Cougar Chronicle
Kelly Creek Elementary School
HOME OF THE COUGARS!
Principal's Message - March 2021
Spring will be here in a few short weeks! I know I am looking forward to some warmer weather, the snow is beautiful but I cannot wait to start seeing leaves on the trees again!
I know the entire community always looks forward to Spring Break - and it is finally here! Students will be off of school the week of March 22 - 26. It is my hope that the families and staff get a chance to relax during Spring Break. Some of us might go away on a much-needed vacation, or clean out those closets we have been meaning to clean, or perhaps just reading a book we have been meaning to read. Whatever it is we do, we all deserve the time off for all the hard work we have done this year! Get plenty of rest so we can recharge for the last few months of school!
Our staff is very excited to start welcoming back some of our students this month to our school campus! We can't wait until we come back to school and see more smiling faces! Our hybrid and e-GBSD models have changed slightly. You can find detailed information in the formal letter below:
English Version - Updated Hybrid Model
Spanish Version - Updated Hybrid Model
Further down in this newsletter you will find a whole section on hybrid instruction, please thoroughly review that section as it has valuable information on our return to learn plan.
Please know you can always reach out to your child's teacher or me for anything you need or any questions you might have along the way. I can be reached via email at maranto2@gresham.k12.or.us or via phone at 503.663.7483.
Respectfully,
Sam Maranto
Principal
March 2021 Important Dates
- 03/01 - Women's History Month
- 03/01 - 1st Day of LIPI (PASS Only)
- 03/01 - 1st Day of KCES Book Fair
- 03/04 - GBSD School Board Meeting @ 7:00
- 03/05 - English Version Updated Hybrid Survey OR Spanish Version Updated Hybrid Survey Due (Only complete if changing your option)
- 03/09 - PTC Meeting @ 6:30 - 7:30
- 03/14 - Daylight Saving Time
- 03/14 - KCES Book Fair Ends
- 03/17 - St. Patrick's Day
- 03/19 - Panda Express Fundraiser Night
- 03/22 - Spring Break Begins - No School
- 03/26 - Spring Break Ends - No School
- 03/29 - Hybrid Planning Day, No School
- 03/30 - Hybrid Planning Day, No School
- 03/30 - K-5 Materials Distribution @ 1:00 - 6:00
- 03/31 - CDL for ALL Students (Typical Schedule)
- 03/31 - K-5 Materials Distribution @ 11:30 - 4:30
KCES Book Fair
Monday, March 1st, 8am to Sunday, March 14th, 4pm
This is an online event.
Virtual Book Fair March 1st - March 14th. Shop online - Spend $25 or more (books only) and shipping is free! The virtual link to the book fair will be available on March 1st.
All proceeds go to the Kelly Creek Elementary School Library.
Click this link for additional information on our Book Fair.
Click this link to visit our virtual Book Fair for Kelly Creek Elementary School.
PTC Meeting
Tuesday, March 9th, 6:30-7:30pm
This is an online event.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/99744748254?pwd=VE4wd056WkViL2J4ajNlTXdNakx5UT09
Meeting ID: 997 4474 8254
Passcode: fy2GNC
Panda Express Fundraiser
Friday, March 19th, 10:30am-10:30pm
2402 Southeast Burnside Road
Gresham, OR
K-5 Materials Distribution
Tuesday, March 30th, 1-6pm
2400 Southeast Baker Way
Gresham, OR
K-5 Materials Distribution
Wednesday, March 31st, 11:30am-4:30pm
2400 Southeast Baker Way
Gresham, OR
Return to School Update
KCES Families,
On Monday, March 1, 2021, we will begin providing Limited In-Person Instruction (LIPI) to our students in the PASS Program. This is our first step in bringing back students safely to the Kelly Creek Elementary School campus. We are very excited to have students back at school. We have been preparing for this return for quite some time in order to follow the many health and safety protocols outlined by the Department of Education. I have already provided the necessary training to the school staff so they could be aware of the changes and expectations for health and safety!
On March 30 & 31 we will be holding our next Materials Distribution events. ALL students in grades K-5 are invited to come to Kelly Creek to pick up their materials. Families can drive up, let us know who your student(s) are and we will do the rest!
Our Hybrid and e-GBSD Model of instruction have changed slightly to try and ensure students can stay with their current teacher, health and safety protocols can be followed, and to ensure we continue to offer robust instruction to our students.
All students will participate in CDL in the morning (regardless of which option you choose), then families who choose to bring their child(ren) back to Hybrid onsite instruction will come to KCES in the afternoon for 2.5 hours. Students will not eat lunch or have recess during their time onsite. Students will still be broken into an A Cohort and a B Cohort. Families with odd addresses would attend on Monday & Tuesday afternoon (A Cohort) and families with an even address would attend on Thursday & Friday afternoon (B Cohort). Some adjustments might need to be made to balance out cohorts. Families will be notified which cohort they have been assigned to when hybrid begins. Timelines of when Hybrid Instruction will start are still being finalized and will be communicated with families when the decision is reached.
Families that have chosen to stay online for the remainder of the school year will likely get to stay with their current teacher. Students who are at home will participate in prerecorded lessons, applied learning, independent practice, and some live small group lessons.
We are basing our planning on our original survey data that was collected from families in January. If your family would like to change their option when we start Hybrid Instruction, you may do so by completing this survey. If you would like to stick with your original decision, NO action is needed and you do NOT need to fill out this survey.
Please see my formal letter of communication to the school community:
English Version - Updated Hybrid Model
Spanish Version - Updated Hybrid Model
If you are changing your choice, you must complete one of the following surveys by Friday, March 5, 2021.
English Version KCES Updated Return to Learn Survey
Spanish Version KCES Updated Return to Learn Survey
I would be more than happy to answer any additional questions you might have about a potential return to the school building. I can be reached via e-mail at maranto2@gresham.k12.or.us.
Thank you,
Sam Maranto
Principal
KCES School-wide Art Project
We want to spark some creativity in the KCES community. We are asking students to participate in this school-wide art project. This is optional but should be a lot of fun for your child.
Students are asked to make the KCES Cougar out of materials you can find around the house. Click the link to find out more details.
Take a picture of your final project and send it to your teacher, then we will share it on social media!
We can’t wait to see what you come up with. You can submit your picture by March 31st! GO COUGARS!!!!
In-District Transfer Request
This year transfer requests will be done electronically. Below are the links to the In-District Transform Forms:
If you have any additional questions about In-District Transfers, please feel free to contact the front office.
State Testing
If you would like to opt your child out of testing, below are the forms you will need to submit to the school. If the waiver is granted, no students will be tested this academic school year.
Formal Letters of Communication
- Updated Hybrid Instructional Model - 03/02/21
- Updated Hybrid Instructional Model (Spanish) - 03/02/21
- Hybrid Instructional Model - 01/08/21
- Hybrid Instruction Model (Spanish) - 01/08/21
- Letter to Ms. Daniel's Class - 11/05/20
- Annual Testing Notification - 10/28/20
- Letter to Mrs. Hemstead's Class - 10/16/20
- Welcome Back Letter 20-21 - 08/31/20
- New Principal to Kelly Creek Elementary School - 06/10/20