Cowboy Parent Courier-Special Issue
August 28, 2020
Stay Connected to CMS
Website: http://cockrillms.com
Location: 1351 Hardin Boulevard, McKinney, TX, United States
Phone: 469-302-7900
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cockrillms
Twitter: @cockrillcowboys
This Newsletter is Specific to Procedures for In-Person Instruction Beginning September 3rd
Message from Dr. Epperson
We look forward to welcoming many of our students back for in-person instruction on September 3rd. There are new routines and procedures we will implement when students return. Our goal to is to keep staff and students healthy and to keep us all in school. The more structure we can provide, the more likely it will be that we can accomplish these goals.
Please keep in mind that we are planning with best intentions in mind. If we see that something needs to be changed, we will adjust as we go. Plans can look great on paper and inevitably look different when you invite actual teenagers into the processes. We will also make adjustments as the CDC, TEA, and UIL guidelines change. Everyone has been so great to work with us through challenges the past few weeks and to celebrate with us when things go well. September 3rd will be the first day of school all over again for our teachers and students. Even students who remain in the virtual setting will need to learn some new procedures as teachers adjust to having students in the classroom while also managing a zoom meeting. We are committed to making this great for everyone, but it will take a bit of time for teachers and students to find their comfort zone again.
Students need to bring their schedules to school on a phone or a paper copy and their charged laptop. Students can also access their own schedule in HAC on their MacBook.
Thank you,
Dr. E
Welcoming 6th Graders
Health Services (Nurse Jessica)
Medication Drop-Off
Due to COVID-19, if your student will require prescription medication in the clinic for the 20/21 school year please schedule an appointment before September 1 with Nurse Jessica to bring in medication. You may call 469-302-7906 to schedule your appointment. Please have all forms filled out and signed by your physician before scheduling the appointment. If you are wanting your student to self-carry an inhaler or epipen, please bring your student with you for the appointment. All inhalers will need to have a spacer with it to be used this year. Medication will not be accepted during the first two weeks of face to face learning starting September 3
Just as a reminder: 7th grade parents, please turn in your student’s immunization records.
Thank you!
General Procedures and Rules
Masks are to be worn by students at all times, except the lunch period or a designated snack time. Students may remove their masks when seated to eat.
Lockers are not being assigned, so students need to be able to carry belongings in a backpack during the day.
Students need to charge their laptops each evening and bring them to school each day.
Students may not eat or drink (with the exception of a water bottle or during a designated snack time) in classrooms or hallways. Student should bring a water bottle that can refilled at the water bottle filling stations located on campus. Students should not enter the building with coffee or other drinks.
Third party lunch deliveries (Ubereats, restaurant delivery, etc) are not permitted. Parents may deliver lunch and place it on the shelf in our front foyer. We ask that parents notify their students if lunch has been delivered. Students need to pick up lunch at their designated lunch period.
Water fountains will be closed. Water bottles are important.
Signs will be posted in various locations to remind students to social distance when possible and to use proper hand washing techniques.
Restroom capacity will be at 50%. Restrooms will be closed during passing periods, but students will be permitted to use the restroom during class with a restroom "pass". This will allow us to monitor the number of students excused from class to use the restrooms at any given time.
Please note a change made to the original MISD protocol.
TEA states that “regularly performing a forehead temperature check of otherwise asymptomatic students in school is not recommended, but the practice is also not prohibited by this guidance.” MISD will not be doing temperature checks on every student, rather, teachers will have thermometers and will take the temperatures of students who state that they don’t feel well. Also, if there is a confirmed case in a classroom, staff members may take temperatures of students in that classroom as a mitigating measure to closely monitor. See the letter from MISD health services below for additional details.
Hard surfaces will be disinfected daily during times when students are not present (lunch and teacher's conference period)
30 hand sanitizing stations are available in high traffic areas around the building. Hand sanitizer is available in all classrooms.
Arrival
Students arriving in cars, students who walk to school, and bike riders will enter through the front school doors.
All 6th graders will proceed to the 6th grade hallway (downstairs) where they will be seated along the hallway distanced to the greatest extent possible.
All 7th graders will proceed to the two gyms where they will sit around the perimeter of the gyms and bleachers, distanced to the greatest extent possible.
All 8th graders will proceed to the upstairs hallway where they will sit around the perimeter of the hallway, distanced to the greatest extent possible.
Students who need to drop off an orchestra or band instrument will proceed through the back cafeteria doors and enter the fine arts hallway from the back porch.
Students who wish to eat breakfast will follow the procedures below.
