Volume: 2021-2022 ● Number: 7 ● Lebanon, NH

October 22, 2021

Email: jdentremont@sau88.net
Website: https://lms.sau88.net/
Location: 3 Moulton Avenue, Lebanon, NH, USA
Phone: 603-448-3056
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LMSLebNH/
Twitter: @LMSLebNH

LMS Friends,

It has been a fantastic two weeks since the last Scoop! Last week, we had unbelievable warm summer weather where students were able to continue to enjoy the outdoors at both lunch and recess. This week has been a bit colder, but we are enjoying all the fall has to offer.

Please remember that the temperature is dropping and students need to come to school dressed for the weather. It can be much colder in the morning than recess nowadays. On that note, the Superintendent recently sent a message about school closings and two hour delays. That letter is linked here if you missed it.

Progress reports have been completed from our first marking period. You can access your child's grades and comments through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Information follows on what to do if you do not have a PowerSchool Parent portal account set up.

It is a teacher in-service day on October 25th so there is no school that day.

Looking ahead, Halloween will happen prior to the next Scoop. Please be safe and we have attached the Halloween notification from Chief Roberts in the community news section below.

Have a terrific weekend! You can look for the next Scoop to come out on November 5th.

Regards,

John P. D'Entremont, Principal

If you need help setting up a PowerSchool Parent Portal Account, please contact Ruth Keane at rkeane@sau88.net. She can help you with the creation of your account!

THANK YOU for completing the PowerSchool Registration process! We are at 100% and everyone has now completed the process.

Just a reminder that the police department has suggested that LMS families use Prospect Street and Prospect Street Extension to make our traffic go one way towards LMS and from LMS. Thank you for those that have been following this pattern. It has helped and we would like to continue to do it.

In August, NH Division of Public Health Services stated plexiglass barriers do not decrease the transmission of COVID because they do not block droplets in the air. In some cases, for example in a large plexiglass partitioned space with poor air flow, plexiglass can have the opposite effect by blocking the air flow. In Lebanon, we have been in communication with DPHS and are using plexiglass in certain areas of our schools as a visual reminder to staff and students to maintain physical distancing and as an educational tool. The areas where plexiglass is present does not present a health issue.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. D'Entremont.

Just wanted to let you know that picture retake day is November 8th.

Happy October! A chill in the air means your children should be dressing a little warmer for their time outdoors at recess and PE. I have a limited supply of clothing (t-shirts) for occasional use. If you need assistance with providing coats or cold weather clothing for your child, please let me or your child's counselor know as we may have resources available.

Our student flu clinic went very well on Thursday. A big shout out to the Upper Valley Regional Public Health Network/DHMC for organizing and making flu vaccines easily accessible to our students.

This Sat., October 23rd, is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. You are able to dispose of unwanted controlled substances, medications and sharps (needles /syringes) at the Lebanon Police Department between 11am-2pm. Help rid your homes of potential hazards by utilizing their services.

COVID

Please keep your child home if they have any of the covid symptoms. We are still requiring a negative covid test in order for your child to return to school if they exhibit symptoms.

At Home Covid test results for students who have symptoms are being accepted. Please follow the directions carefully when using home tests. Home tests are available in many places in the Upper Valley (I bought a BinaxNow test at CVS this week), but supplies can vary.

DHMC & APD are doing PCR testing by appointment.

Clear Choice does both rapid and PCR testing on a walk in basis.

The State of NH just opened up free covid testing site in Claremont at River Valley Community College. They are testing 7 days a week from 9am-3pm. I realize this option does not work for everyone, but it is another way to be tested if you are having trouble setting up an appointment locally.

Use the following link for more information:

https://ccmdcenters.com/state-of-nh-covid-19-testing

LMS is continuing our weekly pool testing through Concentric every Wednesday.

If interested, please sign your child up using the information provided in our Middle Scoop Newsletter or the Superintendent's letters. Remind your child about the testing on Wednesdays. We make several announcements at the appropriate time for testing, but some students are not showing up regularly to be tested.

I’m happy to receive copies of updated physicals and immunizations at any time.

Take care of yourselves,

Nancy Pageau

npageau@sau88.net

603-727-9817 (direct line)

603-448-3056 (LMS)

To sign up your child, 17 years old or younger, for voluntary COVID testing, please use this link.

