Greetings Cougar family,
Thank you,
Mr. Freeman: Principal
Dates to remember
September 20: Virtual PTO Meeting 7-8pm Video Call link: https://meet.google.com/hyr-encd-xfb or dial: (US) +1 617-675-4444 PIN: 411 738 014 5671#
September 20: MS Fall Sports Begin (info below)
October 12: Picture Day
October 21-22: No School, MEA
November 16: Picture Retakes
ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
Arrivals:
- Parents/guardians drop off students on Concordia Avenue, no earlier than 9:30am.
- Please follow the procedure of cars lining up.
- Please wait your turn and do not go in front of other cars already in line.
- When you get close to the front of the line, pull up as far as you can to Mackubin Avenue.
- Avoid stopping at the stairs.
- Students get out on the right side (curb).
- Parents/guardians stay in the car.
- There will be staff there to assist if needed.
- When your student is out of the car, please safely pull out of the line.
- Students will proceed to enter into the blue doors.
- Students who walk to school will also enter through the blue Capitol Hill doors.
Dismissal for Elementary students:
Parents/guardians will get out of their vehicles and line up on the sidewalk on Mackubin near the MLK recreation center parking lot.
Parents/guardians will get in the appropriate line (1st-3rd, or 4th-5th) and let a staff member with a radio know the name and grade of the student(s) being picked up.
Staff will then radio inside notify staff of the specific student(s) being picked up.
Students are to remain inside the school until their name is called by staff.
Middle School students should not pick up their sibling as they leave the building. Parent/Guardian pickup is required.
Once a student's name has been called, they will walk outside to meet their parent/guardian.
Parents/guardians will remain outside until their student(s) exit the building.
At 4:30, any student still waiting to be picked up will be escorted to the main Office and the parent/guardian will be notified.
Dismissal for Middle School students:
Students will exit the building through the Green doors and go to their assigned bus, walk home, or meet their parent/guardian.
Middle School students should not pick up their sibling as they leave the building. Parent/Guardian pickup is required.
New Building Visitor Policy in Effect
Parents should not enter Capitol Hill during morning drop-off. Your child will be greeted as they enter the Blue doors and make their way through the lobby to breakfast and class. There's staff inside should they need help.
With an appointment, parents may enter the building to meet with specific staff.
Use this link to register for an appointment: t.ly/QEwM.
On the day of the appointment, enter Capitol Hill through the Blue doors
Sign-in in the Main Office
Wear a mask at all times
Stay with teacher(s)/staff in meeting space only and practice social distancing
When done, sign out in the main office and exit the building through the Blue doors
** If you are sick or having symptoms, please cancel your appointment and reschedule. Do not come to the school. **
** Please note at this time we are not having any volunteers at Capitol Hill. **
Middle School Schedule Change Requests
Schedule change requests will be accepted until Friday, September 17. Please complete the Change of Class Form found in this newsletter, in the office, or directly from your Counselor. Turn it in to your counselor before the end of the day on Friday 9/17. A parent signature is required on all requests.
7th and 8th grade, please turn your form in to Mr. Fomafung in room 2311 or via email.
6th grade, please turn your form in to Ms. Derby in room 2501 or via email.
Keep in mind that all changes will be based on class sizes and availability. We can’t guarantee elective requests will be able to be met. We will not be able to accept schedule changes after September 17th.
-Mr. Fomafung, Grade 7/8 Counselor
-Ms. Derby, Grade 5/6 Counselor
FALL SPORTS BEGIN: SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2021
Grade 6-8 Fall Offerings:
Boys Soccer - Girls Soccer - Co-Ed Flag Football - Girls Volleyball
Early Sign-Up September 13th – 17th Outside Big Gym, clipboards for signups are on a table for you (parent/s need not be present)
On September 20, meet in the Big Gym (1401). Bring all items you plan to take home, as you will not be allowed to go back to your hall locker after practice.
Note: New Practice TIME this year: Monday - Friday, 4:15 – 6:15 pm.
