Titan Tidbits-Staff Edition
Updates for the Week of July 6
General Announcements:
And just like that we are already into July?!? WoW! I can tell you that while the uncertainty of the school year has everyone asking questions, we are working hard to ensure that if we go back in August, that we are putting as many safe-guards into place as we can to ensure the safety of our staff and students. Dr. Epps has reminded us that as employees, we represent the Fort Mill School District. We encourage you to review the district social media policies. Any social media page is considered a professional page if you are friends with staff/families of the Fort Mill School District.
While our opinions may differ, we have to be positive cheerleaders for our school, no matter what the fall looks like. Our attitudes and how we present will affect our parents' and students' comfort levels with the chosen model. If you want to call or schedule a time to meet, we will be happy to allow you to vent frustrations, ask questions, etc. Lisa, Tripp, and I are here for you.
Please let us know if you have questions, concerns, and/or comments:
Brigitte: 803-984-5917
Lisa: 803-984-7385
Tripp: 803-367-1834
Letter from Superintendent Dr. Epps:
Dear Fort Mill School District Teachers and Staff,
The circumstances our district has faced over the past six months have been like nothing we have dealt with during my career in education. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced all of us to adjust our daily schedules, rethink how schools operate, and redefine our work environments. In fact, there are no aspects of our lives that have not been impacted by this pandemic. You have answered the bell since March and addressed each challenge as you always have, in an exemplary manner.
I want each of you to know that the staff at the district and school administrative level have been hard at work all summer to prepare for a safe return for school. With parameters to return changing literally on a daily basis, it has been difficult to keep all groups, including parents, teachers, and the general public, abreast of the latest recommendations and requirements issued by state and federal agencies in a timely manner. As your superintendent, I have been challenged on what information to push forward and when to share it due to the fluidity of the situation. I know some of you have felt left out of the decision making process and for that I apologize. I want to assure you, however, that your voices have been heard. Due to time constraints, we have attempted to receive input and data through the surveying of teachers and staff that was conducted several weeks ago. Your concerns and questions regarding safety issues surrounding a return to in-person teaching are being vetted and considered as we finalize our plan. Teachers and staff are the backbone of our organization and our success is directly attributed to your work. The School Board, school and district administration, and I value you and are proud to provide teachers with favorable working conditions and one of the leading teacher salary schedules in the state. We have made it a budget priority to provide adequate staff to maintain low teacher/student class ratios throughout the district over the last twenty years. I believe the favorable teacher/student ratios have a direct correlation to our academic success.
I want you, and the community, to know that we have not purposefully delayed a decision for our plans for the 2020-21 school year. We are trying to ensure that we have enough data and information to open schools during this unprecedented pandemic. In the next few days, we will share specifics for what next year may look like. The plan will include a virtual and an in-person option for all levels of pK-12. When we know how many students choose the virtual option, we will then gauge interest from teachers to teach in this model. We will apply our policy that we use when we reassign staff due to the opening of new schools. Teacher interest will be a primary part of the assignment to the virtual school. As for the in-person return to classes, we will be providing best practices regarding safety protocols and equipment for teachers which will be detailed in the plan. Finally, this plan could change due to forces out of our control (DHEC and state directives concerning the virus) as we approach the start of school for staff on August 3rd and for students on August 10th. Additionally, many of you have questions regarding the leave policy due to conditions related to the virus. Human Resources and our legal counsel is currently researching these issues.
In summary, please know that I value each and every one of you and realize your worth to the school district. Similarly, please know that I am committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing for you and our students as we go forward. This will be a challenging year and I pledge to support you in your work. As always, I intend to make decisions that will be in the best interest of all involved with the Fort Mill Schools Family.
Together in Education,
Chuck
New Titans!
Megan Eschler
Marissa Jones
Melissa Daniel
Wear Your Masks
TCES July Hours-Reminders and Updates
When can I start working in my classroom?! Monday - Thursday beginning July 6th ***REMINDER: do not set up classroom furniture, hanging items on the walls is fine.
Directions:
- Email Admin and Michelle Brown as our days in the building will vary due to vacation and meetings. It is good if you can tell us the day and time you'd like to come so we can be expecting you.
- Park in the front of the building.
- Come to the Main Entrance (where four doors are)-ring doorbell on the right hand side
- Someone will come let you in (Michelle Brown/Admin)
- YOU MUST sign in and out. If an outbreak occurs, us knowing when you were at school is vital for tracing and cleaning purposes.
- Complete Employee COVID-19 Questionnaire (paper but will be switching to virtual). (This will continue into the school year... you will get an email each morning...more to come on this as I know more.)
Fridays, the school will be closed to teachers. This will allow for cleaning days.
Weekends: We will coordinate and let you know when we set these up.
Thank you for helping us with this as we navigate this new normal.
Safe Schools Training (email may go to your Clutter)
If you have not received these yet, please email Lisa Lucas and she will contact Michele Tremblay at the District Office for you. New staff, you will not have access until you set up your email during your Tech Training.
Here are my directions I've given in the past:
LOGIN INSTRUCTIONS
1. The SafeSchools link is located on the district’s main website, www.fortmillschools.org, under “For Staff”. Employees may also use their web browser. Go to the web page: http://fortmill.sc.safeschools.com/ (no www. is necessary).
2. To access your assigned training, enter your network login username, which follows the following format: Last name, first initial. Example: John Doe, username: doej
3. Next you will need to confirm your name and click “Log me in!”. No password is necessary.
4. The screen will then display all mandatory assignments assigned to you for this school year. Select any course by simply clicking on the name of the course. The courses have audio so turn up your speakers if you wish to hear the narration. Complete all the training scenarios and the quiz to receive complete credit for the course. You will have the option to print a Certification of Completion once you have completed the course. Employees do not need to submit a copy of the certificate to their administrators. SafeSchools tracks course completion for the entire district.
5. The entire library of offered courses can be accessed by clicking on the link, “Extra Training” at the top of the page.
Please contact Lisa directly with login problems or concerns.
Furniture in Your Old/New Room and Summer Cleaning Schedule
Current Summer Cleaning Schedule for TCES:
July 24th-July 26th-Floor Crews
July 21st-July 23rd-Deep Cleaning Crew
*I realize this is late in the summer but we are scheduled for later because of all of the staff moves both internally and externally
*I am not sure how they are going to tackle this so I will update you on specifics as to when you can/cannot come in during this time. I am hoping this will not impact the entire school each of these days.
Kings Town Elementary Moves
Kings Town Elementary is still targeting an occupancy date of July 31st. Boxes will be moved in beginning July 30th. We anticipate staff being able to access the building on July 31st. The current plan is for the building will remain open for the entire weekend for staff.
Discovery Education Conference
Happy Birthday Titans!
- July 8, McKenna Mann, Third Grade
- July 10, Dolly O'Hara, Kindergarten Assistant
- July 16, Samantha Kirkley, Fifth Grade
- July 17, Brennan Roberts, Kindergarten
- July 21, Lynn Abercrombie, former Third Grade Teacher
- July 24, Julia Newton, former Fourth Grade Teacher
- July 28, Claire Honeycutt, First Grade
- July 29, Ashley Pfountz, Second Grade
Tega Cay Elementary School
Email: wagnerb@fortmillschools.org
Website: http://tces.fortmillschools.org/cms/One.aspx
Location: 2185 Gold Hill Road, Fort Mill, SC, USA
Phone: 803-548-8282
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tegacayelementary/
Twitter: @tegacaytitans