The Parrot Post

• Mon, Feb 13: Cereal Collection & PJ Day!
• Mon, Feb 13: Kids' Heart Challenge Kick-off
• Tue, Feb 14: Valentine's Day & Wear Red for Heart Health Day!
• Wed, Feb 15: Third Grade & CHS Black History Read-Alouds
• Thurs, Feb 16: Ecology Club Field Trip and District Band Day
• Fri, Feb 17 & Mon, Feb 20: No School - Presidents' Day

IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS

• Thurs, Feb 23: 4th Gr Trip to the Museum of the American Revolution
• Monnoleto/King, Davis/Flail, Roberts, Barker/Fontaine, Catlett, and Zarzycki's classes
  
• Fri, Feb 24: 4th Gr Trip to the Museum of the American Revolution
• Crain, Howley, and Ostrowski/Cleary's classes
  
• Week of Feb 27 - March 3: Read Across America Week (more info to come!)

Please read all about the upcoming Invention Convention in the file attached below!

*IMPORTANT*

5th Grade students will each receive a FREE yearbook, courtesy of the Cinnaminson Elementary Home and School Association!

Yearbooks may be ordered online or by paper form, which can be found in the ERS Main Office.

Use this link to view the flyer and for directions to order.

CEHASA is holding a “Cards for a Cause” greeting card fundraiser to support programs and events at New Albany and Eleanor Rush Schools.

These boxes of beautiful greeting cards are great for so many occasions and are so reasonable in price!!

Click the link below to view the different card packages. Then scroll down and select "New Albany & Eleanor Rush Schools: https://funofreading.com/fundraiser/

Once your order comes in, we will arrange for centralized pick-up.

Orders close 2/19/23 so don't delay! Please contact CEHASA@cinnaminson.com with any questions about this fundraiser. Thank you for your support!

Daily school lunches will cost $2.60 this year. For the 2022-23 school year, we strongly encourage all parents to prepay for your student’s meal account and to create an account at no cost through www.MyPaymentsPlus.com. If you believe your family may qualify for free/reduced lunch or has in the past, please complete the 2022-2023 Application for Free and Reduced School Meals by October 15, 2022. This application can be found on our district website> “Families” tab>”Food Services”.

As cases of COVID continue to rise in the area, please review the current protocol for our school district:

• If a student exhibits symptoms (cough, fever, headaches, sore throat, congestion, etc.), please monitor and keep them home (required if fever or persistent coughing is present). If possible, test them for COVID.
• If a student tests positive, they must stay home for 5 days after the day the symptoms first present themselves. For example, if symptoms present first on Saturday, Sunday is Day 1 through Thursday, Day 5, and the student may return to school on Friday.
• When a student returns from a positive case of COVID, they must wear a mask for the next five days. Following the example above, the student would wear a mask on the Friday they return, then the following Monday and Tuesday.
• If a student is not ill but is a household contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID, the student is strongly encouraged to wear a mask for 10 days during a possible incubation period.

Thank you for continuing to be cautious and assisting in keeping as many

students and staff healthy as possible!

• If you are in the car line, do not allow your child to exit the car until there is a staff member on duty in the parking lot. Staff report on duty at 8:25AM.
• If you do not want to wait in the car line, you may drop your child off at the corner of Wynwood & Buttonwood Drives, with the crossing guard on duty. Students will then walk down the sidewalk to the front entrance.
• Children should not be dropped off before 8:20AM.
• Due to limited parking for our staff, please do not park in the lot if you are waiting to drop off your child.
• Lastly, unless directed by a staff member, never pull around another car dropping off a child.

We thank you for following our procedures as they truly are to keep our students safe as they arrive to school each morning.

It has been brought to Rush administrators' attention that more and more students, particularly 5th graders, are participating in group text chains and chats. While there is nothing wrong with this occurring, issues have arisen with students adding other students into the chats without permission, using the forum to bully, and using very foul language and images in the chains. Additionally, members of these chains have taken to "spamming" each other, by texting or calling repeatedly.

While this is not necessarily a "school-based" issue, the effects of mean comments and bullying spills into the hallways and classrooms. Students experience anxiety about seeing their classmates who have no problem saying nasty things to and about them when not face-to-face. It can create a culture in which students feel it is okay to tease, harass, and use swear words with no consequence. However, that will not be the case when this type of behavior appears in school. It can lead to disciplinary actions and even allegations of HIB (harassment, intimidation, & bullying) which has specific legal guidelines that need to be followed by the school and district.

We are asking parents and guardians to help by monitoring and mentoring. As a parent of former tweens, I would have believed that my children would never take part in this type of online behavior, but peer pressure can be a strong catalyst. Please take time to check your child's messages on their phones and tablets and speak to them about what to do when they are part of a conversation that makes them uncomfortable. As young users of technology, it is all of our responsibilities to ensure that our children grow into responsible digital citizens.

The article attached below has some helpful advice for assisting you in mentoring your child about this particular hurdle in their young worlds.

Teens and Texting: Are Group Chats Trouble for Tweens?

Thank you for your continued support!

Kerry DiSimone, Principal

Technology can be a wonderful resource for learning and entertainment, but it also can serve as a distraction and vehicle for negative behavior. We ask that you remain partners with us to educate our children in responsible, safe uses for these valuable devices.

Please remind your students that all personal technology (cell phones, smart watches, etc.) must remain in their backpacks, or at home, during the school day. Students are not permitted to use their devices when in school.

We understand that there are times when you must get a message to your child. Please call the main office to relay the information. Texting or calling your child's phone or smartwatch is disruptive and distracting to the classroom environment.

Students who choose to disregard the expectations and use their personal technology during the day will have said devices removed from their possession until the end of the day. If the student repeatedly is found to use their personal device, it will be confiscated and held securely until a parent can pick it up at school.

Additionally, we ask that you remind your students to keep their phones away on the busses. There are times when a student is choosing to watch something inappropriate/offensive on the bus and is sharing the video with other students, some willingly and others unwillingly who may be sitting nearby. There are also situations in which students are recording other students without permission. These will be treated accordingly as conduct infractions.

Thank you for continuing to be a supportive partner in your child's education!

If you or a family member are looking for help with mental health or substance use, Care Solace can help you quickly find treatment options matched to your needs regardless of the circumstance. Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential service provided to students, staff, and their families by Cinnaminson Township School District.

Care Solace's team is available 24/7/365 and can support you in any language.

If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:

• Call 888-515-0595 (available 24/7/365)
• Search on your own OR click 'Book Appointment' for assistance by video chat, email or phone via https://caresolace.com/cinnaminson

Disclaimer: Information on individual treatment providers was gathered by Care Solace based on criteria such as geographic proximity, whether the provider accepts the authorized user's insurance and whether the provider is accepting new patients. The school district does not recommend, endorse, promote or refer to any of the individual treatment providers.