Reopening of Schools Update
August 16, 2020
Trussville City Schools
(205) 228-3000
Email Sandra Vernon for assistance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Message from the Superintendent
Dear Parents or Guardians,
School is now in session!!! The first three days of in-person instruction were heart-warming as we finally had the opportunity to welcome students back to school after 5 long months!
Major safety measures are now in place in classrooms and school buildings, and the students have adjusted very well. Things are very different than they have been before. Thank you for sending your students to school in masks and for teaching your children to wear masks long before the first day of school. We appreciate your cooperation!
An important safety measure is social distancing in classrooms. We have established learning labs along with our classrooms where students may go once or twice a week to ensure social distancing. Lessons will be uploaded in Schoology to achieve equity in instruction for all the options. Students will be on the same lesson whether they are in their classroom, at home, or in the learning lab, so take your chromebook with you wherever you go! This is our two-week plan, so stay tuned for any changes in the scheduling.
This year the beginning of school involves finding your way to class whether you are in the classroom, the learning lab, or at home. Schoology is new to all of us, and we will work together with kindness, patience and understanding to navigate a brand new learning system for students and teachers. It won’t be perfect next week, but everyone has been trained, and we will work through the trials and errors together as we learn this new system and use it collectively for the first time. The most important thing we can do is learn how to access our 2020-21 classes online in case we have to go all virtual again as we did last spring.
We are looking forward to our first full week of school next week! We will be excited to communicate with all our students whether in person or on the virtual learning platform. We look forward to a full week of school but would like to send a few health reminders:
Be extra careful outside of school to wear your mask, social distance, wash hands, use hand sanitizer and don’t touch your face. We don’t want anyone to get sick, and we want to keep COVID-19 out of our schools.
Parents are our first line of defense and we appreciate your partnership in keeping our schools open and free of COVID-19. Please screen your child before they come to school by taking your child’s temperature and please watch for any symptoms of COVID-19. If your child has fever or any other symptoms, please do not send your child to school and contact your health care provider for next steps.
If you do keep your child home, please contact your child’s teacher and let them know your child is experiencing symptoms.
If your child tests positive, or if anyone in the household tests positive, please call the school nurse or alert your teacher to the positive test. This will allow us to contact trace in the event others at school have had exposure.
Remember that an exposure can occur if you are within 6 feet of an infected person for 15 minutes or more. In the event of an exposure, your child may need to isolate at home even if they are not sick.
Students sent home for a 10-14 day quarantine can log in to Schoology on their chromebooks and keep up with their school work if they feel like doing so. Their absences are excused under the special attendance code for COVID19.
Have a wonderful weekend! We look forward to seeing bright, smiling eyes behind face coverings first thing Monday morning and virtual teachers will be in touch digitally! It is truly a joy to have each student back in a school routine that is set up to be as normal as possible.
Thank you for your support and patience as we walk this unprecedented journey together as a school system and a community. It is great to be a Husky!
Please stay well and safe!
Dr. Pattie Neill
Superintendent
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It Has Been a GREAT Staggered Start to the Year! See you all (Virtually or In Person) Monday, August 17, 2020
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Trussville City Schools Thanks You!
TCS has wonderful community support and we are very appreciative of our community partners!
We would like to thank the following for providing food, snacks, volunteer hours and lots of love and support as we started the 2020-21 school year:
First Baptist Church of Trussville
Faith Community Church
CrossPoint Church
Lee Marlow/Realty South
Great Harvest
Sonic
Taco Mama
Army National Guard
PTO/PTSO of our TCS Schools
And our parents and community members for all the thoughts and prayers you have sent our way.
"It takes a village" and Trussville City Schools has the best village around.
Our sincere thanks for all you do for our schools!
TCS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What Does the Mask Mandate Require and Allow?
When do I have to wear a mask?
You have to wear a mask when you are in public and in close contact with other people. Specifically, the order says to wear a mask when you are within six feet of a person from another household in any of the following places: (a) an indoor space open to the public; (b) a vehicle operated by a transportation service; and (c) an outdoor public space where ten or more people are gathered.
Are there any exceptions to the mask-wearing requirement?
