PANTHER NEWS
APRIL 2021
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Autism Awareness and Acceptance
World Autism Awareness Day is observed on April 2. The day recognizes and spreads awareness for the rights of people with autism. Traditionally, hundreds of thousands of landmarks, buildings, homes, and communities around the world, light blue in recognition of people living with autism.
This year there is a new movement to support Autism Awareness by wearing RED instead this month to support the autism community rather than blue. Wearing blue was started on the basis that more boys are affected by Autism than girls. The autism community started #REDINSTEAD to combat wearing blue. In many cultures, the color red represents love, good luck, joy, and celebration. This represents how many are seeking to change the conversation of autism from one of fear to one of love, acceptance, and celebration. Neurodiversity, like Autism, is something to celebrate as natural variations of human neurology. Although Autism is a disability, it is not bad or something to be feared or shunned. As a community, we can work together to move from awareness to acceptance and show love for those impacted by autism.
At Purdy, we believe in promoting acceptance and inclusion. Below are a few resources that may be helpful in explaining autism to children.
Helping children learn about autism and acceptance
Helping children understand autism
Autism Awareness vs. Autism Acceptance
Let’s wear red this month to show our acceptance and support for those impacted by autism.
Kind regards,
Ms. Kristi Brooks
Purdy Principal
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Bus Passes
The following guideline will be in place for the remainder of the 2020 - 2021 school year:
- Bus passes can only be issued for the purpose of childcare needs
This course of action is needed to keep our school buses as healthy as possible during this period of COVID and to retain the integrity of our seating charts for the purpose of possible contact tracing.
Pam Roland
Peninsula School District
Transportation Director
14015 62nd Ave NW
Gig Harbor, WA 98332
Office: 253-530-3901
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Important Upcoming Dates
4/9 Wear RED for Autism Awareness
4/12-4/16 Spring Break - No School
4/27 Remote Learners Individual Picture Day - see below for details
4/28 Pre-K, Options & Remote Learners Individual Picture Day- see below for details
4/29 In-person learners Individual Picture Day- see below for details
4/21 Flower Drive Through - Purdy parking lot 4:00-6:00 pm
5/31 Memorial Day - No School
6/23 Last day of school - Half Day
6/24-6/25 Emergency Make-Up Days - If needed
8/16-8/20 Jump Start for K-1
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INDIVIDUAL PICTURE DAY 4/27, 4/28 & 4/29
Picture day order forms will be sent home for your review before we leave for spring break
Order forms will be placed outside for remote learners to pick up
You can pre-order your photo packages online at
mylifetouch.com & using ID number: EVT9W3BJP
or
Bring your completed order form and check made out to Lifetouch on picture day to give to the photographer
Pictures will be taken outside under the covered entry to the school
Picture Day Schedule - IN-PERSON LEARNERS
All in-person learners will have an opportunity to have the individual picture taken on
Thursday, April 29th as scheduled below
OPTIONS, PRE-K & REMOTE LEARNERS
OPTIONS, PRE-K, & REMOTE LEARNERS Wednesday, April 28th and
Tuesday, April 27th for remote learners
Tuesday, April 27th - 8:00-am - 2:20 pm
Remote Learners - schedule through the link below
Wednesday, April 28th
10:10 - 10:45 Pre-K AM
12:15 - 1:30 Options
1:35 - 2:10 Pre-K PM
Remote Learners - schedule through the link below
Remote Learners
- Click on the link and choose your method of signing in (email is easiest - you will NOT need to register an account on signup)
- Find an open time slot(s) that work for you
- Click on the green sign-up button for the spot you prefer
- Enter child's name and click save and done
- (If you have more than one child you'll need to enter in their names into separate consecutive time slots)
- Create a new participant if entering another child
- When done entering all student(s) be sure to click the SAVE button at the top of the screen
- You will receive an email confirmation
REMINDERS
- pull up to the front of the school
- parents remain in their vehicle
- staff member will escort student to the photographer
- students will wear their mask up until time of their photo
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COVID-19 SCHOOL-BASED TESTING
Our school will be able to continue COVID-19 School-Based Rapid Antigen Testing for select students. Originally, we communicated that testing would only take place through April 5. However, we are now able to extend the testing through June 14, 2021.
