Mercersburg Elementary
May Newsletter!
Finish Strong !
Greetings,
I want to thank you all for another great month and a great start to the 4th marking period. Hard to believe we are in the last quarter of the school year. I want to thank you for all of your flexibility and support this year. While the finish line maybe in sight, it is of the utmost importance that we DO NOT ease up and finish strong. It is important to remind your child to run through the finish line and not let up. I have seen runners passed at the last second or swimmers get out touched at the wall because they didn’t finish the race and tried to coast to the end. I have seen the same thing happen to students who ease up at the end and try to coast through the last month of the school year. I have witnessed students suddenly start failing all in the course of the month or students miss out on activities because they didn’t complete their work.
As the days get longer and students’ lives get a little busier with outside activities, I can’t stress enough the importance of keeping routines for the remainder of the school year. Please check to make sure your child is balancing their school work and their extracurricular activities. Please keep bed times and routines as consistent as possible.
I also feel it is important to remind you that we are still following the Department of Health guidelines and as much as we want to relax on those, we don’t want to risk closing the school for an extended period of time at the end of the school year. Please remind your child of the importance of good handwashing and hygiene practices, as well as social distancing and face coverings.
We hope to provide a fun end of the school year, but we need your support! Thank you for your diligence.
Thanks,
Mr. Kaczmark
Student Attendance on Virtual Days.
Greetings families,
I am writing to remind you that participation in Virtual Wednesdays, Flexible Instructional Days, or any other remote learning day (this includes quarantining) is mandatory. If your child fails to complete their work during this time, it will be marked as an unexcused/unlawful absence. If your child is unable to complete the work, please communicate this with the teacher and send in/email an excuse to the office @ Brooke.McCardell@tus.k12.pa.us for the reason why your child was unable to complete their work. We will then try and treat the day like any other absence. The absence will be marked excused, but the work still needs to be completed (just like we would any other year). If the child does not complete the work within one week of the absence, the child will be given a zero for the assignments that were not completed. Please understand that we are held to the state’s attendance polices whether we are remote or in person. If a child received 3 unexcused/unlawful absences, an Attendance Improvement Conference will be scheduled and at that time recommendations could be made to Children and Youth Services or the Magistrate.
All we ask is that you communicate with the school like you would with any absence. Our goal as a school is to have children in person as much as possible. We hope that as a community, we will be understanding and continue to remind all those working and learning within our buildings to wear their masks appropriately and remain steadfast in our efforts to protect our children, our staff, and our educational environment!
Thank you for your patience and support during this time.
Thank you,
IMPORTANT UPCOMING CALENDAR DATES!
- May 31st- No school Memorial Day
- April 20th - Good News Club ends
- May 3rd - Bible Adventure ends
- June 4th - Last Day for students
- August 19th - First day of school for the 21-22 school year.
Kindergarten Registration
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION FOR 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR
Kindergarten Registration for the 2021-22 school year is scheduled for children who will be five years of age on or before September 1, 2021. Please call the school your child will attend to establish an appointment for the dates listed below. You may call, at your earliest convenience, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Please go to www.tus.k12.pa.us
Click Department and Services > Registration> Online registration for the 21-22 School year ( Right side of the screen)
The following information is required on the day of registration:
● Proof of child’s age – birth certificate, baptismal certificate
● Custodial documentation (if applicable)
● Immunization Record
● Two proofs of residency in the Tuscarora School District
● If your child(ren) will be transported from/to child care, please bring the name, address, and contact number of the provider. The child care must be within the boundary of the school your child attends.
The following documented immunizations are required for entrance into kindergarten:
● 4 Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis (one dose on or after the 4th birthday)
● 4 Polio
● 2 Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
● 3 Hepatitis B (properly spaced doses)
● 2 Varicella (Chicken Pox) – either vaccine or date of disease
JOIN THE PTO!!!
The PTO is looking for people that would like to serve on its board for next school year. They are taking nominations for the positions listed below. Even if you are not interested to serve in a leadership capacity, please consider joining and attending PTO meetings.
Thanks!
a. President. The president shall preside over meetings of the organization and executive board, serve as the primary contact for the principal, represent the organization at meetings outside the organization, serve as an ex officio member of all committees except the nominating committee, and coordinate the work of all the officers and committees so that the purpose of the organization is served.
b. Vice President. The vice president shall assist the president and carry out the president’s duties in his or her absence or inability to serve. The vice president shall also oversee the committees of this organization.
c. Secretary. The secretary shall keep all records of the organization, take and record minutes, prepare the agenda, handle correspondence, and send notices of meetings to the membership. The secretary also keeps a copy of the minutes book, bylaws, rules, membership list, and any other necessary supplies, and brings them to meetings.
d. Treasurer. The treasurer shall receive all funds of the organization, keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures, and pay out funds in accordance with the approval of the executive board. The treasurer will file all non-profit and tax-exempt requirements. He or she will present a financial statement at every meeting and at other times of the year when requested by the executive board, and make a full report at the end of the year.
e. Volunteer Coordinator. The volunteer coordinator will maintain a list of members and handle correspondence between staff and PTO members to facilitate volunteers for school and PTO events.
Teacher Appreciation Week
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 3-7! Please help us show support for our amazing teachers and building staff with treats for the week. If you would like to donate goodie bag items/gifts or sponsor a gift card, be sure to check out this SignUp. Thank you teachers and staff for all that you do for our kids and community!!
From the health office
- Date of the exposure
- The date the symptoms started
- Has the child or family member been tested for COVID-19
Face Covering Guidelines
Per the updated order, TSD staff, students, and visitors are required to wear a face-covering indoors and outdoors. This is a change to the previous expectation due to the recently revised mask order. Also, per the strengthened masking order, “face covering” means covering of the nose and mouth with a material that is secured to the head with ties, straps, or loops over the ears or is wrapped around the lower face. This new order requires face shields be an alternative only as a medical/disability accommodation. This updated order strengthens the initial April 15 order with the following inclusions:
- Masks are required to be worn indoors and outdoors if you are away from your home.
- When outdoors, a mask must be worn if you are not able to remain physically distant (at least 6 feet away) from someone not in your household the entire time you are outdoors.
- When indoors while at work, masks will now be required even if you are physically distant from other individuals. This means that even if you are able to be 6 feet apart, you will need to wear a mask while inside unless you work alone.
- When indoors at home with individuals not in your household, masks will now be required even if you are physically distant from the individuals not in your household. This means that even if you are able to be 6 feet apart, you will need to wear a mask while inside if with people other than members of your household.
- This order applies to every indoor facility, including homes, retail establishments, gyms, doctors’ offices, public transportation, and anywhere food is prepared, packaged, or served.
- The mask order specifically carves out “face shields” from the working definition of “face coverings” and identifies them as “alternatives to face coverings” that can only be used as a medical/disability accommodation.
Cyber Wednesday
Please see the list of cyber Wednesdays below.
April 28th
May 5th
May 12th
May 19th
May 25th