ESA Elementary Family Update

At ESA, we are focusing on Positive Behavior for the month of November. When schools and families work together, students develop strong habits that will help them succeed in learning and in life.

Positive behavior is more than just following the rules — it’s about making choices that help everyone learn, feel safe, and do their best. When students show kindness, respect, responsibility, and perseverance, amazing things happen!

For Students:

• Better Learning: When you listen, stay on task, and try your best, your brain grows stronger, and you learn more every day.

• Stronger Friendships: Using kind words and helping others builds trust and makes school a happier place for everyone.

• More Confidence: Positive choices lead to success, and success builds confidence to keep going even when things are hard.

• More Fun and Recognition: Students who make positive choices often earn praise, rewards, and special privileges — and that feels great!

For Families:

• Positive behavior at home supports school success. Encourage your child to talk about their day and celebrate the good choices they make.

• Model positivity. Children learn from what they see — showing patience, gratitude, and respect helps them do the same.

• Work together with teachers. When home and school send the same message — that good behavior matters — students feel supported and motivated to do their best.

The Big Idea:
When we focus on positive behavior, we create a powerful chain reaction — happier students, stronger learning, and a more supportive school community.

Positive behavior really does equal powerful results!

Families, it is essential that students attend school daily, arrive on time, and remain for the full school day. When students arrive late, valuable instructional time is lost. Teachers begin lessons promptly at 9:00 AM each day. Thank you for your support in ensuring all students are present and ready to learn on time!

If you need to pick up your child for an early dismissal, please arrive at the school no later than 2:45pm. For the safety and efficiency of our dismissal process, we cannot accommodate early dismissal requests made over the phone or arrivals after this deadline. Dismissal for all students begins at 3:45pm, and we must ensure a smooth and orderly process. Please plan accordingly if an early pickup is necessary.

Parents, we're encouraging every child to read at least 15 minutes a night independently or to a family member. Reading instills confidence in your child as well as develops comprehension skills. We have books at ESA that students are welcome to take home with them. Thank you in advance for your partnership in this endeavor.

Hello Parents/Guardians,

These tips will help you learn about actions you can take to protect yourself and others from flu/colds and help stop the spread of germs.

1. Avoid close contact. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick, too. Putting physical distance between yourself and others can help lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus.

2. Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you're sick. You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:

a. Your symptoms are getting better overall, and

b. You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication1). After these two criteria are met, there are some additional precautions that can be taken to protect others from respiratory illness.

3. Cover your mouth and nose. Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Influenza viruses are thought to spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze, or talk. Wearing a mask is an additional prevention strategy that you can choose to do to further protect yourself and others. When worn by a person with an infection, masks reduce the spread of the virus to others. Masks can also protect wearers from breathing infectious particles from people around them.

4. Clean your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

a. Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives Tips on hand washing and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers

5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6. Practice good hygiene and other healthy habits.
Cleaning Frequent touched surfaces, such as countertops, handrails, and doorknobs regularly can help prevent the spread of some illnesses. Also, get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

The school cannot guarantee masks will be available if you would like your child to wear a mask, please send them in with one if able.

A Few reminders:

Please send in up-to-date vaccination, dental records and physicals. If your child requires medication at school, a physician order is required even if your student is able to self-administer, the nurse must have a physician order stating this. If there is no order on file even in emergencies, nurses cannot medicate students. It is imperative for emergency medications, and that physician orders are supplied to the nurse to best care for students.

Please be aware that hand foot and mouth disease is on the rise this year. If your student exhibits any of the following signs and symptoms, please keep them at home and contact their physician as hand foot and mouth is high is highly contagious. Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a contagious viral infection, most common in young children, that causes fever, sore throat, and a rash with painful blisters on the hands, feet, and in the mouth. It spreads through saliva, mucus, and stool, and there is no specific cure, but it typically resolves on its own within a week or two. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms, such as fever and pain, and preventing dehydration.

Symptoms

Initial symptoms: Fever, sore throat, and feeling generally unwell or irritable often appear first.

Mouth sores: Painful sores or ulcers develop in the mouth, which can make eating and drinking difficult.

