Elmonica Newsletter - Boletín
Welcome Back Newsletter ~ August 20, 2020
Elmonica Families,
Elmonica staff are working hard and are committed to delivering an engaging and quality educational experience for all of our students. Please know that we are also dedicated to ensuring the safety of all our students and staff members as we work toward eventually returning to in-pearson learning in the future. We will be ready for your children!
This year all school newsletter communication will be sent home via school messenger and using this newsletter format. Both applications allow for translation in multiple languages. Please call the school office if you need help translating this or any newsletters in your preferred language.
Our school website has been updated in the past several weeks. Please take a moment to see if the information on our website answers your questions. In addition, school newsletters will be sent home on Fridays at least twice per month. We will continuously work to provide answers to all questions. In addition, some of the answers can also be found on the BSD Return to School site.
Thank you for your trust and patience as we work through through the ever changing details to begin the 2020-2021 school year.
Sincerely,
Kalay McNamee
Principal
Calendar
Office Staff return to school and available by phone / zoom conference by appointment. If you are unable to reach a person, please leave a message for your call to be returned.
Monday, August 31
Teachers & Staff return to work/school remotely full-time to begin planning for the year.
Events the week of September 9
Technology deployment / exchange
School Supply Pick Up
Meet the Teacher
Back To School Night
Family Toolkits (classes for parents/guardians)
Monday, September 14
First Day of School 8:30-2:30
School Calendar
A school events calendar can be found on the school website. This calendar will have our most current events and will be updated on a regular basis. The District Calendar is available through this link.
Elmonica Staff
Kindergarten
Marissa Burke, Shyla Dodson, Ashley Gardiner, Cassidy Zusman
First Grade
Lynne Bayles, Aimee Gordon-Suematsu, Marissa Wagner, New Teacher
Second Grade
Alison Bedwell, Kristina Chou, Tammy Robb, Simona Sava
Third Grade
Annie Lee, Hillary Moldovan, Megan Valentin
Fourth Grade
Megan Stauffer, Alison Hower, Elizabeth Patton
Fifth Grade
Abigail Anderson, Colleen Biller, Morgan Skjeie
Specialists
ELL Teachers - Michelle McCullough, Deanne Weisgerber, Matt Brown, Kelly O'Brien-Carnevale
Intervention Teacher - Emily Lagozzino
Music Specialist- Karl Gustafson & Sarah Heatherly
Physical Education Specialist- Katie Degandi & Bret Skagerberg
Counselor - Kristine Kenyon
Student Manager - Greg Nelson
Student Success Coach- Georgia Hastings
Learning Specialist- Stephanie Yelder-Stovall
School Psychologist- Trish St. Amand
Speech Pathologist - Sarah Glosier
Library Media Instructional Assistant - Sara Cartmill
Technology Instructional Assistant- Breanne Ault
Social Support Paraprofessional- Jenn Aragon
Office Staff
Angela Mendel - Principal's Secretary
Evi Warmflash - Assistant Secretary
Jenn Aragon - Office Support
Building Paraeducators
Larry Kohut & Beth Stanford
Custodians
Scott George, Angie Hudson
Welcome New Staff Members
Sarah Heatherly
Mrs. Heatherly is a native Oregonian who has traveled all over the world and taught music, theater, choir, and technology for the last 18 years! She attended Willamette University to achieve her Undergraduate and Master's Degrees. Sarah, her husband, and two children live in nearby Hillsboro. Sarah is very excited to join Elmonica Elementary and "virtually" meet everyone soon!
Congratulations!
Miss Aimee Jones-Suematsu is now Mrs. Aimee Gordon-Suematsu!
Miss Aimee prefers to be addressed as Mrs. Aimee
Return to School Plan - Comprehensive Distance learning - September to November
The First Day
The first day of school for students will be Monday, September 14.
Comprehensive Distance Learning September 14 to November 13
We’ll be starting the school year with Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL). All students will be learning online from home with their regular neighborhood. We’re committing to remain in a Comprehensive Distance Learning model through at least November 13, 2020. We’re providing these dates so that parents can make any necessary work or child care arrangements. All school work, lessons and learning tasks will be delivered through Seesaw (grades K-2) or Canvas (grades 3-5) by Elmonica teachers.
