"ROCK"in' Back to School!

 Job well done! We could not have asked for a better two days, given our current situation! We ask for your continued support and patience as we take what we have learned over the last two days and work to make adjustments to be more efficient and effective! 

Here is a sneak peek on what has gone on in the building over the last two days!

Curriculum/Title 1 Night

What: Live Zoom Presentation (Curriculum Night)
Time: (Grades K-2) 6:00-6:30    (Grades 3-4) 6:30-7:00
Objective: A time where you will be able to meet your child's classroom teacher/team and be informed on; classroom procedures, expectations, means of communication, and grade-level curriculum.

When: Thursday, September 17, 2020

*You will receive a notification and an invite to the Zoom by your child's teacher early next week.

Yearbook Update From PTO:

The yearbook situation has been frustrating, to say the least. We have been in frequent contact with Lifetouch, who is the elementary school yearbook vendor. As we’ve shared before, their facility has been hit with multiple COVID breakouts, which has resulted in frequent shutdowns. The latest update we received is that our books are close to final production, but this could take anywhere from two days to four weeks. Once we have our yearbooks, we will figure out a distribution plan which will be communicated through Facebook and Mr. Kimpland’s blog. We are just as frustrated as many of our students and parents but are trying to understand that they, like many others, are doing the best they can under the circumstances.

 

Last Minute Reminders!

Ready to "ROCK"!

"The Rock" is ready to go! It was great to have the staff back over the last two days, as we have two more days together before we welcome our WILDCATS on September 10th! I would like to commend all staff members at Split Rock Elementary as there has been an incredible amount of time and energy spent on making sure we are prepared and ready! I would also like to thank the Split Rock community for their patience and understanding. There will be moving parts that will require adjustments all year. Please know that we will work hard to iron out any issues that might come our way! The safety and well-being of our Split Rockers will be our number one priority and we will do our best to make sure all students feel safe and comfortable within the building!

Remote Students

Just a friendly reminder to be sure you come to Split Rock on Wednesday, September 9, between the hours of 12:00-3:00 to retrieve your Chromebook and instructional supplies. We ask that you enter through the gymnasium doors, which are located in the front of the building and will be clearly labeled.

*Please note remote learning begins on Monday, September 14.

Don't Forget! STUDENT DAILY HOME SCREENING SHEETS!

Parent responsibilities regarding the Screening Sheet are invaluable as we work collaboratively between home and school to ensure the safety of your child and the entire school community!  On occasion, you may forget to send your child's Screening Sheet, which is understandable. For that reason, we will have temperature checks at each entrance. Your attention to detail regarding this matter would help us expedite this process and allow us to start our daily routines in a timely manner. 

Self-Transportation (Arrival and Dismissal)

Again, we cannot stress the importance of parents following arrival and dismissal procedures for Split Rock and the times that coincide with those. This is for the safety of all staff, students and families.

Arrival Times:

8:40-8:55 Parent/Guardian Drop Off

9:00 Bus Drop Off

*For any parents/guardians late dropping students off, you must wait until all buses have departed before entering the parking lot.

Departure Times:

2:15-2:20 Bus Dismissal

2:25 Student Pick-Up (Please do not enter the parking lot until all buses have departed).

Do you plan on carpooling?

If your child is getting picked up by anybody other than who is in SchoolTool, you must send a note the morning of the pick-up indicating who has the permission to pick your child up. This individual must have your car tag and a form of identification! Upon arrival, we will ask for identification and verify we have a note before dismissing the student. 

Example:

If an individual is picking up two students (besides their own), they must have all three car tags (their child's and the other two) and identification with them.

When Should I request a car tag?

If you plan on picking your child up more than twice a month, please contact the office so we can issue a car tag.

What if I need to pick up my child early on a given day?

This must occur before 2:05. Please plan ahead and send a note in with your child. Parents/guardians will be asked to check-in at the main office and show identification to sign any child out. 

School Bus Transportation

Information about the district mobile app called Traversa Ride 360 is also included in your back to school packet.  If you opted for school bus transportation, you will need to use the app to find details specific to your child's bus route.  Here is a guide to using the Traversa Ride 360 mobile. Bus tags will be passed out by your child's homeroom teacher on the first day of school. 

Preparing for School Meals

If you choose to have school meals, breakfast and lunch will be delivered to the classrooms. Lunches can and should be pre-ordered through our new Nutri-Slice online system. A description of the app and how to use it is included in the back to school packet you will receive in the mail, or you can click here to find it directly on the school website.

