Dear Eastwood Families,
On behalf of the staff at Eastwood Elementary, I am happy to welcome you to the ‘20-’21 school year! We are looking forward to a productive partnership with you to ensure our children can achieve their highest potential. We recognize that in order to be successful in school, our children need support from both the home and school. We know a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child’s education. As partners, we share the responsibility for our children’s success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring that he/she:
Attends school daily and arrives on time, ready for the day’s learning experience
Completes assignments given by teachers
Reads daily to develop a love for reading and to improve literacy skills
Shares school experiences with you so that you are aware of his/her school life
Informs you if he/she needs additional support in any area or subject
Eastwood will have a new multi-grade level configuration this year. We will be serving grades 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Southeast and Benton will also serve these same grade levels. Southeast Elementary will have 2 classes of each grade level, where Eastwood and Benton will have three. The newly built addition at Spainhower Primary School will be serving all preschool, kindergarten, and grade 1. The following factors have been considered when determining each child’s placement:
Student’s participation in an educational program or other educational or medical needs, as determined by the administrative team.
Siblings in attendance at a building
Equitable services for our diverse learners and population.
All of the classrooms are located in the main building. Art, music, and the library are located in the trailers outside the building. Students will attend these classes in the afternoon.
Distance learning Information-
Daily Instruction- Recommended learning/screen time for elementary students is 1-2 hours per day.
What should I expect to see from my child’s teacher-
During a typical week, you should expect to see two live lessons of any kind. Three ELA (language arts) and three math lessons a week. These lessons will be recorded and posted for your access. Teachers will work together to post lessons for science, social studies, or STEM. Our in-seat students would normally switch classes for these subjects, however, this year the teachers will be switching classes for social distancing purposes.
Paper packets- (if needed) can be picked up on Thursday so teachers have Wednesday to prep and plan. Paper packets may be turned in or dropped off on Tuesday.
Daily communication-Teachers should be in touch with families daily through Dojo or email.
Device Checkout-One device will be checked out per family. The district purchased many devices, however, they are currently on backorder. Thanks for your patience.
Assessments- At times throughout the school year students may be asked to come in the building on a Wednesday to complete assessments. Your child’s teacher will use the information from the assessment to plan instruction that is suited for your child.
Along with academic support, the Eastwood Elementary staff will be following the district’s Return to School Guidelines in our best effort to keep students and staff safe and healthy. Please review the following safeguards:
Eastwood Elementary Safeguards to
Protect our Students & Staff
Return to Learning | ||
Handwashing & Sanitation | Extra time will be allowed for students & staff to wash hands/use sanitizer on a regular basis throughout the day. | |
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Social Distancing | We will do our best to maintain social distancing when at all possible. If needed adjustments will be made to the daily schedules to allow for this. It is not possible to guarantee social distancing. | |
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Masks | Students and staff will be recommended or required to wear face coverings depending on the MPS COVID-19 guidelines and recommendations. | |
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Cleaning | All touch surfaces will be routinely cleaned and disinfected. High touch surfaces will be cleaned, sanitized and disinfected 2-3 times a week. | |
Monitoring student & staff health. | To maintain the health of all, we will watch for and report fever, cough, and other symptoms of students and staff. |
Please note the requirement for face coverings. Masks and/or face shield will be required during the school day. Not wearing a face mask or face shield when asked will be considered a dress code violation.
Classes will play at recess in their cohorts (students in their own class). Students will utilize the whole playground area during recess. Every day a different class will get to use a different part of the playground. Each group will have their own equipment to use that will be sanitized daily.
Water bottles will be required. Students will not be allowed to drink from the water fountain for safety reasons. We will provide each student with one water bottle. Students may bring their own water bottle from home. Students will be responsible for taking their water bottle home for cleaning. If a child’s water bottle gets lost or damaged, parents are responsible for providing a new one.
Students will begin their day in their classrooms. Temperatures will be taken before they are allowed to move about the building. Breakfast will be served from the gym and students will eat in their classroom. Students will also be eating lunch in their classroom unless their teacher has duty.
Virtual Open House- Be sure to check out the video we’ve provided introducing you to our Eastwood staff. We all look forward to seeing you online or in person! Supply drop off- Parents will be able to drop off supplies during school hours on Aug. 31st and the 1st. Staff members will be available to collect items at the front door and take them to the classroom.
First Day of School- Please be prepared to drop your child off in front of the school building. For social distancing purposes, visitors will not be allowed in the building. Feel free to come on Aug. 31st and 1st to take pictures in front of the school building. Parking will not be available in the front or on the side of the building the first day of school due to our car and bus loading zones.
Birthdays-for safety reasons we will not be celebrating birthdays in the classroom this year. The office will recognize student birthdays each day with a “shout out”.
Additional information that might be helpful:
Everyone will drop off and pick up in the front of the school (on Eastwood Street).
Students will only be allowed to enter and exit vehicles at a cone and will not be allowed to cross the street to enter or exit a vehicle.
For safety reasons, please do not come to the front door to pick up your child from 2:30-3:15 PM. Walkers will be dismissed after traffic has cleared. All other students will remain in the building until their name is called to be picked up at a cone.
If you need to come to the school building during the day, please call ahead so we can assist in the best way possible. Guests must ring the buzzer and enter through the front door of the school building. Guests will be required to practice social distancing and will be required to wear an appropriate face covering.
If you need to change the way your student gets home from school please call the office by 2:30 PM. We will not be able to make the change if we are notified after 2:30 unless it is an emergency.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact the school office at 660-886-7100. It is very important that you and your child feel informed to ensure a safe and productive school year. We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you soon!
Sincerely,
Amy Heuman
Principal