Elementary School Newsletter

 
 

January 15, 2021

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Dearest PCS families,

As we move into this weekend where we have an extra day added on, it is important to reflect about why we have that day and how we can honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his life’s work. As we celebrate the birthday of this exceptional person and leader, it is an appropriate time to remember the way he modeled and called each of us to engage with one another and with our communities, to speak and act to improve lives, and to spread education and compassion.

I found a wonderful article that can help parents and teachers to think on Dr. King’s values and how we can demonstrate those values in our day to day lives and teach our children small ways to live out his message… https://confidentparentsconfidentkids.org/2018/01/14/martin-luther-king-jr-s-message-for-us-today/ .

Report cards will be sent home TODAY via email from your child’s first semester teacher. Please reach out to that teacher if you did not receive the email, with any questions, or if you would like to talk through your child’s progress.

Enjoy this wintery weekend! REMEMBER: No school on Monday!

Dana Leesman, Elementary Principal 

p: 314.645.9600 x608      e:dleesman@premiercharterschool.org #ThatsPCS #DoKindTakeCarePCS


ELEMENTARY SCHOOL UPDATES

COVID-19 Update…

As we near the end of our 19th week of school, we want to update you on the COVID-19 statistics as it relates to staff and families. To date, we have had two positive cases amongst the student population and 14 positive cases amongst staff. All of the positive cases were quickly addressed through quarantine, contact tracing and mitigation. 

Students will continue to have their temperatures checked at drop-off, and we encourage families to complete the symptom check via the PikMyKid app. Staff will also continue to perform temperature checks each morning as well as symptom checks through Infinite Campus. 

Thank you for all of the work you have done to help make our in-person learning environment as safe as possible for our students, families and staff.

A Note from Dr. Schrimpf…

Dear PCS Parents and Students,

 We would like to thank you for completing our Winter iReady Diagnostic.  We know that this took a great deal of your time and hard work.  The Winter diagnostic is important because it is our first opportunity to see how well each student is progressing with his or her custom curriculum and identify ways to provide additional support to students as needed.   

Your child’s iReady Winter Reports have been mailed to your home.  I have posted a video on our school’s website www.premiercharterschool.org in which I go over these reports and some of their key elements.  If you have any questions about iReady or your child’s report, please contact me at mschrimpf@premiercharterschool.org or your child’s teacher or principal.

PCS Food Service…

As we get ready to begin the second semester, we are pleased to announce that we will be able to continue providing free meals to school aged children through the USDA meal program. All students, whether they are in-person or virtual, will be able to benefit from this program, which is scheduled to run through the end of the school year.

For our virtual students, we will continue serving the 5 day meal boxes on Tuesdays between 12-3 at door B14. Please notice the time change, that we hope will make it more convenient for our families who may be picking up in-person students.

To access PCS menus, please go to the following link:

https://premiercharterschool.nutrislice.com/menu/

Please continue to submit your free/reduced applications for this school year, so there will be no delay of benefits if or when the free meals program ends:

https://www.premiercharterschool.org/forms-1

Please contact us with any questions at:

kdoyle@premiercharterschool.org

Subs Needed…

We are currently seeking energetic, passionate substitute teachers to join the PCS staff!  Benefits include a flexible schedule, positive work environment, and $100 per day.

If you are interested in joining the PCS team, please email your resume to jobs@premiercharterschool.org. 

Applicants must have either 60 college credit hours or a current Missouri Substitute Teacher certificate.

21-22 Enrollment/Re-enrollment Clarification…

The re-enrollment process for next school year will begin in January. If you have a currently enrolled student, please do not re-apply in Schoolmint for next year. Schoolmint is only used for students that are applying new to our school. Your family will be getting instructions on how to re-enroll for next year, when we return from winter break.

Counselor Connection…

Counseling Website Link: https://sites.google.com/premiercharterschool.org/pcs-school-counseling/counseling-newsletter?authuser=0

PDF Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CMC3QFM-BPiqsI8YCXsZ_c6wZRWcrd3L/view

Important information regarding tardies…

Now that school is well underway, we just wanted to send a quick reminder about morning drop off for in-person learners.  As outlined in the drop off procedures we sent out at the beginning of the year, in-person student drop off runs from 8:00-8:20 every morning.  In-person students who arrive after 8:20 are considered tardy. 

Supply Pick Up Opportunities…

Attention ALL Virtual At-Home Learners and Families:

We want to make sure that our students have any necessary supplies to help make their learning more robust and effective. Your grade level teachers will be reaching out to you regarding additional supply pick ups throughout the remainder of the semester. The times will vary depending on grade level. The pick up will include various books for reading instruction, math workbooks, PBL unit needs, and other learning materials. If you are unable to pick up during the time that your grade levels are offering, please reach out directly to the teacher to make other arrangements. If your student is an in-school learner, they will simply pick up these materials on the days that they attend.

