Saranac Lake Middle School News
September 2020 Newsletter
Welcome Back!
6th Grade Orientation- August 27th at 5pm
7th and 8th Grade Orientation- August 27th at 7pm
First Day Of School- Tuesday, September 8th
Some students will have a remote learning day on their first day of school, they will need to use this time to get logged into their Google Classrooms for each class and make sure that they are able to get logged into their Chromebooks successfully. The first official day of remote learning will be Friday, September 11th.
Guidance News!
Ms. Leonidas and Mrs. Black will now share IEP and 504 counseling as well as guidance counseling while Mrs. Rockhill will conduct whole group intervention and screening with our 6th graders.
For students with last names starting with the letter A-L, Ms. Leonidas will be your counselor.
For students with last names starting with the letter M-Z, Mrs. Black will be your counselor.
Sample Student Schedules
Instructional Expectations and Attendance- Hybrid Model
6th Grade Students will attend classes in the Petrova/Middle School Building on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am-3:15pm and remotely on Wednesdays.
7th and 8th Grade Students will attend classes at the High School Building.
8th Grade students will attend in person from 10:15am-4:30pm on Monday and Thursday and Remotely on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
7th Grade students will attend in person from 10:15am-4:30pm on Tuesday and Friday with remote learning on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
All instructional materials, lessons, assignments, and class information will be posted in Google Classroom- please be sure to have your child share their login credentials with you, or log into Google Classroom together in order to view upcoming assignments, outstanding work, and current classwork and learning objectives.
Your child will be assigned to a small group cohort. They will remain in the same classroom with the same group of students all day. The teachers will move from room to room and/or use technology to deliver their lessons.
On Wednesday, your child will be required to attend a Google Meet in the morning (6th Grade will Meet at 9am and 7th and 8th Grade will Meet at 10:15am). During that time, their homeroom teacher will go over the details of their learning expectations for the day, take attendance, and work with your child to answer any questions that they may have. Students will have the remainder of the day in order to complete their assignments and reach out directly to their individual teachers for help. If your child misses the morning Google Meet, he/she/they will be marked absent for the day.
On Remote Learning Days other than Wednesday your child will be required to attend the classes on their schedule by logging into a Google Meet at a scheduled time. The teacher will go over the lesson expectations, provide any necessary direct instruction, and walk students and parents through the resources, materials, and expectations for learning during that block. Attendance will be taken. After the initial Google Meet, students will be given time to work independently, in groups, or with the teacher. At the end of the block, teachers will collect completed work, reconvene students using Google Meet, or have students participate in a short assessment to show what they learned. Students are expected to have their video on during the Google Meet portions of their classes. If you are concerned about your child using the video feature of Google Meet, please reach out to his/her/their guidance counselor.
Instructional Expectations and Attendance- Fully Remote Model
All instructional materials and information will be posted in Google Classroom. The parent/caregiver must ensure that the student has joined the respective Google Classroom for each class on their child's schedule and that the parent/caregiver has access to the student's login credentials in order to be able to check on assignments, classwork, and lesson activities.
The parent or caregiver will have to assist the student in navigating their assignments in Google Classroom and in obtaining assistance from the teacher when necessary. Grades will be posted in School Tool regularly.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures- High School Building
Campus Opens at 10:05. Students are not permitted on campus until after 10:05am.
Students without parent screening forms will go to Door #1. There will be random temperature screenings each day. If a student's temperature is too high, they will be asked to enter the building at Door #1 which will be manned by the nurse (the nurse will be able to re-screen and make a determination/isolate the student at that location). If they are good to go (temp under 100), they will be permitted to enter the building and report to their cohort location. At all doors, the sidewalks will be marked showing students where they can stand.
If you will be dropping your child off at school, please enter the school through the Canaras Ave. entrance and follow the directions of school personnel. Your child will have to be met by an adult, please do not just let your child out of the vehicle. Plan a few extra minutes for the first few days of school, we would rather have students wait in a vehicle with a parent while we move students into the building instead of having students congregate.
Students and staff must wear a mask when they are on campus. Students without a mask will be provided with one. There will be social distancing markers on the ground outside of each door as well as throughout the building. Students must observe social distancing guidelines at all times while at school.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures- Petrova Building
Walkers and Bikers will report to Door 14 each morning. At the door, an adult will collect their screening paperwork and random temperature checks will take place. Students without screening forms, or who have a temperature above 100 degrees at the checkpoint will be referred to a separate entrance where they will be re-screened by a nurse before entering the building.
Parent drop offs- Please pull up to the curb along the school building side of Petrova Ave. There, you will be met by a staff member who will check your child's screening paperwork and direct them to the appropriate building entrance. There will be social distancing markers on the ground at each entrance where children will be asked to stand while they await being admitted to the building. Do not just let your child out of the car, having a large number of students congregating outside of school will not be allowed.
Bus riders will be released from the busses one bus at a time. Students with screening paperwork will be directed to Door #14 and students without it will be screened by the nurse at a separate entrance before entering the building. Students are required to wear a mask at all times when on campus and observe social distancing markers and guidelines.
At the end of the day, teachers will walk students outside using Door #14 one class at a time. The teacher will release students to the busses and to parents from there. If you are picking up your child, please be sure to observe social distancing while you wait for dismissal.
Updated Safety Procedures and Information
- Hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies will be in each classroom
- Physical distancing and good hygiene reminders are posted and will be enforced throughout the building
- Directional traffic flow through the buildings will reduce person to person contact
- Parents will be required to fill out a home screening form, which will be provided by the district before students can board the bus each day. Students will need to provide the form to a staff member before their child can enter the building.
- In order to maintain social distancing in classrooms, students have been placed in cohort groups that they will remain with throughout the day. Staff will move to the students, and student movement throughout the building will be limited.
- Students and staff are required to wear masks AND maintain social distancing while on the bus, in class, and on school grounds.
- 7th and 8th Grade Students will be in school from 10:15-4:30
- High School Campus/ Building opens @ 10:05
- Transition to a 4 Block schedule for 7th and 8th Graders:
-> Block 1: 10:25-11:40
-> Block 2: 11:45-1:00
-> Lunch: 1:05-1:45
-> Block 3: 1:50-3:05
-> Block 4: 3:10-4:25 - 6th Grade Students will be in school from 9-3:15
- Petrova Campus Opens for 6th Graders at 8:50am (this is to prevent students from congregating together before the start of the school day).
- Transition to a 10 Period Schedule for 6th Graders (see period times in the sample schedule above)
- Each student will have his/her/their own materials stored in a tote in the classroom.
- Students will not use a locker.
- A breakfast kiosk at a convenient location will allow students to pick up a grab and go breakfast each day.
- Lunch will be delivered to each classroom and teachers will take student lunch orders each morning during homeroom. Students are permitted to bring their lunch in from home.
- Water fountains will not be used for drinking, but the bottle filling stations will be available. Please be sure to send your child to school with a water bottle.
Saranac Lake Middle School
Email: wickwirtri@slcs.org
Website: www.slcs.org
Location: 141 Petrova Avenue, Saranac Lake, NY, USA
Phone: (518) 892-4221
Facebook: facebook.com/saranaclakecsd