The Patriot Parent Connection
2020-2021 School Year: Volume 16 - Week of December 14
We are in the home stretch, and Winter Break is right around the corner. As you know, Covid-19 cases continue to rise in our community, and our high schools have shifted to virtual learning for the remainder of the semester. Fortunately, Liberty's cases remain stable at the moment. However, it is becoming exceedingly difficult to find substitutes when teachers must be out. We are doing all we can to maintain normal operations. I continue to ask for your partnership in encouraging your student to follow preventative spread measures. Many of our students, their families, and our staff are hopeful that they will be able to safely visit with extended family over the break. The more we work to protect each other, the safer our holidays will be.
In the event more school closures are necessary, please have a plan in place. We have been so fortunate to offer more face to face instructional days than most districts. While it has not been easy and has required patience, flexibility, and perseverance from all, everyone has come together to make it work. As the stress of the holidays and the fatigue from the pandemic mounts - compassion, grace, and patience grow harder to muster. May we all hang in there together just a few more days and end this historic semester LIBERTY STRONG!
Sincerely,
Amanda Thrower
Principal
For Your Calendar
December 18 - 22 - Midterms/End of Unit Summatives (see details below)
December 23 - January 5 - Winter Break
January 4 - Camp Liberty for Semester 1 Virtual 6th Graders returning to Face-to-Face Learning (sign-up link will be emailed to these families this week)
January 6 - First Day of Semester 2
Change to Covid-19 Quarantine Procedures
Midterms / End of Unit Summatives
Missing Assignments & Semester Averages
Schedule Changes for Semester 2
Administrators and counselors are working to begin making changes to student schedules for the second semester. At this time, students do not have access to see their semester 2 schedule in Infinite Campus. Please note that the following information is important as we prepare for these transitions:
While students cannot see their new schedules in Parent Portal, new courses for semester 2 may be visible in itsLearning.
There is NO NEED to complete assignments for the new itsLearning course(s) until the second semester begins on January 6, 2021.
Where you can see the new course(s) in itsLearning, you may also see a teacher associated with that course. Keep in mind that changes to the master schedule are ongoing and this may not be the teacher you ultimately work with next semester.
Completed Quarter 3 schedules will be released in Parent Portal on Tuesday, January 5th at 12:00 P.M.
Students will also receive a printed copy of their Quarter 3 schedule on the morning of January 6th.
To reiterate the information shared weeks ago when we asked families to complete the Semester Two Learning Environment Survey...
ALL schedules (including assigned teacher) are subject to change in order to accommodate the significant changes in our numbers. We know this is not ideal for any student. Unfortunately, it is a necessary aspect of being able to offer our families the choice of face-to-face and virtual instruction during these difficult times.
New Facebook Page
Athletics
See our December Basketball games below; all games start at 5:00 P.M. Tickets will need to be purchased on GoFan this season. Students wishing to stay after school to attend home games must have a pre-purchased ticket from GoFan and a signed permission form.
Masks are now required at all FCS Sporting Events and Activities.
Out of District Requests for the 2021-2022 School Year
A few key points to note:
- Rising 8th graders may apply for an OOD to remain at their current school for their final year of middle school. Siblings of these students may apply for an OOD for one year only.
- Parents are responsible for assuring the student complies with all policies. Failure to do so may result in the revocation of the approval to attend the out-of-district school. Principals have the authority to deny or revoke out-of-district status if students and/or their parents have not followed school rules. Repeated tardies, unexcused absences, discipline issues and/or poor academic progress may also be cause for revocation of out-of-district status.
- Parents/guardians of out-of-district students must provide their own transportation.
- The OOD process for 2021-2022 will be open December 1, 2020 - January 18, 2021.
PTSO Corner
Our PTSO goes above and beyond to support our staff, students, and community! Please consider joining, if you have not already.
It's NOT too late to join!! Just go to My Payments Plus!
Attendance
- Attendance will be taken daily as usual.
- If your child is absent, please send in their excuse note or doctor's note within 5 business days.
- Feel free to contact teachers or Danielle Worley (dworley@forsyth.k12.ga.us) to notify them of an absence, especially if you anticipate your child being out more than one day.
Students Attending Forsyth Virtual Academy online
- Attendance will be taken weekly, based on work completion.
- As long as your student is logging into ItsLearning regularly and completing work in a timely manner, they will be marked present.
- If you receive a notification over the weekend that your student has been marked absent for one or more days, it means they did not submit all of the assignments for the week.
- If your student is too ill to log into itsLearning to complete work, please notify their teacher and Danielle Worley (dworley@forsyth.k12.ga.us) to make them aware of the absence.
if your student is absent
General Health Precautions
- Hand sanitizer stations are located throughout the building, but we encourage students to bring their own, as well.
- Our custodians will be sanitizing classrooms every afternoon. If you want to send cleaning wipes with your student to wipe down surfaces before use, please just make sure they are not bleach-based products.
- It is the expectation of staff and students to wear masks, if they are able. We want to be able to maintain face-to-face instruction all year. In order to do so, we MUST work to keep each other safe; mask-wearing is a significant part of this.
Liberty Middle School
Website: https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/libertyms
Location: 7465 Wallace Tatum Road, Cumming, GA 30028, USA
Phone: (770) 781-4889
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LibertyMDL
Twitter: @LibertyMDL