GATOR TALES
Grace Abbott Elementary
August 21, 2020
Principal: Dr. Erik Chaussee, epchaussee@mpsomaha.org
Secretary: Cindy Wrenn, clwrenn@mpsomaha.org
About Us
Email: clwrenn@mpsomaha.org
Website: abbott.mpsomaha.org
Location: 1313 N 156th St, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: 402-715-2900
Facebook: facebook.com/GraceAbbottElementarySchool
Twitter: @MPS_Abbott
NEWS FROM DR. CHAUSSEE
First full week of school…
I sit in my office and think about all that’s happened the last five months. It's certainly surreal. I won’t state the obvious. But, I do want to say that we have made this week a success despite all the new and very difficult challenges. The staff have been amazing, the parents extremely supportive, and the children have done well with masks and distancing for the most part.
There’s not a staff member at Abbott who hasn’t stepped up and worked harder than ever to meet the challenges. Wearing masks is hard all day, maintaining distance with children we love is hard all day, enforcing the rules is hard all day, and zoom lessons are hard with some of the students remote and the majority in class. It’s hard to teach to two audiences. But, we have worked together to make baby steps. Right now we’re crawling. We appreciate the grace parents have given us.
Parents, please check your children each day to make sure they feel well. If they don’t, please call the school and let us know. Right now we have no positive cases in the school and we want to keep the virus out of our school. Please also teach your kids independence and see if they can walk to and from the specific doors before and after school. Help the kindergartners learn to open and close water bottles and milk cartons so the adults don’t have to get too close. I know it’s hard, but please remind your kids to distance themselves as we say it all day long. All the students are doing well with masks. It is much appreciated parents that are role modeling mask wearing and distancing while outside.
As hard as it is, I want the school to stay open. I want kids in school but certainly understand those that are keeping their children at home. I want the remote learners to come back as soon as they can. I know our parents and the staff are working hard to keep school open and keep the virus out. I hope everyone makes wise choices this weekend and minimizes the risk of infecting others.
One last reminder, any treat must be store bought and individually wrapped.
Calendar…
Attached is this year’s school calendar. It is normally sent home to parents in May and then again in August. It was delayed and now is ready to go. In working with the PTO, we decided some events certainly won’t happen and they are struck through. We only did this for the first semester.
NEWS FROM THE OFFICE
1. Please call the office by 9:00 a.m. if your child will be absent from school. If your child is sick we will have specific questions regarding their symptoms that we must ask due to Covid.
2. If your child needs to leave during the day for an appointment, please notify the teacher. Ring the doorbell and we will let you in to sign them out. There is a desk right inside the door with a notebook to sign your student in and out.
3. If your child forgot something you may bring it to the door and we will meet you there.
4. Please be sure to label all of your child's things! We have had several water bottles dropped off at one time and we don't always remember who they belong to!!
5. If you have medication for your child, you may come in the building to speak with the CNA or health para. Children may not transport medication.
SCHOOL LUNCHES
The 2020-21 meal prices are:
Breakfast $1.50
Lunch $2.85
Milk $ .50
~Breakfast is served at 7:55 a.m. Students should come through the front door if they want to get breakfast.
~If your child orders a hot lunch, it does come with a milk. If they bring lunch from home and want a milk, it is 50 cents.
~You can add money to your child's meal account thru MySchoolBucks or you can send cash or check into the office and we will add it to their account.
~You will receive weekly email notices if you have a low or negative meal account balance.
MYSCHOOLBUCKS
Go mobile and download the MySchoolBucks app and get convenient access to meal balances, purchases, and make payments right from your phone. Just go to myschoolbucks.com to get started!
View your student's meal purchases and current account balance at a glance.
COVID Q & A
This is a first in a series of questions and answers parents should know.
So if someone in a house gets COVID, all other families members must quarantine 24 days unless they have a negative test result? Quite likely.
Asymptomatic household members:
a. If the positive person is able to perfectly isolate from the rest of the family in a
separate bedroom and no interaction with the rest of the family:
i. Asymptomatic household members need to quarantine at home for 14
days from the first day that the positive person began isolating from
family.
ii. This scenario is unlikely to happen if the positive is a caregiver or a
young child.
b. If the positive person is not able to isolate from the rest of the family:
i. Asymptomatic household members need to quarantine at home for the
entire time the positive person is in isolation (10 days minimum from
when the positive’s symptoms started), plus an additional 14 days.
1. This is a 24 day minimum - why so long?
a. We know the positive person is infectious/contagious for
10 days after symptoms start - so the positive is
continually exposing family members the entire 10 days
they are at home and contagious.
b. We know that once you are exposed to COVID, you can
develop symptoms anytime in the next 14 days. If the last
day the family was exposed to the positive person was on
day 10, they need to continue quarantine for the next 14
days because they might develop symptoms during that
time and begin spreading infection.
Household members that test negative do NOT get to end isolation early.
In a household with positives, the positives will end isolation before other household members.
2. All those with close contact with a person with symptoms who is sent home, but no
positive test should also quarantine?
Not until the person has a positive result. If the person tests positive, then quarantine.
HIGH ABILITY LEARNERS
If parents are interested, there is a HAL curriculum video that explains our HAL program. It is located in the parent's section on the website under the curriculum night link.
Mrs. Falk
COMMUNITY COUNSELOR
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
JOIN OUR TEAM! Substitute teach!
Become part of a special team of Substitute Teachers that works with amazing students, collaborates with dedicated staff and makes an impact daily! We can guarantee work every school day or a flexible schedule based on your availability. Earn $160 per day for daily substituting and $170 per day for long term substitute positions. Apply today!
MILLARD SCHOOL BOARD 2020
President - Linda Poole
Vice President - Dave Anderson
Secretary - Stacy Jolley
Treasurer - Amanda McGill Johnson
Board Member - Mike Kennedy
Board Member - Mike Pate