Rockin' into September!

We're BACK!

Today marks Opening Day for all staff members. It was great to see everyone and begin working as a unit in continued preparation for the 2020-2021 school year. I can tell you that everyone is very excited to welcome back our students on Thursday, September 10! 

Back to School Video

Please be sure to click here to check out the Back To School Video!

Remote Students

Students/families of remote learners will be asked to retrieve their Chromebook and instructional supplies on Wednesday, September 9, between the hours of 12:00-3:00. We ask that you enter through the gymnasium doors which is located in the front of the building near the nurse's office. This will be clearly labeled. 

Medication, Physical Examinations, and Immunization Requirements

Mrs. Balcourt is contacting and scheduling times with those families that would need to drop off
any medication(s) for their child. Students are not allowed to bring their own medicine to school. If you have not been contacted or have any questions regarding this procedure please contact Mrs. Balcourt at 315-487-4656. For information regarding necessary physical exams and immunization requirements, please refer to this recent Notes from West Genesee Nurses to Families. 

Arrival and Dismissal

We can't stress enough the importance of parents following the arrival and dismissal procedures for Split Rock.  For arrival, students can be dropped off from 8:40 - 8:55. No cars will then be allowed into the parking lot until all of the buses have arrived and unloaded. For dismissal, no cars will be allowed into the parking lot until all of the buses have been loaded, roughly 2:25 to 2:30.If at all possible, please try not to pick your child up early unless it is absolutely unavoidable. All early pick-ups must occur by 2:05. Car tags and bus tags along with the procedures for arrival and dismissal will be sent home by the end of the week. Please check your bus tag for accuracy and let us know if anything needs to be changed.

End of August Update from "The Rock"

We are excited to get the year started and are eager to welcome our Wildcats back on Thursday, September 10. As you begin to receive more information, procedures and protocols please know you can always contact the office at 315 487-4646 or email me at mkimpland@westgenesee.org with any further questions or concerns. 

Class Placements

Our summer mailing will be going out no later than Tuesday, September 1. We want to make sure we get this right and not have to make too many adjustments after releasing all pertinent information. Thank you for your patience. 

The summer mailing will include:

• Class placement
• School Meal Program information
• Student Emergency Data Forms (2 sided)
• Student Daily Home Screening Sheet
• Student pick-up and drop-off procedures (2 sided)
• School bus transportation information

* Class Supply Lists are located under the Split Rock links on the website www.westgenesee.org. 

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures  

REMINDER: All students should have their Daily Home Screening Sheets with them upon entering the building! If not, students will have their temperatures checked by a staff member prior to going to class. 

ARRIVAL PROCEDURES

8:40-8:55 Parent/Guardian Drop Off 

• Please pull up as close to the “drop off” zone (see map) as possible to eliminate as much traffic as possible on Split Rock Road. 

• Please do not drop off prior to 8:40 as there will be no supervision. 

• If you arrive after 8:55 you must wait until all buses are gone before entering the parking lot.

• Parents are asked to stay in their cars. For those needing to assist their child with a car seat, you may do so. We ask that you stay as close to your car as possible.

• We will utilize two entrances K-2 & 3-4 (see map). 

LATE ARRIVAL PROCEDURES

After 9:15 and the doors have been locked with no supervision outside,

• We ask that the parent/guardian check-in at the main office and sign their child in. 

• Students will need the Daily Home Screening Sheets, if not their temperature will be taken prior to going to class. 

DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

• 2:15-2:20 Bus Dismissal 

• Parents picking up students from school must wait until all buses have departed prior to pulling into the parking lot.  

• 2:25 Student Pick-up

• All student pick-ups will take place at the curb and within the bus loop.

• Parents are asked not to enter the building as students will be escorted to their cars.

• Families will receive a car number tag which will correspond to their child’s number tag.  These will be sent home in a separate mailing with more details.

• Considerations will be made for families who carpool.

• Several staff members will be outside ensuring a safe process.

EARLY DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

***This must occur before 2:05 *** 

Please plan ahead and send a note in with your child. Parents or guardians will be asked to check-in at the main office and show id in order to sign any child out. 

We ask for your continued support and patience as both arrival and dismissal will be very different than in the past!

