Arts Magnet Weekly News

Dear Altadena Eliot Arts Magnet Families,

Wednesday students across PUSD will be celebrating Unity Day to promote our anti-bullying campaign. All students across elementary and middle school campuses are encouraged to wear orange on Wednesday. There will be activities on both campuses and a poster contest. Please see below for more information.

Tuesday and Wednesday middle school students will be taking their yearbook photos! Students may wear whatever they would like as long as it still follows our PUSD dress code policy.

Thursday join me for Cafe con Scheckel http://meet.google.com/nxo-qffz-ntg at 8:15 am Let's gather together to connect as a whole school community.

The Great CA Shakeout is Thursday at 10:21 am. Both campuses will be participating in a drop, cover and hold on drill followed by a full evacuation to our outdoor campus. Offices will be closed and no one will be answering phones for about 45 minutes on this day as we practice our procedures.

Friday is Free Dress Friday for the elementary students in support of annual fund.

Speaking of Annual Fund, save the date!!! Friday, February 25 all parents and community members are invited to put on your fancy clothes and join us for an evening of fine food, great entertainment and a chance to raise money for our growing French and Arts programs! This beautiful event will be held at the Altadena Town and Country Club and tickets will be going on sale soon. We have lots of excitement planned for the evening so mark your calendars and get ready for the party of the year!

Middle School School Site Council needs you! Are you interested in how schools determine how to spend federal funds? Do you like to look at data and be a part of the body that determines some of our school's needs as we build our School Plan for Student Achievement? If the answer to any of these questions is, "Yes" then please email Dr. Erica Peters, our Eliot SSC Chair to get involved. She can be reached at peters.erica@pusd.us

8th Grade Parent Night is coming up on November 10! Plan on joining us with your 8th grader to hear from our fabulous PUSD High School Principals and the College and Careers department about all the great academy programs in PUSD! More information will be forthcoming.

Lockers! Personal locks for hallway lockers are prohibited. If staff sees a personal lock on lockers it will be cut off at owners expense and must be replaced with a school lock. Lockers are voluntary and can be revoked at the school sites discretion. Please address all locker concerns with Ms. Lee in the main office at extension 70097.

I hope you enjoy a lovely Sunday afternoon.

It's a great year to be an Altadena Cougar and Husky!

Yours in Service,

Dr. Scheckel, Principal

Join us for our fall play! Bring your own chair or blanket, wear a mask and bundle up! We will be outside for a spooky evening of vignettes. Enter on Calaveras. Gates open at 6:30pm. Don't miss out! Proceeds go to support Eliot Arts Drama department.

Picture days are coming! Photos will be taken on Tuesday and Wednesday during PE classes. Tuesday Mr. Horan's students will be photographed and Wednesday, Ms. King's classes will be photographed. Photos will be available for purchase a few weeks after the sitting. Because we're an arts school, students will be photographed near one of our beautiful school murals.

As a Superintendent's Zone School, there are so many resources coming to support our students and families at Eliot Arts Magnet.

In an effort to further support academic achievement as well as a rigorous arts education, we will be hiring a full time librarian. This means our Eliot library will be open five days a week. Students will be supported in their research and writing endeavors as well as have the opportunity to participate in book clubs and book talks.

We are hiring a bilingual Community Assistant whose sole job is to support our families and students with local and community resources.

We have hired a bilingual office clerk, Ms. Yvonne Garcia who supports our day to day operations in the main office as well as our English language learner program alongside Ms. Acevedo.

Additionally, we welcome Ms. Lauren Wittenbrock, our Community Advocate, who will be assisting Dr. Scheckel in building community awareness and support for our K-8 articulation.

Mr. Erik Santana joins the team as our Head Custodian. Erik's vision is that Eliot Arts should be cared for just as well as the PUSD district offices.

See https://lgbthistorymonth.com/background for resources. At Eliot we are working on our LGBTQ Club for students and creating a gender neutral restroom. At Eliot Arts all students are welcome and safe regardless of their gender identification.

