Hunter Headlines

Hello and Welcome Back Hunter Families,

We are excited for you to be returning to Hunter for Face-to-Face learning! This year, more than ever, we have seen the power of teamwork at Hunter between Staff, Families and Students. We are thrilled you will all be joining that team effort. It has taken patience, flexibility, grace, and communication, from all, to adjust and improve the school experience for students. The newsletter below is full of information that will be helpful for you and your returning student(s). At this point in the year we are confident in our processes, procedures and protocols and looking forward to our continues success.

Use the link below to watch a short video showing our main entrances, one way traffic flow at Hunter, and some of the safety measure in place: https://gibdistnet.finalsite.com/cf_media/index.cfm?obj=485

Our transporation department also made a video with some helpful information for our students who ride the bus: https://gibdistnet.finalsite.com/cf_media/index.cfm?obj=482

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the main office at Hunter.

My Best,

Jenna Mullins

Hunter Elementary

Principal

It is always very exciting to find out who your classroom teacher will be!

Teacher Placement and Meet the Teacher:

You will find out who your child will have as a teacher on January 21st. You will recieve an email directly from your child's teacher. This letter will also include information about how you will meet your child's teacher on January 27th. Teachers will share key information specifically about their classroom routines and procedures, what doors your child will enter and exit, and their dismissal time. These will be in-person meetings for our Young Fives, Kindergarten and First Grade students. These will be Zoom meetings for our Second, Third and Fourth grade students.

Technology:

Young Fives, Kindergarten and First Grade students will need to turn in their Chromebook and be issued an iPad. This will take place on January 27th. You will get a sign-up for this from your child's teacher on January 21st.

Second grade students will be issued an iPad when the come to school on February 1st. They will need to bring their Chromebook to school that day to swap it out.

Third, Fourth and Fifth grade students will continue to use the Chromebook they currently have.

All students need to bring their technology to and from school every day.

Please complete this survey so we are aware if your child will need transportation to and/or from school.

Click HERE for Transportation Survey

All families should use the checklist attached below EVERYDAY before sending their child(ren) to school. If you answer "YES" to any of the screening questions your child must stay home from school.

PLEASE always call our school office and report if your child is ill. Our secretary may ask you about specific symptoms that your child is displaying. Should your child and/or another family member that lives in your house receive a positive Covid19 Test, PLEASE NOTIFY THE SCHOOL IMMEDIATELY!

You can go to this link to view one of our GSD families administering the screening tool: https://youtu.be/SsZgaXtEPiU

Any student that has a medical note written by a Doctor that states they can not medically tolerate a face mask due to a medical condition, MUST meet with the principal and Nursing Services Liaison (NSL) prior to the start of school. A student is NOT ALLOWED to show up on the first day of school with a medical note to ride the bus or to attend school. Any student who shows up on the first day of school or at the bus stop with a medical note, will be sent home or not allowed to ride the bus until a meeting is set up with the principal, NSL, and parent.

In an effort to help children get more comfortable with wearing masks for an extended period of time, it would be beneficial for them to practice this skill for 30 minutes at a time (or more) before school begins. They could try wearing their mask in the car, while watching tv, while playing on an iPad, when reading a book with an adult, or any other time. While practicing wearing a mask, students should ensure their mouth and nose are completely covered. This additional practice will help them be more comfortable when school begins and help create a safer environment for all.

We do suggest your child keep an extra mask, or two, in their bookbag in case their primary mask becomes dirty. If a child needs an extra mask for any reasons and a student doesn’t have one, the school will provide one.

Arrival and dismissal will look quite different this year, as we work to create a safe and distanced approach to both. We are planning a staggered arrival and dismissal. The plan outlined below is our first attempt at this. With many new procedures and protocols set to be implemented. Please be ready for additional changes in the first days and weeks of school, if necessary.

One of our biggest changes this year is that parents will NOT be allowed to exit their cars at arrival and dismissal.

As always, we need our families to follow the processes in order for them to work for our students. While we understand it will take a few days for students and families to become confident with their child's entry and dismissal location, we need parents to stay in their cars. At dismissal we will walk students to the front of the building to enter your vehicles. At arrival students will walk to their entrance independently.

The purpose of this process is to create a pick-up line, therefore there is no need for any vehicle, picking up a student, to park. Please stay in the pick-up line, and do not arrive before your youngest child's dimissal time. We will dismiss siblings at the youngest students dismissal time. That never changes, even if a younger sibling is absent, students always dismiss at the same time.

Arrival:

Students can arrive and enter Hunter Elementary at 8:43 AM. Students may not arrive prior to 8:43 AM, to ensure a safe parking lot, social distancing and available staff supervision. Students can arrive at school from 8:43 AM to 9:10 AM. No students should exit their vehicle or wait by their entrance prior to 8:43.

We need students to arrive throughout the arrival band to create a staggered entry for students. Essentially, we do not want all our students to arrive at 8:43 AM or at 9:10 AM.