There are five categories of exceptions. The largest category, exceptions for “practical necessity,” covers people or situations where mask use is incompatible with the realities of life—for example, children six or younger, people with certain medical conditions or disabilities, eating and drinking, medical and dental procedures, and so on. There are also categories of exceptions for exercise, for communicating with an audience, and for certain essential job functions. An additional category carves out narrow exceptions for protected activities like voting and religious worship—but even then, wearing a mask is strongly encouraged.
What kind of face mask is required?
The requirement allows all kinds of masks to be used—whether store-bought, homemade, or improvised from household items like scarves, bandanas, or t-shirts. The key is for the mask to cover your nostrils and mouth. For instructions on how to make your own mask, see the CDC’s “How to Make Cloth Face Coverings,” available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-make-cloth-face- covering.html. The use of a face shield complies with the new mask requirement so long as it fully covers the nostrils and mouth. The shield must extend just past the chin in order to fully cover the mouth.
Does this requirement apply to schools?
The new mask or facial covering requirement applies in the school setting. The requirement, however, is limited to people interacting with others within six feet of “an indoor space open to the general public, a vehicle operated by a transportation service, or an outdoor public space where 10 or more people are gathered.” Although some areas of school property may be open to the public, others may not. Additionally, the mask and/or facial-covering requirement contains various exceptions, including ones for people who are six years of age or younger and for people with a medical condition or disability that prevents him or her from wearing a facial covering.
References: alabamapublichealth.go
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Parent Information Regarding COVID-19
Now that the Alabama Department of Health (ADPH) has released the guidelines for returning to school, we wanted to explain how TCS will implement those guidelines within our schools. First and foremost, we are focusing on prevention. Preventive and protective measures in place include:
Face coverings as ordered by the Governor’s mandate
Frequent hand washing
Social distancing and physical barriers when possible
Scheduled cleaning and disinfecting as well as cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces as needed
While we will diligently follow these preventive measures, we are also prepared to follow the recommended guidelines in the event that a student or staff member becomes ill. Listed below are the steps the schools will take to implement the recommendations of the ADPH regarding COVID-19 in the school setting.
What if my child gets sick at school?
Step 1 – Students or staff who report or are observed to have any COVID-19 symptoms will be immediately sent to the school nurse for evaluation.
Step 2 – If the school nurse determines that the student or staff member has symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 infection, the student or staff member will immediately be isolated in the isolation area of the school until they leave the building. The parent/guardian will be called to check the student out and follow up with your health care provider. Suspected or confirmed cases of COVID -19 will isolate at home for the time frame recommended by the ADPH, which is currently 10 days from symptom onset or positive test, with at least one day fever free without fever reducing medicine. Students sent home with symptoms who are determined not to have COVID-19 by a healthcare provider, may return to school after providing a note of clearance from that health care provider.
Step 3 – The school will determine any close contacts (defined as within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer). Close contacts will also be sent home and asked to monitor symptom development.
Step 4 – Any areas of exposure will be cleaned and disinfected.
Step 5 – The case will be reported to the ADPH as mandated and they will follow up to begin contact tracing.
What if my child gets sick at home and has to miss school because of a positive test or symptoms?
Step 1 – Students or staff who have suspected COVID-19 or a positive test should stay home and notify the school as soon as possible.
Step 2 –Suspected or confirmed cases of COVID -19 will isolate at home for the time frame recommended by the ADPH, which is currently 10 days from symptom onset or positive test, with at least one day fever free without fever reducing medicine.
Step 3 – The school will determine if there were any close contacts (defined as within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer). Any close contacts will be sent home and asked to monitor symptom development.
Step 4 – Any areas of exposure will be cleaned and disinfected.
Step 5 – The case will be reported to the ADPH as mandated and they will follow up to begin contact tracing.
What if my child is exposed to COVID-19 at school?
Step 1 - If it is determined that any student or staff member has been in close contact (within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer) with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, they will immediately be isolated and sent home.
Step 2 - Because the period of time that a person can become infected is 2-14 days after exposure, close contacts must be excluded from school or school activities for at least 14 days. If a close contact develops symptoms or tests positive, they should begin to follow the guidelines for a symptomatic case and follow up with their healthcare provider. A negative test does not clear a close contact exposure to return to school or activities because they may become infected anytime between 2-14 days after exposure.
Step 3 – Any areas of exposure will be cleaned and disinfected.
Step 4 - Close contacts will be reported to the ADPH as mandated and they will follow up to investigate and make further recommendations.
Is my child required to test negative before returning to school?
