Happy New Year to all of our families at the Ross. We are hoping for a better 2021 and a return to some normalcy in the coming months. I want to share some important information with you as we prepare for the second semester.

On December 17, 2020 Dr. Connelly, Superintendent, announced that we would delay our return to Plan B for two weeks to allow for a period of self-quarantine. All schools will remain on Plan C, Virtual Instruction, January 6-15, 2021. We are on intercession January 4-8, 2021 and our students will return to Plan C on January 11th. All high school students will begin second semester classes on January 11th.

The week of January 18-22, 2021 will be used for Semester 1 High School EOC or CTE Post Assessments. All other students will remain on Plan C, Virtual Only Instruction.

We will begin the transition to Plan B, Blended Learning, on January 25th. All 6th grade and 9th grade students will begin their Cohort rotations with Cohort A attending on Monday-Tuesday, and Cohort B on Thursday-Friday. All other students will remain on virtual learning only. If you chose to remain virtual for the second semester, you will continue to be virtual for the remainder of the year.

Please keep in mind that all decisions to bring students back to campus will be based on the metrics for Cumberland County at that time. We will keep you informed as we receive updates from the board and/or superintendent.

Felix M. Keyes

Principal

Teachers will have until January 13th to grade all work and finalize grades in PowerSchool. Middle School Quarter 2 and 1st Semester grades will be available in the Parent Portal on January 15th. All High school Quarter 4, Semester 2, and Final grades will be available in the parent portal on January 15th. (Report cards will not be mailed at this time.)

The schedule for testing will be as follows:

Tuesday, January 19th- Biology EOC

Wednesday January 20th- English II EOC

Thursday January 21st- CTE Post Assessments

Friday January 22nd- Make-up Testing

• Transcend (Benchmark) Assessment Date Windows:

• Benchmark 1: November 9-24 Assess 1st Quarter Standards (Nov. 17th-Nov. 19th) Makeups, November 19th-24th)

• Benchmark 2: January 25-29 Assess 2nd Quarter Standards & may spiral back

• Benchmark 3: March 15-26 Assess 3rd Quarter Standards & may spiral back

If you did not receive that assignment or have questions, please email Carmen McFarlin, Assistant Principal, at carmenmcfarlin@ccs.k12.nc.us. She will respond to you within 24 hours.

1. All parents will need to complete the one-time Student Attestation Form that confirms your commitment to not send students to school with symptoms, you will pick up students promptly if they present with symptoms during the school day and that they will abide by the safety measures (wear a mask, wait 6 ft. apart, and wash hands frequently). More information will come once the county finalizes the online platform.

2. Parents/students will need to complete the pre-screening questionnaire daily before students enter the building. This will be done online through the county.

3. Students MAY NOT arrive on campus prior to 8:00 AM. All car riders must remain in their vehicles until they have been screened by staff.

4. Uniform Policy is suspended for the 2020-2021 school year. Students should be dressed in appropriate school wear daily. The CCS Dress Code will be in effect.

5. Students will need to bring their Chromebook and charger to school daily. There will be charging stations in every classroom to ensure students have access during the school day.

6. Students will not use lockers during the school day. They will need to bring a backpack to school to carry their materials (Chromebook, charger) Any backpack will be accepted.

7. Students will not dress out for PE. We will not utilize the locker rooms under Plan B. Students should wear comfortable clothes to participate in PE activities.

8. Students will eat breakfast and lunch in the classroom with their teacher. Proper social distancing will be in place to ensure student/staff safety during meal times.

9. All students must wear face masks at all times except during breakfast and lunch. Students may want to bring two masks to school. (ALL students will be given 5 cloth reusable masks on the first day of in-person learning).

10. All students must be picked up from school by 4:00 PM daily. No students will be permitted to remain on campus after 4:00 PM.

11. Visitors will not be permitted on campus during the school day. All meetings will continue to be held virtually with parents.

• No hats, toboggans, sweatbands, do-rags, bandannas, knit caps, wraps, hoodies, or any other head coverings. Shorty styled headbands unadorned and measuring less than 1 inch are acceptable.
• No belly shirts; no tube tops (tops must have a strap).
• No sleep attire to include blankets, bathrobes, slippers and pillows. No shorts or skirts that are above mid thigh area.
• No clothing that shows cleavage. Shirts cannot have an open back.
• No see-through tops or bottoms (clothing). This includes jeans or pants with excessive holes that are above mid thigh area.
• No inappropriate signs, emblems, or language on clothing.
• No wallet chains or chains on clothes.
• No sunglasses worn in the building.
• No scarves and/or any other items etc. will be allowed to hang from pockets.
• Pants will be worn around the waist. ​There will be no sagging pants​.

What is SuccessMaker?

SuccessMaker is a continuously adaptive reading and math intervention program for students in Reading (grades 4-8) and Mathematics (grades K-8) . After initial placement is complete, students move through adaptive lessons and learning paths designed to progressively move them towards mastery of essential reading and math concepts or acceleration of previously mastered skills. SuccessMaker provides real-time data that is easy to understand, actionable, and predictive of student success.

Please make sure your children are completing their required sessions weekly in SuccessMaker. This will help close gaps that may exist due to the school closures last spring.

Please click the link to view the Newsletter.

SUCCESS Maker 2020 Parent Newsletter

Please click the link to watch the brief video.

SUCCESS Maker VIDEO Introduction

In alignment with the district’s efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 following the winter break, daily ready-to-eat meal sites will not operate during the post-holiday quarantine period. To ensure children have access to nutritious meals, Cumberland County Schools’ Child Nutrition Services will offer five-day meal bundles during the first few weeks of January. Beginning on January 6, 2021, meal bundles will be distributed on Wednesday of each week. Bundles must be pre-ordered weekly using the online pre-order form. Please refer to the 5-day meal bundles page for more information.

Additionally, meal bus routes will operate on Wednesdays only during the post-holiday quarantine period.

For more information on five-day meal bundles and to access meal bus routes, visit bit.ly/ccsmeals.

As required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Title I Part A. Information is available at our school to include but is not limited to the following:

· the school improvement plan

· qualifications of your child’s teacher and/or teacher assistant

· professional development opportunities for teachers and assistants to ensure highly qualified personnel

· opportunities for parent involvement and input

· the district improvement plan

· the district parent involvement policy

· the district report card and the school report card

Please contact our school and we will be glad to provide you with this information upon request.