Miller Elementary Parent Bulletin
April 9th
Welcome Back
From the Principal
Dear Families,
We are so excited for our reopening launch this coming Monday April 12. Our entire staff have been extremely busy over the last week putting the finishing touches on the campus. Each teacher will be communicating directly with you as far as their specific needs, schedules, materials needed, etc. Many of them have hosted Q & A sessions for their classroom to address last minute questions and I am appreciative of them being a source of information to you. We hope that you find our plans lead to a safe and healthy experience for all involved. We cannot wait for the children to be back on campus or continue their learning journey online. Whatever option you have selected for your family we hope that these last 9 weeks are productive and positive.
Included in today's communication are some photos from across the campus so you have some examples of classroom setup, lunch area, morning check in and dismissal locations, etc. With no visitors or families allowed on campus I know many of you are anxious to see how your child(ren) will be kept safe while on campus and hopefully the pictures give you some insight.
Here will be the entire on site school schedule (note each teacher will still provide their daily schedule):
7:30 - we will begin the check in procedure at your assigned gate.
TK/K/1st grade and other select classrooms will check in at the red gate. (close to the green building)
2nd/3rd and other select classrooms will check in at the white gate (close to the main office)
4th/5th and other select classes will check in at the blue gate (further down the parking lot past where lunch distributions had been)
While in line please remain 6 feet apart. Colored (based on your gate entry tent) dolphins have been painted outside the gate for line up purposes. They are already measured for your safety. Please be prepared with a completed and cleared ClearPass app or the paper version of the daily health checklist. NOT having this prepared for check in will delay the process as we will have to do a separate health screening of those students prior to entry. All children will be expected to enter wearing a mask and sanitizing hands. All of these items are no exception and required for entry each time they are on campus. Please allow plenty of time the first few days the children come on to campus so that the entry is expedited and timely. Plan ahead for traffic if you will be driving as their will be many driving or walking. Please enter the parking area cautiously as we anticipate high numbers of pedestrians, children on bikes, etc. and we want all to enter the campus in a safe manner. If your children will be riding a bike or scooter it is required by law that they have a helmet. Please make sure that they are wearing this when coming on to campus. There will be an area for these that will be locked during the day.
We will have helpers wearing shirts that match your entry point tent to support your children upon entry. They will help direct towards their teacher and be able to answer any questions they might have to allow for a safe entry to the classrooms.
Instructional day begins at 7:50- Teachers will be waiting for their children and promptly get them into the classrooms so they may begin for the instructional day at 7:50. Again, please check with your child's teacher for a full list of required materials they will need each day on campus. Most will need their Chromebooks, power cords and headphones. Try as best as possible to ensure that devices are fully charged prior to coming to campus. Children will wash hands and set themselves up for success for their academic day.
All children will have a wellness break at some time during the morning. Please be sure to send your child with their own water bottle (marked with their name) and a healthy snack. They will have the opportunity to take an outside wellness break. We cannot allow for snacking or drinking inside the classroom so all children will be able to go outside to stretch and enjoy a quick snack before getting back to work
Lunch times - ALL children will be eligible for a free lunch from the campus. The menu is attached to this newsletter. We recommend sending some food from home that they prefer and are comfortable with and they can still request a school lunch and eat from both. This way you ensure they have something they will for certain eat and also get the school lunch experience. ALL students will also have the opportunity for an additional meal bag to take home that will have the next day's breakfast as well as some additional items. Lunch and meal bags will only be given to students that have opted for in person instruction. If you are remaining online our site meal distribution location has ended and is now located at Serra High School. The Serra High meal distribution times will be 12-2 daily.
NO breakfast will be served on campus so please be sure your child has already eaten prior to coming to school.
Dismissal for children will be at 1:20 and will be dismissed out the same gates they entered through. The Youth Center will be coordinating a pick up location on campus. Please arrive on time for prompt pick up of your children as many teachers have other responsibilities once class has ended. Some teachers may be continuing on their onsite learning for students but this may or may not apply to your child. Please contact your teacher for additional information.
PrimeTime- for those already enrolled in the PrimeTime program it will run from 1:20 - 5:30 Monday - Thursday. Please note there is no program on Friday's. The site Director will be communicating with you directly to discuss details for student pick up and program details.
Again, ALL children and staff will be required to wear masks during their time on campus (lunch and snack time excluded). Gaiters are allowed if they are at least double ply. No mesh masks of any kind. While we will have some extra disposable masks on campus for children we recommend sending a spare with your child in a ziplock bag with their name on it. This way they will have a preferred mask that they can have if their gets soiled. All classrooms will be equipped with extra masks as needed
Unfortunately we will have all drinking fountains shut down. Please be sure your child comes with a full water bottle that is clearly marked for them. We will be unable to fill them but will have extra disposable water bottles on campus should they need one.
