SIGSBEE SCOOP
respect, responsibility, resilience
JULY 20-JULY 24, 2020
LAST WEEK OF LIVE LESSONS
A HUGE thank you to all of our staff members who volunteered their time over break to keep children learning and interacting. This is the last week of live lessons. The teachers will be focusing on getting ready for next year after this point. Don't miss your last chance to check in with our awesome staff.
REOPENING UPDATE from Mrs. Jannes
We are definitely navigating some uncharted territory as we work toward finding ways to bring students back to campus in a safe and supported manner. Sigsbee's Reopening Plan was submitted to the Monroe County School District (MCSD) this week after being reviewed by our Board of Directors. The determination for how and when we will open will be dependent upon direction from the Department of Health (DOH), MCSD, and CDC guidelines.
In a nutshell, we are committed to bringing students back ONLY when it is safe for the children AND our staff. We recognize that our stakeholders have very different opinions about what that means and that many families are dealing with stressful decisions and impending deadlines. I can assure you that the staff is working tirelessly to create the most innovative, well-planned, engaging and productive program for a number of situations. We are aware that school must look different and that every decision must be made with the utmost care.
We are also interpreting this situation as a chance to reimagine and innovate our programs to centralize the most significant needs of our students and capitalize on our ability to offer them some progressive learning opportunities.
The school calendar was modified this week, and is still subject to change as we get closer to our initial start date. Our staff will return in early August to begin the hard work of preparing for a number of scenarios. Students' return date will depend on the Phase that we are in, and decisions made by the DOH.
If in Phase B (moderate spread with some students attending school in-person and others working virtually with SCS teachers)- opening date August 31.
If in Phase C (substantial spread with all students working virtually with SCS teachers)- opening date August 17th.
Phase B requires significant adjustments to the campus and we will need the extra time to prepare. The later date will also give parents more time to commit to which option they are most comfortable with (in-person or home learning). We've seen an uptick in responses from our original survey. At the start, we had approximately 11-12% of parents thinking that they would choose our virtual option; now, that percentage is closer to thirty (30%). We will not be asking parents to commit to a decision until early August, when we have more direction about what mandates will be in place. However, your input is invaluable to our planning.
Phase C would result in all students matriculating in remote learning. Students will be provided with devices from school and we will assist families in securing internet connectivity for this phase. In Phase C, remote learning is not one option; it is the only option.
Important Clarification- SCS is collaborating with the MCSD on reopening plans and protocols. However, as a charter, our decisions are site-based. You will see a parent survey being disseminated from the MCSD this week. This does NOT apply to SCS. We have already sent our families our version of that survey (linked below). If you missed it, please fill it out. You may also submit a new response if you've changed your mind. Kindly note in the comments that your response is a resubmission.
Additionally, MCSD is offering its students the option to enroll in Monroe County Virtual School. This is NOT the same as Sigsbee's Home Learning virtual option. Should you decide to enroll in Monroe County Virtual School or FLVS, your child will be withdrawn from SCS and that spot filled by a student on our waiting list. If your intention is to keep your child at home to learn remotely with SCS, you should be selecting that option on OUR survey (Home Learning virtual live lessons).
FORGOT TO FILL OUT THE PARENT SURVEY ABOUT REOPENING?
It's not too late to tell us how you feel about our reopening plan. We are also using your responses to confirm that you are still registering your child at SCS. While we have over 400 responses, we are still missing quite a few. Click HERE to access the survey.
Click on the title link above to access more information about reopening. Our webpage includes the MCSD Reopening Guidelines and the plan that SCS submitted. We also have resources for additional learning opportunities posted at this site.
ZOOM MEETING WITH THE PRINCIPAL
Q & A About School Reopening Plans
Mrs. Jannes will host regular, open Zoom meetings with parents to update you on our progress with reopening and answer any questions. The first meeting will be held at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, July 22nd.
Concerns and questions from the parent survey will be addressed at this time. This is an OPEN Zoom meeting, meaning that the Meeting ID sent to you in email will allow you to access the platform even if you don't have your student's Sigsbee Account.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
We take pride in providing all initial school supplies for students at no cost to parents. We know how stressful it can be to find just the right folder or brand of glue stick on a small island. There are a few items that students typically bring from home. Those will be listed on our grade level websites once the teachers return from summer break. In the meantime, all students should have:
- face coverings- one on their face and others in the backpack to switch out with (masks, buffs, face shields, bandanas)
- a backpack (must fit in cubby or locker-no wheels)
- a filled reusable water bottle (no glass)
- a lunch box (if bringing in lunch or snack)
- earbuds or headphones
- water shoes (at some point during the year)
- combination lock (middle school)
- uniform shirts (middle school- can be purchased at Ramona's)
Please make sure all items are labeled with the child's first and last name.
In addition, the websites contain lists of items that parents may donate. We appreciate your generosity.
CLASSROOM DONATIONS
Families often ask us what they can do to help donate items to the classrooms. This year's list looks a bit different. We expect to need:
- Hand sanitizer (60%+ alcohol)
- Lysol/Clorox wipes
- Tissues
- Hand soap
- New, reusable face coverings
- Hand sanitizer (60%+ alcohol)
- Lysol/Clorox wipes
- Tissues
- Hand soap
- New, reusable face coverings