Designated Snack Times
6th Grade Snack Time: 5th Period
7th/8th Grade Snack Time: 3rd Period
If students want a snack, they need to bring something that can be eaten in a less than 10 minutes and isn't messy. This needs to be a dry snack that can be eaten while they continue to work and learn. (Ex: granola bar, crackers, cheese sticks, grapes, apple slices) Nothing that can spill into a MacBook please.
Breakfast
Classrooms
Learning Commons (Library)
Students are encouraged to use our digital library, Sora, to access eBooks and audiobooks to read from either their MISD computer or personal device. Students can also place books on hold through the library catalog that will then be delivered to their ELAR classrooms daily.
Lunch
Lunch for middle schools has one hot option every day and 2 cold options every day: a sunbutter and jelly sandwich and a sub sandwich. The cold options will be available from the separate grill area only, the hot options from the main lines only.
The streamlined menus should help speed up service for schools to offer more dining arrangements and flexibility. In order to focus on ensuring all students are fed in a timely manner, no snack or a la carte options will be offered for the first two weeks of in-person instruction. We will have only full meals available to pick up.
All the trays will be disposable and all the plasticware will be individually wrapped.
USDA policy requires that we must continue to accept cash as payment, but will encourage use of the MySchoolBucks online payment system to reduce time spent loading funds into accounts and reduce cash handling. In order to pull up a student’s account at the POS machine, we will enter the number for them on the computer to prevent multiple people from touching the same keypad.
Food Service Staff will wear a mask while serving and cashiering.
A Lunch will eat at 11:04am-11:34am OR 11:36am-12:06am
B Lunch students will eat at 12:06pm-12:36pm OR 12:38pm-1:08pm
C Lunch students will eat at 1:08pm-1:38pm OR 1:40pm-2:10pm
The teacher who sends them to lunch will give them their rotation schedule and this remains consistent throughout the year. Students should never have to navigate this. They go to class as normal, and the teacher will dismiss them to lunch at the appropriate time. After lunch, the students will return to the same class or go to their next class period. The teacher will give them instructions daily.
Hallways and Stairwells
All stairwells will be one directional as well which will avoid cross traffic and allow students to spread out on the stairwells.
STUDENT HALLWAY EXPECTATIONS
Students must follow one way signs. Students may not stop in hallways and must enter classroom immediately upon arrival. Students should not walk multiple laps around the hallways.
Click on map images to access PDF
Dismissal
Bus riders will exit the building through the back cafeteria doors. Buses will load from back to front so space is utilized most efficiently. Students will wear masks.
Car riders will exit the building through the main front doors. Students will proceed to the fire lane carpool waiting area (front porch) or they will cross the front crosswalk and wait in the parking lot line. See additional details in the carpool section below.
Students needing to take home an orchestra instrument should enter the fine arts hallway through the back porch door (they will need to go through the cafeteria). No students will enter the fine arts hallway from the main hallway.
Students needing to take home a band instrument will exit the building through the back 6th/8th grade stairwell and enter the band hall through the exterior band doors. They will then proceed to the bus line or through the fine arts hallway to the front exit of the building.
Carpool
- All carpool traffic goes through the front drive of the building. The back of the building is reserved for bus traffic only.
- Please read signs and drive to the end of the building when dropping off. You may pass the front door.
- Be patient with one another to start the year. Our first priority is student safety, not speed, but carpool generally works quickly once the students and parent learn the routine.
- Please allow traffic to merge in carpool so everyone can access the carpool line.
- We discourage traffic pick-up in the parking lot because it is not safe for students to cross through parking lot traffic.
- Our staff monitors the designated carpool line at the curb. We can not monitor the parking lot. The parking lot is not the safest drop off and pick up location.
- Only use the designated crosswalk at all times to cross traffic when entering or exiting the building.
- The city has designated “no right turn on red” at the light where you leave carpool. This is in effect at all times and it is monitored by McKinney Police frequently.
- Cell phone use is prohibited in school zones, including the carpool lane.
- Ask your child to be looking for you, so we can keep cars moving.
PE Guidelines
Both students and staff will sanitize their hands before and after PE.
Social distancing will be implemented to the greatest extent possible.
Masks are required at all times except when actively exercising.
Equipment use will be limited.
Coaches will clean equipment between classes.
PE will be conducted outside as much as possible.
Access to the locker rooms will be staggered and monitored to maintain social distancing to the greatest extent possible.
School Supplies
If your school supply box is still at school, it will be available in 1st period or Club CREED, depending on your schedule. The teachers will help students distribute items in the boxes.