)
Oregon Youth Line https://oregonyouthline.org/
Free, confidential teen-to-teen crisis and help line. 877-968-8491
Text: teen2teen @ 839863
Other Resources:
Central Oregon 2-1-1 www.deschutesunitedway.org
Connections to a wide-range of social services. Dial 2-1-1 or 541-389-6507
Thrive Central Oregon www.thrivecentraloregon.org
Housing, financial insecurity and other resources. 541-728-1022 (Se Habla Español)
Bethlehem Inn (24 hrs) www.bethleheminn.org
Emergency shelter and food for adults and families. 541-322-8768
Family Resource Center of Central Oregon www.frconline.org
Parenting education and support services. 541-389-5468
Latino Community Association (LCA) www.latca.org
Translation and interpretation services, employment services, 541-382-4366 (Se Habla Español)
dental and legal clinics.
NeighborImpact www.neighborimpact.org
Resources for food, energy assistance and shelter. 541-548-2380
Jericho Road https://jerichoroadofredmond.org/
Resources for food, shelter and hope. 541-699-2099
Saving Grace https://www.saving-grace.org/
Comprehensive family / domestic violence and sexual assault 541-382-9227
support services. Hotline available.
WIC (Women, Infants, Children) https://www.deschutes.org/health
Nutrition education, breastfeeding support and education, 541-617-4775
referrals and food vouchers for pregnant and postpartum women.