Windermere Weekly Parent Update
3.26.21
Welcome back Windermere!! Tuesday was like another first day of school. The staff and I were SO happy welcoming back our students. We are so excited to be together, and to finish our 2020-2021 school year strong.
Tuesday morning, Mrs. Edith Pattou”visited” our school at our virtual Town Hall Meeting/Webinar. She read her New York Times best selling book, Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden. We talked about how this book complimented our read earlier in the year, The Big Umbrella and the Windermere Way! In our classrooms over the next week or two, every student will be making their own flower to add to the Windermere garden. If you haven’t read Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden, pick up a copy at one of UA’s libraries. The cool thing about the book, written 25 years ago, is that Mrs. Spitzer was a kindergarten teacher at Tremont! She was Mrs. Pattou’s daughter’s teacher. The book was actually written originally as a gift for Mrs. Spitzer by Mrs. Pattou! A special thank you to Edith Pattou for taking the time to share her book with our staff and students. I’ll be sharing pictures of the Windermere garden soon.
At our staff meeting on Tuesday afternoon, we continued our conversation as a staff about how we are best using our new space (see WUW segment below) to enhance learning at Windermere for our students’ needs. Each staff member received a copy of the book, The Third Teacher. This book is intended to ignite conversations about the environment as an essential element of learning. This book includes interviews, facts, statistics, and stories from experts in a wide range of fields. It is a how-to guide to be used to connect with the many organizations, individuals, and ideas dedicated to innovating and improving teaching and learning.
Finally, this afternoon Mrs. O’Keefe, Mrs. Lusk and I had our lunch bunch group with our online academy students. What a treat!! Thank you for logging on and thank you for sharing your: “I love you as much as…..” starter from the book we read, I Love You as Much by Melmed. You warmed our hearts!
Have a great weekend Windermere!
Julie
Tuesday, 3/30/21
Friday, 4/2/21
Upcoming Dates:
Tuesday, 5/4/21: Election Day: No School for Students
Thursday, 5/27: Early Dismissal at 1 p.m. Students last day of school.
Special Episode of Wake Up Windermere: LINKED HERE is a very special episode created by Mrs. Plattenburg’s first graders and our awesome librarian, Mrs. Hemmelgarn. If you want to see a really cool sneak peek at the new Windermere and what each room will look like, take some time to enjoy this production! We are giddy with excitement for our new school and can’t wait to move in later this summer.
Family Read Together 2021! The Library Media Center is excited to announce that the Family Read Together will go on this year! The student council has chosen a book and been working with Mrs. Hemmelgarn to prepare for the event. Next week on Wake Up Windermere a series of teasers will launch to get readers guessing which book we will read and build excitement around the upcoming event. The best news is that our fabulous PTO has purchased a book for EVERY family this year! If your child is learning in the building, a book will come home with one student in your family on Thursday April 2nd with information on how to participate and a reading calendar. If your child is in the Online Academy, please stop by Ms. Maria's desk and pick up your copy starting on Monday! Let's get reading...together as a family!
Family Activity Choice Board: Our related arts teachers have created a Family Activity Choice Board for you to do some fun things at home together. You will notice that our art activity involves painting a rock. For families that don’t have a smooth baked potato-sized rock available, we hope to be able to provide one for you. If you have access to multiple rocks like this, please consider bringing some into Mrs. Taylor or Mrs. O’Keefe and we will distribute these extras to families who need them!
Online Academy Flower Activity: Online Academy families can find a link to the Mrs. Spitzer's Garden flower activity HERE. We would love for our OA students to drop off their flower by April 1st to the plastic envelope on our front doors. Please email Ms. O'Keefe with any questions ([email protected]). Thank you!
Placement Information: Please see the linked information if you are interested in completing it. This was shared on Wednesday of this week as well.
Syntero is excited to announce a third round of the Virtual Student Wellness Groups! These groups will focus on helping students build skills to navigate difficulties many of us are experiencing during this time.
Groups begin the week of April 5, and will be offered once a week for approximately 6 weeks ending the week of May 10. There will be separate groups for students who have returned to school, and students who are online-only (all groups will be virtual). The groups are scheduled as follows:
Elementary:
K-2 After School Virtual: Mondays at 4:30-5:00pm
K-2 Online Learners Only: Mondays at 12:00-12:30pm
3-5 After School Virtual: Tuesdays at 4:30-5:00pm
3-5 Online Learners Only: Tuesdays at 12:00-12:30pm
Middle School:
High School:
The link to register for groups is at the bottom of the flyer, please only register one group per student. For any questions please reach out to [email protected].”