For staff and students who are 18 years or older please use this link to sign up for voluntary testing.

When prompted please use the following access codes:

• Lebanon Middle School: 81ZM9C

What will happen if a pool comes back positive?

We will follow this process for unconfirmed or confirmed positive cases:

If by chance a pool comes back positive, we will notify the staff and the families of those students in the pool that there is an unconfirmed positive case.

Students/staff in the pool will be asked to monitor for symptoms and will be tested two days later.

After the follow-up testing, those in the pool will be notified of either the negative or positive result.

The person who tested positive will be asked to isolate and close contacts will be notified per the procedures we have been following since the start of the pandemic. The Superintendent will also inform the larger community of the positive test result.

When there is an increase in COVID there is concern about what will happen next in the school and community. The positive cases we are experiencing are not different from what is occurring in other schools across VT and NH. In fact, as of today, we are seeing a very small number of cases compared to schools state-wide. The guidance and the protocols that we are following were developed by the State and the protocols are the same for whether or not an individual is vaccinated.

If a staff member or student tests positive or the voluntary pooled results state there is an unconfirmed positive case, the parents of that particular class or pool are notified. If the staff member is a person who works as an Essential Arts teacher or in another capacity (not a specific grade-level classroom) the nurse/school administrator does their best to extend that notice to students who took that course. In all cases, the DPHS guidance is the same which is to self-monitor for symptoms, and our communications support this guidance.

I am appreciative that we have staff members and students staying home if they have symptoms, are getting tested, and are letting us know if they test positive or not. In other school districts, these students or staff members may have continued to go to school and spread the virus.

Our protocol is that DPHS is notified of all positive cases. As far as whether or not it is a breakthrough case and a vaccinated person tests positive, and those cases will happen, the mitigating layers in place are meant to limit transmission. We cannot guarantee that COVID cases will not occur. If there is a cluster- meaning three students/staff or more that become COVID positive due to transmission in the school setting, staff and parents will be notified.

If a very large population of staff/students becomes positive due to COVID transmission in the school setting DPHS and the Commissioner would be contacted to see if quarantining would be an appropriate next step. The Commissioner stated he will not support quarantining a class or school. He stated that remote learning should only occur when there is a weather emergency. DPHS has the ultimate authority to determine a class or school should quarantine based on a community COVID medical health emergency.

We will continue to follow the guidance provided by DPHS and communicate the status of cases with our staff members and families.

From Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) presentation:

“At-home test kits (most are antigen tests) will be increasingly available and used – we continue to recommend that schools and childcare programs accept at-home test results – When instructions are followed and swabs are appropriately collected, the at-home antigen tests should have comparable accuracy to provider collected swabs and antigen testing.”

Testing sites in the area are overburdened with appointments for COVID testing, parents are not hearing back from facilities in order to schedule a test in a timely manner, and we have not yet reached the peak of flu season. Therefore, providing parents with another opportunity to test their children for COVID makes it easier for parents, while clearing students to return to school in a more timely manner.

We understand that At Home COVID Tests are difficult to find. However, being proactive and putting together a procedure now will provide families with the information to move forward once the tests are easier to purchase.

Recommendation:

1. At-home COVID Testing is only to be used for testing symptomatic individuals.

2. The school nurses always recommend PCR Tests as they are still the most accurate for detecting COVID-19

3. If available, the following tests are FDA Authorized and preferred: (https://www.nbcnews.com/shopping/wellness/best-home-covid-tests-n1275687)

a. Ellume COVID-19 Test Kit

b. BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test

c. Quidel QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test

Note: The District will accept COVID test results from kits that are not FDA authorized.

4. If a person has symptoms, and an At-home COVID Test has been completed, please send in a picture of the test along with the student’s name and date on the test to the school nurse. This applies to test results that are both negative and positive.

5. Sometimes the results are inconclusive or not clear. If the display on the home test shows an invalid result or a test error, the test did not work properly. The test should be redone so that the result ( positive or negative) is certain.

6. After using a test, discard it. Do not use a test more than once.

7. If a student tests positive from a home test, the next step is to call for an appointment for a PCR test.

8. If at any point there are questions, please reach out to the nurse in your child's school for guidance.

LMS students over 12 are eligible for the pfizer vaccine. Vaccinations are available at local pharmacies, local hospitals, etc. Information about vaccination can be found on the state vaccination site. If you have questions, please reach out to Nurse Pageau.

