PAST- DUE - Your child's learning option choice is past due, as we need to schedule students. We understand that the community infection rate could change which may impact your choice, but we need to begin to schedule students! We are asking you to select as of now, then we can deal with changes as they come. We have been calling all families that we are missing a choice for, so please do not delay!

New School Start Date - August 20th. Yes, our charter contract says that we will start the same first day as DCPS. Superintendent Greene & the DCPS school board have chosen to delay the start of school. We do not have an updated proposed calendar as we will need to see what Duval proposes.

Masks required: Masks are required for everyone at this time. Face shields would not be accepted as alternative. If desired, they would need to be worn in addition to the mask, not in place of the mask. Face shields are all made differently and may have openings that are not as safe. We would like our teachers to wear face shields for phonics lessons etc. where they would be very important but at this point a mask is still required.

Update on Social Distancing: We have increased our order with our CARES Act funding for additional clear personal dividers to provide students breaks from face masks when working independently with a shield at their desk.. We purchased ones that would be easily converted later to testing privacy carrels to make better use of our funds!

Playground/black top areas - We will need some parents willing to volunteer hours on some cool weekend mornings or some evenings as we have ordered specialized playground templates to put more games and exercise stations on our blacktop areas outside and in our car lanes. These will make great stations for socially distanced PE and recess! We will let you know when they are in and when we need help painting.

Water Bottles: The water fountains will be turned off as recommended by the CDC. We are having two fountains (one upstairs - one downstairs) converted to touchless water bottle filling stations. On campus students are recommended to bring water bottles to school.

Thank you as we cannot say enough how much we appreciate your patience, positive communication and engagement during this period of uncertainly. DCSS parents have shown they are a class act and a true school community!

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=6IYDYQKuBkmJnU5aq6b4cV8U2Si_65NMmdyaFxpBaXdUNjROMEE3TjVCT0FMR0hVUUhGN0YyQVBJNS4u

IF you have not filled it out, it is now past due. If you have filled it out - please jump to the next newsletter section.

The learning options form is more than selecting learning option, it also allows us to plan for devices and also for before/aftercare. Students are not scheduled with a teacher until the learning option is selected!

These descriptions are not meant to be all inclusive of policies/procedures, but are meant to be an overview to help the parent make an informed decision for quarter one. - We have moved the descriptions to the bottom of this newsletter for reference...scroll way down.

Applying for Free and Reduced Meals

Free and reduced meal applications are online! If you would like to submit your application please visit the My School Apps portal. If you don’t already have an account you must register before you will be able to complete the application online. You will need to enter your child’s first name, last name, date of birth, and student ID just as it appears in PowerSchool.

**New students we will have your powerschool numbers by Thursday 7/30**

Once you have linked your children to your account, you can proceed to submit your free and reduced lunch application by clicking the “Submit Application” link.

• How am I notified of the status of my application?
  • Your child’s school will either send you a printed Household Benefit letter as you have received in the past or e-mail this letter to you.
• How long does the approval process take?
  • Applications can typically be processed in one business day.
• Will I be notified of my eligibility right away?
  • You will be notified as soon as the application has been processed. If the school has an email address for you on file, the Household Benefit letter will be emailed as soon as the application is processed. If no email address is on file a Household Benefit letter will be sent home with your child.
• How do I make corrections if I accidentally entered wrong information?
  • The online application allows parents to go back and forth to correct any items. It also includes an account summary page before final submission to ensure that all family members, students, income and/or case numbers have been entered into the system correctly with the option to go back if corrections are needed.

Our families did an amazing job adjusting to using Edmodo for online learning in the fall. CSUSA schools were all using different platforms. After much feedback and looking at which software was easiest/best, CSUSA has determined that all schools will move to Schoology! We are excited to make a switch to this plaform as it is very similar to Edmodo, but has a better system for students to submit assignments, and it is fully integrated with Powerschool.

