Mustang Memo
Fireside Newsletter 9/25/2020
Letter from the Principal
Dear Fireside Families:
As you know, the PVSchools Governing Board approved dates for a staggered return to in-person learning. This brings mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety to many. We are working diligently to implement safety protocols directed by cabinet and the Governing Board while designing routines that work best for Fireside. While school will look much different than it has, our students will continue to learn whether from the school building or from home.
I know making the decision to learn from home or learn from school is a challenging one. Please know that regardless of the choice you make, you are all a part of the Fireside family. Within both models students will be delivered the same curriculum and opportunities to work with the teacher, independently, and in small groups.
Below you will find information regarding back to school learning. I hope it provides you with a picture of what your child’s experience will look like from home or the school building. My intention is to provide as much information as I can to help you make an informed decision. We will be here to support you and your children in whichever choice you make.
Warmly,
Danielle Else
Learning Location Survey
Please confirm if your child will be returning to school or learning from home on the designated return date. Little Scholars and Gifted Pre-K surveys will be coming from the classroom teachers.
Please note there have been changes to the metrics for reopening. To review the new metric changes by the PVSchools Governing Board please visit https://www.pvschools.net/reopening
K-3 Oct. 8th in-person
4-6 Oct. 12th in-person
Please complete this survey once for EACH child at the school using the survey link below
Please complete this form by 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 1st, 2020.
Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation!
Delivery of Instruction
Staggered Start Schedule: Grades K-3
October 5 - 7
These days have been designated as site-based professional development and teacher training and work days for all teachers. All students will be participating primarily in independent learning activities on these days so that preparations for in-person learning may be made. Students will check in with teachers in the morning for attendance and SEL before beginning their independent learning activities.
October 8 - 9
Students who are learning from home will engage in independent learning activities to allow teachers and in-person students to work together on class expectations and norms for in-person learning.
Staggered Start Schedule: Grades 4-6
October 5 - 7
These days have been designated as site-based professional development and teacher training and work days for all teachers. All students will be participating primarily in independent learning activities on these days so that preparations for in-person learning may be made. Students will check in with teachers in the morning for attendance and SEL before beginning their independent learning activities.
October 8 - 9
Learning expectation will be communicated by the classroom teacher for all students in grades 4-6.
October 12
Students who are learning from home will participate in independent learning activities to allow teachers and in-person students to work together on class expectations and norms for in-person learning.
Inside the Classroom
Assigned seats will be required to ensure students are limiting their interactions with others as well as help with contact tracing.
Masks for all students, staff, and visitors (See below for additional information regarding mask protocols).
Maximize distance between students.
Eliminate sharing of materials, supplies, textbooks, and technology as much as possible. Parents please supply your student(s) with the necessary daily supplies (crayons, pencils, notebooks, scissors, glue sticks, markers, rulers, etc.)
Eating in the classrooms will be prohibited. The teacher may choose to hold snack time outside.
Backpacks, lunchboxes, jackets need to stay at the students’ desks, no shared bins for lunches.
Carpet/rug time will be prohibited due to the inability to adequately sanitize or socially distance.
Students and staff will wash/sanitize hands when entering a room.
If manipulatives are utilized, they are sanitized between use.
Volunteers will not be allowed on campus.
Frequent hand washing and sanitizing, especially prior to transitioning away from desks or to another area of campus.
If a classroom only has tables, students will be seated facing the same direction or as far apart as possible limiting the number of students at each table.
Disposable Health Office Passes will be utilized.
Outdoor mask breaks have been scheduled during extra recess.
Students should bring their own water bottles.
When pulling small groups, teachers will maintain as much distance as possible and utilize Google meet as a primary delivery mode.
Teachers can wear face shields in addition to a cloth mask.
Classroom spaces for pull-out services (resource, content replacement, related services, specials, etc.) will be sanitized between use.