Due to a limited supply of these tests, we are only able to test students who meet certain criteria. Although this testing is limited in scale, we believe it will give us another layer of safety as we can quickly isolate positive COVID-19 cases and quarantine close contacts to prevent disease spread at our school. If your child has already been participating in testing, or has been identified as a candidate to test, you will receive a letter from our principal.
Below are direct links to the consent forms. Please note, these forms give consent for testing between April 5-June 14.
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PTA NEWS
Boon Supply Co. Fundraiser Benefiting Purdy
Help support your school's PTA by shopping at Boon Supply Co. from March 15, 2021-April 18, 2021. Your purchase (40%) will be donated back to our school. The PTA at Purdy funds so many programs such as literacy and math programs, grants to teachers and staff, sight word champion shirts and access to many of the aps your children use in school as well as during remote and asynchronous activities.
Look for the Boon Supply Co. Catalog in your child's go-home in the next few weeks. Or you can check out their website to browse items available.
How to participate:
1. Use this link to Purdy's Shopping Fundraisier: https://www.boonsupply.com/1171016
2. Or visit Boon Supply Co,'s main website, Give Back While You Shop | Boon Supply, and enter our PTA Number: 1171016.
3. All ordering is online so no need to send back order forms or checks to school.
Shop away (March 15-April 18, 2021! Any purchase small or large will benefit our school.
4. Items will be shipped directly to you.
Questions? Contact Sara Patinkin at sarapatinkin@gmail.com
We All Scream For...FROYO!
Stop at Menchies at Uptown Gig Harbor any Thursday and tell them you are with Purdy Elementary! At the end of each month they will calculate the sales for each school and send 20% of sales to the respective school. This is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth AND support your school!
April PTA Meeting
Topic: April PTA Meeting
Time: Apr 28, 2021 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/99972841602?pwd=OGYwTWdEU3lFTStRM1lCcWh6WDhLdz09
Meeting ID: 999 7284 1602
Passcode: 999999
Interesting in becoming a part of the PTA Executive Board?
We are currently seeking people interested in serving on the PTA Executive Board for the 2021-2022 school year.
These positions include President, Vice -President, Secretary, Treasurer, and 2 Members at Large. If you are interested in becoming a member of your PTA executive board or want to learn more about any of these positions, please email Pattie at president@purdypta.com
YEARBOOK SALES
It’s time to purchase your Purdy Yearbook for the 2020-2021 School year!
To pre-order a yearbook for your student, visit the following link and enter the Yearbook ID code.
www.ybpay.lifetouch.com Yearbook ID: 12392921
The yearbook committee is looking for first day of school photos, remote/in-person, all of it.
You can send any photos to president@purdypta.com
APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS DRIVE THRU
Join us for a fun drive thru on
Wednesday April 21st from 4pm – 6pm
Purdy Elementary
FONDI FUN-RAISER!
SAVE THE DATE!
Pizza’s on the menu for Tuesday April 6th.
Join us for our first ever Fondi Takeover. You can participate by enjoying take-out or dining in person.
** Coupon must be present **
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NEWS FROM THE HEALTH ROOM
Auditory and Visual Concerns in Students During 2020-21 School Year
During this year, due to the impact of COVID-19, we are not conducting routine vision and hearing screening on our students at school. However, we realize vision and hearing concerns may arise during this time. Therefore, we are recommending that if your student has any of the concerns below let your school nurse know so we can do a screening on the student. If your student is fully remote, contact your health care provider or vision specialist.
Auditory Concerns
● Turns to the one side or another when listening
● Complains of tinnitus or ringing in the ears
● Talks is a very soft/loud voice
● Turns on volume really loud
● Concerns with attention or following directions
● Relies on visual cues or relies on vision heavily
Visual Concerns
● Eyes don’t line up, one eye appears crossed or looks out!
● Eyelids are red-rimmed, crusted or swollen
● Eyes are watery or red (inflamed)
● Rubs eyes a lot
● Closes or covers one eye
● Tilts head or thrusts head forward
● Has trouble reading or doing other close-up work, or holds objects close to eyes to see
● Blinks more than usual or seems cranky when doing close-up work
● Things are blurry or hard to see
● Squints eyes or frowns
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WEEKEND MEAL KITS
Weekend meal kits are available for pickup on Fridays, at a Meals Site. If Friday falls on a non student day as indicated on the Peninsula School District 2020-2021 school year calendar, kits will be available the last school day of the week.