Questions? Please contact: dylan.wakefield-dagen@spps.org
Jazz Band Auditions September 13-24
Mr. Morrissey will hold tryouts in the band room for those who have already signed up for a spot. Tryouts consist of playing scales and sight reading a short piece of music.
For 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who might not have signed up yet, there's still time to ask for an audition if you play saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, bass or drums.
Contact Mr. Morrissey with any questions: joe.morrissey@spps.org
School MEALS PROCEDURE
Breakfast and lunch will be free for all students for the 2021-22 school year.
Breakfast to Go will continue, with pre-packaged meals to be eaten in the classroom.
Elementary and Middle School lunch will be served in the cafeteria, Atrium and classrooms. Classes in the cafeteria will be 6ft from other classes.
Assigned seating is required.
Students and staff are required to wear masks when they are not eating or drinking.
Lunch will be served in traditional lunch trays and reusable containers with lids when traveling.
Table decals will mark designated seating locations in cafeterias.
Staff will monitor safety protocols throughout the lunch period, including lining up and dismissal.
SPPS Mask Requirement
The Board of Education has voted to require face masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors (ages 2 and older) in all SPPS buildings, regardless of a person’s vaccine status.
SPPS is taking the spread of COVID-19 seriously and is acting in the best interest of the health and safety of our community leading up to the new school year. Read the resolution. The district will take corrective action for violations of this resolution.
The mask mandate is about the physical safety of students and staff and will help us keep in-person learning possible. If there are concerns, educators will begin with explaining to students why masks are required, using developmentally appropriate verbal explanations and visual tools such as pictures and videos.
Find more information on COVID-19 guidelines for the 2021-22 school year, including quarantine protocols, field trips, athletics and more, at spps.org/safelearningplan. The SPPS COVID-19 Employee Workplace Manual has been updated and will continue to be revised as needed to reflect the latest public health recommendations from MDH and CDC.
If you have not already done so, please get vaccinated and encourage all who are eligible to do the same. You can find vaccine resources at spps.org/covidvaccine
Follow this link for area COVID testing resources: https://mn.gov/covid19/get-tested/testing-locations/index.jsp
These are challenging times for our families, staff and district. Thank you for your attention to these important guidelines that are in place to ensure you and our students can teach and learn in our schools while reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Curbside Meals for Students in COVID Quarantine or Isolation
Families can register for weekly curbside meal box pickup if a student must miss in-person instruction due to COVID quarantine or isolation.
Families register through the NS website
Meal boxes will include five breakfasts and five lunches
Meal boxes will be issued via contact-free pickup
Pickup will take place each Friday at the District EOS building at 1930 Como Avenue
Hours of operation will be 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Students do not have to be present for guardian pickup
Have you completed the iUpdate yet?
Go to https://www.spps.org/onestop complete the iUpdate for your SPPS student(s) if you've not done so already.
Capitol Hill OFFICE NOTES
Office Hours: 8:30 - 4:30
Morning Drop-off Time
We want to ensure each child is safe when arriving for school. Staff supervision begins at 9:30am. Please do not drop off your child any earlier than 9:30
Attendance/late arrivals:
Please make sure to always report your child's absences. You can do this in two ways:
- Dial the attendance line directly at 651-325-2599 -OR-
- Email us at capitolhill.attendance@spps.org.
Please include your child's name, grade, the reason for their absence, your relationship to the child, and a return phone number that you can be reached at if we should have questions.
Health Related Absences: If your child is ill, please expect a follow up call from our nurse or nurse designee during these unique times. Please see current health considerations here.
Calling Your Child
When calling the school to speak to your child, the office staff will deliver your message to have your child call you back. Teachers are teaching during the day and we are trying our best to lessen the interruptions during instructional time. Thanks for understanding.
Dismissal
Please call the Capitol Hill office at 651-325-2500 if you are picking up your child early or letting your child go home any other way than their normal route. Please make sure to call the office no later than 3:15 pm if you have to make changes. If you call later than 3:15, we cannot guarantee that your child will get the message.