McKinney-Vento Act…

The McKinney-Vento Act guarantees homeless children and unaccompanied youth an equal education. According to the McKinney-Vento Act, homeless children are individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. An unaccompanied youth is a youth not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian. Families and individuals who fall into these categories can contact Martha Gray or Morgan Fuemmeler for assistance. 

Martha Gray

mgray@premiercharterschool.org

314-881-2553

Morgan Fuemmeler

mfuemmeler@premiercharterschool.org

314-645-9600 x420

BOARD MEETINGS CALENDAR 2020-2021…

Due to the COVID-19 virus, the format for regular meetings of the Board has been revised. In the interest of health and safety for all and until further notice, all meetings will be held via an online format. To get the zoom meeting links please email events@premiercharterschool.org for login details. Meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m., unless otherwise specified.

Once in-person meetings resume, regular board meetings will be held at Premier Charter School’s Administration Building, located at
5279 Fyler Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63139.

Regular Board Meetings will be held on (last revised on 9/18/2020):

  • April 5, 2021

  • May 3, 2021

  • June 17, 2021

In addition to regular meetings, Board Meet and Greets scheduled for: February 11, 2021 at 7:30 am (Coffee with Parents)

Additional web pages for our two learning models…

Please make sure to visit our new web pages made specifically for our two learning models. They have specific information for the model your child is involved in. The At Home page has great tutorials to help navigate and troubleshoot the different platforms!

Resource Center

https://sites.google.com/premiercharterschool.org/premierresourcecenter/home

At Home Learning

https://sites.google.com/premiercharterschool.org/premiervlc/home

Student Drop Off and Pick Up…

The following drop off and pick up procedures are in place to maintain the health and safety of all of the students who attend the resource center and all of our on-site team members. Please also see the EC building drop off and pick up maps below to provide visuals for these procedures.

Student Drop Off

Students may be dropped off at school between 8:00-8:20. All learning, whether fully virtual or at the resource center, is scheduled to begin at 8:30 daily. There will be markings in front of all buildings to help students maintain a safe social distance if they need to wait to enter if they arrive before 8:00. However, it is critical that students are not regularly dropped off before 8:00 in order to ensure that drop off is supervised, which will help ensure safe social distancing. If a student is routinely dropped off outside the designated drop off window, PCS may require that he or she transition to full-time virtual instruction.  

Before sending your child(ren) to school in the morning, please screen him or her for illness using the PikmyKid app.  Instructions regarding how to access and use this app were sent out along with these procedures.  Staff members will be outside every morning from 8-8:30 to welcome students. A staff member will ask if you completed your health screen and take your child’s temperature. Children with a temperature or symptoms of illness will be immediately sent home.  If your child is sent home due to illness, please use the guidance in the 2020-2021 Parent and Family Handbook to determine when to send your child back to school. 

All students with the exception of those who walk to school must be dropped off inside the parking lot. Students should not be dropped off anywhere off campus, including along Sublette Avenue. Students who attend the Early Childhood (EC) building should be dropped off using the circle drive in front of the EC building. Elementary and Middle School students should be dropped off through the drop off line that runs in front of the Elementary and Middle School buildings. PLEASE DO NOT DROP OLDER SIBLINGS IN FRONT OF THE EC BUILDING. If you need to drop off students at the EC and Elementary and/or Middle School buildings, please drop your EC student and then re-enter the drop off line in order to drop at the Elementary or Middle School. This will ensure that students maintain a safe social distance and that we are able to screen all students prior to a parent leaving. The EC gate to the courtyard will NOT be open in the morning.

When they are dropped off on the first day, all PK, Kindergarten, and 1st grade students will be issued a name tag that will identify their name and their teacher so that staff members can easily direct them to where they need to go once they enter the EC building. 

All K-8th grade students will enter their building through the front door every morning. If you are the parent of a PK student who attends school in the EC building, you may park in the parking lot and escort your child to the building. Please bring your child to the back door of the EC building (there will be signage to direct you). A staff member will meet you at the back door and escort your child to class. Parents will not be allowed to enter the building.

Students who want breakfast will be able to get a grab and go breakfast when they enter the building and will take it to their classroom to eat.

In person attendance is going to be very different this year because while PK-1st grade students who are attending the resource center will be doing so Monday through Friday, 2nd through 8th grade students will be attending 2 days per week according to a fixed schedule. In order to aid in that process, all 2nd-8th grade families with children attending the resource center will be issued colored car tags to hang in your car window during drop off. These will be color-coded to signify your child(ren)’s attendance days. This will help us ensure that all students are being dropped off on the correct attendance days. You will receive your car tags on the first day of school.  Once you receive them, please write the name of your child(ren) and their grades largely enough that staff can see them.  Please make sure your car tag is visible when dropping off and picking up your child(ren). Students who attend on the wrong day will remain in the office until someone can pick them up. They will not be admitted to a classroom because of the need to limit the number of individuals students and staff interact with each day and to ensure that students and staff are only interacting with the same, small group of people each day.