School Hours
Our current plan is for the school day to run from 8:30am-2:30pm, every day, Monday-Friday. More information will be forthcoming in the next several weeks as teachers return and begin to plan their daily schedule.
Classroom Teacher Assignments
Our goal is for teachers to make contact with families via email by Thursday, September 3. If you have not heard from your child's teacher by then, please call the school office on Friday, September 4.
Please note that many hours will have gone into placement decisions. While attending to individual needs, relationships, and the overall balance across the school, the staff thought carefully about each returning student. We are committed to providing challenge and success for all. We do not take parent requests for specific classroom teachers.
Breakfast and Lunch
We will have a grab-and-go breakfast and lunch available. Details will be outlined in a future newsletter.
Important School Information
Attendance Line
Our school has a 24-hour school Attendance Line. If your child is absent from school for any reason, please call 503-356-2081. The Attendance Line is checked multiple times each day, so it is not necessary to call the school office. Please speak slowly and clearly your child's first and last name and the teacher's name.
The specifics about how we are counting attendance have yet to be determined. We are looking for additional guidance from the Oregon Department of Education for consistency across the state.
Beaverton School District Student/Family Handbook and Elmonica School Handbook
The District expects families to read the BSD Student & Family Handbook and the *Elmonica School Handbook. Please read the handbooks thoroughly so you and your child understand BSD and Elmonica expectations. Policies and procedures in the handbooks are developed to enhance opportunities for learning, or to keep our school a safe place for all students and staff. The District requires each family to acknowledge that they have read and discussed the Student/Family Handbook with their children during the enrollment or verification process.
*The Spanish language version is in process of being updated on the school website. Please check back next week.
Enrollment verification is an opportunity to update the school records of a returning student and gives newly enrolled parents the opportunity to verify the accuracy of information. It is all done online. Please take the opportunity to update important family information, give technology permissions, and acknowledge reading important school and District information. Follow this link to verify your child(rens) enrollment. If your child was previously enrolled this summer or attended a Beaverton school in the past you are VERIFYING the accuracy of information, please do not re-enroll your child.
If you have any difficulties with verification, please contact the school office.
Volunteering
We are currently looking into how parents and guardians can volunteer in a an online classroom environment. While we work on solutions and opportunities, please visit the District website and click on Parent/Guardian to complete the background check. Only new Elmonica volunteers need to complete a background check.
Technology iPads /Chromebooks
- All BSD schools will have a plan to distribute iPads to new students grades k-2 and Chromebooks to new students grade 3-5.
- The Beaverton School District help desk will assist students with their chromebooks during CDL.
- BSD website for help with iPads / Chromebooks
- If students are currently having problems with their iPad / Chromebooks, they can enter a “Help Ticket” at the above link. Please remember preparing technology for new students is the current priority.
- The District has partnered with Comcast to offer six months of free internet access through the Internet Essentials Program. Families must apply by August 31.
- The District has a limited number of internet hotspots available for student use. Email Greg Nelson to get information about a student internet hotspot.
Health and Safety Considerations - In Person Learning in November
Student Return to School
When it is safe to do so, we’ll begin to bring students back to school in a Hybrid Model: two days in school and three days online from home. The on-site experience will provide an opportunity to address the social-emotional and behavioral health of our students. Students also may receive whole group, small group or individualized instruction on site.
CDL vs. Hybrid
For students who aren’t comfortable returning to physical school buildings, they may remain 100% online with Comprehensive Distance Learning with their class at Elmonica for the entire year.
You mentioned that we would not return to school buildings until it is safe. How will BSD define “safe,” and who makes that determination?
Superintendent Don Grotting will work closely with the Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority on reviewing protocols and public health indicators to determine when to safely open schools for in-person instruction. OHA School Health and Safety Metrics
Will students be required to wear face coverings?
Per guidance from the Oregon Department of Education, all K-12 students are required to wear face coverings. The District will provide face coverings. However, for maximum comfort, students are encouraged to use cloth face coverings from home that can be washed after a day’s use. Parents should introduce these coverings to students, especially young children, well before the start of school. Using face coverings doesn’t negate the need to physically distance.