Click here or on the graphic below for printable meal kit cooking instructions.
SPRING BREAK MEAL KITS
The PSD Nutrition Office will have meal kits available for children up to the age of 18 during Spring Break. Meals will cover breakfast and lunch for 6 days.
Meals kits are available for pick up on April 13th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at one of the following sites: Evergreen Elementary, Purdy Elementary, and Gig Harbor High School.
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PICK UP AND DROP OFF REMINDERS
Here are some things all Panthers can do to stay safe and keep others safe:
Please stay home if you can answer “Yes” to any of the symptoms on the enclosed attestation form.
Please remember to:
Wear a clean mask to school every day.
Wash your hands often with soap and water.
Keep space (6 feet) between you and others.
Please keep an extra set of clothing and mask (in a plastic bag) in your child’s backpack for emergencies.
Bring your Chromebook and school supplies to be used in the classroom.
Bring a water bottle to keep on your desk, all drinking fountains have been turned off.
When you get to school there will be a lot of staff to help you get to your classroom.
Bus Riders:
Students should have their mask on prior to loading their bus and keep it on for the entire ride.
Buses will unload one at a time when they reach the school.
Staff will be present at the back of the school to greet Panthers and show them to the entry point closest to their room.
All Panthers will have their temperature taken by a staff member.
Additional staff will be in the hallways escorting students to their classrooms. If a student arrives without an attestation form families will be contacted prior to the student going to class, if an adult can not be reached the student will wait in the office until contact can be made.
Teachers will be waiting for students outside of their classroom doors.
(Families please remember only students are allowed out of cars and into the building due to health and safety protocols. We will have many staff members in the school helping students get to class. Please be patient as it will take a significant amount of time to unload and assess each child prior to going to class.)
Student unloading will begin at 8:50 am.
Students should be dropped off only in the coned drop-off zone.
Please remain in your vehicle until a staff member arrives at your vehicle to dismiss your child.
Please pull forward to the farthest location on the curb toward the front doors.
Panthers should have their face covering on before leaving their vehicle and have their check-in (attestation) form in hand.
If students don’t have an attestation form, one will be provided by a staff member. Parents must fill out the form prior to their child exiting the vehicle.
Students must exit on the curbside for safety.
Panthers will walk to the front door and place their form in the box. A staff member will take each Panther’s temperature prior to going to class.
Additional staff members will help students to their classrooms.
Teachers will be waiting outside of the classroom for students.
Anyone picking up a student from school must have a car tag or may be asked for an alternate ID. Tags will be passed out on the first day second-graders arrive.
Parents must remain in their vehicles at all times and pull to the most forward spot by the mailbox.
A staff member will look for your tag displayed on your rearview mirror in order to call your child for dismissal.
Staff will escort students to the designated area, then dismiss students to their vehicle.
Students will enter vehicles from the curbside only, for their safety.
For more information about our “In-Person Learning” please check out our Coming To School video on the Purdy Elementary Webpage (pes.psd401.net).
We are looking forward to seeing students and providing a safe environment for them to continue to grow!
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COVID-19 DATA DASHBOARD
Tracking Cases within Peninsula School District
The health and safety of all students and staff remains a top priority of the Peninsula School District.
In the event of a positive COVID-19 case at a PSD school or office location, we work directly with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) as they conduct contact tracing. Based on the guidance provided by TPCHD and the school COVID-19 case response tool kit, notifications are sent to impacted staff, students, and families. If an individual is found to have close contacts while contagious, those who were in close contact will be required to quarantine. Each case and situation requires unique action as determined by the TPCHD.
COVID-19 Data Dashboard
The purpose of the COVID-19 Data Dashboard is to provide transparency regarding the number of COVID-19 cases within the Peninsula School District while respecting student and staff medical privacy rights. The Peninsula School District COVID-19 Data Dashboard only displays information related to confirmed cases of Peninsula School District individuals.
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Tech/Chrome Book Help
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ARE YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACTS & MAILING ADDRESSES UP TO DATE?
Please take a moment to do your Year Round/Emergency Contact Update for your child(ren) to ensure that we have the necessary information in the event of an emergency and for mailing purposes. See below for instructions on how to access the update.