Big reminders for SPE Families this week!

This is the last week of the first semester. Second semester will begin on Tuesday, January 19th, following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The final VirtualEd materials pick-up/return of the first semester will be on Wednesday, Jan. 13.

This is the LAST WEEK to order your 2020-2021 yearbook! Don't miss out - ORDER HERE!

A Personal Note...

Mrs. Peemoeller, who will be our substitute principal while I am out on maternity leave, will be overlapping with me a couple of days on the week of Jan. 11th, while I am (hopefully) still full-time in the building. We will also overlap while she is working in the building and I am working from home the weeks of Jan. 19th and Jan. 25th (unless baby comes early!). I will then be out on maternity leave from February through mid-April.

My husband is deployed to Afghanistan this school year but will be home for a few weeks around the time the little one makes her arrival. I know maternity leave will be a very special time and I plan to soak it all in.....but honestly I am struggling a little bit with the idea of missing out on all things SPE. I truly love my job! SPE has the very best staff, as you know. With the support of Mrs. Peemoeller, I know our students and community will continue to be in the best of hands. Thank you for all the warmth, support, and thoughtfulness through this time. It has been incredible to anticipate the little one's arrival with the kids and community of SPE!

In an effort to better partner with our parents for our students' social-emotional development, we want to share with you what our focus has been at school this year! This is a great opportunity to use the same vocabulary and tools, helping students to better internalize these essential life management and coping skills.

Check out the message from our leader of this charge, SPE's Counselor Mr. Jackson!

https://youtu.be/nBIIeSRMAZY

Spelling Bee Winners:

1. Neha Nair (5th - George)
2. Anirvin Krishna (5th - George)
3. Ameya Krishna (4th - Palmer)

Thank you to all our Spelling Bee participants this year! Mrs. Duggan and Mrs. Brown coordinated the Spelling Bee this year. Interested 3rd-5th grade students took the first round test online, and the top 3 spellers from each classroom also took the second round tests online from home. The second round for SPE ended in a 3-way tie (of the students listed above), so we had to quickly host a Zoom run-off with the Spelling Bee finalists this past Wednesday - exciting playoffs for spelling lovers! The "run-off" resulted in the placings shown above. Neha will advance to the Johnson County Spelling Bee with Anirvin serving as her alternate in case she is unable to attend.

Congrats to the whole 4th grade! They were the grade level to collect the most items of cold weather gear for Ava's Angels last month! Ava Jones is bringing the kids all goody bags as a reward for their generousity. Thank you, families, for supporting us as we build community by helping those in need.

We could use some supplies for the safety of our In-Person learners and staff!

If you are able to find these supplies, we are in need of:

- Clorox (or Lysol) wipes

- Child and adult sized surgical face masks

Thank you for your continual generosity - it truly makes the load lighter!

Monday, Jan. 11

• VirtualEd 1st-5th (Mon. Specials)
• In-Person - Specials Day 3
• BVSD BOE Meeting

Tuesday, Jan. 12

• VirtualEd 1st-5th (Tues. Specials)

• In-Person - Specials Day 4

Wednesday, Jan. 13

• VirtualEd 1st-5th (Wed. Specials) - Materials Pick-up
• In-Person - Specials Day 1

Thursday, Jan. 14

• VirtualEd 1st-5th (Thurs. Specials)
• In-Person - Specials Day 2
• LAST DAY of Second Quarter
• FIRST DAY - PTO "Can Creations" Harvesters Donation Drive

Friday, Jan. 15

• NO SCHOOL
• LAST DAY! To purchase a 2020-2021 yearbook!

Join us for some family building fun to raise donations for Harvesters. The goal is to design and build a structure of your choice out of canned goods and non-perishable food items with your family. Snap a picture of your structure (without any family members) and we will have an anonymous vote the week of February 1st. The winner will be announced on February 8th. The winning family will win a pizza party!

After you take your picture and send it to cancreationsspe@gmail.com please come donate your cans and non-perishable food items to the Harvesters bins in front of SPE. Submissions for the can creation contest will be taken from January 14th to January 30th. The donation bins will be outside of SPE from January 14-January 28th.

You are more than welcome to make donations without creating a structure, but we would love to see your creativity!

