Black Bear Bits
November 12, 2021
Important Dates
11/16: PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.
11/17: Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
11/20: Garden Hoe Down 9:00-11:00 a.m.
11/24-26: No School -Thanksgiving Holiday
11/26: Native American Heritage Day
12/2: Picture Retakes
In this edition...
- Letter from the Principal
- Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
- At-Home Covid Screening
- Picture Re-take day
- Memory Book Photos
- Flu and Covid Vaccines Available
- Garden Hoe-Down!
- Holiday Assistance
- Volunteering at Tualatin Elementary
- Exclusion Guidelines
- Important Links
Letter from the Principal
Dear Tualatin Black Bear Families,
We have successfully completed the first quarter of this school year while maintaining in-person school days. This has been a great achievement in addition to all that students and staff have accomplished this fall. We look forward to the second quarter starting off well on Monday.
Recess Update for Sharing Outdoor Recess Spaces - Nov. 15
Recess cohorts will begin to share space outside starting on November 15th
We will continue to monitor and adjust to guidance as needed
Cafeteria Update
The move to eating indoors has been working well for now
The limited space has been challenging, and we are working on getting individual student “TV tray” style tables to help maximize the small space we have to use
Please contact our office if you have any questions about school this year. We are here to help. (503-431-4800). Our goal is to work together to support a successful school year during this time.
Enjoy the weekend, and Go Black Bears!
Mr. Kingery
Principal
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
Watch this video about Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.
OHSU Covid Screening FAQ
TTSD and OHSU have partnered for optional weekly screening testing of unvaccinated students in grades K-12.
- Friday: students take testing kit home
- Monday morning: students collect saliva (spit) before eating, drinking, or brushing teeth
- Monday morning at school: students return kits to their teachers.
- You should put a label on the TUBE and a label on the BAG. (More labels will be sent home in December.)
- If you forget to send the tube back to school on Monday, you will just dispose of the testing kit for that week. We are unable to send in late test kits.
- If there is no school on a Friday, we will send the screening kits home on the last day of school that week. You will still do the test on Monday morning.
- These tests are not processed at school. They are sent out to an independent lab.
- If your test comes back positive, please contact the office. (503-431-4800)
For more information on the program, for collection directions, and other answers to questions, see their website here: https://www.ohsu.edu/health/k-12-covid-19-screening-program
If you are interested in enrolling your child(ren) and you have not yet returned the forms, you still may participate. If you need another form, please contact your teacher and we will send one home with your student. Please complete BOTH forms and have your child return them to school.
Picture Retake Day
MEMORY BOOK PHOTOS
We are now accepting photo submissions for the 2021-2022 Memory Book!
We need your help as we document this unique year of school. In addition to masked photos of the students attending school, we would LOVE to include the smiling faces of your students taken at home without a mask.
We currently need the following types of photos:
First day of school photos
Walk and Roll
Playing outside
Fall fun
Halloween costume photos
Reading books at home
Working on school iPads
Wearing school colors/spirit wear
Volunteering in the school garden
Please send in photos of your student/s to tualatinschoolphotos@gmail.com.
- Please make the email subject as follows: student first and last name, grade level, and teacher name.
- If you have more than one student who attends Tualatin Elementary, please send each student's photos in separate emails. Only one student's information should be listed per email subject.
- Parents/guardians, please include your first and last name in the body of the email.
Thank you Black Bear Families!
Flu and Covid Vaccines Available
Did you know? The school-based health center at Tualatin High School offers flu and Covid vaccines for children living in TTSD boundaries.
- Flu vaccines: 6 months – 18 yrs of age
- COVID vaccines for youth 12-18 yrs
- Pfizer Pediatric mRNA vaccine for youth 5-11 years of age (This will be offered, regardless of insurance.)
Call for appointments! 503.941.3180
You can also use the vaccine locator to find a vaccine near you.
OHSU has reserved appointments for families of racial and ethnic backgrounds disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 as well as children with disabilities. Schedule those here.
Garden Hoe-Down!
You are invited to join Tualatin High School Key Club members at our garden Hoe Down!
When? Saturday, November 20, from 9am-11am
Where? Your school garden
What? We will be putting away hoses, composting, trimming, mowing, distributing wood chips, and generally putting the garden to bed for the winter. Breathe in the fresh air, enjoy the good company of others, have some laughs and feel good about making a difference
Light refreshments will be provided (i.e., snacks and chicken soup).
Covid practices will be observed - masks and safe distancing.
What you need to bring: water bottles, favorite tools and gloves. But we also have plenty of tools and gloves for those that don’t bring them.
Please contact Pam Soderquist at psoderquist@ttsd.k12.or.us if you have any questions. See you in the garden!
Holiday Assistance
Volunteering at Tualatin Elementary
Note: All volunteers must complete the checklist below to volunteer
- Complete a background check at: www.helpcounter.net/ttsd. (This needs to be renewed every three years.)
- Be vaccinated for COVID-19. Please provide vaccine documentation using the following link-TTSD Volunteer Vaccination Documentation
- Complete Volunteer COVID training at Tualatin Elementary
- Volunteer training will be held in our school library with limited seating to meet physical distancing requirements. Masks required.
- To reserve your space at an upcoming volunteer training, please contact the office at 503-431-4800
Dates for trainings:
- November 17 - 3:00-4:00 PM
- November 23 - 3:00-4:00 PM
- November 30 - 3:00-4:00 PM
- Additional dates/times coming soon
Screen for Covid Symptoms at Home
Every day before your child leaves for school, check for symptoms of Covid. If your child exhibits any of the following symptoms, keep them home. Please call the attendance line (503-431-4770) to let us know what symptoms the child has so we can help you determine how long the child will need to be out of school.
- 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
Please notify the school if your student has asthma, seasonal allergies, or another CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITION that would cause coughing or other covid-like symptoms. Your doctor should fax this information to the school office at 503-431-4810 so that your student is not inadvertently excluded from school.
Exclusion Guidelines
If your child presents with any of the following symptoms at home or at school, there are specific exclusion guidelines we will follow.
Primary Symptoms:
Fever greater than 100.4
Chills
Cough
Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
New loss of taste or smell
If your child has any of the above primary symptoms, the Tigard-Tualatin School District requires your child to stay home for 10 days after the onset of symptoms unless:
Proof of a negative COVID-19 test result OR A doctor’s note indicating a different diagnosis and that COVID-19 is not suspected; AND
Be fever free for 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medications, such as Tylenol or ibuprofen;
Symptoms must be improving.
Tualatin Elementary School
Email: tualatinoffice@ttsd.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.ttsdschools.org/tualatin
Location: 20405 SW 95th Ave
Phone: 503-431-4800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TualatinElementaryGarden/
Twitter: @TuES_BlackBears