BEACON NEWS

BEACON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: JANUARY 2022

Principal's Message

I hope you had a restful holiday and were able to spend time with your loved ones. As we welcome students back into our classrooms from a well-deserved winter break, our highest priority continues to be the health and safety of our students, families, and staff. To this end, we are putting additional health and safety measures in place to ensure students and staff are safe and that our school can continue to be open. In this newsletter you will see updated guidance from the Department of Health and reminders regarding remote learning. Please make sure to read each of the sections carefully and should you have questions to please call our main office.

Also, I recently became aware that Grays Harbor County is discussing options and opportunities to develop property adjacent to Beacon Elementary for the purpose of a Regional Justice Center. I have not been included in their discussions; however, it is our understanding that this center would include a new jail, sheriff's office, and 911 center.

To learn more, I encourage you to attend the Grays Harbor County Commissioners regular meeting Tuesday, January 11 at 10 AM (LINK) and the Montesano City Council meeting Tuesday, January 11 at 7 PM (LINK).

I began this message with my commitment to safety and I want to reassure you that we will do everything in our power to keep your children safe and our schools open, with as little disruption as possible. We owe Montesano’s students nothing less. Thank you for your continued support as we continue to educate our students in this great district.

Sincerely,

Barb Page, Principal

Department of Health: Updated Guidance

The DoH updated Guidance to schools last Friday. Changes in the attached document include:

Updated isolation, quarantine, and testing recommendations throughout document where applicable to align with recent CDC changes.
Integration of technical clarifications from November 24, 2021 K-12 Schools FAQ.
Expanded eligibility for and activities allowed during modified quarantine in Test to Stay
programs.

LINK to Updated Guidance

Remote Learning

We are doing everything we can to ensure our school stays open for in-person learning; however, should we be forced to pivot to remote learning, we will do so immediately. I encourage you to make sure you know your child's passwords and can access your child's Google Classroom and teacher Zoom links.

Should we need to shift to remote learning, communication will be sent through email and automated calls from the district. Please make sure your phone number and email are correct in Skyward. Please make sure to check your messages daily.

iReady Assessment Window

This month we will be using iReady again to assess students for their winter benchmarks. This online program helps us determine your child's need, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the year. Your child's teacher will be communicating testing dates with you.

Lost & Found

Is your child missing a sweatshirt or jacket? You can check our lost and found online. A link is available on our website or by clicking here: Beacon Lost & Found.

It is very helpful to clearly label personal belongings with your child's name so that lost items may be returned promptly.

Student of the Month

November and December Students of the Month

Dates to Remember

January 17 - No School (MLK Day)
January 28 - Early Release, 11:00 a.m. (Report Cards)
February 10 & 11 - Elementary Conferences
February 10 & 11 - Early Release, 11:00 a.m.
February 21 - No School (President's Day)

Prepare for Inclement Weather

Please make sure you are informed of possible delays or school closures due to inclement weather or road conditions.

The Montesano School District will initiate an automated phone call to the primary phone number listed on each student’s record to announce emergency schedule changes or school closures. Please log into your Skyward Family Access account to verify the primary phone number on your child’s record is correct.

Parents can also sign up for FlashAlert for FREE by visiting www.flashalert.net. FlashAlert provides emergency notification via text, email, and/or Twitter. Local radio and television stations will broadcast the public information from FlashAlert between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.

Additional emergency information can be found on our district website:

http://www.monteschools.org/district-emergency-closure.

In the event of a late start, preschool classes will be cancelled. There is no breakfast service on late start days. In the event of a school closure due to weather, the school day will be made up on the designated weather day on the school calendar.