Students pulled-out for reading intervention, special education services, gifted content replacement or any other reason must be distanced from others as much as possible.
Teachers will rotate through rooms rather than students.
Transitions
The master schedule has been designed to minimize grade levels/students in the hallway at any given time
Teachers will educate students on the importance of following directional arrows and lines in the halls, as well as keeping distance between students while in line
Teachers will emphasize the need for students to keep their hands to themselves, and to not touch nearby surfaces while passing by (walls, desks, etc.)
Hallways are marked (taped) to indicate direction of movement
Traffic in the hallways moves on the right
Students/classes move in a single file line
Specials
Students will travel to specials as a homeroom class.
Students will be assigned a seat or space within each specials class.
Specials teachers have been allocated cleaning times in their schedules
Shared resources will be limited. When not possible, shared resources will be rotated or sanitized between classes.
Specials rotations have been designed to accommodate students on a week long rotation. Each student will engage in the same special per week.
Band and strings: students will not share mouthpieces and instruments will be wiped down between classes. Students will bring instruments home each day.
Vocal Music: students enrolled in chorus will remain in an online forum until further notice.
During High Heat days, or rainy days, PE will be held in the library.
Lunch
Only one grade level will eat lunch in the cafeteria at a time
Students will enter and exit the cafeteria using one-way designated doors
Students will wash their hands in the classroom prior to going to lunch
All tables will face the same direction
Each homeroom class will sit together in assigned rows and seats; tables will be labeled to facilitate assigned seating
Two students will be seated per bench to support physical distancing
The day custodian will disinfect/clean between each grade level
Students will bring lunch boxes outside to recess to place in a designated area to be picked up at the end of recess
All food from the cafeteria will be individually wrapped, cupped, or bagged - multiple options will still be available
Lunch will be provided using a touchless system to all students to eliminate the need for registers and help lines move more quickly
Recess
Masks will be worn by all students during recess
Students are not allowed to bring equipment from home to use at school
Students will wash/sanitize hands after recess
Playground structures will be wiped down as often as possible
A bag containing playground balls and jump ropes will be available for each grade level
Students are not allowed to play “contact sports”
Students may play games such as kickball, 4-square, HORSE, soccer, catch and other games that will not result in physical contact between students
Students should bring a labeled water bottle to minimize the number of students using the water fountains
Arrival to School
Students in grades 1-6 can enter campus via the pedestrian gates near the bike racks and west lot
Students in kindergarten will enter campus via the gate near kindergarten playground
Students will enter the building through a designated entrance near their grade level classroom
Students line up by class in designated areas that are physically distanced
The bus will complete two runs to attempt distancing
Gates will be opened at 8:25am. Students may not arrive on campus prior to 8:25am.
Families that do not want to have their child on the playground in the AM can drop their child off at the office at 8:45. Students arriving between 8:45-8:55am will not be marked tardy.
Dismissal from School
Teachers will escort classes to the building exits to support physical distancing.
Students waiting for parent pick-up will practice physical distancing.
Homeroom teachers will practice procedures with their students to eliminate confusion
Staggered dismissal times:
3:00 - Kindergarten dismissal. Students who are walkers or have parents who have parked dismissed at the flagpole. Students picked up in cars dismissed at Kiss and Go. Parents not at the flagpole by 3:00 should pick up their child at Kiss and Go.
3:10 - First grade dismissal
3:15 - Grades 2-6 dismissal
Restrooms
Restroom use is limited to the number of available stalls in the restroom. Classrooms will only send one student at a time to the restroom. If restroom stalls are full, students will wait outside the restroom at the designated spot.
Restroom cleaning will increase on a scheduled rotation.
