WFES Newsletter
August 27th, 2021
Wildfire Elementary School Firebirds
Email: wfesfirebirds@pvlearners.net
Website: https://www.pvschools.net/wfes
Location: 3997 East Lockwood Drive, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone: (602) 449-4300
Facebook: facebook.com/WFESFirebirds
Twitter: @WFESFirebirds
After School Pick-Up Reminders
In an effort to be respectful to our school neighbors and community, particularly during dismissal times, please be aware of and help us remedy the following issues:
Do not block the intersections surrounding the school. This impedes traffic flow.
While waiting in line to enter the school parking lot, do not block the entrances to the neighboring streets, particularly Parkside Lane and Patrick Lane. This impedes traffic and keeps residents, visitors, deliveries, etc. from being able to access properties.
Do not park in no-parking zones as this impedes traffic and causes congestion and safety concerns.
Please limit cell phone use while in line. Remember it is against Arizona law to use a handheld device while operating a moving vehicle - it is also a safety risk to you and others.
Remember to pull all the way forward in line to allow as many cars in the parking lot and off the street as possible - we will bring your student to you.
Also, thank you to the parents who have continued to follow our mitigation procedures during our pick-up times. As a reminder, we are asking parents to wait across the drive and not congregate and wait by the lobby or MPR doors. We will bring students out to you.
Thank you for your help and support!
Early Release Day - Tuesday Augusts 31st
Walkers/Bike Riders at 12:20 PM
Car Parent Pick-up at 12:30 PM
Early Release Day Bus Information From Transportation Department
Tuesday is the first early release day of the school year. WFES dismisses at 12:30 PM. For those of you who have children that ride a bus home, please anticipate a 45-60 minute delay for after-school pickup due to a significant shortage of bus drivers. The transportation department and WFES wanted to give you advance notice of this situation in case you feel the need to make other arrangements for your child to get home. Thank you in advance for your patience.
Thank you Wildfire Families!
Emergency Lockdown Drill - Monday August 30th
On Monday, August 30th at about 10 AM, WFES will be practicing an emergency lockdown situation. An emergency lockdown is when there is a threat to the safety and security of the students, staff, and visitors inside the Wildfire building.
During the drill, students will hear an announcement over the intercom to initiate emergency lockdown procedures. At that time:
- The classroom teacher will quickly scan the hallway outside their classroom for any persons who may be in the hallway that need shelter and bring them in the classroom
- The teacher will lock the door, cover the window in the door, and turn off the lights.
- Students will move away from the door and sit quietly while waiting for instructions from the teacher and/or emergency personnel
- Teachers will notify the office of attendance and identify any missing students
- Once all students/staff/visitors have been accounted for, an all-clear signal will be given and the schedule will return to normal.
We greatly appreciate your help in our efforts to prepare for an event that we all hope and pray never happens.
Health Updates and Information
COVID Guidelines for Parents from Nurse Royce
There has been some confusion about when to keep your child home from school, if and when to test for Covid, and when your child may return to school.
As a reminder, Covid symptoms may include one of or any combination of the following symptoms:
Fever
Body Aches
Headache
Cough
Shortness of Breath
Runny Nose
Nasal Congestion
Nausea/Vomiting
Diarrhea
Sore Throat
New Loss of Taste or Smell
Fatigue (not as a sole symptom)
Please continue to check your child every day prior to sending to school. If your child is experiencing any symptoms, he/she must stay home and isolate for 10 days unless your child has a known, documented chronic illness that may be causing symptoms. Fatigue on its own is not a reason to stay home and isolate.
If experiencing symptoms, your child may not return until all of the following criteria are met:
● Improving symptoms
● Fever free for 24 hours WITHOUT the use of fever reducing medication ● Communicate with me PRIOR to return to campus
● A minimum of 10 full days of home isolation (10 days must pass from the first day of symptoms/Day 0; counting begins the next day and then student returns on Day 11)
○ OR Proof of a negative Covid test
○ OR Proof of an alternative diagnosis (ex: strep throat, flu, mono)
If you use one of the BinaxNOW at-home self Covid tests, please be sure to write your child’s name and the date of the test on the test result card before emailing a picture of the card to me.
If your child was a close contact to a known positive Covid case:
Your child may return to school WITHOUT TESTING when ALL of the following criteria are met: ● A full 10 day home quarantine from the last known date of exposure (10 days must pass from the date of last exposure; student returns on Day 11)
● Not showing ANY Covid like symptoms
● Communicate with me PRIOR to return to campus
OR
Your child may return to school WITH NEGATIVE TEST when ALL the below criteria are met:
● A full 7 day home quarantine from the last known date of exposure (return on Day 8) ● Proof of a Negative Covid test collected after 5 full days have passed from date of last exposure to positive case
● Not showing ANY COVID like symptoms
● Communicate with School Nurse PRIOR to return to campus
If in doubt about any of this, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your cooperation in keeping other students and staff safe and healthy! Nurse Royce
(602) 449-4303
In addition to contacting me, please be sure to call all absences into the absence line at (602) 449-4301.
Masks
All persons, including, but not limited to, staff, students, vendors, visitors, and volunteers are required to wear cloth face masks when indoors at a school site. This does include parent/guardians of students that have elected to opt-out of wearing a mask.
Students are not required to wear a mask if their parents sign an opt out form. Staff are not required to wear a mask if they sign an opt out form. Opt out forms must be submitted to the principal's office. As a clarification to the letter sent to the community, “limited opt-out” is defined as meaning a medical, religious, or personal reason.
All persons, including, but not limited to, staff, vendors, visitors, and volunteers are recommended to wear cloth face masks in district buildings other than school sites.
All individuals operating or riding on a bus are required to wear cloth face masks. There is no opt-out option for buses.
Reported Positive Case of a Student
In the event of a COVID-19 expose at Wildfire Elementary School, all school families will be notified. Additionally, those parents/guardians of students who have been determined to be a close contact of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, will be notified and will have the next steps/process explained.
Quarantine Procedures
- The student has been fully vaccinated for 14 or more days
or - The student has had COVID-19 within the past 90 days
or - The contact was 3’ to 6’ and both students were correctly wearing well-fitted masks.
- If the student becomes symptomatic, they are to isolate themselves for 10 days at home and be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication, and have had symptoms improved before returning to school.
- COVID-19 testing is recommended.
- If the test result is positive, the student is to isolate themselves for 10 days at home and be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and have had symptoms improved before returning to school.
- If the test result is negative and was administered 5 full days after exposure and there have been no further symptoms, the student is to quarantine for 7 full days.
Maricopa County Department of Public Health Quarantine Guidance
School Support for Quarantined Students
When a student is quarantined at home:
Google Classroom is the District’s digital learning suite and should be used to communicate work expectations and resources with students and families, as appropriate.
Teachers will send home or make available through Google Classroom, an appropriate amount of work. This work should engage students in prioritized, essential content and skills based on students’ abilities and grade levels. Students who need a device to access work will be provided with a school-issued Chromebook.
Students will be completing their work independently. Teachers may arrange to check in with students outside of class time to support students’ learning.
Schools will coordinate with SEL support staff to connect with students who are quarantined as a check-in with students’ social/emotional well-being.
Students Texting Parents to Come Pick Them Up
We understand that people do get illnesses other than COVID-10 and/or a student needing to quarantine may be an inconvenience but not knowing who is sick or not feeling well undermines our ability to keep other students and staff members safe.
Please do not come to pick your student up due to illness unless you have been contacted by the school to do so. Thank you for your help in keeping our school healthy.
Mitigation Strategies at Wildfire
Wildfire Elementary School is committed to following outlined Paradise Valley Unified School District protocols in regards to the cleaning/maintenance of the campus as well as implementing procedures and expectations that maximize a safe learning environment for students. Please note that this plan may change as information, procedure, guidance, and/or laws from PVSchools, Arizona Department of Health, the CDC, and State officials are updated.
Please click on the button below to view the full detailed plan on how WFES will keep our students, staff, visitors, and community safe during the ongoing pandemic.
Highlights
- Masks are required for students and staff unless an opt-out form has been completed and turned.
- Masks are recommended and encouraged to be worn by all staff and students - Mr. Schoonover will be wearing a mask.
- Where possible, implement measures to facilitate social distancing:
- Arrange appropriate seating in classrooms, offices, cafeterias, etc.
- Turn desks/tables to face in the same direction (rather than facing each other) or have students sit on only one side of tables, spaced apart.
- Maintain appropriate spacing in hallways, cafeteria, on the playground, etc.
- Continue to maintain healthy air quality by cleaning all HVAC unit coils and changing air filters as scheduled.
- Maintain hand sanitizer stations in lobbies and campus main entries.
- Maintain additional handwashing sinks.
- Encourage staff and students to bring their own water to minimize use and touching of water fountains.
- Day Porters for cleaning in classrooms and high touch areas
- Assign cafeteria seating with distancing (three students per bench)
- Maintain grade-level cohorts upon arrival at school
PTO Information
Light Our Fire Fundraising Campaign
Watch for more details coming next week regarding pre-orders for food!
Don't forget to support Wildfire through Light Our Fire to meet our goal of providing outdoor seating options and more shade to the school. We are about halfway to our goal. Thank you for supporting our children and school!
Support Wildfire PTO at wildfirepto.org/donate
The provided link will not require login for any friends or family who would like to support our school through Light Our Fire. We appreciate any support big or small!
100% of donations go to the school and are tax-deductible.
Smile.Amazon.Com
AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support Wildfire Elementary every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at Smile.Amazon.Com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones.
How to turn on AmazonSmile in the mobile app:
- Join AmazonSmile. If you are not already an AmazonSmile member, sign up on your web browser. Simply select Wildfire Elementary PTO to start generating donations, at no cost to you.
- Get the app. Download or update to the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app on your phone. You can find it in the App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android.
- Turn on AmazonSmile. Open the app and find ’Settings’ in the main menu (☰). Tap on ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone.
On your first visit to smile.amazon.com, you will be prompted to select a charitable organization. Select Wildfire Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization. Every time you shop on Amazon simply start at smile.amazon.com and the school earns 0.5% of every purchase. It's that easy to make a difference! Ask your friends, family and co-workers to participate too! As always, Thank you for your support!
Coke Rewards
Box Top$ for Education
Click here to see how it works and how to contribute.
Fry's Community Rewards
Important Upcoming Dates
- August 31st: Early Release Day
- August 31st: After School Treats - Kona Ice
- September 2nd: Governing Board Meeting - 7:00 PM
- September 3rd: Wildfire Spirit Wear Day
- September 6th - 7th: Labor Day Recess (No School)
- September 9th: Yearbook Club Meeting
- September 14th: STUGO Meeting
- September 16th - 17th: K-12 Recess (No School)
- September 22nd: School Council Meeting - 3:30 PM
- September 23rd: Yearbook Club Meeting
- September 23rd: Governing Board Meeting - 7:00 PM
- September 24th: After School Treats
- September 28th: STUGO Meeting