Penguin Press News
November 30, 2020
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL BAME
Dear LPE Families,
We hope you all had a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday weekend. As we venture back into the building this week, please help us keep our staff and students safe. Please do not send your child to school if they have a fever, cough, sore throat, stomach issues, shortness of breath, or loss of taste or smell. Although we want every child to have access to learning, we do not want to spread illnesses of any kind.
Now, more than ever, we need to stay focused on maintaining our safety protocols. We ask that if you plan to visit our campus, please wear a mask. This includes outside locations, including our walker pick up location (Penguin Point). We appreciate your support and kindness!
If you did not have a chance to read my parent letter last Monday, November 23rd, please take a moment to review the information below:
This past week the county sent out updated spring calendars. It is important to note that for multi-track year-round schools, like Laurel Park, we are “currently” following single track 4 (and that is also noted on the county website). That could change in the spring especially with the upcoming second semester sign ups December 2nd – 9th. Across the district with multi-track year-round, if a large number of families choose to return to in person instruction, the multi-track calendar could be reinstated. We will not know for sure until the week of December 14th at the earliest. I am emphasizing this because I do not want families to make plans in January and then find out that they are supposed to be in school right before the winter break. I have no way of knowing how likely this will be as I am unable to predict the outcome of parent choice, so I want you to be prepared.
Decisions . . . Decisions: Plan B or Virtual Academy for Second Semester?
Please know that our school staff has no preference concerning families' choice of Plan B or Virtual Academy for the second semester. However, we do want families to make an informed choice as once it is made you will not be able to change that decision for the remainder of the school year. Below are some key points to consider before you make your choice. You can also visit this link for details on registration options from the County: Registration Window for Elementary December 2nd-9th.
For those in the building for face-to-face instruction, we will still focus on building relationships and engaging every student, but our movement, activities, and interaction will continue to be limited because of safety precautions.
Governor Cooper has approved the return of students under Plan A, (click on this link for details) which includes important safety measures, such as face coverings, social distancing, symptom screening and cleaning but does not require schools to reduce the number of children in the classroom.
Social distancing will be a priority, but students and staff will not always be six feet apart. Once all students in Plan B return to school, some spaces will not be big enough to ensure six-foot social distancing. Also, there are times when six-foot social distancing would not allow the teacher to adequately supervise all students. For example, 20 students in a class with six-foot social distancing would equal a 120' line; 25 students would lead to a 140' line, etc. When social distancing is not feasible, teachers will focus on preventing students from facing each other.
School staff will ensure the students are wearing their face coverings at all times when they are not eating, drinking, or taking a face covering break following these guidelines.
If your child becomes ill at school, families will be notified and must immediately pick up their child. The child may not ride the bus or be transported by a staff member. This means that families without transportation will need to secure a means for picking up their child in the event he/she becomes ill.
Children may not return to school until these criteria are met. Note that the guidelines for returning to school are different depending on the circumstances.
The guidelines for Plan B students could change over time as guidance from health officials changes. Plan B could become more or less restrictive.
Regardless of which plan you pick for the second semester, there is a chance that your child's teacher could change based on the outcome of parent choices. As a reminder, this was made clear to everyone at the beginning of our school year. Teacher assignments will not be considered until the end of the window for families to choose their plan for the second semester. In addition, please remember that we do not accept teacher requests.
Remember, whatever plan you pick will be your plan until the end of the year. Staffing, scheduling, and planning decisions for the second semester will be based on the number of students in Plan B and Virtual Academy. We will not be able to change your child's plan because you forgot to submit your request or changed your mind so please make a thoughtful decision based on all the information provided to you here.
I hope this is a little helpful as you consider spring school options!
Kind Regards,
Raleigh G. Bame
Principal
- December 2nd: Asynchronous Remote Learning Wednesday (all recorded instruction)
- December 2nd - 9th: Spring Virtual Academy Sign Up for Elementary Schools
- December 16th: Asynchronous Remote Learning Wednesday (all recorded instruction)
- *** December 21st/ 22nd: Synchronous Remote Learning Day (LIVE Instruction on this day, students not at school, both VA and Plan B are remote)
- December 23rd - January 1st - Winter Holiday
- January 4th - 22nd - Winter Track Out
- March 16th - Plan B Spring Picture Day
- March 17th - Virtual Academy Spring Picture Day
STEAM NIGHT 2021 is ON!
Parents: Want to share your skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, or Math? Sign up for the STEAM Night! It's going to be on Thursday, March 25th. Just fill out this form to show your interest. We can help on the presenting, just email Ms. Trent at ttrent@wcpss.net.
Tiffany Trent
STEM Teacher/Tech Contact
Laurel Park Elementary School
Support my classroom through Donors Choose.