In order to ensure the health of all of our in person learners and staff members, parents will not be permitted to enter any building during drop off. If you are dropping a student off after the drop off window and there is no longer a staff member on duty, please come to the correct building and use the intercom to contact a staff member. Please wait outside while your child is screened for temperature and health and then admitted to class with a pass.

While we generally try to have an open-door policy, we ask that this year, if you need to visit school for any reason, you please make an appointment before doing so.

Student Pick Up

Walkers

At 3:00 all students who walk home will be dismissed. This will allow those students to clear out of the school building before we dismiss pick up students in order to limit traffic in high traffic areas.  Students are only considered walkers if they are walking home from school.  The walker permission form was sent out along with these drop off and pick up procedures.  If you designate your child(ren) as a walker, you are affirming that:

  • Your child(ren) are walking home from school

  • You have discussed maintaining a safe social distance with your child(ren) while walking home from school

  • You have discussed the proper protocol for using a face covering if social distancing is not possible while walking home from school

    PK, K and 1st Grade Students

Pick Up for PK and Kindergarten students begins at 3:00 (11:50 on all ½ days).  When picking up a PK and/or K student, please park your car either along the circle drive or in the parking lot in front of the Early Childhood Building.  If parking in the circle drive, please do not double park.  Get out of your car and line up along the fence in front of the soccer field.  While in line, please wear a mask and maintain a safe social distance (the ground will be marked to assist).  When it is your turn, give your child(ren)’s names to a staff member who will radio into the building to release your child(ren).  Once you identify the child(ren) you are there to pick up, please move away from the door and wait for your child to come out.  Please make sure you maintain a safe social distance while waiting for your child to come out.

Pick Up for 1st Grade students begins at 3:10 (12:00 on all ½ days).  Please use the same process as outlined above.  

If you are also picking up a child from the Elementary and/or Middle School Buildings, please pick up your Early Childhood student within your EC pick up window, then follow the procedures below to pick up your Elementary and/or Middle School child(ren).

2nd through 8th Grade Students

Pick Up for 2nd through 8th Grade students begins at 3:10 (12:00 on all ½ days).  All 2nd through 8th grade students will remain in their classrooms until they are called for pick up. When picking up a student, please pull into the pickup line that runs in front of the Elementary and Middle School Buildings.  Please remain in your car, a staff member will come to your car and ask for the names of the child(ren) being picked up. Those children will then be released from their classroom(s) and come to your car. The Elementary and Middle School pick up process will run from 3:10-3:25 (12:00-12:15 on all ½ days).  Any students still in the classroom after 3:25 (12:15 on all ½ days) will contact a parent/guardian to determine an approximate pick up time. Students who are persistently late being picked up may be required to change attendance to full-time virtual instruction.

Messages from our Nurses…

HEALTH CONDITIONS: We would like to make a list of children who have certain allergies and medical conditions such as ADHD, food allergies, seizure disorders, diabetes etcetera so that your child may be better cared for by both teachers and staff. We would like to give this list to your teachers, principals, counselors, aids, and so on.  If you would NOT like your child's information shared, please email the nurse who will be responsible for your child. 


COVID 19 Policy:
Please refer to the family handbook for COVID 19 procedures that we will be practicing for the 20-21 school year. Our school will be following the recommendations and guidelines of the CDC and our local health department closely.  We will do our best to update you on any policy changes per the CDC as soon as possible. 
-If your student has ANY of the listed symptoms in the family handbook, the guardian or someone from your pickup list must come and pick the student up within an hour of being notified. Further instructions may be given, depending on what is going on with your student, if that child is not picked up during that window.


As always, if you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to contact us via email at:
vwilson@premiercharterschool.org (Virginia Wilson - grades 2nd-8th)
sedwards@premiercharterschool.org (Savannah Edwards - grades Prek-1st)

Lost & Found…

Please make sure to mark all student belongings (backpacks, sweaters/sweatshirts, water bottles, lunch boxes, etc) clearly with student first and last name. We make every effort to return lost items to students. This year lost items will not be kept indefinitely. Marking with name will help ensure the item is returned.

After School Opportunities...

  • Girl Scouts: Please see attached flyer for registration news, meeting dates, and Zoom information

PCG News & Happenings...

  • The PCG is a support group for the students, teachers, and parents of Premier Charter School. Parent volunteers promote social and extracurricular activities, which will lead to successful and positive experiences for the students. We want to welcome you and encourage all parents to become involved in PCS. The best way to become involved is to volunteer or help out in any way you can and you can do this through PCG.

  • Upcoming events:

    • Check back soon!


Upcoming Important Dates...

  • 1.15.21: Quarter 2 report cards sent home via email

  • 1.18.21: No School - MLK Day

  • 2.12.21: No School - Staff PD Day

  • 2.15.21: No School - Presidents’ Day

 

Be sure to check us out on social media... Twitter, Facebook, Instagram!  All teachers & classrooms have accounts where you can check out pictures and happenings.