As part of Schoology, students will have Microsoft Office 365 accounts with the full suite of programs/software and cloud storage. These are powerful learning tools. The video platform from Teams will be integrated as well, rather than having to also use Zoom.

Schoology will become our new one stop shop for students and parents!

We will be posting parent tutorials to help you become familiar with Schoology starting this week to our social media channels and website.

The office lobby will open for drop off from 8:30am-2:30pm. Monday-Friday

Drop off registration documents, immunizations, school owned devices if not returning to DCSS, musical instruments, uniform donations, etc. We will not be able to make copies for you of documents at this time, so it is a drop off only.

If you need to pick up student items, you can call ahead and we will place your child's belongings in the lobby for the day. *Medications have been disposed of as of 6/12*

Again, families must sign up for tours, drop in visitors will not be allowed past the lobby.

Devices should only be dropped off if the student will no longer be attending Duval Charter School at Southside.

Lobby hours will be 8:30am-2:30pm Monday through Friday, please ring buzzer.

We are making videos for returning families to show them updates with social distancing.

If you are new to DCSS and have not toured our building or it was many months ago and it would help you have a better start to school being on our campus, we want to give you the opportunity to sign up for a socially distanced tour first!

Masks are required and you must sign up to make sure that we have small groups. Temperature/health checks will be conducted upon entry. Max is three people per family - you would sign up for one time slot and indicate how many you are bringing total.

Please use this link to sign up for a tour time. More times will be added as these fill up. We will offer one Saturday morning date and two evenings. Most of the tours will be during the day time. We have not selected the Saturday yet, but it will be added.

The World is Yours...

Explore. Excel. Embrace.

Explore: exploring and learning new things.

Excel: being the best that you can be and reaching higher!

Embrace: embracing the many cultures represented within the school and the world.

These are a fundraiser for our school and also give the students an alternative to their uniform polo on Fridays. This year's spirit shirt was designed to fit our 2020-21 school theme! The World is Yours!

To order - Pay online through MySchoolBucks - either for the shirt $12 or for the gold package that includes the shirt. Email your receipt to jmorales@southsidecharter.org and indicate in the email what size(s) you need. The student shirt order will go through 8/12 for the first order/production run of shirts. We will do another production/ordering for the end of Sept/early October and will also add parent sizes.

Dress Code – School Attire Policy

A higher standard of dress encourages greater respect for individuals, students and others, and results in a higher standard of behavior. Our dress code guidelines indicate appropriate school dress during normal school days for every student. Please read the parent handbook for the complete uniform policy.

Mobile Students - are highly encouraged but not required to wear their uniform to set the tone for learning, but we realize some families at home due to at-risk family members are not yet comfortable shopping and might not have uniforms or uniforms that fit. For Mobile sessions - fully mobile students may not wear bathing suits, tank tops or pajamas.

Sign up now for Used Uniform Appointments!! Limit 2 persons per family and masks are required. Social distancing will be in effect. Without an appointment through Sign up below - you will be turned away.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084FA8AE22AAFD0-used

Payment - please bring a check or different amounts of cash bills for exact payment: less handling of monies. Please think about what you plan on buying and bring cash accordingly.

Families set up for MySchoolBucks can use that payment here on an ipad for card payments - they would do it through Principal Donation Fund - and indicated used uniforms.

Shirts $5

Shorts $5

Pants $5

Fleece Jackets $10

School Uniform Provider - RC Uniforms

You must make an appointment to shop at the store.

From the Uniform Store's Website:

11160 Beach Boulevard, Suite 126
Jacksonville, Florida 32246

Our store is located just west of I-295 in the Winn Dixie shopping center behind Arby’s.

Tel: 1-904-646-0493

Regular Hours: Tuesday-Friday 10am-6pm & Saturday 10am-2pm

Summer Hours (July & August): Monday- Saturday 10am-6pm

The week of the 10th, we will post and send you "virtual" orientation videos about the first day of school, things you need to know, etc.!!