Need Tech Help? Try the WCPSS Tech Help Page
Need More Tech Help? Fill out this form.
What is Happening in our Social Learning Elective?
Gratitude is a lifelong skill. Did you realize that the simple act of “counting your blessings” can have a positive impact on your emotional, mental, and even physical state? Emmons and McCullough (2003) conducted several studies that provided evidence that gratitude can have a significant impact on an individual’s positive well-being. Why not cultivate that skill in our children? Students in Social Learning class were encouraged to start a gratitude jar or a gratitude journal. The gratitude jar is something that the whole family can participate in. Simply provide a jar and some slips of paper and at dinner (or some set time of day), everyone names something they are grateful for that day and slips it into the jar. At the end of the month, the family can read them together and start all over again!
Thank you,
Mrs. Vitaglione
A Message from the LPE Student Support Team
Engagement Resources Student Support Services has created a document with resources to support you and your family with virtual and in-person learning. We have created a list of areas of support and strategies that you can use to support your child. Our contact information is included in the document, so feel free to reach out with any questions or if you need additional support. Here is the link to the Engagement Resources document Additional Wellness Sessions for Students & Parents In a district-wide effort to continue to provide support to our students and families, the WCPSS Counseling and Student Services department is introducing a new series of wellness and self-care services and support sessions that are available across the district. Community Resiliency Model Wellness Training - Dec. 1-15 This session is designed to share tools you can learn to help yourself and others during times of stress and is inclusive to all who have an interest in learning the skills to better support children and families during these uncertain times. Register here or see the Community Resiliency Model Wellness Training flyer for additional information. Restorative Practices and Community-Building Circles - Nov. 23 - Dec. 11 The Circle is a facilitated dialogue process that is INVITATIONAL. It allows participants to share openly and encourages connections and deepening relationships. This training is inclusive to all who have an interest in learning ways to better support children and families during these uncertain times through authentic connections. Register here or see the Restorative Practice and Community-Building Circles sessions flyer for more information. Virtual Parent Sessions - Dec. 2-9 We are pleased to be working with the National Center for Youth Issues to provide WCPSS parents with a special series of live, one-hour chat sessions with national level experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities of virtual learning, and to offer strategies, solutions, and encouragement to help our students and their families thrive during these unusual times.
Caren MacEntee, Counselor, cmacentee@wcpss.net
Ashley Waddell, Counselor, awaddell@wcpss.net
Dr. Amy Hawkins, School Psychologist, ahawkins@wcpss.net
Rick Mendzef, Social Worker, rmentzef@wcpss.net
A Note About COVID - Symptoms Matter!
Students who have experienced at least one COVID-19 symptom, with or without being diagnosed with COVID-19, should not be in school.
Common COVID Symptoms include: Fever or chills, new cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell
Students can return to school once there is no fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines and they have felt well for 24 hours if they receive confirmation of an alternative diagnosis from a health care provider that would explain the COVID-19-like symptom(s).
Without confirmation of an alternative diagnosis, students should stay home until they (or a family member answering for a younger child) can answer YES to all three of the following questions:
- Has it been at least 10 days since they first had symptoms?
- Has it been at least 24 hours since they had a fever without using fever-reducing medicine?
- Have respiratory symptoms improved, including cough or shortness of breath?
Students are not required to have documentation of a negative test in order to return to school.
If students have a negative COVID-19 test, they can return to school once there is no fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines and they have felt well for 24 hours.
For students who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 but do not have symptoms:
Students who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, but do not have symptoms must remain out of school until 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test.
Students are not required to have documentation of a negative test in order to return to school. If a student develops symptoms, they cannot return to school until they meet the criteria for students who have experienced at least one symptom.
For students who have been exposed to COVID-19 and do not have symptoms:
Students who have been exposed to COVID-19 and do not have symptoms must remain out of school for 14 days since their last exposure, even if they test negative for COVID-19. If they develop symptoms, they cannot return to school until they meet the criteria for students who have experienced at least one symptom.
Positivity Project Resource for Families
P2 for Families is an easy and effective way for families to discuss the importance of character strengths and positive relationships. It is differentiated for grades Pre-K – 2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Each character strength follows a 1-1-3 model: 1 quote, 1 video, and 3 questions to drive conversations around character at home.
Please choose your child’s grade level found at the link below:
Do you know your child's email address?
Want more answers to tech questions?
Go to Students and click on Remote Learning Resources and FAQ on the Laurel Park Website.
Parent and Student Tech Guides (WCPSS)
Grocery Store Rewards Cards
Laurel Park Elementary School
Website: wcpss.net/laurelparkes
Location: Laurel Park Elementary School, Laura Duncan Road, Apex, NC, USA
Phone: 919.290.2333
Twitter: @LaurelParkElem