We are so very happy and excited for next week and our remaining weeks on campus. We cannot wait to see and meet everyone in person in the coming days. If you have additional questions about the school day please contact your child's teacher directly. We hope the pictures provide some idea of what the physical space will look like.
We all plan on being overly patient with our children as they come back to a school site in the first time in over a year. We know that it is a relearning process and a time where all might feel anxious, nervous, scared, excited and so on. The conversations you can have with your children over the weekend to get them ready will be so very important to set them up for success. I am posting again some tips below to help prepare you and your family for the site reopening. Best wishes on a wonderful weekend and see you next week!!
Here are some things you can do to prepare:
1. Have an age-appropriate conversation with your student about why your family chose the hybrid model or the online option. Students may have friends who made a different decision, and it is important for students to understand every choice deserves to be respected.
2. Practice proper hygiene. Remind students to thoroughly wash their hands for enough time to kill all germs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends scrubbing your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds.
3. Practice wearing a mask. Masks will be required when students return to campus, and they are still recommended every time you leave the house. Students should practice covering both their nose and mouth with a snug but comfortable mask.
4. Review the rules on physical distancing. As much as friends may wish to greet each other warmly on campus next week, everyone must keep a respectful distance between themselves and other students. Remind your students about these rules for everyone’s safety.
5. Help your student prepare for the new school lunch program. For the remainder of the school year, meals will be provided to all students at no cost but students will not be able to sit together to eat. Students will sit 2 to a lunch table and will not be able to deviate as they need to remain 6 feet apart. Explain this to your students and practice a few times to make them feel comfortable.
6. Confirm your transportation plans with the school staff. Busses will be running modified schedules and routes, so review your plans to get to school on time. Work with your child’s case manager if this applies to you.
7. Take time to learn the new entry points for school and the rules on lining up by the gate. These rules are in place to minimize the chance of Covid-19 coming onto campus from the surrounding community. For Miller we will have three entry gates designated. The red pop up tent will be used for checking in Grades K/1 only and is located by the Kinder classrooms. Please look for the helpers wearing red shirts. The white pop up tent will be used for checking in grades 2/3 only and is located at the main entrance of the campus (by the front office). Please look for the helpers wearing white shirts for assistance in checking in. Our blue pop up tent will be used for our students in grades 4/5 only. This tent is located further down the front of the school closer to their classrooms (located close to the previous location for our drive through lunch distribution). These helpers will be wearing blue shirts and can assist you there. EACH day your child will be on campus they will need to present either their digital ClearPass or paper copy of their health screening. If this is forgotten they will be delayed in entering campus as they will have to go through a health screening before entering the site. ALL children will be using hand sanitizer before walking through the gates. They may use the site provided sanitizer or their own but it will be done at the moment of entry. QR codes are posted throughout the front of the campus to assist with this. It is also located in our Smores site for parents.
8. Check in with your students to measure their emotional health. Returning to the classroom after a year can be as emotionally difficult as starting school all over again for the first time. Counselors will be available to help, but you can make things easier by talking with your students about their feelings.
9. Remember to share your plans with the school staff. Starting on April 12, additional after school programs might be available in the form of your child’s teacher opting for an additional hour of in person learning. This is at the discretion of each teacher. For those enrolled in PrimeTime please work with the site director for further information.
10. Talk to your teacher. Think of April 12 as the start of a whole new experience for your student. Remember to share with your teacher how your student has been coping during the past year. Share your goals for your student for the remainder of the school year.
11. We ask that as much as possible to walk to the campus as the traffic pattern will be hectic. We anticipate that there will be added foot traffic in the area as well as families spaced 6 feet appropriately throughout the campus. Leave in plenty of time so that you do not feel rushed and can arrive safely. If you do plan to drive to campus approach the campus carefully and slowly.
12. If your child will be attending campus in person and they are not feeling good please be sure to keep your child at home and report the absence to our system.
13. Your child may bring a snack and their own water bottle. Our water dispensing systems/fountains have been disabled on the campus for safety purposes. Children will have a 15 minute wellness break each day they are on campus
14. Be sure to fill out the new opt in form if your child will be attending the onsite hybrid. You may return your completed form to your child’s teacher. This needs to be completed and returned as soon as possible.
15. Work with your child’s teacher for a complete list of all needed daily materials.
16. Miller office hours will be Monday – Thursday 7:00 – 2:00. Friday’s we will be closed.
April 12 through June
We will be operating on a 2 day schedule for in-person learning on campus and online through the end of the school year. For Monday through Thursday of each week, your student will follow this schedule. Again, this schedule applies to students who will be on campus, as well as those who will be learning from home. Reach out to your child’s individual teacher for exact daily schedules. Friday's will be an abbreviated online day for ALL students. Friday's will be a teacher's planning and preparation day and no students will be on campus.
