Family Friday Focus Sept.4, 2020
Rick Marcotte Central School Princpal Kathleen Kilbourne
MARKY MOOSE SAYS TO REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR MASK TO SCHOOL
REQUIRED ANNUAL STUDENT UPDATES AND REGISTRATION...NEW AND IMPROVED!
THESE ON LINE FORMS NEED TO BE UPDATED PRIOR TO THE FIRST DAY THE STUDENT ATTENDS SCHOOL AT RMCS:
South Burlington School District is excited to begin Annual Student Updates and Registration for the 2020-2021 school year.
These online forms can be found within your PowerSchool Parent Portal and takes the place of the thick packet of papers that have previously been mailed home to families from the schools each summer.
Please take the time to complete these forms that:
- Register your student for the 2020-2021 School Year
- Verify and update emergency contact information
- Communicate important health information
- Sign student laptop/device agreements
To begin, please click this link to login to the PowerSchool Parent Portal: https://sbsdvt.powerschool.com. Once logged in, click “Forms” from the left navigation bar and choose “Update A. Getting Started: Returning Students.” The forms should take 5-15 minutes to complete, per student.
Trouble Logging in?
Please click “Forgot Username or Password?”
- Reminder: Please check your Junk box if a reset email is not received.
If you do not have a PowerSchool Portal Account or require more support, please email sbdatateam@sbschools.net.
Individual schools can be contacted at:
PreKindergarten/Act 166: PreK_Reg@sbschools.net
Gertrude E. Chamberlin School: Chamb_Reg@sbschools.net
Orchard School: Orch_Reg@sbschools.net
Rick Marcotte Central School: RMCS_Reg@sbschools.net
Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School: FHTMS_Reg@sbschools.net
South Burlington High School: SBHS_Reg@sbschools.net
Thank you for your time. Completion of these forms will help ensure that we have the most current and accurate information for your students, allowing us to improve communications and better serve our families.
Video- MEET AND GREET OUR RMCS TEACHERS and STAFF
THANK YOU BARB GILMORE FOR OVER THREE DECADES OF SERVICE AT RICK MARCOTTE CENTRAL SCHOOL
A Card Shower for Barb Gilmore....THANK YOU!!
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL AT RMCS
ARRIVAL:
Students riding the bus in the morning will be dropped off at the school, be greeted by our health screeners and walk to the front door of the school. Bus drop offs will be 7:50 to 8:10 AM.Drop off includes in a parents car, walker, or bike rider.
8:10- 8:20 AM - Drop off for Pre-K, 1st, 3rd, and 5th Grade students, along with their older siblings.
8:20-8:30 AM - Drop off for K, 2nd, and 4th Grade students, along with their older siblings.
Drop off will be at the larger parking lot on the curb. Since we know the greatest risk on contracting Covid is adult to adult, parents/caregivers must stay in their cars and will not be allowed in the building. Health screenings will be completed from your car. If possible, please have your child in the seat closest to the building. We ask that drivers not leave until the child(ren) have passed the health screening.We will be screening six cars at a time. Please be patient.
DISMISSAL:
2:20 PM - Students riding the bus in the afternoon will be dismissed through the front doors.
2:30-2:40 PM - Dismissal for Pre-K, 1st, 3rd and 5th Grade students, along with their older siblings.
2:40-2:50 PM - Dismissal for K, 2nd, and 4th Grade students, along with their older siblings.
Please be sure your child knows the vehicle of the person coming to get them, and please don't come earlier or later than your pick up time.
2:45 PM - Dismissal to School's Out
How to Wash Your Hands and Stay Safe at RMCS
PLACEMENT INFORMATION
We look forward to welcoming your child back to school into their current grade level team! This year, we will be working in teams to ensure that your child has the benefit of relationships and familiarity with both their homeroom teacher and the other teachers on that grade level team. As you know we are beginning in a hybrid model, so there will be only half of the class present at a time in each homeroom with one lead teacher. Students are not mixing beyond that smaller group /pod of students at this time, while the grade level teachers will be introduced to one another’s small groups to provide flexibility if needed as we progress through the school year.
School teams have drafted homeroom placements that we will start the year off with the week of Sept 8th. Teachers and staff have worked hard to create balanced classes that allow for equitable services that best meets the needs of all children within our public school system.
We will use the first few weeks of school to observe, assess academic strengths and needs, and notice what is working well for our students. The administration reserves the right to make a homeroom placement adjustment based on available services, a child’s academic need, or the resources available in the schedule. On October 2nd we will finalize the class lists for the school year based upon the data we have collected at school in the first few weeks.The rationale behind this homeroom model for the first few weeks includes:
1. Using the current data to make decisions (after observation and assessments)
2. Creating balanced and equitable classroom communities
3. Cross training grade level teams of teachers, should one teacher be out to still have familiar relationships
4. Using the human resources we have safely for all involved.
We recognize that our students have not been in school for several months and will need social emotional support and intentional social learning opportunities to reconnect. There will be an emphasis on relationship building, resiliency, and relearning our PBIS systems at all grade levels as we reconnect in person to start this school year.