Rash: A rash of flat or raised red spots, some with blisters, appears on the hands, feet, and sometimes the buttocks. The blisters may be gray or lighter than the surrounding skin, depending on the skin tone.

Other symptoms can include loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea.

How it spreads

Through person-to-person contact: The virus spreads easily through close contact, such as kissing or hugging, and through droplets from coughing, sneezing, or talking.

Via bodily fluids: It can be transmitted through saliva, nasal mucus, and fluid from blisters.

Fecal-oral route: The virus can also spread through contact with an infected person's stool, which is common in childcare settings like diaper changes.

Contaminated surfaces: The virus can live on objects like toys, doorknobs, and eating utensils for a time.

Sincerely,
Your Nursing Staff

Arrival

• Pre-K: Students must be signed in by an adult starting at 8:45am at the gym doors.

• K–5: Students may enter through the gym doors or cafeteria doors beginning at 8:30am.

• Late Arrivals: Any student arriving after 9:00am must enter through the main doors and be signed in by an adult.

Dismissal

To ensure a safe and efficient dismissal, students are organized into the following groups:

• Walk-Up Pickup: If you park or walk up to the building, you will pick up your child at the gym doors.
• Car Line Pickup: The car line forms along the 1400–1500 block of Esrey Street (Adjacent to the Palmer House). Parents must remain in their vehicles; students will be called out to you.
• Bus Riders: Students riding a school bus or van will wait in their assigned bus room.
• Daycare/Learning Center: Students that will be picked up by a daycare/learning center will wait in their assigned room.

Important Reminders

• If your child’s dismissal plan changes, please notify the school no later than 12:00pm.

• Students will only be released to individuals listed on their emergency contact form.

• Dismissal will not occur from the main doors—all students will exit through either the gym doors or the cafeteria doors.

Below are direction from www.chesteruplandsd.org:

• Volunteer Clearances

  
  

  Legislation in Pennsylvania requires community members and parents to obtain clearances in order to volunteer in our schools. If you have previously submitted your clearances to the Human Resources office, they are good for five (5) years from the date of the clearance.

  Governor Wolf has waived the fees associated with the Pennsylvania State Police—Criminal Background Check and the Child Abuse History Clearance. Since the FBI clearance is a federal program, those costs still remain; however, the district has decided to permit individuals who have resided in Pennsylvania continuously for ten years or more to sign a certification form that saves the volunteer the expense of the fee, ensures compliance with the law, and allows the district to maximize student safety.

  Understanding that many community members will want to begin the process of securing clearances so that they are prepared for the start of the school year, we have provided several links and directions to assist you. Once you have obtained the requisite clearances, please bring them to the Human Resources office for the Chester Upland School District, located 1350 Edgmont Avenue, Chester PA 19013. Please be prepared to present a valid driver’s license or other photo identification. Our Human Resources Department will then add your name to the district list so that our educators can readily ensure that volunteers have the proper clearances.

  
  

• Directions for Obtaining Clearances for Volunteers Who Have Resided in Pennsylvania Continuously for 10+ Years

  
  

  1. Complete ACT 34—Pennsylvania State Police—Request for Criminal Record Check
  2. Complete ACT 151—Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance—Online Application
  3. Drop off paperwork at the Chester Upland School District Human Resource Office. Please be prepared to present a valid driver’s license or other photo identification.
  4. Print and Complete this Volunteer Information and Certification Form.

  
  

  
  

• Directions for Obtaining Clearances for Volunteers Who Have Resided in Pennsylvania for Less Than 10 Years

  
  

  1. Complete ACT 34—Pennsylvania State Police—Request for Criminal Record Check
  2. Complete ACT 151—Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance—Online Application
  3. Complete Act 114—FBI Fingerprinting—To schedule your appointment, visit https://uenroll.identogo.com and enter Service Code 1KG6XN. You may also call 844-321-2101 to schedule an appointment
  4. Complete ACT 114—FBI Fingerprinting
     Be certain to register under the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
  5. Drop off paperwork at the Chester Upland School District Human Resources Office. Please be prepared to present a valid driver’s license or other photo identification.