Once the year is up and running we believe families will find their sweet spot for arrival.

We will not mark students tardy until after 9:10 AM. Students will enter through their designated door (below). All students must enter the building independently. Students should have their mask on prior to exiting the vehicle. Anyone who exits a vehicle must be wearing a mask. Again, the purpose of this extended arrival time is to stagger arrival to maintain social distancing.

Any student arriving after 9:10 AM must enter through the main entrance at the front of the building.

We will share video during our virtual Back-2-School Night that shows every classroom and grade level entry and exit door.

Dismissal:

At the end of the school day, students will exit from the same door they used at arrival. Our teachers (whose classrooms do not face the front parking lot) will walk students to the front of the building at dismissal. All students will enter their vehicle along the front of the building. All students enter their vehicle along the front of the building. This is to ensure we do not have students walking in the parking lot. It is imperative that families do not arrive prior to their dismissal time. If families are arriving early, this process will not work. Additional we will have one lane coned off along the building to ensure our students are safe as they walk to the front of the building, this will create a pick-up line.

Dismissal Times (by grade level) for FULL DAYS:

Young 5's: 3:15 pm

Kindergarten: 3:25 pm

First Grade: 3:35 pm

Second Grade: 3:40 pm

Third Grade: 3:45 pm

Fourth: 3:48 pm

Fifth: 3:48 pm

Dismissal Times (by grade level) for HALF-DAYS:

Young 5's: 11:25 am

Kindergarten: 11:35 am

First Grade: 11:45 am

Second Grade: 11:50 am

Third Grade: 11:55 am

Fourth Grade: 12:00 pm

Fifth Grade: 12:00 pm

As we work in partnership to keep our school family healthy and safe, it will be imperative that when the school calls, you answer and be prepared to pick your child up in a timely manner should they have symptoms of being ill. If you can not pick up your child, please create a contingency plan that can be utilized immediately. PLEASE make sure all contact numbers are active and all emergency contacts are up to date, too.

ParentConnect is the web application connected to our Student Information System. It will allow you to review current, up-to-the-minute information about your student including their emergency contact information.

Emergency contact information has always been vitally important and it continues to be. More communication than ever will be coming home via email opposed to paper copies.

When you need to update your contact information the web address for the ParentConnection site is:

https://zangleweb.resa.net/Gibraltar/ParentConnect

If you encounter technical difficulties using your account, please send email to:

parentconnect@gibdist.net

ALL visitors/parents must call and make an appointment to come into the building. Everyone has to wear a mask in the building at all times. In an effort to limit visitors in our building, parents/guardians may request a phone meeting with staff or a Zoom call.

If a parent or guardian needs to drop off a lunch or a forgotten device or something else to their child, you will be buzzed into the foyer area ONLY and place the item in the grade designated container. A building staff member will deliver that item to your child’s classroom.

If you are packing your child's lunch, please make sure they can open all the items on their own. This would be a great thing to practice at home. Capri Sun drinks and Go-Gurt often give our younger students trouble.

All meals ordered through our Food Service Department, will be delivered to the classrooms. All students will be eating in their classrooms for both meals.

All students can receive free breakfast and lunch at school, daily, for the rest of the school year.

There are several processes and procedures that have had to be updated in our Elementary Student/Parent Handbook to align with the strict guidelines we must follow for COVID-19. Please carefully review the handbook changes with your student and family. The changes are attached below.

Classes will go outside for recess with their classroom teacher. Each class will have to stay with ONLY their class/cohort during recess. Each class will have a scheduled time to enjoy fresh air, run and play and have FUN! When returning to their classroom all students and teachers will be required to wash and/or sanitize their hands before resuming class work.

If you need to pick your child up early from school, please call the office WHEN YOU ARE IN THE PARKING LOT so we can call your child down at that time ONLY. You will be buzzed into the foyer area ONLY not the office area. You will be asked to show your identification to a staff member through the glass and then your child will be released to you. Please understand this procedure is in place to limit exposure for all.

The students riding a bus will be given a card with their bus seat number on it the first day they ride. Students may NOT change seats unless the driver directs the student to move to another seat. Siblings will be seated together. Once at school the first day, that seat assignment card will be attached to your child’s backpack for future reference. Students will be loaded onto the bus based on their particular bus stop. For example, the first stop in the AM, those students will be seated in the back of the bus, the next stop those students will move towards the back and fill the next available seats. On the way home, the bus will be loaded in reverse order. At the bus stops, please wear your masks and have your child(ren) standing approximately 6 feet apart from other families. As the students enter the bus they MUST have on their mask, they will get hand sanitizer and move directly to their assigned seat. Students are NOT allowed to remove their masks, use loud voices or touch other students.

Email: mullinsj@gibdist.net
Website: https://www.gibdist.net/hunter-elementary
Location: 21320 Roche Road, Brownstown Charter Township, MI, USA
Phone: (734)379-6390