What if my child doesn't want to wear a face covering?
According to the Oregon Department of Education, “Students who abstain from wearing a face covering, or students whose families determine the student will not wear a face covering, during on-site instruction must be provided access to instruction. Comprehensive Distance Learning may be an option; however, additional provisions apply to students protected under ADA and IDEA.” Students with existing medical conditions who can’t wear face coverings will not be denied access to on-site instruction.
Will teachers and staff be required to wear face coverings and other personal protective equipment?
Per guidance from the Oregon Department of Education, all staff members are required to wear face coverings. The District will provide face coverings. However, for maximum comfort, staff members are encouraged to use cloth face coverings from home that can be washed after a day’s use. Some staff who work with Special Education students in close proximity will be required to wear face shields, which also will be provided; clear face shields may be preferred in cases where phonological instruction or social emotional cues must be seen. In addition, all contractors, service providers or other visitors to school buildings will be required to wear face coverings. Using face coverings doesn’t negate the need to physically distance.
Will temperature checks be done daily on students and staff?
Screenings for symptoms of COVID-19 will be done before students enter school buildings and school buses. Comprehensive screening procedures are currently being developed by BSD Health Services in conjunction with the Washington County Health Department and Oregon Health Authority.
How will you screen students and staff every day to prevent people who are sick from coming to school?
Adults working in schools will self-screen for symptoms; training and guidance will be provided as we return to in-person learning. Teachers or other designated staff members will do visual screenings of students for symptoms upon arrival. Any student displaying symptoms will be separated from other students in a monitored room until the child is able to be picked up by a parent or guardian. Parents are encouraged to screen their children for symptoms prior to coming to school.
What will the protocols be if someone at a school tests positive for COVID-19? Will children/teachers in the same attendance group be quarantined for two weeks at home? Will the entire school be notified?
In the event of a positive case of COVID-19 in a school community member, BSD will follow Washington County Health Department protocols for exclusion from in-person school attendance. These plans are in development and will be communicated when available. Contact tracing will be of the utmost importance. BSD will cooperate with the county health department to provide any necessary information to minimize exposure to our school community.
Are specialists, substitutes and maintenance employees going to be moving from school to school?
We’re looking for ways to minimize movement of all staff between schools.
Will the District provide all the cleaning supplies, particularly disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer, for the classrooms?
We’ll be placing hand-sanitizer dispensers throughout the schools, targeting building entrances, cafeterias and other key areas. In classrooms, we’ll have hand sanitizer available in bottles for use as needed. High-touch areas will be disinfected regularly with disinfectant wipes.
How many students will be in a classroom?
Per guidance from the Oregon Department of Education, each student is required to have 35 square feet of space to ensure social distancing. With that restriction in mind, most of our classrooms will have enough space for 16 to 20 people, which includes students and staff.
Will hand-washing be mandatory for students?
Yes, students must wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (with 60-95% alcohol) before and after meals.
How and how often will bathrooms be disinfected?
We are currently building our custodians’ schedule to disinfect and sanitize often. Because of social distancing requirements, only a certain number of students will be allowed in the bathrooms at any one time, depending on the size of the space.
How are you addressing proper ventilation for classrooms?
The District is doing everything possible to increase ventilation and air exchanges in schools and buildings. We’re setting HVAC operation schedules to start earlier in the morning and end later in the afternoon.
Still Have Questions? Email or call the office @ 503-356-2080
Elmonica Engineers
The mission of Elmonica Elementary is that together we promote high standards by:
· Practicing critical thinking skills through inquiry.
· Acquiring in-depth knowledge of globally significant ideas.
· Appreciating the unique qualities of each person, creating empathy, compassion,
and international-mindedness.
Email: evelyn_warmflash@beaverton.k12.or.us
Website: https://elmonica.beaverton.k12.or.us/
Location: Southwest Lisa Street, Beaverton, OR, USA
Phone: 503-356-2080
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elmonicaES/
Twitter: @ElmonicaE