The Bobcat Blaze
January 8, 2021
Principal's Message
Happy Friday Bobcat Families! We have officially made it 2021!
I hope you all had a relaxing and renewing Winter Break. Thank you for your dedication to helping your students be successful this week as we returned to e-learning. If I receive any new, differing information regarding returning to hybrid, I will communicate that as soon as possible. Otherwise, our return date is January 19-20 for Cohort A and January 21-22 for Cohort B. Monday, January 18th is no school for students or staff.
Please remember that the end of the 2nd nine weeks is January 26th and report cards go out February 2nd. If your student is missing assignments, you need to have those turned in ASAP to ensure accurate grades. Assignments are expected to be turned in daily, but no later than 3pm on that Friday, for attendance purposes.
Reminder, if you are experiencing technology issues at home please contact the district's IT Helpdesk before coming or calling the school. They can assist faster than we can during this time!
I provide other reminders in this week's Principal's Message so please be sure to check that out in the link below.
Again, I wish we were together again but I trust we will be soon. Stay safe and take care of one another! As always, we are A.C. Moore STRONG!
Important Dates and Upcoming Events
January
January 11th - 15th ...........Students and Faculty Continue E-Learning
January 18th......................Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (Schools and District offices Closed)
January 19th - 20th .......... Cohort A Returns to Hybrid (No Flex Wed)
January 20th ....................SIC Meeting (Virtual) - 3pm
January 21st - 22st............Cohort B Returns to Hybrid
January 26th.....................End of Second Nine Weeks
- January 26th....................Joy of Parenting Workshop: Attendance Matters! (details below)
- January 27th - 28th.......... Cohort B Attends Hybrid (No Flex Wed)
January 29th......................Teacher Workday
Parent Engagement Opportunity
Free COVID-19 Testing Sites
DHEC - Pardon and Parole (Old Building)
Dates and Times for January
Every Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Further Information:
- Report to the intersection of Greene St. and Heidt St.
- Appointment Needed: No
- Referral Needed: No
- Pediatric Testing Available: Yes
Address: 2204 Lee St, Columbia, SC 29205
Contact Details and Pre-Registration: https://scdhec.gov/GetTested
DHEC-Well Health - DHEC Parking Lot
Dates and Times for January
Open weekdays: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Saturdays: 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Further Information
- Oral Testing
- Appointment Needed: No
- Referral Needed: No
- Pediatric Testing Available: Yes
- Register @: https://www.gogettested.com/
Address 2600 Bull St, Columbia, SC 29201
Contact Details https://www.gogettested.com/
DISTRICT NEWS
Return to E-Learning
As announced by Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon, Richland One students will return to eLearning (Phase 1) for the two weeks (January 4-15, 2021) after the Winter Break.
Please note the following additional information regarding the two-week return to eLearning:
- Instead of being in classes on separate days as they are during Phase 2, students in Cohort A and Cohort B will participate in eLearning classes together on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from January 4 through January 15.
- Wednesday, January 6 and Wednesday, January 13 will be flex days.
- *Students will follow the E-learning schedule sent by homeroom teachers.
Meal Distribution
- Monday, January 4 from 9 a.m. - noon – Families can pick up three days’ worth of free meals for children at four district distribution sites: St. Andrews Middle, Eau Claire High, Lower Richland High and Carver-Lyon Elementary schools. District buses will not make any meal deliveries on January 4.
- Wednesday, January 13 from 9 a.m. - noon – Families can pick up seven days’ worth of free meals for children at seven district distribution sites: St. Andrews Middle, Eau Claire High, Lower Richland High, Carver-Lyon Elementary, Southeast Middle, South Kilbourne Elementary and Caughman Road Elementary schools. In addition to these pick-up sites, meals will be distributed via district buses to a limited number of pre-determined bus stops. Those locations are posted on the district’s website (www.richlandone.org).
Parents do not have to sign up or apply to receive these free meals for their children. However, if a parent/guardian is picking up meals without their children present, they must be pre-verified by the district or provide the child’s school ID, government-issued ID or passport, or a copy of their child(ren)’s PowerSchool information.
Return to Phase 2 (Hybrid)
- The Dr. Martin Luther King., Jr. Holiday will be observed district-wide on Monday, January 18. Students tentatively will return to Phase 2 (hybrid) on Tuesday, January 19, with AA days on January 19 and January 20, and BB days on January 21 and January 22. There will not be a flex day the week of January 18.
- Please note that the week of January 25-29 also will be a four-day week for students. AA days will be January 25 and January 26, and BB days will be January 27 and January 28. Friday, January 29 is a teacher workday. There will be not be a flex day that week.
Richland One Student Attendance Information for 2020-2021
As a parent or guardian you are responsible for ensuring that your child attends school either in person or virtually every day that school is in session. Please review the documents below for Richland One's attendance expectations.