With so many social networks to keep track of, it's not surprising if your kid's obsession with the TikTok app leaves you scratching your head. So what is it exactly?

TikTok is a free social media app that lets you watch, create, and share videos -- often to a soundtrack of the top hits in music -- right from your phone. With more than 100 million users in the United States alone, TikTok has innovative video-editing features, viral dances, and celebrity cameos that make it incredibly popular. And though the app has generated controversy, it can be a fun, creative outlet for tweens and teens (and parents!) when used safely and responsibly.

While much of TikTok is harmless fun, there are real concerns about kids using the app. As with any social network, you have to use privacy settings to limit how much information you and your kids are sharing. Because you can post videos immediately without first reviewing or editing them, kids can upload impulsively. And other issues have dogged the app: reports of online predators using the app to target younger users; an FTC suit for violating children's privacy law; and serious software glitches -- including one that could have allowed the company to collect user data.

Read Common Sense Media's full review of TikTok, and help your kids use it safely with answers to parents' most frequently asked questions below.

What is TikTok?
How safe is TikTok?
How does TikTok work?
Is TikTok appropriate for kids?
What age is TikTok recommended for?
Can kids under 13 use TikTok?
How can you make your TikTok account private?
How do I delete a TikTok video?
How can I delete a TikTok account?
How can I use TikTok with my kids?
How do you do a duet on TikTok?
What are TikTok Challenges?
Does TikTok have parental controls?
How can I monitor my kid's activity on TikTok?
What if my kid wants to get famous on TikTok?
Should I be concerned about TikTok's security?

What is TikTok?

TikTok (originally called musical.ly) is a social network for sharing user-generated videos, mostly of people lip-synching to popular songs. Users can create and upload their own videos where they lip-synch, sing, dance, or just talk. You can also browse and interact with other users' content, which covers a wide range of topics, songs, and styles. These videos can be grouped by hashtags, which often correspond to challenges, memes, or current events (i.e., #pandemiclife)

How safe is TikTok?

Using any social network can be risky, but it's possible for kids to safely use the app with adult supervision (and a private account). TikTok has different rules for different ages:

• Users under 13 can't post videos or comment, and content is curated for a younger audience.

• For kids age 13 to 15, accounts are private by default; only friends can comment on videos, and other users can't duet (explained below) with your videos.

• Only users 16 and over can livestream and use direct messaging, and only users over 18 can buy, send, or receive virtual gifts.

TikTok also offers some tools for parents to limit how much time kids spend on the app and what kids can see. Parents can also use Restricted Mode to reduce mature content or Family Safety Mode to pair their account with their kid's to control settings completely.

How does TikTok work?

Tik Tok users sign up with a phone number, an email address, or a third-party account such as Facebook and Instagram. Once logged in, you can search popular creators, categories (comedy, animals, sports), and hashtags to find videos. Or you can use your phone contacts or social media followers to find friends already on the app. Many kids on Tik Tok like to create videos, but plenty of people don't post themselves -- they just use the app to find and follow content creators.

Is TikTok appropriate for kids?

If you supervise your kids, use safety settings, and stick to songs you already know, TikTok can be a kid-friendly experience. But TikTok's emphasis on popular music means many videos include swearing and sexual lyrics, so it may not be age-appropriate for kids to use on their own. Even with limits, it's easy to find people wearing revealing clothing and dancing suggestively, although TikTok won't let you search for objectionable content such as "porn." As with social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat, TikTok has a commercial element that encourages kids to buy stuff. Users can also earn TikTok Reward points by inviting friends to download the app, and then they can redeem those points for coupons from brands like Sephora and Uber. You'll find plenty of other marketing and purchasing opportunities.

What age is TikTok recommended for?

Common Sense recommends the app for age 15+ mainly due to the privacy issues and mature content. TikTok requires that users be at least 13 years old to use the full TikTok experience, although there is a way for younger kids to access the app. Anyone under the age of 18 must have approval of a parent or guardian -- but there are plenty of young tween users.