We are looking forward to an exciting and productive end of the school year for all our students, and we look forward to seeing everyone soon.
Sincerely,
Gina Camacho McGrath
Classroom configuration
Classroom configuration
Classroom example
Classroom example
Materials
Classroom example
Primary classroom example
Traffic patterns in the building
Classroom configuration
Classroom set up
Classroom set up
Lunch table
Lunch time
Lunch time
Water fountains
Hand dryers in bathrooms
Bathroom
Sinks
Red tent entry
Blue tent entry
Acknowledgment of On-Site School Instruction Option
Acknowledgment of On-Site School Instruction Option
San Diego Unified School District (“District”) continues to work with public health authorities, medical professionals, and scientific experts for a safe responsible reopening in light of the COVID-19 pandemic1. For updates, please visit https://www.sandiegounified.org/covid-19_status, which includes a weekly tracker on positive COVID-19 cases for students and staff.
Please see Instructions below. Forms will be turned into your child's teacher.
ClearPass English
Dailey Student Symptom Checklist
QR for ClearPass
Lunch Schedule
Universal Forms Needed!
Yearbook Need's Your Pictures / Deadline For Pictures April 16th!!
Get ready families! Take a picture of your child going to their first in-person learning day and send it in!
Our yearbook editors are looking for pictures. Parents we need your to help showcase our wonderful Miller students. Please send in pictures to ptamillerelementary@gmail.com. Make sure to type Miller Yearbook Photo in the subject bar.
5th Graders-Email your special quote to our PTA. What message do you have to say? What do you want to tell future Dolphins at Miller? Type “Yearbook Photo-5th grade quote” in the subject bar. You may send in a special photo of your 5th grader as well.
Please send in your home "work" space photos. Subject, “Yearbook Photo-Home Work Space.”
Please send in awesome students showing off their masks. Subject, “Yearbook Photo-Student Masks.”
Did you celebrate your birthday in quarantine? Send in a photo. Subject, “Yearbook Photo-Quarantine Birthday.”
Have you captured any Drive-Thru photos at Miller? Send those photos in. Subject, “Yearbook Photo-Drive Thru.”
Did your pet ever come to Zoom school with you? Send in a photo of your pet in your work space at home. Subject, “Yearbook Photo-Pet.”
Did you show kindness to others during the pandemic? Send in photos of doing kind deeds, picking up trash in the community, dropping off food at a friend’s house, making a sign for essential workers, etc. Subject, “Yearbook Photo-Pandemic Kindness.”
2021-2022 PrimeTime Application Info
2021-2022 PrimeTime Application Info / Spanish
Miller School-wide PBIS Program
Need help with your district Chromebook or other Online Learning devices / (619) 732-1400
Zoom Issues?
Make sure students are signed into sandiegounified.zoom.us
If students are having problems joining a Zoom meeting that has been set up for authenticated users, have them follow these steps.
Need a Device?
For students needing a device for the 2020-21 school year, your school of enrollment will provide instructions so you may plan for a pick up.
If your student already has a device that is not working or is broken, please DO NOT return it to your school. Instead, contact the Online Learning Support Line at 619-732-1400. The support technician will provide directions for exchanging your student device if it can’t be fixed during the call.
Need Help Connecting to the Internet?
Please contact the SDUSD Family Support Line at (619) 260-2460 to learn about the multiple internet service options available.
Dedicated agents are standing by ready to assist. Bilingual-Spanish assistance is available.
Hours of operation are 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Monday – Friday 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. on select Saturdays ( Aug. 29, Sept. 5 and Sept. 12).
For technical support, call the
Online Learning Technical Support Line at (619) 732-1400.
Hours of operation are 8 am - 5 pm, Monday - Friday.
Saturday Hours: 9 am - 1 pm September 1 - October 31
PTA News - Facebook.com/MillerPTA
Miller Office Hours
The office will be open every Monday - Thursday 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. This is the time to complete enrollment and for new student chromebook pick up. Fridays the office will be closed. The office staff will be working remotely on Fridays. If you need help or have questions outside of these hours please email millelm@sandi.net. Your email will be responded to as soon as possible.
San Diego Unified School District- Mental Health Resource Center
Resources for Military families!
If you wish to utilize services or inquire into other resources available to
military families, please reach out to your school liaison Stacey Bengtson at (858) 349-7678. Additionally, listed below are several resources that provide a broad range of support to the Military community.
Resources:
San Diego Military Collaborative
SDmilitaryfamily.org
(858) 496-0044
Military OneSource
http://militaryonesource.mil/
(800) 342-9647
Fleet and Family Support Center
https://sandiego.navylifesw.com
(619) 556-7404
Additional Resources for military Families: