Benninghoven Family Newsletter
November 6, 2020
Vision: A place where everyone pursues their greatness.
Mission: A community coming together for our kids.
Dates to Remember:
November
9- 2nd Quarter Begins
11- Fall Picture Day, Butter Braids Pick up 3:25- 5:45, Report Cards post in Skyward
12- Fall Parent Teacher Conference Night
13- No School- Parent Teacher Conferences
23-27 No School Thanksgiving Break
December
22- No School PreK Only
23- Early Dismissal
24- Jan 1 No School Winter Break
January
4- No School
Quick Links
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From the Principal
We have a busy week coming up. Monday is the beginning of 2nd quarter- believe it or not! On Wednesday we have picture day for all in-person learners and Butter Braids pick up after school. Please note that Butter Braids pick up will occur in the back loop this year and will be a drive through pick up. We will start Butter Braids pick up as soon as our dismissal is finished at approximately 3:25. Please stay in your vehicle when coming for pick up. Also, report cards will be viewable in Skyward on Wednesday.
This week we also have parent teacher conferences on Thursday evening and throughout the day on Friday. If you would like to schedule a conference, please make sure you have reached out to your child's teacher. You should have received scheduling information from individual teachers.
Looking forward to a fun week together,
Dr. Gonser
Specials This Month
On Site Procedures
Mask Help
Arrival and Dismissal Updates
- At arrival, please do not release students from vehicles before 7:50. We do not have supervision available and we cannot have a group starting to gather; this is not a safe social distancing practice.
- All walkers enter and exit at the intersection of 68th and Caenen. If you are walking to drop off or pick up a student, please use this crosswalk. Please wait for students walking home by the stop sign. We are asking everyone not to come to the front door and wait for social distancing reasons.
- If you pick up in the front circle drive, please use all 3 lanes and pull as far forward as you can in all 3 lanes. The person at the cones will help you merge. We will merge all 3 lanes over to the sidewalk.
Important Health Info for Reference
Fall Picture Day
- Only one class at a time will have their pictures taken to prevent cross grouping.
- Students will wait in a socially distanced waiting area until it is their turn.
- Students will wear masks until they are seated for their picture. The photographer will tell them when it is safe to remove their mask, snap a quick picture, and ask the student to put their mask back on.
- The photographer will always stay at least 6ft apart from all students.
- Photos will take place in the gym with the doors open. This provides a much bigger, open air space.
Remote Knights, you will have a picture day too! All remote students will have picture day on January 14th. A Sign Up Genius will be sent out closer to that time. Families will have the opportunity to sign up for a picture time that is convenient for them. We will take remote pictures in a similar fashion, and in a location that is easy to drive up to. More details to come.
Message from the Superintendent
Dear Families,
Yesterday, the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) updated their COVID-19 Dashboard. This update has moved the county into the red gating zone. However, the county has revised its recommendation for schools, and is currently recommending that schools continue with their current learning modes.
In a statement, JCDHE stated:
“While JCDHE is not currently recommending that schools change how they are currently operating, schools need to continue to be vigilant. Data shows that the mitigation efforts the school districts have implemented have worked thus far. JCDHE will continue to work with school districts to monitor the situation.”
JCDHE’s recommendation is based on a growing understanding of COVID-19 transmission and, especially, the experiences of schools with in-person learning. Schools have put in place a number of strategies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including mask wearing, social distancing, contact tracing, sanitizing procedures, and cohorting groups of students. According to JCDHE, these strategies are working to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
In an interview yesterday, county health director Sanmi Areola, Ph.D, said that “The spread is coming from the community. That is where the responsibility lies. Our students and schools have done a tremendous job. The increase we are seeing is not driven by schools. We need adults in our community to not let up and help stop the spread of the virus.”
The district will continue to work closely with JCDHE regarding guidance on procedures necessary to keep schools open, and encourage our community to do the same. In order to keep schools open, it is critical that community members wear masks, social distance, avoid social gatherings, and support contact-tracing efforts.
The Board of Education will have a special meeting on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 for the purpose of having a dialogue with JCDHE staff regarding the application of gating criteria. The Board will also discuss the use of building-level gating criteria to help inform in-person learning.
Thank you for all you do as we navigate through this challenging time together.
Sincerely,
Mike Fulton
Superintendent
From PTA
PTA News & Notes
Please join us on October 15th at 7pm for our first virtual PTA meeting for this school year! We will going over this year’s budget and meeting the board members. Dr. Gonser will also give a presentation on Canvas as well as doing a Q&A session. Please feel free to submit questions ahead of time to heatherhussey77@gmail.com. A WebEx link will be provided prior to the meeting.
Please visit our PTA website today, www.benninghovenpta.org, to stay up to date on all of the latest PTA info! You will also find links and information on the following;
Joining PTA – It’s never been easier! Memberships are just $9 and you can join online through Memberhub.
Staff Appreciation – Help us show our faculty and staff how much we appreciate them! This year in lieu of food items we are collecting monetary donations for staff appreciation activities.
Volunteer Opportunities – We are always looking for volunteers and couldn’t do what we do without your support! Check out our Committee sign ups and let us know where you can help.
Spirit Wear
2020 Spiritwear is here with hundreds of apparel choices and over a dozen NEW Benninghoven Knights designs to choose from! Order direct any time throughout the year and orders will be processed as they're received and shipped straight to your home. There will be a different promotion offered each month. Shipping is always free on orders of $50+! Info is posted on the PTA website, or click the link here to go straight to our online spiritwear shop.