East Middle School Newsletter
January 2021
News from Mrs. Kruse
You should have received a letter from Superintendent Garner today outlining the approved return to school plan from last night's school board meeting. Secondary students will be returning to school on Wednesdays (A-K) and Thursdays (L-Z) only, beginning 1/27/21 and 1/28/21. This schedule will be reviewed every two weeks or less. Based on the Genesee County Health Department's information, we are optimistic that vaccines will be available to the general public soon and we will be able to safely increase the face-to-face school days for our secondary students.
As we gear up for our F2F return, please have conversations with your student about the importance of properly wearing a mask, bringing their own labeled, bottle(s) of water to school, and the requirement to socially distance at all times. We have waited a long time to have students back in the building, we are ready and excited to see students fill the halls, we just need to do it safely and respectfully, at all times.
Thank you for your continued support,
Mrs. Kruse
January Dates to Save
January 11.......Board of Education Meeting, 7 p.m. (Virtual)
January 18.......MLK Day, no classes, building closed
January 22.......End of First Semester
January 25.......Records Day, no classes, building open
January 25.......Board of Education Meeting, 7 p.m. (Virtual)
January 26.......Beginning of Second Semester
January 27.......Students Group A (Last Names A-K) to return to the classroom (hybrid schedule, classes 1st-3rd hour)
January 28.......Students Group B (Last Names L-Z) to return to the classroom (hybrid schedule, classes 1st-3rd hour)
February 1........Mindfulness Mondays with Mrs. LaFleur will resume
Picture Days Are By Appointment Only!
Tuesday, January 19 - 2:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 21 - 2:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Monday, January 25 - 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
More information can be found below:
Be Prepared for Face to Face Learning!
- Doors to the building open at 7:50am. Students are asked to stay in their vehicles until it is time to enter the building. Students getting breakfast will use the Athletic Entrance, all other students should use the Main Entrance and proceed directly to their first class.
- Check your emergency contacts in ParentVue. Make sure those contacts are people who are willing and able to pick up your student in a timely manner if they become sick at school or exhibit COVID symptoms.
- Students should have their own set of supplies to avoid having to share. When sharing is necessary, items will be sanitized between uses.
- Drinking fountains are closed, so a water bottle labeled with the student's name is recommended.
- Masks must be worn by all school staff, visitors, and by all students, on buses, inside school buildings, and anywhere on school grounds, including outside when individuals may be within six feet of each other.
- Reusable masks should be labeled with the student's name; if they do not have a mask, a disposable one will be provided.
Counselor's Corner
If this is a school issue that needs more immediate assistance, please call 810-591-4696. The form should not be used for emergencies.
Attendance Matters!
We are eager to see students, face to face, in class beginning Wednesday, January 27 (A-K) or Thursday, January 28 (L-Z)!
Families, please be reminded that whether F2F or remotely, your student is expected to be present for every class each day. Students that do not report for a class will be marked absent. Additionally, it is important that students are logged into each class with their GBCS student account for attendance verification.
PLEASE NOTE:
Today, students were notified that all student screen images during remote learning, must be:
- School Picture
- School Name Only
- No icons/Avatar/etc.
If you know your child will be absent from school, please call the attendance desk at EMS. We ask that you be specific when reporting an illness. Thank you!
ATTENDANCE HOTLINE
(810) 591-4697
Athletics
East Middle School Sports are schedule to restart on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.
Wrestling and Volleyball practices will all begin daily at 3pm on Tuesday, January 19th through Friday January 22nd. Updated competitive schedules are being finalized and will be shared with families when the students return to practice.
Winter II Sports (Pom, Competitive Cheer, Boys Basketball, Swim and Dive) will begin in early February. Details on sign-up and tryouts will be available on the East MS Athletic Webpage when dates, times and locations are finalized.
REMINDER! If you plan on participating in a sport at EMS this year, a yearly sports physical, completed by a physician, is required.
Link to MHSAA Physical Form:
https://www.mhsaa.com/portals/0/documents/health%20safety/physical2page.pdf
The Positivity Project
Ask your student about the following P2 Character traits:
January 10 -16 : Prudence
January 17 -23 : Perseverance
January 24 - 30 : OPM - Supporting others when they struggle
TECHNOLOGY
BARK ACCOUNT - PARENT PORTAL ACTIVATION
If our system detects issues like Cyberbullying, Depression, Drugs/Alcohol, etc. on your child's student account after hours, you will receive an email notification and be able to review the issue in your Parent Portal dashboard.
In November, parents received an invitation from Technology inviting all parents to sign up the parent portal. See below to create your Parent Portal account.
BREAKFAST AND LUNCH UPDATE
The Michigan Department of Education announced that all students can continue receiving free meals for the entire 2020-2021 School Year! This is great news! See below for details on distribution sites!