Teachers will contact their students the week of August 17th with their specific virtual/zoom orientations! Middle School will have grade level orientations online.

Kindergarten families will be able to sign up for socially distanced meet and greet the teachers on site - dates/times coming soon!

School Supply lists are located on our website under "Parents" www.southsidecharter.org - If you ordered the pre-boxed supplies we are expecting that truck the week of August 2nd. Fully

Mobile students will have a pick up date and time that will coordinate with any tech and book pick up. On site students will have their supply box located in their classroom,
or it can be picked up if you would rather label names etc. first.

We have not set pick up times yet as we need to make sure we have all supplies on site and also coordinate with book and tech pick ups so you can do it all in one pick up!

Our hot and cold meal programs will continue for 2020-21 with SLA as our provider. We will continue to serve a socially distanced breakfast for those interested in breakfast service. Our lunch line will continue with a hot and cold option that will be easily transported back to the classroom by students. Please fill out free/reduced lunch application if needed. The previous year's status is only in place for the first ten days of school.

See below for a flyer/overview of SLA food service and a virtual/video orientation provided by SLA.

Mobile & Flex students in the Free & Reduced Meal Program - we will be reaching out to all fully mobile and flex students to let them know that if they are interested we can facilitate a 2x a week pick up of breakfast/lunch for home. More info to come!

**Before/After Care Registration Fee is now available **

We are not taking cash payments in the office, all payments have moved online. 2020-21 items are for sale in MySchoolBucks

When registering for a MySchool Bucks Account - see below - you will need to select Renaissance Charter Schools (our governing board) not Duval County.

• 2020-21 pre-order yearbook $20 (price will increase in the spring!)
• 2019-20 Yearbook $25
• 2018-19 Yearbook $5
• Car Magnet $5
• Spirit Shirt $12 (student size) (Adult spirit shirts will be added for end of 1st Q)
• Jeans Pass one Quarter $15
• Jeans Pass Semester 1 $25
• Jeans Pass Year $45
• Athletic Fee $75 (only after team rosters are confirmed, not for tryouts)

• School Donation (Principal's discretion - email if you would like it applied to certain item or event)
  
• Helping Hand Donation (pay off other's lunch accounts, supplies for those in need)
• Before/Aftercare Registration Fee $25

NEW - one payment and be done!

• Gold Package (shirt, year jeans pass, pre-order yearbook, magnet) $75

We are now moving to ALL online payments going through one system! MySchoolBucks started as our meal payment site, but it will now be our site for Before/Aftercare Payments, Meal Accounts, Jeans Pass, Spirit Shirt, Field Trips, Purchasing Items, and donations!

If you do not have a MySchoolBucks account, set one up now!

https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/login/getmain?requestAction=home

You will need to select "Renaissance Charter Schools" not Duval County Public Schools

New students will need their Powerschool student number, and we will have those Thursday 7/30.

Dates/Times for virtual orientations/meet the teacher sessions! - These are still being set.

- dates/times for virtual orientations/meet the teacher sessions

- updated calendar based on new DCPS start date of 8/20

- tech pick up dates/times
- Supply order pick up dates/times

Our newest partner is Press N Sow - which is owned and operated by a Stingray Family. We are now using them for many of our marketing & apparel production needs. They are handling our spirit shirt order and we are excited to partner with not only a Stingray family, but to support local small businesses in Jacksonville.

If you need marketing products reach out to the Nixon's for top notch customer service! Here is their website: https://www.pressnsow.com/

& social media page: https://www.facebook.com/PressNSow/

Thank you for partnering with Southside!

For those parents who do not feel comfortable having their child return to the physical building at this time during the pandemic. Students would learn through our mobile classroom model from the comfort and safety of their own home.

Attendance & grading guidelines are being developed. Please know the expectation is that they are online at total of 3-4 hours per day between the hours of 8am and 4pm and completing assignments daily. Some classes would have set time periods the student would need to be online live this will come from their assigned teacher.