HARVESTERS’ MOST NEEDED ITEMS

• Nonperishable Food Household/Personal Care Products
• Canned vegetables (low sodium)
• Canned fruit in 100% juice
• Canned chicken, tuna, salmon (packed in water)
• Peanut, almond or sun butter
• Canned soup (chicken, tomato or vegetable)
• Cereal – hot and cold (whole grain, low sugar preferred)
• Dried fruit (no added sugar preferred)
• Brown rice
• Whole grain pasta
• Soap
• Deodorant
• Shampoo
• Toilet Paper

*Please no glass, perishable food items, or homemade food items*

We need help from all our families this year to obtain pictures. We will have VirtualEd students included, so we will definitely have to rely on photos from home to ensure we have some great shots of all!

There are 3 ways you could share your photos:

• For the yearbook only…

• Download the Balfour app - Code: 128074

• Email to our Yearbook Chair Kati Bernard @ katilee@hotmail.com

• For any purpose, upload to this Google Folder

Please specify your child’s teacher’s name on the photo!

*** UPDATED ***

Material pick-ups remaining for the 1st semester…

• January 13 - This will be the first date items can be distributed to students who are new to a class or new to VirtualED for the second semester. This may also be used as a supply return date for those who will be changing classes at the end of the semester.

On pick-up dates, your teachers may be available to hand out supplies at these times below. (Check with your teacher directly to know for certain.) Otherwise, families are welcome to pick-up contactless at the times shown in the following paragraph ....

• 10:00-11:00 AM - Mr. Bartel's 3rd grade class

• 11:00 AM-12:00 PM - Ms. George's 5th grade class + Mrs. Samuelson's 1st grade class

• 1:00-2:00 PM - Mrs. Palmer's 4th grade class + Mrs. Kurimsky's 2nd grade class

• You are welcome to a complete a contactless pick-up of your supplies during any of the following time windows, though your teacher will not be available during these times:

• 7:30-8:00 AM

• 9:00 AM-2:45 PM

• 4:00-4:30 PM

--------------------

Second Semester Pick-up Dates

February 3

February 24

March 24

• This is a month from last pick up date because of Spring Break.

April 14

May 5

May 26

• This is the week before the last week of school, but it could allow for pick up for yearbooks or summer school materials.

Pathways - The following Fridays from 1:30-2:45 PM are the second semester dates for Pathways sessions:

• Feb. 12
• Mar. 12
• Apr. 30
• May 21

We would love to have our VirtualEd students better represented on the daily announcements! In order to do so, we are asking all interested VirtualEd families to video themselves reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and upload the video here so we can include it in the announcements.

The most recently published district calendar can be found HERE.

• Jan. 15 is now a no-school day (was previously a half-day of school).
• Spring Break is now the full week of March 15-19 (instead of just Mar. 18 and 19 as was on the earlier versions of this year's calendar).
• The 3rd quarter ends Friday, March 26.
• The last day of school for the year is Thursday, June. 3.

At the end of each quarter, courses in Canvas will conclude and will no longer be visible on the Canvas app and website. Courses for this year’s second quarter will conclude on January 14th. Report cards will be generated and families will be able to view second quarter grades on ParentVUE at the end of the day on January 25, 2021.

How do I view my child’s report card?

• Log in on ParentVue

• Select your elementary student’s name

• In the left navigation bar, choose REPORT CARD

If you have questions about Standards Based Grading as you view your child’s report card, please review the information found on the Elementary Report Card resource page.

Each new quarter, classroom teachers will publish their next quarter Canvas course. As courses are published, students and families will again be able to see current courses on the Canvas app and Canvas website. For Canvas parent resources, visit www.bluevalleyk12.org/canvas.

We will be administering Winter MAP tests year to measure the current instructional levels of our students. This year’s Winter testing window is January 25th to February 12th, as we want students to test with their 2nd semester teachers. Families of VirtualEd 2nd graders (for the second semester) will receive more communication as the testing window nears.

Data obtained through this particular instance of MAP testing will measure student progress on specific standards and will provide us with information and insight that allow us to better support your student.

Instead of having a day off of school for inclement weather conditions this school year, school will continue in a virtual format on inclement weather days for all students. This model is intended to reduce the chances of having to extend the calendar for the 2020-2021 school year.

In-Person --> Teachers are preparing for a snow day schedule of learning with at least two live check-ins via Zoom and asynchronous work that can be done from home.