No, there are no testing requirements for starting school or for returning to school after a COVID-19 infection. A negative test would be accepted as clearance to return to school if a student or staff member was sent home due to suspected COVID-19, but a negative test would not a person sent home for close contact exposure.
If my child has already had a confirmed COVID-19 infection, will they still have to follow the guidelines for symptoms and exposure?
Yes, because the immune response is unclear at this time, the ADPH guidelines for isolation and quarantine do not differ for persons with previous infections.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Log In to Schoology
Students: Logging into Schoology
Login through Clever
1. Navigate to Trussville City Schools Clever web page.
2. Select Log in with Google.
Remember, your login username and password is the same that you use to login to a chromebook.
If you do not know or remember your password, contact your teacher for help.
Navigate to Schoology icon
3. Scroll down the page until you see the Schoology icon.
4. The first time you use Schoology through Clever, you will enter your username and password. Remember, your username and password are the same that you use to login to a chromebook.
5. You are now logged into your Schoology account and will see the courses/classes you are members. Select a course/class to see the information for the class.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be Kind to Others by Practicing the 3 W's
1. Wash your hands
2. Watch your distance
3.Wear a mask
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LAST CHANCE TO GET YOUR VIRTUAL GALA
The 2020 Paws for a Cause Gala Last Chance to Purchase Tickets! Don't Miss Out!
The 2020 Paws for a Cause Gala is going Virtual!
Support Trussville City Schools from the privacy of your own home or wherever you choose to be! Through the Husky Fast Network App you will be able to see the excitement of the the $10,000 drawdown. Just like every year you will have opportunities to win fantastic door prizes as well as bid on Silent Auction items through the Auctria App. So charge up those iPads, tablets and smartphones and make plans to be with us on Saturday, August 22, 2020 at 6:30pm. Thanks to this years Title Sponsors Sargent McDonald Team and M3 Performance & Physical Therapy!
The portion of funds earned by TCSF will be given to Trussville City Schools to help meet the financial needs for equipment and materials needed to keep our students, teachers and staff safe during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Buy your ticket today for only $100 and have a chance to win $10K, all while supporting your hometown school system. For $600, same price as a table last year, you can be a SILVER sponsor and receive 4 tickets along with advertisement for being a sponsor. We can make a difference-TOGETHER!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TRUSSVILLE COUNTS 2020 CENSUS
The 2020 Census is very important to the future of the City of Trussville and the State of Alabama.
Did you know?
The Census directly impacts funding for Trussville for the next decade.
Gasoline tax funds, including the new 10-cent gasoline tax are based upon our Census count for the following ten years.
Internet sales tax is distributed on a population basis from the Census count.
Capital Improvement funds and other funds from the State are allocated by Census population.
Businesses use census data to determine where to build offices, stores, and industrial facilities that create jobs and tax dollars in our community.
Census statistics are the basis for many federal dollars and grant funding, including programs such as Medicaid, WIC, National School Lunch programs, and Head Start.
Each person counted generates almost $1,600 in federal funding for our State and communities.
Alabama may lose up to two seats in Congress with less than an 80% response statewide. We may lose one seat with less than 90% response. This dilutes our voice in Washington, D.C. How can you respond to the 2020 Census?
Online
Telephone
Mail
Watch for an invitation letter mid-March 2020 that has your unique ID to respond
Your data is confidential and is not shared with IRS, law enforcement, courts, or immigration. Your answers are for statistical purposes only.
It is your civic duty to say, “I count” by completing your Census questionnaire.
Contact City Hall with any questions or concerns or visit www.census.Alabama.gov.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS! TOGETHER WE CAN BE A FORCE FOR CHANGE!
ALABAMA COUNTS JEFFERSON COUNTY AND ST.CLAIR COUNTY COUNTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCOUTS
SCOUT ME IN
Join Today
Pack216.0rg
OR
Sign up in person
August 30th 4:00 - 6;00 pm
Trussville Mall
Please email questions to
All activities will take place outdoors for the foreseeable future.
Parents are required to accompany children on all activities.
Registration is open to girls and boys, kindergarten - 5th grade.
Trussville Park & Recreation Fall 2020 Soccer Registration
Fall 2020 Soccer Registration ends August 15, 2020
www.trussvilleunitedsoccer.com
info@trussvilleunitedsoccer.com
Ages 3 - 19
Trussville United Soccer