Student Daily Home Screening Sheets   

West Genesee Central School District is following guidelines from the NY State Education Department, the Center for Disease Control, and the Onondaga County Health Department to take every precaution necessary in keeping your child and family as safe and healthy as possible.  

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, all students and all staff are required to monitor their own health and fill in a Daily Home Screening Sheet daily before entering the building. Please see the attachment.
Daily Protocol:  

• Complete the Daily Home Screening Slip for each child and send it to school with the child every day.  

• The child will hand the Screening Slip to a designated staff member greeting him/her at the door and proceed to class. 

• If the Screening Slip indicates any symptom(s) the child will be sent to the nurse for parent contact.

• If the child does not have a screening sheet, his/her temperature will be taken at the school entrance.  Any child whose temperature reads 100 degrees or more will be sent to the nurse, and contact will be made to have the child picked up from school.  Any child whose temperature is within the normal range will proceed to class.

Please note:  Parent responsibilities regarding the Screening Sheet are invaluable as we work collaboratively between home and school to ensure the safety of your child and the entire school community!  On occasion, you may forget to send your child’s Screening Sheet, which is understandable. For that reason, we will have temperature checks at each entrance. Your attention to detail regarding this matter would help us expedite this process and allow us to start our daily routines in a timely manner. 

Please go to the West Genesee Central School District Website at westgenesee.org and become familiar with our Reopening Plan by clicking the link.  If you click on the link for the Printable Version of the plan, you will find a helpful Table of Contents. The health information is found on pages 8-9.

Practice At Home

Now would be a great time to start practicing the safety tips below! The staff at Split Rock will review and practice these procedures daily over the first couple weeks of the school ensuring we are doing our best to keep everyone safe and healthy. Feel free to visit our Health Services Page for more informational links and other health resources.

Mid - August Update from "The Rock"

I hope this finds all our WILDCATS and their families well. I wanted to take a minute and hopefully offer some more information to help process the start of the school year. I will continue to share out information as it is finalized. Until then, you all have one job and that is, continue to enjoy the last few weeks of summer and take the time to read a good book!

Panel Discussion on the Reopening of Schools

Superintendent David Bills, along with other district staff, will be giving a detailed presentation about the reopening of schools. This presentation, given both Wednesday, 8/19 and Thursday, 8/20, is intended for parents and guardians. Today is the deadline to register and submit questions. As of this morning, the 8/19 meeting is full (met the Zoom capacity), but there are still openings for the 8/20 meeting. Here is the link to register for Thursday's meeting. 

Kindergarten Screening

We are looking forward to meeting the class of 2033 and our newest WILDCATS! Kindergarten screening letters have been mailed out to all registered families. The screening process will take place on Tuesday, August 25. Please be sure to review the information for your scheduled time. The school nurse will be present at the main entrance for temperature checks (parents and students) prior to entering the building! 

Masks Students will be required to wear masks throughout the day. Teachers will give students "mask breaks" during the day (when all students are seated and the teacher is not moving about the room) and studentswill obviously be able to remove their mask when they eat. Face shields cannot be worn unless they are in addition to a mask. Please let me know if you have any additional questions about mask-wearing. 

Classrooms 

Due to the limited amount of students we can have in a classroom, we have had to make several adjustments and shift teachers to different areas of the building. We have essentially completed room assignments and are in the midst of "moving out" and "moving in." This has been a very daunting task and I must thank the entire staff for all their hard work over the last couple of weeks. 

Class Rosters 

Class sizes could range between 10-20 students depending on the size of the space we are utilizing. All social distancing requirements will be followed in all settings. We are currently working on class rosters and look to have that completed very soon.  

Instruction

The additional classes we had to create does mean many different grades could be working as a team and teachers could be rotating between classrooms throughout the day to deliver instruction. Certified teachers within those teams will be delivering the bulk of the academic instruction and core curriculum.  In an effort to limit movement throughout the building, special area teachers will come to the classrooms. When the weather is nice, physical education will take place outside. 

Arrival Procedures

 As of right now we know, school begins at 9:00 a.m. Parents may drop off their children between 8:40 and 8:55. Students cannot begin unloading from cars until 8:40. Parents must stay in their car at all times. Buses will enter the parking lot at 9:00. If parents are late in dropping off their children, they will wait to enter the parking lot until after the buses have unloaded. Students will be given a designated door to enter. Families will be provided with screening slips. These slips, which indicate that a child’s temperature has been taken prior to arrival at school, the temperature is less than 100℉, and that the child is symptom-free, will be given to school staff upon entering the building. If a child does not have the screening slip, their temperature will be taken. Students will then walk directly to their assigned classroom.