VirtualEd --> The schedule for VirtualEd classes will match those of in-person classes on these days when in-person learning is canceled, and, thus, the day will NOT match classes' regular daily schedules. All specials classes will be asynchronous.

Monday, Jan. 18

• NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Tuesday, Jan. 19

• VirtualEd 1st-5th (Tues. Specials)

• In-Person - Specials Day 3

Wednesday, Jan. 20

• VirtualEd 1st-5th (Wed. Specials)
• In-Person - Specials Day 4
• Mental Fitness: Practical Applications of Distress Management (BVEF-Sponsored Event for Parents)
  

Thursday, Jan. 21

• VirtualEd 1st-5th (Thurs. Specials)
• In-Person - Specials Day 1

Friday, Jan. 22

• VirtualEd 1st-5th (Fri. Specials)
• In-Person - Specials Day 2

This layer of attention to student masking is being made to help reduce the likelihood that students create unnecessary high-risk exposures for one another. Keep in mind that, if your child is not able to wear his or her mask with fidelity for any reason, then he or she is more likely to have to quarantine due to exposure and to create high-risk exposure for others, leading to increased quarantines for classmates and staff as well.

Ensuring that masks are worn with fidelity helps us keep both the spread and the quarantines away from school as low as possible, especially considering the climbing local case numbers.

Our continued focus is to improve student mask-wearing in terms of...

• Fit (if the mask does not stay above the nose or needs frequent readjustments across the school day, it doesn't fit properly)
• Cleanliness (is wet or soiled)
• Ability to withstand physical activity, such as running during recess (often gaiters don't meet this criteria)

You may see your child come home with a different mask from the one they went to school in. If so, it is most likely that we have issued one at school because one of the 3 above factors were true. If you are wondering whether your child is struggling with the fit, cleanliness or recess withstandability of his or her mask, please contact your teacher to ask.

Some families are choosing to send in extra masks with their child, in case one becomes soiled, wet, or stretched out/loosened during the day. That has worked very well!

With cold and flu season arriving and local COVID cases climbing, it is extra important for families to call Nurse Ayres at 913-239-7500 or email her at sayres@bluevalleyk12.org BEFORE sending your child to school if they are experiencing ANY of the symptoms shown in the image below. If you are unable to reach the nurse before deciding whether to send your child to school, please email her to let her know of your child's symptoms so that she can check in with your child when he or she arrives at school.

A single symptom does NOT necessarily mean your child will need to miss school; however, double-checking may save others from being exposed and/or having to quarantine. This can make a BIG difference for ALL, including keeping teachers and students in school!

In an effort to keep our school community informed when we have a positive case, families can expect to be contacted directly if, through the contact tracing process conducted by the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) and the district's health professionals' team, either of the following two conditions are met:

1. Your child was identified as a low-risk exposure of a student or staff member who tested positive for COVID-19. (This will only require that you monitor your child for potential symptoms.) OR
2. Your child was identified as a high-risk exposure/close contact of a student or staff member who tested positive for COVID-19. (In this case, your child will most likely be required to quarantine according to JCDHE guidelines.)

If your child’s proximity to or nature of the interaction with the positive individual did not indicate a low or high-risk exposure, then you will not be contacted when their is a positive case in the school.

If your child has to quarantine, you can expect the following...

• (If the exposure happened at school) to NOT know the exact details as to why or who else was involved.

• This can be really frustrating, but the privacy is essential. It will require a high level of trust that the contact tracing process would have only resulted in a quarantine for your child if he/she were determined to be a close contact of the positive individual.

• For some school work and materials (including students’ school-issued device) to be made available

• Each grade-level team of teachers has made plans for how they will provide learning activities to your child in these circumstances.

• Please note that there are some limitations to what can be provided. We want to be transparent about that, so please be aware that we are unable to:

• Recreate all in-class learning experiences

• Live stream class sessions

• Contactless Material Pick-up:

• We will have a blue storage bin outside the front circle drive– labeled “Contactless Pick Up” where staff will place items (bagged and labeled: student name/teacher name/grade) for family pick up. Pick up times are below (only on days when school days are in session). We will not leave the bin outside while the school is closed.

• 7:30 - 8:00 AM

• 9:00 AM – 2:45 PM