Students are required to wash their hands in the bathroom and upon returning to the classroom wash their hands again
Library
All students learning from home will be able to:
Continue using the digital book check out
Pick books up from the library cart during materials distribution on Thursdays
Return books to the library cart at the front of the school
Continue using the digital book checkout in grades 3-6
Check out books from a mobile library that visits all K-2 classrooms
Masks
Please use the following link to access PVUSD Policy: Student Dress Code Addendum - Face Cloth Mask
This is consistent with Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) Face Covering Guidance as they are requiring face masks to be worn both inside and outside on schools campuses.
Neck gaiters, bandanas and valve masks are not allowed as MCDPH has identified these as less effective. (See MCDPH Not All Masks Are Created Equal).
Masks will be required at all times once on campus property (including sidewalks, common areas, buildings, etc). Exceptions include only designated lunch time in the cafeteria, designated snack time during second recess outside, under teacher direction during PE class outside, and under teacher direction when playing instruments during band class.
Students should bring more than one mask to campus and keep the extra(s) in their backpack
All masks should be labeled with the students first and last name
If a student is not wearing a mask or is not wearing a mask properly:
The first time, the classroom teacher will issue a disposable mask if needed to the student and email the parent. The teacher will re-teach mask expectations.
The second time, the classroom teacher will issue a disposable mask if needed to the student and email the parent. School administration and/or the school nurse will re-teach mask expectations. The school principal will email the parent addressing the concern.
The third time, the classroom teacher will issue a disposable mask if needed to the student and the student will be referred to the front office. The student may be directed to PVConnect learning from home. PVOnline will be considered upon parent request and space availability.
Parents will be asked to pick their child up from school within one hour.
Disciplinary action may be issued or the student may be directed to PVConnect learning from home. PVOnline will be considered upon parent request and space availability.
COVID Screening and Reporting
Prior to Oct. 8, we ask that each family sign the COVID-19 Parent/Guardian Acknowledgement and Disclosure Form. The document defines the responsibility of each family as it pertains to mitigation strategies. Thank you for your compliance. You can download the document here
Please review the Maricopa County Symptom Screening for Schools for Detailed Information about Screening Protocols and Procedures: here
Healthy Home Check
- Students should stay home if they feel ill or are exhibiting symptoms of respiratory infection.
- Parents and guardians should assess their child’s health daily prior to heading to school or the bus stop.
- At the beginning of each day as students enter the classroom, teachers will informally screen students for respiratory symptoms. If the teacher has concerns, they will contact the school nurse prior to sending the student to the Nurse’s Office.
- Students will be reminded of proper respiratory hygiene.
Response to Positive Cases
- CDC protocols regarding reported cases and specific guidance from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health will be followed.
- School nurses will follow established screening protocols, and will consult with public health officials to determine how best to handle students and staff who display or develop COVID-19 symptoms.
- Isolation rooms have been set up within health offices for students or staff who may be sick.
Positive Test Protocols
- Align with Maricopa County Public Health recommendations
- Maricopa County Public Health will advise in positive cases & spread
- Protocol for staff members & students are in place.
- Updated communication will be shared next week by district offices.
Critical Updates
Annual Update: Please Complete the Annual Update Online. Use the following link to access a smartcard with instructions: Annual Update Instructions
From the Nurse
Fireside PTO
Membership Toolkit Instructions
1. Go to firesidepto.membershiptoolkit.com and create an account
2. Fill out the Family Information Form
3. Complete the Back to School Packet (this is where you can purchase the Class Shirt)
4. Download the app (the app will not sync with our school until the Family Information Form is complete)
Community Donations and Sponsors: Have a family member or friend who would like to make a donation to the school? They can visit firesidepto.com and click on "Community Donation" under the "Home" tab to make an electronic donation. Know a business that would be willing to support our school? Sponsorship Opportunities are available on the PTO website under "Become a Sponsor" under the "Home" tab.
FAQ
Where can I find information about the reopening plan?
For the most up to date information, please visit the PVUSD website at:
https://www.pvschools.net/reopening
This website includes the prepared plan, reopening criteria, a link to the Maricopa County Dashboard, and a summary of supports for families.