Parents, students and staff can now get up-to-date information about COVID-19 cases in the district through Richland One’s new online tracking dashboard.
A link to the dashboard, which will be updated daily, is posted on the Restart Strong page on the district’s website www.richlandone.org/restartstrong. In addition to listing the number of positive and quarantined COVID-19 cases among Richland One students and staff, the dashboard includes the number of cases at each district school and administrative building. It also shows daily, weekly and year-to-date summaries of the number of positive COVID-19 cases.
“Richland One’s goal in creating the COVID-19 dashboard is to provide the most accurate and current information possible to our community,” said Richland One Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon. “Having the same data allows us all to work together to better protect our students and staff.”
COVID-19 data is compiled daily by the district’s Nursing Services office and Accountability, Assessment, Research and Evaluation department. The information shown on Richland One’s dashboard may differ from the reports from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), which are updated on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Media inquiries should be directed to the Richland One Office of Communications.
Read to Succeed!
SCHOOL NEWS
Attention Bobcat Families:
If any of your contact information has changed (phone number, address, email address, emergency contacts) since the start of the school year please contact database specialist Madolyn Thorpe at madolyn.thorpe@richlandone.org. We need the most accurate information in Powerschool to ensure you receive school communication.
Report to the Parents
This report is issued by the AC Moore Elementary School Improvement Council (SIC) in accordance with South Carolina law to share information on the school's progress in meeting various goals and objectives, the work of the SIC, and other accomplishments during the school year.
Notes from the Nurse
Important reminders:
Hello Bobcat families!
Please, please, please be sure everyone in your household (6 months old and up) gets an annual flu shot. This is the single best way to prevent the flu. It takes about 2 weeks for antibodies to develop and provide protection, so it is definitely not too early!
Please contact Nurse Hurt with any questions or concerns.
Phone: 803-929-3886
Wellness Watch
KOHL'S HEALTHY AT HOME, FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
Doing what it takes to stay healthy on a daily basis? Here are a few easy ways you and your family can make healthier choices everyday.
ACCESS Freely!
A message from the public library...
If students/families do not already have library cards, they can apply online now and access all the library resources! See the attached flyers for additional information.
Information from your PTO
To stay up-to-date on PTO happenings, please click the link below to register for the Bobcat e-Blast! If you are currently receiving the Bobcat e-Blasts, you will still need to complete the form and provide your information. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LVTMQYJ
Thanks,
Carrie Smith & Kim Pordes (PTO chairs)
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Asi usted haya recibido el Bobcat e-Blast en el pasado, por favor complete esta informacion- estamos haciendo una nueva base de datos. Estamos planeando las reuniones del PTO los miercoles en la tarde, al comienzo virtualmente, por eso esten pendiente de los anuncios que haga la Directora Aldridge en el Bobcat Blaze (periodico de la escuela) para mas informacion de la primera reunion.
Gracias, y espero verlos pronto!
Carrie Smith & Kim Pordes ( representantes del PTO)
Tech Tips
For Parents and Teachers...
Richland One IT Help Desk
You can get remote assistance by calling the IT Help Desk Monday - Friday from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM at 803-231-7436.
Mark Your Calendars for...
Funny, Random, & Weird Holidays
Did you participate in a wacky holiday last week? Don't forget to send a picture of your family's celebration to Mrs. Whetstone at andrea.whetstone@richlandone.org. Here are a few weird holidays for your family to think about this week.
January 8...............................................Earth's Rotation Day
January 9...............................................Static Electricity Day
January 9...............................................Word Nerd Day
January 10.............................................Cut Your Energy Costs Day
January 11.............................................Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day
January 11.............................................Clean Off Your Desk Day
January 12.............................................Marzipan Day
January 13.............................................Make Your Dreams Come True Day
January 14.............................................Organize Your Home Day
We Want to See Your Bobcat Student MAKING TRACKS!
We would love to share in your student's success by seeing them in action! Submit a photo of your Bobcat completing their asynchronous assignments and/or activities your student's picture can be featured in an upcoming issue of the Bobcat Blaze! Submit your photos to Mrs. Whetstone at andrea.whetstone@richlandone.org.
District Resources
ThriveRichland
ThriveRichland is a birth to four initiative established by Richland County School District One with the overall goal of increasing the percentage of children entering kindergarten ready to learn. The three major focus areas of ThriveRichland are:
High quality professional development and support for early childhood professionals
Comprehensive family wellness and engagement
Development of a plan for an early learning lab school within Richland One
Connect with Us
Website: www.richlandone.org/Domain/26
Location: 333 Etiwan Avenue, Columbia, SC, USA
Phone: (803) 343-2910
Facebook: www.facebook.com/acmooreelementary
Twitter: @ACMooreBobcats