Dismissal Procedures

Bus dismissal will begin at 2:15. Parents can enter the parking lot after all buses have arrived. Parent

pickup tags, similar to the ones pictured here, will be provided for all students being picked up. Each family will get two car tags with the same number. Students will be provided with a backpack tag with the corresponding number. School staff will be able to easily identify the correct car in the pickup line outside of school. If a parent is designating someone else to pick up a child on a particular day, it will be up to the parent to make sure they provide that person with their pickup tag. Again, parents must stay in their car at all times. If you are having someone else pick up your child on a particular day you will need to make sure you provide that person with your tag ahead of time. More information will be sent out later this month.

*More details as to exact procedures to come.

August Update from "The Rock"

I would like to first thank all of those who were able to attend last night's talk with the superintendent Mr. David Bills. For those that were unable to attend, please know and understand I will continue to make sure that all students, families and staff members stay as updated as possible as we continue to prepare for the 2020-2021 school year. I ask for your continued support, patience and flexibility as we are genuinely "Stronger Together!" As more pieces to the puzzle begin to come together, you will be notified ASAP.

Reopening Plan

It is my hope everyone has had the opportunity to see West Genesee's plan. If you have not had a chance, I strongly encourage you to take the time to do so. 

A questionnaire was sent to all parents on Monday asking them to select and commit to the format (remote or in-person) they would like for their child(ren). Parents are also being asked if they are willing to transport to and/or from school. If you have not yet completed this survey, please follow this link and log in to Schooltool to let the district know of your decisions. You will find further instructions on submitting the survey at the top of the Schooltool page. Parents are asked to complete the survey no later than August 10, 2020. Thank you!

Offering Some Clarity

I would like to address a few questions/issues to the best of my ability at this time, as these have been very common within emails, phone calls and listening sessions.

Remote Learning

We continue to prepare for the option for those that might select remote learning. With that, I would like to offer some clarity and some information as to where we stand, at this point, regarding this particular option.

Remote learning will have the same structure as the last few months of school (March-June). Teachers will be utilizing the GoogleClassroom or Sites platform to carry out the instruction.

The remote teaching/learning will be bolstered in comparison to what it was in the spring. There will be daily attendance and lessons/assignments to be completed, some of which will incorporate synchronous (live) teaching. The units that are currently being built will be organized so that they may be carried out in person or remotely, therefore ensuring all students are receiving the same curriculum and similar instruction in whichever modality they participate in. 

As per the day to day strategies and adjustments, the teacher might utilize and incorporate will be up to the teacher's discretion as he/she may use their professional judgment to differentiate instruction as they work through the process.

Daily Schedule

Elementary Schools (K-4) 9:00-2:30

West Genesee Middle School (Grade 5-6) 8:00-1:45

• Grade 5 will follow a similar class schedule as K-4. 
• Students will remain in their assigned classrooms and teachers will revolve to the rooms to minimize traffic in hallways. 
• Please keep in mind we are still working on the logistics of both arrival and dismissal procedures. This information will be released ASAP. 

Mask Requirements

Masks will be required. Both students and staff will maintain a 6ft social distancing whenever possible. With that, we will allow mask breaks, as the adults will use their discretion when this will occur. Masks will and should be worn more often than not.

School Supply Drive

The West Genesee District Council continues to provide school supplies to students in need. If you have questions about the program, please contact

them at wgschoolsupplies@gmail.com. If you are need of supplies, click on this link.

2019-2020 Split Rock Yearbooks

There have been lots of questions about when yearbooks will be available. Unfortunately, our yearbook vendor has experienced multiple COVID-related setbacks and our shipping date has been postponed numerous times. The following is an update directly from our vendor. We assure you that once we have the books and a plan for distribution, we will be in contact with the details. Thank you for your understanding.

 

From Lifetouch:

We are aiming to have all books shipped out by August 31st before the school year begins, but I do not have a specific date at this time. I promise that as soon as we have information about shipping, we'll share the news. I know it's frustrating as parents and administration are asking, but I can guarantee that every student and family will receive a book that they ordered.

 

Thank you,

Split Rock PTO