Can kids under 13 use TikTok?

If your younger kid or tween wants to use the app, there's a section of the app for kids under 13 that includes additional safety and privacy features. Kids can only see curated, clean videos, and aren't allowed to comment, search, or post their own videos. However, the lack of these features makes it unappealing for most kids, and bypassing that section only requires entering a false birthdate, so it's not perfect. The section is only available in the United States. It was introduced in 2019, after TikTok settled with the Federal Trade Commission for child privacy violations from TikTok's predecessor, Musical.ly.

How can you make your TikTok account private?

To make your TikTok account private, go to your profile page and select the three-dot icon in the top-right corner. On the "Settings and privacy" page, tap Privacy. That takes you to the Discoverability page. Toggle the switch for Private Account. On this page, you can also control other safety and privacy features, such as who can send you comments and direct messages, and who can do a duet with you. Using the Friends setting or turning those features off completely limits contact with strangers.

How do I delete a TikTok video?

To delete a TikTok video that you have posted to your account, select the video you want to delete from your profile. From there, tap the "..." icon in the bottom-right corner and select Delete (it has a trash can icon). You will be asked whether you are sure you want to delete the video. Then it will be removed from your profile.

How can I delete a TikTok account?

Deleting a TikTok account takes a few steps. First, go to your profile, then select the "..." icon in the top-right corner. Select Manage Account. TikTok requires you to verify that the account you want to delete belongs to you, so you may need to log in to a third party such as Google or add the phone number you used to register. Once you've verified the account, you'll get a code to plug in that allows you to delete your account.

How can I use TikTok with my kids?

You can provide a buffer between kids and iffy content by watching with your kids and making videos together. Offer to hold the camera or turn it around to do a selfie duet. You can post it or save it as "private" so only you can see. The app also lets you share videos by email, text, or other social media where you can better control who sees it, so kids can perform for friends and relatives instead of a wider network of people.

How do you do a duet on TikTok?

TikTok has a feature that allows two users who aren't in the same place to perform a duet. Both users must follow each other on the app to make it work. One user creates and posts a video, and then a mutual follower can tap the "..." icon at the bottom right of the video and select "start duet now!" The second user can then lip-synch along with the first person, either swapping back and forth or in a split screen.

What are TikTok Challenges?

Challenges are any idea that goes viral. They can be songs, activities, or dances that start trending and then get copied by users on the platform. Sometimes they're spontaneous, but sometimes they're planned out by brands, musical artists, or influencers for marketing purposes. Most popular challenges, such as the intricately choreographed dance number Renegade and pranks such as the backwards hoodie fridge mixup are harmless. But some, such as the skull-breaker, are really dangerous. Learn more about viral internet challenges and how to talk to your kid about them.

Does TikTok have parental controls?

TikTok offers a few ways for parents to manage kids' accounts. You can either enable time limits and the content filter on your kid's phone and protect the settings with a passcode, or you can download TikTok, create your own account, and use the Family Pairing feature to manage your kid's TikTok settings using your phone. (If you choose Family Pairing, you'll need your kid's phone to sync the settings.)

Here's how to enable screen limits and filter content on your kid's phone: Go to your kid's account and tap the three dots at the top right of the user profile. Then select "Digital Wellbeing" next to the icon of an umbrella. From there, select the features you want to enable:

Screen Time Management. This setting limits users to a maximum of two hours on the app per day, but you can limit it to 40 minutes. If you're only enabling this on your kid's phone, choose a passcode to lock the setting.

Restricted Mode. This blocks mature content, but even with the filter on, kids using the app on their own might come across age-inappropriate videos. Lock the setting with a passcode.
To set up Family Pairing so you can manage the above settings, plus safety and privacy, first download TikTok onto your phone and create an account. Then, make sure you have your kid's phone and their TikTok login handy.

Family Pairing. On both phones, tap the three dots next to the user profile; tap Family Pairing and sync your account to your kid's via the QR code.
Keep in mind kids can always re-download TikTok and create a new account using a different phone number or email address, so any controls you enable aren't foolproof.

How can I monitor my kid's activity on TikTok?

Other than Restricted Mode, there's no way to filter out content on TikTok, so parents are encouraged to share an account with kids over 13. This will let you keep an eye on what your kid is viewing and posting. Parents of older kids who are more resistant to monitoring can ask about their favorite video creators and get to know their videos (with or without your kid). Also, take the time to regularly look at the most popular songs, videos, memes, and challenges.

What if my kid wants to get famous on TikTok?

While the safest way to use TikTok is with a private account, the social nature of the app and the rapid success of some of its stars -- including Charli D'Amelio, a dancer whose TikTok fame led to a TV deal -- might have your kids begging to go public. There's huge enticement to get famous, including TikTok houses where groups of young creators live and make videos -- and reap big-money endorsements and sponsorships. Kids viewing this example might be persuaded to do or share things they wouldn't normally do to get a larger audience. They may also become obsessed with likes and virtual approval, which isn't healthy for their emotional well-being. Parents can manage this by encouraging and modeling safe behavior, and putting limits on the type of information kids share.

Should I be concerned about TikTok's security?

Many people and organizations—including the U.S. government and companies like Wells Fargo—are worried that TikTok's parent company ByteDance (based in China) is using the app to spy on users in other countries. Investigations of TikTok found that the app's privacy policy and data collection practices aren't actually any worse than other social media apps, and that the concerns about spying are probably overblown. (However, the company does surveil users of the app in China.)

That said, TikTok doesn't necessarily have a perfect record when it comes to privacy and security. For example, they only recently fixed a bug that allowed the app to access users' clipboards (where things you copy and paste are stored) every three seconds, even when they weren't using the app. They also illegally stored minors' data.

Updated March 5, 2021

Heartbeat will provide your student with a more in-depth language and knowledge-base for introspection, Heartbeat™ equips students with essential tools for success in school and beyond. Studies have shown that students who develop skills for self-reflection and awareness have more success coping with stress and managing difficult emotions. Recent research in neuroscience, for instance, shows that simply having a more effective vocabulary for identifying and translating emotions into words reduces stress and enables students to understand their feelings in intrinsically more empowering terms. Heartbeat™ goes even further: By providing students with new and healthier ways to frame perceived challenges as potential superpowers, Heartbeat™insights are designed to actively prevent against the potentially harmful tendency to personalize and internalize challenges as fixed “character flaws” or inherent weaknesses. Students who develop greater self-awareness are also better able to communicate their needs and self-advocate for support. And by facilitating self-reflection as a regular practice, Heartbeat™ helps students develop cognitive skills that support deeper, more reflective learning.

OVERVIEW

We are proud to offer The Shmoop Heartbeat™, a simple, non-intrusive student engagement solution that addresses the mental health, social emotional learning (SEL), and cognitive insights of students at scale. This research-based classroom technology is designed to tie a student’s emotional health, cognitive position, and background to their ability to achieve academically. The technology was built in conjunction with teachers, counselors, education technology experts, child psychologists, child psychometric experts, technology developers, and Digital Promise (a nonprofit national center for research in advanced information and digital technologies originated by the U.S. Congress as part of the 2008 reauthorization of the Higher Education Opportunity Act).

HOW DOES IT WORK?

While implementation can look different at every campus, the functionality of the Shmoop Heartbeat™ is simplistic and non-intrusive to the school day.

● Students spend 5-10 minutes, 2-3 times a week engaging on the Heartbeat board.

● Insights across 2,000 factors are securely collected

● Teachers and students use actionable recommendations to improve individualized learning.

● (Optional) Students and teachers leverage the “Handraise” feature to close the feedback loop and drive conversation around a students’ individual recommendations.

FEATURES

The Board:

Heartbeat™ is designed to be a familiar and comfortable environment that students will be willing to engage with in order to provide important responses at scale. The experience is completely customizable by students. They can adjust the background, colors, animation, shapes, and contrast.

Students engage in questions and interactions designed by child psychologists and psychometric experts around their academic, emotional, cognitive, and personal background. The amount of time students & teachers spend in the platform is completely flexible. Shmoop recommends students spend 5-10 minutes, 2-3 times/week & teacher/counselor time dependent on advisory periods and available time dedicated to support SEL & whole-child programs. The responses are analyzed real time in the tool. On average, a student who completes 50+ interactions in a week results in hundreds of counseling & teacher cognitive processing hours saved on a monthly basis.

The Pulse:

Heartbeat™ evaluates over 50 factors to provide insights into capability, mental health, social skills, emotional skills, literacy skills, cognitive skills, and student backgrounds that produce over 120 unique student dimensions inside their “Pulse”.

Student responses are assembled into a graphical environment tailored to either students or teachers, which makes results easy to digest and take action on. Students are driven to explore the “Pulse” as it’s applicable to their individual growth while teachers can view the “Pulses” that are having the most impact on their groups of students.

Within each “Pulse” are specific Actions and Insights. Teachers can customize their “Pulse” dashboard to view specific groups of students, filter by specific competencies and trends, or hone in on individual students.

These Insights are provided directly to the students in the form of “I feel” statements, recommendations on what behaviors to stop/start, and relational commentary expertly designed to create “lightbulb moments”.

To honor this month and bring awareness to Bullying Prevention, we as a district will be participating in two events. The first is Unity Day, which takes place on October 20th. The second is a district-wide student poster contest.

We are excited to share that our school community will be celebrating Unity Day on October 20, 2021 this year. Unity Day is an annual event occurring during National Bullying Prevention Month that promotes joining together to create healthier communities through kindness, acceptance of difference, and inclusion. This will be PUSD’s third year in a row participating in Unity Day. On October 20, plan for your school to wear ORANGE to show their support of bullying prevention. Attached you will find a flyer to promote Unity Day with your school community. For more information regarding Unity Day and ideas for school-wide activities, please click HERE.

Secondly, we will be holding our second annual district-wide Bullying Prevention Month Student Poster Contest. The purpose of this contest is to promote student voices against bullying. The theme/slogan is We Stand Together Against Bullying! Please encourage your students to submit posters to CWA for the contest. Three winners (and three runner-ups) will be announced on November 5th. There will be one winner and one runner-up for Elementary, Middle, and High school. Winning posters will be displayed on social media (@PUSDAttendance), the district website, and the PUSD Educational Center. Each winner will receive a $50 gift card ($25 for runner-ups) to Target! Attached you will find the rules and template for the poster contest. Entry into the contest is not mandatory, but please encourage your students to enter. Students have until October 29th to submit a poster.

We look forward to all the great entries from our talented students!

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

The CWA Team

Participants or their parents/guardians can register one of two ways:

1. Using their own device
• Email registration links to students (and parent/guardians) and staff so they can register at home before testing.
• Turn registrations links into QR codes to print and post at the collection site. To create a QR code, head to qrcode-monkey.com, enter your URL, click “Generate QR Code”, then “Download PNG”
2. With assistance
• For participants or parent/guardians without access to technology or who need additional assistance, set up a device on site on testing days.

Here's the registration links for Altadena Elementary:

1. Staff URL
2. Student URL

Here's the registration links for Charles W. Eliot Middle:

1. Staff URL
2. Student URL

Questions?

• Walk through the site setup process at www.color.com/cdph-site-setup
• Join Zoom office hours Wednesday and Friday at 10:00am PT
• Fill out the form at the bottom of this page to reach Support

We have lots of fun events happening this month, but our biggest is in thanks to our fabulous community partner, MonteCedro who has just finished preparing 1000 candy bags for our students at both campuses. MonteCedro also donates $1000 to each campus garden program! Please read above for how we are celebrating and enjoy the photos! We <3 you MC!

Join us at Homestate on Tuesday, October 19th to raise money for AAM's French program! It's going to be fun and delicious!

The Great Kindness Challenge for 2021-2022 has arrived! This year both campuses will participate. Please visit https://thegreatkindnesschallenge.com/ for more information.

Dear Families,

Now, more than ever, attending school on time, daily is a must! Students have lost so much time in school, they really need to be here every day. We understand students may be quarantined due to COVID exposure, but that's not what this is referring to. Please acquaint yourself with this program so you know what it is when you receive notifications. Thank you!

The holidays are quickly approaching, and before you know it, Christmas is here! Despite the hardships of the pandemic on students and families, one of our local community partners, the Salvation Army, in collaboration with the PUSD Families in Transition, has come alongside many of our families with food boxes and other basic necessities. For the holidays, the Salvation Army is opening its annual Christmas Gift registration program available to PUSD families. This is an opportunity for parents/guardians to make an appointment to pick out a Christmas gift for their children, ages 0-12, at the Salvation Army - Pasadena Tabernacle during the week of December 13th through December 17th. The Salvation Army has four (4) registration partners in the greater Pasadena community including PUSD Families in Transition at the Center for Student & Family Services. All parents or guardians need to do is call PUSD Families in Transition at (626) 396-5782 or one of the other agency numbers on the accompanying flyer to register. All registrations go into one database so repeat registrations will be voided. If you have any questions, please call PUSD Families in Transition or the Salvation Army directly. 'Tis the season for family and giving so let's make this holiday season better than ever!

Dear Families,

We have a strict mask mandate on both our campuses to keep all students, staff and families safe from infection with COVID-19. We understand the masks can be uncomfortable for students to wear all day long, but they are necessary. We will follow the process below for students who do not/can not wear a mask over their nose, mouth and chin:

1. First time, Verbal warning to wear their mask
2. Second time, Phone call home
3. Third time, Recommendation for PUSD Independent Study for 3 days

Student will be placed on our regular independent study program for 3 days. This program keeps the student enrolled at their present school with work delivered on Canvas. After 3 days the student returns to their home school and the process starts all over. Each time we get to step three, we add an additional day of independent study until we reach the maximum which is 15 days. After that, student will be referred to our district's CIS program for the rest of the school year.

If you have any questions about this policy, please reach out to principal Scheckel.

We are excited to kick off our annual fund activities and goals at both campuses and to share the vision as we move forward as one school, two campuses!

For this year, both annual funds will remain separate, but both school communities will have the opportunity to support each other, knowing that each fund will support all our children in arts and French!

Elementary Annual Fund

Our Annual Fund Chair is Tasiah LeConte

Tasiah has an executive board who assists in reaching the goals of the fund.

Fundraising Goal: $100,000.00 per year for post magnet grant art sustainability

Major Fundraising Events

Free Dress Fridays

Holiday Tree/Wreath Sale

Altadena's Got Talent

Capital Campaign

Middle School Annual Fund

Our Annual Fund Chair is Felicia Lee

Felicia has an executive board who assists in reaching the goals of the fund.

Fundraising Goal: $100,000.00 per year for arts and French program sustainability

Major Fundraising Events

Silent Auction @ Altadena Country Club on February, 25, 2022!

Capital Campaign

My vision as your principal is that all elementary families will buy tickets and attend the Eliot Gala at the Altadena Country Club and all proceeds will go to Eliot's annual fund to support our arts and French programs and in turn, all Eliot families will participate in Altadena's holiday tree and wreath fundraiser with all proceeds going to support Altadena's arts sustainability plan.

When we work together, all our children benefit!

A big thank you to our parent and community leaders for coming together to make our fundraising efforts successful!

As you know, PUSD was running low on testing kits. We expect this situation to be resolved shortly. Please read below how testing will work on both campuses, when we have enough kits.

What kind of COVID-19 test is given?

The COVID-19 test is a nasal swab PCR test that the students can self-administer under the supervision of a PUSD nurse. Testing materials are provided by Valencia Lab and results will be received within 24-48 hours.

Who will be tested?

Students with informed consent will be tested. Any interested staff can be tested.

How can parents give informed consent?

Parents can provide informed consent through two ways:

• Register through the online platform: https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=cdph094
• Complete the hard copy registration forms in English or Spanish which will be provided for you by the COVID-19 Response Team.

What do parents and staff need to do prior to testing?

We encourage parents and staff to register with the COLOR system prior to arriving for testing, however, the Color system currently is available only in English. Therefore, we will provide hard copies of an informed consent form in English and Spanish at the registration table. If the student or staff member has tested with PUSD before, they will not have to register again.

To register for COVID-19 testing, please use this link:

https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=cdph094

The COVID-19 Response Team will also bring posters of the QR code that connects directly to the testing link.

When does the COVID-19 Response Team come to my school?

Multiple COVID-19 Response Team members are organized to go to each school one time per week. As resources increase, teams will begin to go to each site for more than one scheduled visit.

The schedule to begin on August 30 is as follows:

• Mondays, 7:45-11:00: Marshall, PHS, Muir, Blair
• Tuesdays, 7:45-3:30: Altadena, Field, Washington ES, Norma Coombs, Focus Point
• Wednesdays, 7:45-3:30: Longfellow, Don Benito, Washington MS. Willard/PALS/CIS Jackson, McKinley ES
• Thursdays, 7:45 - 3:30: Webster, Sierra Madre ES, Madison, San Rafael, McKinley MS
• Friday: 7:45-3:30: Eliot, Sierra Madre MS, Hamilton, Cleveland, Rose City

How will testing be conducted during school hours
More information on this procedure will come to you.

What happens if a student is in quarantine or isolation?

If a student is in isolation, then they are confirmed positive and do not need to test for 3 months after they received their lab-confirmed positive result

If a student is in quarantine, then they need to test off-site. They can:

• Test with their medical provider
• Make an appointment with the PUSD Primary Care Clinic at 351 S. Hudson Ave. by calling 626-396-3600 xt 88180.
• Participate in the drive-through clinic on Mondays at 351 S. Hudson Ave. in the south parking lot, enter on Oak Knoll.

When will the student or staff member receive their results?

Results will come in 24-48 hours.

Will Incentives be given to students for participating?

Yes, we will be providing students with various incentives for their participation in the testing program.

https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=cdph094

If you or your child are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, do not come to school for testing. Stay home. You can come to the PUSD Primary Care Clinic at 351 S. Hudson Ave. Please call 626-396-3600 xt 88180 for an appointment.

Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months, recovered, and are not showing any symptoms, are not recommended to test.

Dear Families,

As you may be aware the Delta variant, coupled with the fact that children under age 12 cannot yet be vaccinated, has put us all on high alert to ensure our safety practices are as robust as possible alongside the desire to get students back to school in person.

This fall we will continue with most of the safety protocols we had in place last spring.

• Masks are mandatory for all staff and students
• Purposeful hand washing and sanitizing
• Air purifiers in all classrooms
• Ventilation maximized by keeping doors open, as often as possible
• Maintaining 3 feet of social distancing whenever possible
• Having students eat outside, weather permitting
• Daily self health screening of students and staff
• Care room for isolating any student or staff member with symptoms of any kind
• 10 day quarantine for any person who tests positive
• Siblings of any positive cases must also remain home and in quarantine
• Weekly testing for staff and students (optional at this point)
• Campus COVID Safety Teams are still in place and will continue to meet virtually
• Families will be notified if they have been exposed to a positive case at school

Vaccinations

We are now able to mandate vaccinations for our employees. PUSD is working on the plan to ensure all employees are vaccinated.

Class Sizes

This is the one change from last spring. We will not limit class sizes, beyond the mandated ratios in K-5 classrooms.

Will my child be safe?

This is the #1 question principals are getting right now. The answer is, no one can say with 100% certainty that no one will get sick when we come back in person. However, all district employees that I know, who have children attending PUSD schools, are sending their students back to in person school. PUSD is committed to keeping all students and families safe. If the variant proves to be a threat to public health, I am confident PUSD will be ready to shut down in person school and pivot back to an online delivery model.

With that being said, every family must make their own decision about what's best for their child.

Independent Study

Independent Study run through our CIS school, is a viable option for those who need to keep their children at home. Government funds will not allow for specialty programs such as, IB, AP and DLIP to be offered in this format. However, PUSD is committed to hearing parents' concerns. If you are considering independent study but have questions about specialty programs, please fill out the interest form and book a consultation with the CIS team. They may be able to offer you a solution that is not ideal, but palpable until you are able to send your child/ren back to school in person.

If you would like to set up a conference or have more information, please see the attached PDF at the end of this newsletter.

As always, if you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. We are all in this together and we all want what's best for our students.

Respectfully,

Dr. Scheckel, Principal

If you are an elementary family, you received a hard copy of this handbook in the mail in June. If you are a middle school family, please take a look at this digital copy: Altadena Eliot Arts Magnet Academy Family Handbook

The Eliot specific information is not yet complete, but I wanted to make sure you had something before next week.

We will continue to update the calendar of events and other pertinent information this week. This is a live document so added information will be updated automatically.

Before leaving home all students, employees and parents must conduct a self check. Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I have a fever?

• Do I have a cough?

• Am I experiencing shortness of breath or difficulty breathing?

• Am I experiencing any other symptoms?

• Have I been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days?

• In the last two weeks, have I been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19?

If you respond "yes" to any of the questions, you must stay home and it is recommended that you contact your primary care physician for further medical advice. If you have a fever with cough or shortness of breath, you are urged to contact your primary care physician as these symptoms may be attributed to COVID-19. To protect others, stay home, wear a facemask when you seek medical care and follow the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Home Isolation Instructions. For more detailed symptom self-checker visit the Los Angeles County Public Health Department’s COVID-19 Symptom page.

October

● 10/1 Fall Picture Day PreK and 3-5

● 10/1 Eliot Parent Connect @ 5:30pm via Google Meet

● 10/6 National Walk to School Day

● 10/7 AAM Virtual School Tour at 9am

● 10/7 Eliot Behind the Scenes in person Tour at 6pm

● 10/7-10/8 CogAT testing begins for all 3rd graders and 4 and 5 graders new to PUSD

● 10/12 Elementary SSC @ 3pm and joint PTA meeting @5:45pm

● 10/13 Cougar Values Awards Assembly @ 8am on the playground

● 10/14 Joint ELAC Meeting @ 6:30 pm for both campuses

● 10/15 Elementary Parent Teacher Conference Day, Pupil Free, Virtual conferences for parents will be scheduled

● 10/19-10/20 Eliot Yearbook Photo days

● 10/21 Great California Shakeout Earthquake Drill @ 10:21 am both campuses

● 10/21 Reflections Art Contest Celebration

● 10/21 Cafe con Scheckel virtually at 8:15 am

● 10/22 Free Dress Friday at the elementary campus

● 10/25 - 10/29 Red Ribbon Week!

● 10/28 - Middle School Fall Play

●10/29 Book-O-Ween celebration at the elementary campus, Costume fun day a the elementary campus and Movie Night and Holiday tree and wreath sale kickoff!

Email: scheckel.benita@pusd.us
Website: https://www.pusd.us/Page/9
Location: 743 East Calaveras Street, Altadena, CA 91001, United States
Phone: 626-396-5650
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/altadenacougars/
Twitter: @altadenaES