Admiral's Log Sept. 8, 2020
Admiral Strong - Honor, Courage, and Steadfastness
Town of Farragut Provides Masks for All!
Yearbooks
If your child is attending school in-person, he/she will receive his/her yearbook this Tuesday, Sept. 8th while at school. This includes yearbooks from FPS for third graders. If your child is enrolled in virtual learning, your child will receive his/her yearbook when they come to school for their benchmark testing (Sept. 8-30, the virtual teacher will be sending you the schedule for benchmark testing.)
Yearbooks for our former fifth graders will be distributed this week on Wednesday, 9/9 and Thursday, 9/10 at 3:15 in the middle school cafeteria.
Tech Tips!
This year we are starting a new feature in our Admiral's Log - Tech Tip. This feature couldn't come at a better time, now that FIS is a 1:1 school. Students will use their Chromebooks every day in class, whether it be virtual or in-person. Please be sure that Chromebooks are fully charged and ready for school each day.
Our tip of the week is for Canvas, our main teaching platform, and is the repository for teaching materials.
TIP 1: Use the calendar! The Canvas Calendar shows all your assignments and events for all your Canvas courses in one place.
Bonus TIP for Assignments - Keep track of assignments and due date from the Sidebar To Do list, calendar and if available the syllabus, assignments or modules pages.
Additionally, we want to share with you an oldie but a goodie. FIS has purchased for this school iXL. FIS piloted iXL last year and it was a favorite for both students and teachers. Students get both math and English Language support with this program and have fun while learning. iXL is an adaptive program that meets students where they are, and provides practice to bolster missing skills and build new skills. Teachers also can assign new learning to their class. Please ask your child to show you this amazing tool!
We know this school year has brought many new challenges, with technology being one of them. Thank you for your continued patience and support as we all learn how to navigate these new tools. With that said, we have put together a Parent FAQ page http://bit.ly/Parentvirtualsupport. This is a troubleshooting guide to help parents with Canvas, Microsoft Teams, and other issues. We will update this page with new information as it becomes available.
Visit our school website for helpful Tips and Tricks!
Thank you to Vulcan!
Cub Scouts Recruitment
Please see the links below to the Cub Scout “Hype” Video below. This video is what we typically talk about to the students when we visit the schools. I have provided the video in YouTube, Vimeo, and Google Drive formats.
The flyer is also attached.
Video links:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SdzkGAVMOUuRG0L88oZfyAMX97X-y7xT/view?usp=sharing
Sincerely,
James
James Gaddis | Senior Toqua District Executive
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
Great Smoky Mountain Council
1333 Old Weisgarber Road
Knoxville, Tennessee 37909
O 865.588.6514 | F 865.212.0076
D 865.566.0639 | M 865.455.4230
PTA Welcome Letter
Join the best PTA in Knox County!
Memberships are $10.00, and we have some great coupons this year that you will receive just for joining! Payments can be made via check/cash to FIS PTA or via our VENMO account @FISPTA (For Venmo payments, please list child and grade to make sure credit is given to the correct classroom!) If you want to pay via Venmo, please note on envelope/form and return filled out envelope/form to classroom teacher.
Parent Letter: http://fispta.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Parent-Letter-2020-2021.pdf?189db0
Free Breakfast and Lunch for All
KCS has opted to take advantage of this flexibility, and it will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 8, for all students. The program will end no later than Dec. 31, 2020, and could end sooner depending on federal funding.
Given the temporary nature of this program, we will continue accepting free and reduced-price meal applications. Click here for information on Free and Reduces Application. Students who previously used a PIN or scan card will continue to do so, and students in the virtual learning program must still register for meal pickup from their base school. Virtual students can register at www.knoxschools.org/mealsrequest.
KCS Needs Substitute Teachers
REMINDERS FROM LAST WEEK'S ADMIRAL'S LOG BELOW
Bus Riders
Media Release - All Students
If you have not yet signed and returned the media release form below, please do so as soon as possible. This is for ALL students. Thanks so much!
School Fees - All Students
Families can now pay for school fees ($25) using the online payment option. It is as easy as enrolling using the link below. You can pay for school-related fees, money for field trips, t-shirts, etc. - anything that we are collecting money for can be paid online, and it is very easy!
https://knoxschools.schoolcashonline.com/. If you can not pay online, you can send cash or a check for the amount to the classroom teacher. Thank you!
KCS/KCHD Guidelines Regarding a Positive COVID-19 Case
● If the district is made aware that a student or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19, district officials will immediately notify local health officials.
● The KCS Health Services Department will work with KCHD to initiate contact tracing protocols to determine how widespread the potential exposure is and notify families and staff members impacted.
● If the student or staff member is on a school campus, he or she will be isolated until they can be transported off-campus.
● If there is an incident on campus that might pose a threat of exposure to COVID-19, families and staff will be notified while maintaining confidentiality.
● A decision will be made in consultation with the KCHD regarding a school(s) closure to allow for additional measures to clean and sanitize the facility, based on the information provided by the reporting party.
● Depending on the nature of the exposure, a recommendation could be limited to specific classrooms or groups.
● If a school(s) is closed, families and staff will be notified through the KCS phone/email notification system.
● If a school(s) is closed, students and staff will immediately move to online instruction via Canvas and Microsoft Teams.
● Any student who must be quarantined due to COVID-19 at the direction of the Health Department, or a physician, will be given the opportunity to move to the virtual learning program and return to school upon meeting the required criteria.
● Any employee who must be quarantined due to COVID-19 at the direction of the Health Department, or a physician, may use 10 days of emergency sick leave pursuant to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).
Dates to Remember
Sept. 8-30 Benchmark Testing (Virtual classroom teachers will be sending the schedule to our students participating in virtual learning. Virtual students may also pick up their science textbooks/yearbooks on the day of testing.)
Sept. 15 In-Person Students' Fall Picture Day
Sept. 17 Constitution Day Students in school
Sept. 24 KCS Coupon Book Campaign begins, Interim Reports Go Home
Sept. 28 Virtual Students' Fall Pictures start at 5:00 p.m.
Oct.12-16 Fall Break🍁
Oct. 22 KCS Coupon Book Campaign ends
Oct. 23 End First 9-weeks Grading Period
Virtual Students' Absences/Appointments
FIS Student Handbook
A Message from Our Counselors
You should have received an email including a form re: Family Needs from Jelena Browning, our Farragut Schools Social Worker. This form is required for all families. If you have multiple students, you may have gotten multiple emails. You only need to fill out the form once as a family and include ALL students under student name(s). Make sure to include their last names on this form. If you did not receive the email, you can access the form through this link.
~Carol Slatas
School Counselor, FIS
FIS Office Hours
Office Phone: 865-966-6703