This team approach of two, three or four adults serving a grade level of students will be beneficial should one of our staff members not be able to be at school in the coming months. The rest of the grade level adult team will be familiar with your child, and be able to support, even with a substitute teacher in place.
These are times that require us to place safety and health as our top priority for all staff, students, and families. It means that we must be proactive in our planning, while being flexible and fluid in our implementation. We will continue to provide weekly updates on Fridays, as information is clarified and updated.
We look forward to partnering with you this school year, for a safe, healthy, and productive learning year!
Sincerely,
Your Elementary Admin Team:
Kathleen Kilbourne, Holly Rouelle, & Mark Trifilio
UPDATE ON HOMEROOM PLACEMENTS: (9/4/20)
You should have received a letter with your student's homeroom placement. If you have not received yours in the mail (hard copy) you can call the main office at 652 7200 and ask Sue, as she has all the classroom lists. Some people are requesting changes to their student's placements. We are unable to make changes to the class lists at this time. Teachers, school counselors, and administration have spent many many hours balancing classes for a multitude of factors. Hardship requests that were submitted have been processed and honored, also effecting the balance of classes. These factors include, but are not limited to, input from the previous teacher about learning styles, gender, academic strengths and needs, medical information, and known social emotional needs and connections. I know that some people are concerned their child may not be in the same cohort/class as some of their known friends or children in their neighborhoods. The great thing about the cohorts is that they are smaller, allowing for more direct teacher time and time to make new friendships. We believe it is an asset to get to know new people too. It is our hope that these smaller groups and cohorts will only need to be temporary, and that when it is safe to do so we can return to a full class with more children together. Thank you for your understanding and patients as begin the school year together serving all children in our public school setting.
CHROMEBOOKS
APPLICATION FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH
PLEASE FILL OUT THE APPLICATIONS FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH IF YOU THINK YOUR FAMILY MIGHT QUALIFY. THESE APPLICATIONS HAVE TO BE FILLED OUT EVERY YEAR IN SEPTEMBER FOR YOUR CHILD TO QUALIFY. SPECIFIC GUIDELINES TO QUALIFY ARE IN THE DIRECTIONS. THIS INFORMATION IS CONFIDENTIAL AND ONLY SHARED WITH OUR NUTRITIONAL SERVICES STAFF. YOU CAN PUT THIS IN AN ENVELOPE MARKED "NUTRITIONAL SERVICES" AND RETURN WITH YOUR CHILD, OR MAIL TO 262 WHITE STREET, SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.
DIRECTIONS AND APPLICATION FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH (English)
DIRECTIONS AND APPLICATION FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH (Spanish)
DIRECTIONS AND APPLICATION FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH (Nepali)
NUTRITIONAL SERVICES UPDATES FOR SCHOOL RE-OPENING
Nutritional Services in cooperation with transportation and security will continue to serve meals through August 30th under the nationwide area eligibility waiver from the USDA. Special accommodations will be made for any families that request additional support until school begins on September 8th. Please contact Rhonda Ketner, rketner@sbschools.net or 802-652-7160 for questions/assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended its waivers on meal pattern flexibility, congregate meals, meal times, and parent and guardian meal pickup through June 30, 2021. This will allow us to continue to operate smoothly in the event of another school closure as well as serve meals in nontraditional areas, such as the classroom.
Based on guidance from the USDA and VT AOE and in an effort to limit touch points, the following changes in meal service will occur:
- Meals will be unitized and packaged in recyclable, covered, meal trays or containers. This will allow for easy service in or outside of the cafeteria.
- The same meal components will be served to every student, unless there is a documented allergy, those meals will be modified to meet the needs of the individual. Chocolate milk will not be offered under this model. There will only be one meal option.
- Meals will be available via bus delivery to all students on the days they are engaged in remote learning. These meals will need to be ordered in advance, via an online ordering survey that will be sent to parents on a weekly basis.
- There will be two menus for each school, an onsite and a remote menu. At the beginning of the year all meals being delivered by bus to remote learners will be cold lunches. As the year progresses and we get used to the new “normal” we will expand those offerings.
- Breakfast will be served in the classroom, there will be at least 2 options daily.
- Silverware will be prepackaged with napkins.
- Condiments will be served in individualized portions.
- The Point of sales system will be touchless.
- Salad bars and self-service stations will be closed.
- Cashiers will not be handling cash during meal service. No payments will be processed at the registers.
- After careful consideration it was decided that we need to adjust the meal prices to help cover the costs of unitizing meals and packaging. The prices for elementary schools are: Breakfast $2.50 and Lunch $3.50.
LUNCH MENUS FOR RMCS
South Burlington Reopening Plan Aug 2020
Rick Marcotte Central School
Email: kkilbourne@sbschools.net
Website: sbschools.net
Location: 200 Market Street, South Burlington, VT, USA
Phone: 802 652 7200
Twitter: @rmcschool