This model is different than in the spring, (which was more of an emergency shut down) where some students worked 1-2 hours in the evening or just "caught up" on weekends. This will be a daily commitment on the part of the student and family. Devices, if needed, will be provided. Lessons will be a combination of pre-recorded videos, live sessions directly with the teacher, and live from the physical classroom sessions. Students will have small group instruction and may be eligible for online tutoring if needed.

Families would be eligible to select the hybrid, or the five day a week at school option at the end of the quarter, or perhaps continue in fully mobile setting for the next quarter. All online code of conduct policies apply and the student is expected to be an active participant in class, not just a passive member of the class.

**Nicknamed "Virtual" to help build understanding but due to specific language in state statue, we will be calling this model "Fully Mobile" moving forward.

These students would have some socially distanced time on campus with their peers and classroom teacher and some days that they would learn from home as a virtual student. This model helps to reduce class size of the students physically present and lessen their exposure to other students each week, perhaps providing a lower risk of illness than a five day a week model. It may be a better fit for a family whose parents have some flexibility with working from home or can arrange some days to support their student, but it also gives more peer to peer collaboration and interaction than a full virtual model.

One cohort would be assigned M/Tues on site, one cohort would be assigned Thurs/Friday on site. All students in this class would be learning at home on Wednesday to allow for additional sanitation of the classroom between cohorts. The fully mobile at home days would be conducted as if they were full time mobile students (see description above.) The on site days would be similar to a five day a week students' experience (see description below.) Before and Aftercare would be available on the two days they are assigned to be on campus if a parent chooses to register and pay for before/aftercare.

We would start with allowing parents to choose which cohort and we certainly would put siblings on the same assigned days.

**Nicknamed "hybrid" because it is a mix, but due to specific language in state statue, we will be calling this model "Flexible"

These students would report to the physical building five days a week during the traditional time schedules we have used in the past. The school day will look and feel different in that we will be following CDC guidelines for social distancing, eating in the room, staggering outside play time and space, not sharing items, etc.

Students will be spaced when possible 4-6 feet apart in the classroom. When they are at a personal learning space 6ft or more from another student the teacher may direct them that they can take a break from their mask, otherwise they are required to be worn for the entire time they are on campus. Outside activities will be without masks but students must remain 6 feet apart. We will not be holding field trips, assemblies, or traveling to resource classes until the current conditions in our community improve.

These students would have more peer to peer interaction, collaboration and face to face time with the teacher. If a student has a fever, or exhibits other signs of illness they will become a mobile student from home until they meet all conditions to return to the physical classroom. Parents will need to understand that if self-quarantine conditions arise then the students will temporarily become fully mobile/virtual students until cleared to return and additional sanitation steps on site are taken. Before and aftercare will be available, but will follow the same guidelines as during the school day.

If a student, or household family member becomes ill or has been exposed to a covid-19 person, the student would become fully mobile to continue their learning (device provided if needed) until cleared to return.

At any time during the quarter, if a parent becomes concerned and wants to switch to the fully mobile option, that would be permitted, but they would remain as a fully mobile student until the end of the quarter before the parent could make a new option selection. With the change, any unused weeks of before/aftercare could be credited to future use, but refunds would not be issued.

Log your volunteer hours on a computer in your Powerschool account (option does not appear on the App)

IF you need to log more volunteer time and have been busy this fall, there are some off-site opportunities that can be done from home...

1 hr: Leave a positive review on Facebook, Yelp, or Great Schools - let shopping families know what you LOVE about Duval Charter at Southside. This helps our marketing team!

1 hr: Choose one of our enrollment/marketing social media posts and share it! That's it... help spread the word using the "share" button

https://www.smore.com/qtdv9

Website: https://www.southsidecharter.org/
Location: 8680 A C Skinner Parkway, Jacksonville, FL, USA
Phone: 904-4235348
Facebook: facebook.com/DuvalSouthside
Twitter: @DCSSouthside