Hello Bannach Bulldogs -

Thank you for making the student supply drop-off so seamless. It was wonderful to see all of you and hear that the children are so excited to come back to school. It seems that most of you are pretty excited to see them come back too.

We will be creating a schedule for our families to come pick-up a Chromebook for those who have opted for online E-Learning this first quarter.

We are going to need your patience and cooperation for next week's drop-off and pick-up of the children. With roughly 2/3 of you driving them, I anticipate that it's going to be pretty congested in the front of the building and on the west side of the playground. Please be sure to exercise the utmost caution to keep everyone safe.

There is a lot of important information in this message, so please read all the way to the bottom. I will continue to use this format for my weekly communication with you. We look forward to sharing an amazing year with all of you! Truly ~ Mrs. Champion

Our newest Bulldogs will not be joining the rest of the 'pack' outside in the morning for the first two weeks, as they acclimate to being here at school. When dropping them off in the morning, we ask that you please remain in your vehicle and have them exit on the curbside. We will have staff outside to help get them into the building and to their classrooms, this will be the same for those riding the bus. For those families who are walking to school, you will find guidance further down this page. Please don't worry, we will guide them to where they need to go. We ask that you take all 'first day of school pictures' at home and thank you for your cooperation ahead of time.

We are going to be consistent with the morning drop-off as was stated in the welcome to our Kindergarteners. When dropping children off in the morning, we ask that you please remain in your vehicle and have them exit on the curbside. The children will be walking toward the K-2 playground space on the southwest side of the building.

We have the entire playground divided into cohort, grade band groups. K-2 closest to the building on the grass and pavement. 3-6 will be out in the field space on their playground. Students will not be using any playground equipment in the morning since we can't effectively use sanitizer prior to going out there.

We also have a 4K site here on Bannach school grounds - The Imagination Center. You are going to see parents park their cars and escort their 4-year old across the crosswalk to the trailer. Their programming starts at 8:30, so I imagine a lot of congestion in the front of the building. Please be extra attentive and careful when using the drop-off area.

Again, we ask that you take all 'first day of school pictures' at home and thank you for your cooperation ahead of time.

When the first bell rings at 8:35, students will enter the building as a grade band using the three designated entrances for each pod. For example, when the first bell rings, 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders will enter the building. Only one classroom per pod will be in the hallway at any given time, while the others are in their classrooms. When one classroom is done then the next will be allowed in their lockers.

The same homeroom will be using every sixth locker to be sure that students are socially distancing. The second bell will signal 20 minutes later and the grade bands that remain outside will enter the building. We can certainly lengthen/shorten this time frame as needed to ensure that students have time to transition into their day.

When students enter the building, they will be given the opportunity to grab a bagged breakfast after going to their lockers. We will not be having students in the building before the first bell.

Kindergarten-3rd grade will be having their lunches delivered to them in their classrooms. Both our kitchen and support staff will be plating their trays in the kitchen, delivering them on a cart, and distributing them to the children. 4th-6th graders will be walking through the kitchen to receive their lunch trays. All students will be eating in their classrooms. We do have an exception - on the days that peanut butter and jelly is being served, we have a classroom with someone highly allergic to peanuts, those students will be eating in the Pod area.

Students will be staying together as a cohort, grade band for both lunch and recess. Each of these will be in a 30 minute block. It is devised this way because of the sharing of the playground spaces and equipment. For example, while 2nd grade is eating their lunch, the 1st graders will be outside for their recess. Then they swap out at the end of their 30 minutes. We have designated entrances and exits to avoid the congestion and crossover in their hallways spaces.

Recess - All students will be sanitizing their hands prior to going outside. Upon returning, they will be washing their hands with soap and water. During recess, students are not required to wear a mask over their faces. If you as a family decide otherwise, please talk about that with your child ahead of time.

We are going to start dismissing students at 3:25 p.m. In the beginning of the year envelope, you will be provided two, brightly colored papers with your child's last name on it. Please place this on the passenger side of your windshield where we can easily see it. When you pull up to the front of the building, a staff member will radio in that you have arrived. The office will use the P.A. system to announce names and your child will exit the building. This is going to take a little bit to get used to, so please be patient with one another and move forward in the line as the opportunity presents. We ask that everyone remains in their vehicles. If you have the need to speak with someone supervising outside (they will have a bright yellow vest on), please put your hazard blinkers on and someone will approach your car. For safety reasons, all students must enter and exit your vehicle on the curbside only.

I anticipate that the front parking lot is going to be congested with vehicles. You will again see parents parking and walking across the cross-walk to retrieve their 4 year-old from the Imagination Center. I implore you to please be attentive and patient at the end of the day for pick up.

If you are someone who uses the west side of the playground for pick-up, you need to clearly communicate that to your child. We do not have a way for a staff member to safely walk that space to announce your arrival and it is not a 'designated space' for this. We will have someone stationed out there to simply supervise and offer assistance.

No students will be allowed to ride home on a bus who are not already scheduled to do so.

If you are going to walk with your child to/from school, please walk them to the edge of the playground space, between the trailer and the flag pole. At the end of the day, please stand in the patio paved area next to the trailer and we will bring your child to you. We will have a bright yellow school crossing sign designating these spots.

Parents will be allowed in the building to drop-off/pick-up and sign-in/out their child(ren) to Great Escape.

• Drop-off - 6:30 - 8:15 a.m.
• Pick-up - 3:25 - 6:00 p.m.

In the beginning of the year envelope, you are going to find your First Family Skyward information print out. Please check this over and mark any changes that are necessary. Send this paper back to school and we will enter these changes for you. At this time, it is of utmost importance that your contact and back-up contact information is correct so that we can connect with you when your child is sick.

If you are listed as a Second Family, please contact the office to verify that your information is correct.

If your child is ill, we are going to call you. Please be timely about coming to get your child since the best place for them is at home. When you arrive at school, please stay in your car - you will need to call the office (715-345-5668) and someone from the office will walk your child out to you. I would like to suggest that you simply plug our phone number into your phone, if you haven't already done so. This will make things so much easier as we move forward with this school year.

We are so fortunate that Bannach has a lot of usable outdoor space! We worked with the coordinator from Boston School Forest to create some alternate classrooms. Staff are planning to incorporate the use of these instructional spaces into their daily plans. Students would continue to practice social distancing of six feet while given the option to remove their masks. Again, please communicate with your child if you do not wish to have them remove their masks.

You need to review and sign a technology agreement annually (click on Technology Updates for more information). Please be sure to do this in order for your child to bring home their Chromebook the first week of school. If you weren't able to return your Chromebook from this past spring, your child will not be getting another. We still need to have the original returned so that we can push out the updates and get it back into circulation. Please return these Chromebooks at your earliest convenience.

We will be contacting our families who have chosen to do E-Learning this first quarter in order for you to pick-up a Chromebook for each child next week Wednesday.

• September 8 - First day for kindergarten

• September 9 - No E-Learning or school for anyone

• September 10 - K-2 in school, No school for 3-6

• September 11 - K-6 in school

• September 14 - Begin the first regular week

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday in school K-6

• Wednesday E-Learning day for all K-6