YSES Newsletter

February 25 - First day for COHORT B to attend in person

March 1 - 2 hour Early Dismissal

March 1 - Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser for YSES PTA

Dear YSES Families,

Thank you for your continued flexibility and patience this week as we transitioned to hybrid learning, a new schedule, and possibly a new teacher. To add to this week of transition, the weather had to play a role! I ask for your continued patience as everyone adjusts to these changes.

I have included information that was sent out last week from FCPS regarding procedures/guidance for students and families in the hybrid learning model. Please take time to review.

Mask Expectations: Everyone in the school building will wear a face covering while at school. The information linked here is intended to provide clarity about the FCPS requirements for wearing face coverings in school buildings.

Daily COVID-19 Screening Questions: Each week, parents will receive a communication that contains daily screening questions prior to coming to school. Direct emails and/or calls will be sent using the contact information in our Student Information System. Reminders for students will also be communicated in Schoology. The screening information is linked for your convenience here.

Virtual Attendance in the Event of Mild Symptoms: If students are experiencing any symptoms of illness, they should stay home and parents should follow up with their child's health care provider. Students are encouraged to attend virtually any day they are not in school if they feel well enough to do so (even if it is a day for which they are scheduled to be in person). Please provide a note if your child is not able to attend in person or virtually due to illness.

Close Contact and Quarantine Details for Parents -- What to Expect: When a positive COVID-19 case is confirmed, FCPS will conduct a case investigation to determine if there was any close contact with other individuals. Close contact means that an individual was within six feet for a prolonged period of more than a cumulative of fifteen minutes over a 24-hour period. All identified close contacts will be immediately notified and asked to quarantine for ten days and monitor for potential symptoms. If the close contact becomes symptomatic, the individual should seek assistance from their healthcare provider.

Quarantine means:

• Stay home except to obtain medical care.
• Your child may not participate in any in person school activities.
• Avoid public spaces and practice physical distancing of six feet or more from other people.
• Wear a mask at all times around other people.

Monitoring means:

• Watch for fever. Check temperature twice a day, at least 6 hours apart and record in a log.
• If your student or anyone else in the household develops symptoms such as a fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pains, sore throat, or a new loss of taste or smell, contact your healthcare provider immediately.

For further details, the FCPS guidance for Student Health and Safety and COVID-19 Response Plan can be found at this link.

Governor Hogan's Travel Order: The governor issued an emergency order requiring Marylanders to limit all travel to essential purposes only. All Marylanders who do travel outside of Maryland must either obtain a negative COVID-19 test result or self-quarantine for 10 days. The exceptions to the order include Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Hybrid students who travel outside of Maryland will need to follow the governor's order and should access virtual instruction upon return for 10 days or until a negative COVID test is obtained.

Reducing Visitors to the School Building: For the protection of our staff and students, we will significantly limit visitors in the building. If you need to speak with administration or with someone at the school, please call the office in advance (most meetings will be held via phone or Google Meet). All students are afforded access to a free breakfast and lunch each day, so there should be minimal need for food to be dropped off for students. If you need to drop off or pick up anything else at school, you will be asked to leave it or pick up in the vestibule (thus limiting traffic in our front office).

Again, we thank you for your continued support of our Yellow Springs Eagles. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or myself. We are here to ensure our Eagles SOAR! Best regards, Sue

For your child's safety, please only allow your child to exit the car during morning drop-off when you have pulled next to the curb at the gymnasium. Similarly, please stop along the curb to pick up your child at dismissal. We do not want students walking were there is no sidewalk. Thank you!

We ask that transportation changes occur only in an emergency situation. Dismissal routines and procedures were planned with what families/guardians had indicated. In our current environment, changes can be difficult due to bus capacity restrictions and car rider routines that have been established. We appreciate your understanding.

Click the link below for important information regarding Art assignments for students who may have switched Art classes during the transition to Hybrid Learning:

Schoology Updates for Art

Our HERO Squad campaign is underway! Our campaign is running during the month of February to teach our students about kindness, bravery and how working together for one common goal will help both children and adults in their fight against cancer. Students who participate will receive Hero Gear thank-you gifts based on the donations they collect. All Hero Gear is earned through creating an online fundraising page and fundraising online. Our school’s fundraising page link is: https://events.lls.org/pages/md/YellowSpringsElementarySchool-2021. Click on Join Your School Team, make an account, and start fundraising! We are currently at $618 towards our goal of $1200. Together we can make CANCER disappear!

If your kids are sleeping in unwanted conditions like on the floor, sofa, or even in bed with mom or siblings, SHP can help! Click the link below for more information on requesting a free Twin single bed or free Twin bunk bed:

Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP)

Parents can help with the adjustment of returning to school by teaching children the importance of wearing masks. This printable book explains why we need to wear masks, and it includes a coloring activity. Students should also start wearing their masks for extended times at home. This practice will help students get accustomed to the feel of the mask, and it will be one less adjustment when they return.

FREE Printable story - The Task of the Mask

Mrs. Workmeister's websites:

For parents:

https://sites.google.com/fcps.org/yellow-springs-elementary/home

For students:

https://sites.google.com/fcps.org/yellow-springs-es/home

Save the Date!

March 1st - 5-8pm Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night Fundraiser

Rt. 26 Location. Drive-thru only. Excludes mobile orders (don't order with the App).

A group of students at TJ High School have organized a fundraiser to purchase an electronic sign to replace the letter board sign on Motter Avenue by the stadium. They are raising funds through this GoFundMe link, and on February 20th are planning to run a 24-hour livestream to provide some entertainment and laughs while raising money. You can find updates and the schedule for the livestream on Facebook and Instagram. The schedule is also linked below:

24 Hours of TJ Schedule : Page 1 Page 2

Email: kimberly.manley@fcps.org
Website: education.fcps.org/yses
Location: 8717 Yellow Springs Road
Phone: (240)236-1700