Yealey Elementary School Newsletter

 Hi Yealey Families,

I hope you've had a great week at home.  It's been an amazing week here welcoming our Kindergarten and 1st graders into the building.  Just a few of my highlights were meeting two new friends - a kindergartner who is very interested in space and is willing to consider moving to another planet if the opportunity arises and a first grader who said my new school shoes were good and not to worry that they're all white because I can tie dye them.  So, needless to say there have been lots of smiling and laughing by all the adults around this building this week thanks to our K-1's!  

The YMCA is going to offer services again this year but they are limited on what they can offer.  They are offering extended day Kindergarten and K - 5 childcare for students on their "at-home" days.  So, A students can come to school on Monday and Tuesday but then attend the YMCA on Thursdays and Fridays.  The spots for this service are limited so please sign up as soon as possible.  

This week we had a faculty meeting to review the logistics of coming back to school on the 28th.  So, I wanted to update you on how things will be working that you can start talking to your children about. The main changes are: temperature taking, masks, parent pick up procedures, and water bottles.  

First, we will be taking all student's temperatures as they arrive.  Mr. Rice and Mr. Jim will meet students at parent drop off.  To drop your child off in the morning, please use the cafeteria/gym entrance. You may pull around the car lane and you can use both lanes to form two lines.  Please do not allow your child to exit the car until their temperature has been taken.  Cars should pull away as they are waved on by staff.  Children will enter the doors and go to their classroom.  They will have the opportunity to eat breakfast if they’d like in their rooms. Students may not be dropped off early.  We will be unloading cars at 8:25. The rest of the admin team will meet the buses.  We will quickly scan temperatures and then send students into the building.  If someone has a fever, we will recheck the temperature to be sure and then call home.  Students with a fever will wait with an adult (our nurse, Millie, or me) for their parent in the conference room. 

Masks will need to be worn all day when inside the building.  Students will be allowed to unmask when outdoors. Student desks will be 6 feet apart and a schedule has been created for all transitions so that cleaning can happen in between grade levels moving around the building.  Students will unmask during lunch and will be eating in the classrooms most days.  All students eat for free this year.   

To pick your child up at the end of the school day, please follow the following procedures.  If your child needs to leave school early, please call the office and come in to sign him/her out. 

You will need a car tag to hang on your rearview mirror that shows your child’s pick-up number.  You will receive this car tag at the beginning of the school year.  This tag must be shown to pick up your child each day.

End of Day Pick Up Procedures:

1.    All students must choose a permanent schedule for dismissal.  Any changes to this schedule need to be communicated in writing to the office at least 24 hours in advance. 

2.    After 3:30 enter the school parking lot and choose one of the two lanes to line up in.  You may not enter the parking lot prior to 3:30 because we do not have the space for everyone to line up and allow buses to enter/exit. 

3.    Once you are lined up in one of the pick –up lanes, a staff member will write down the number from the pick-up tag hanging on your rearview mirror.

4.    Another staff member will find your child and send them out after buses are loaded.

During yellow or red school operations, we will not be allowing visitors or volunteers unless you have a meeting scheduled.  If you do need to visit, a mask will be required as well as a temperature check in the front office.   We will also continue using the Indent-A-Kid system for visitor sign in so please be sure to have your driver’s license or ID with you. A visitor sticker or tag must be worn and visible when at school.

Please send a water bottle with your child so that they can fill it up.  Water fountains will be used to fill water bottles only - no drinking from the water fountains. 

Most students paid fees when Chromebooks are picked up but we are still missing fees from about 100 people.  Please remember to send those in with your child once we come back to in-person instruction or go online and pay them.  If you need help with that, please contact Terri Bross in the office.

I think that is the highlights of how things will go.  I may send some additional communication next week if anything comes up.  

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Turner

principal