Carolynn Stockwell, 5/6 Counselor

cstockwell@sau88.net

Stephanie Allard, 7/8 Counselor

sallard@sau88.net

Elena VanZandt, Student Assistance Provider

evanzandt@sau88.net

A free ten-hour workshop for parents of teens to increase communication skills, improve family management, and strengthen family bonds.

https://www.nhteeninstitute.org/staying-connected-with-your-teen

The Zen Club is a new after school program starting up on October 20th. Zen Club will be a place for kids to de-stress and try activities designed to help bring balance into their life. We’ll practice yoga and meditation, journaling, as well as some mindful craft activities. We may even get outside from time to time to enjoy nature. How the group runs will have a lot to do with what participants are most interested in. Ms. Stockwell, the 5th and 6th grade School Counselor will be leading the group.

The group will run Wednesdays until 3:45pm. Bus transportation home is available to students who live in Lebanon. Students should see Ms. Stockwell if they are interested in joining. Namaste!

The first meeting of the LMS Math Team is slated for Wednesday, November 3rd. Mr. Whalen will serve as advisor. Anyone interested in signing up for Math Team please do so through FamilyID.

Sign ups are now open for Winter Athletics. LMS sponsors 7th and 8th grade Boys and Girls Basketball. Deadline to sign up is November 23rd via FamilyID.

Nordic Ski is a joint program with Lebanon High School. An informational meeting was held a few weeks ago. Those still interested in joining can contact Coach Les Lawrence directly at llawrence@sau88.net.

The LMS Field Hockey team concluded its 2021 campaign last week in a 2-2 tie vs. Hanover. The team showed a lot of growth during the season and had a lot of laughs along the way. Thank you to Coach Henry and Coach MacAskill for a great season!

Friday, Oct. 29 Halloween Comfy Spirit Day - Wear comfy clothes in purple, orange, and green!

Friday, Nov. 12 Camo Day

The council is conducting elections:

Here is the link for the ballot for voting for students to vote:

https://forms.gle/Q4tsYPuphxkPqJdY6

Advisory Halloween Door Decorating hosted by StuCo begins 10/20 runs through 10/27. Judging will happen on 10/28 with Winners Revealed on 10/29. Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place on each team! See Ollie Hermanson, Kalyani Jogdand, or Acadia Buck with questions.

If you have any questions, please email Mrs. McFarland, Student Council Advisor, at mmcfarland@sau88.net.

1. The students in Birch and Oak teams will be screening their World Story Exchange video projects soon, and they've asked for our help with refreshments! If you would like to donate pre-packaged, individually-wrapped snacks (think individual bags of cookies, popcorn, chips, etc.), please drop them off at school by Thursday, October 28th. You can send them in with your student to drop off at the front office or leave them inside the vestibule yourself. And thank you so much for your support of these students and their creative endeavors!

2. Fall Fundraiser ending soon! This week is your LAST CHANCE to make purchases through Meadow Farms for our fall fundraiser. The sale will close this Sunday, October 24th. You can visit meadowfarms.com to register your child (using your or your child's email address) and start shopping. All items will ship straight to your home and shipping is FREE for orders over $75! And a portion of every purchase will go toward supporting all sorts of projects at LMS!

Already published news from previous Scoops!

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The Lebanon Middle School community challenges and supports all learners in a

rigorous, stimulating, and developmentally appropriate environment.

To achieve our mission, we strive to foster curiosity, lifelong learning, and global citizenship while encouraging individual aptitudes, interests, and talents by underscoring our core values of LMS PRIDE:

Leadership

Motivation

Spirit

Perseverance

Respect

Integrity

Dependability

Excellence

John P. D’Entremont, Principal

Kim Ezen, Assistant Principal

Synthia Liska, Student Services Administrator

Brett Franklin, Director of Athletics & Co-Curriculars

Email: jdentremont@sau88.net
Website: lms.sau88.net
Location: 3 Moulton Avenue, Lebanon, NH, USA
Phone: 603-448-3056
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LMSLebNH
Twitter: @LMSLebNH