Bus Riders with Friends:
Due to COVID guidelines and contact tracing we are suspending guest ridership on buses for the remainder of the year. Though this is something we support, student safety is our priority. Some buses are at capacity and seats are assigned. Thank you for your understanding.
Flyer Connection: Be sure to visit the Flyer Connection to keep up with programs and opportunities available to Upper Arlington students and families!
Quarantine guidelines : PLEASE READ
In the event of a positive case of COVID-19 in one of our elementary classrooms, it is possible that many, or even all, of the students in a classroom may be considered close contacts and need to quarantine. A contact tracing investigation will be conducted for each case based upon its unique circumstances, but we wanted to ensure elementary families were aware of this possibility.
During the parent webinar, you may have heard about a modified quarantine that allows for some close contacts to continue attending classes during the quarantine period. Recently Franklin County Public Health clarified that this option is only for close contacts between 3 feet and 6 feet from the positive case. Due to the structure of the elementary school day, the layout of many of our classrooms, and our workshop model of instruction, it is very likely that we may have quarantines that impact many, or even all, of the students in the classroom that do not meet the criteria for modified quarantine. If the entire class is quarantined outside of the classroom, we will move the class to Enhanced Distance Learning for the quarantine period. If only some students in the class are quarantined outside of school, the teacher or I will communicate with those families about instruction during their quarantine period.
Suppose the modified school quarantine comes into play for your student. In that case, the quarantine applies to school only, and students would not attend SACC, extracurricular activities, sports, and other activities outside of the home.
Please know that we will communicate with any affected families as soon as a contact tracing investigation is completed and share any changes in the classroom’s learning mode if needed.
Special Area Schedule (ABCDE) for the remainder of the year: ABCD
Kindergarten registration
Upper Arlington Schools is excited to offer a full-day kindergarten program to the families of Upper Arlington - beginning with the 2021-2022 school year - and we strongly encourage families to complete the registration process as soon as possible. Completing the registration process now will ensure your family will have the opportunity to sign up for a preferred time for your child’s kindergarten screening in August, and it will also help our schools for staffing and planning purposes so that we can provide the best possible experience for your child. You can learn more and begin the registration process at www.uaschools.org/kindergarten.aspx.
Nutritional Services - Lunch Orders
Students will no longer need to pre-order. Teachers will take a count each morning of the students getting lunch.
Students will go through the cafeteria line to pick up their meals. All food items will be served to the students by a Nutritional Services staff member. (They will pick up their milk).
All meals will still be provided at no charge under the USDA waiver through the end of the school year.
The lunch menu will continue to offer three entrées. (Sunbutter & Jelly Sandwiches will also be available daily.)
Kindergarten registration is now open!
Upper Arlington Schools is excited to offer a full-day kindergarten program to Upper Arlington families - beginning with the 2021-2021 school year. Registration is now open for children five years of age on or before September 30, 2021. We encourage families to complete the registration process on or before March 10 for staffing and planning purposes. You can learn more and begin the registration process at www.uaschools.org/kindergarten.aspx.
COVID updates
If your student or another member of your household has a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, please notify COVID Nurse Coordinator Gina Rancitelli, RN, BSN, LSN, at [email protected] or 614-487-5035.
Technology Family Support During the School Year
Families with tech support questions or situations can reach out to [email protected] and share as much information as they can regarding the case.
Summer Opportunities
The Educational Service Center of Central Ohio has put together a resource directory of summer camp and summer school opportunities for students with disabilities for this upcoming summer.
Withdrawing Students
Families with confirmed plans on moving or withdrawing from UACS must turn in their iPad’s and/or laptops on the last day of school to their homeroom teacher or the media specialist.
Families who move or withdraw over the summer months must return the district owned iPad to The Graf Center and can make arrangements by emailing [email protected]. Failure to return the iPad will result in a $310 fee and a transcript hold until the device is returned or the fee is paid. Additionally the iPad will be remotely locked and unusable. Building secretaries and administrators are to notify withdrawing families of this requirement at the time of withdrawal, and copy [email protected].
Use Google TakeOut to Move Your School Files to Another Account Before the Last Day of School
This is important for Withdrawing Families
Please Watch This Video on how to use Google TakeOut for Schools and follow the directions BEFORE your last day of school. If you have used your school email address to sign up for memberships or accounts to different sites, make sure you change those accounts because you will lose access to your school email at the end of June.