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March 15, 2021
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March 11, 2021

Dear Abernethy Families:

Last week’s announcement that we are going back to hybrid instruction during the week of March 29 came as a surprise to many of us! I know you have a lot of questions. Although I do not have all of the information you may want, I wanted to provide as much information as I can to you at this time and ask you to complete a school based survey as soon as possible. Please note based on the district survey data 49% of our school opted for in person learning and 51% of our school opted to remain online. Given that data, I have submitted a draft Hybrid school plan to offer in person learning in the morning and to have the online learning in the afternoon. My original draft was to be in person in the afternoon, but that had to be revised as all K-5 Elementary Schools in PPS will begin at the same time due to bussing needs to transport both the elementary and middle school students. We are a school with three busses. Schools that serve communities without bussing are able to have a more flexible schedule.

Our hybrid plans and cohorting should be approved next week. We are using the district survey data for our initial planning this week, but need to allow families a chance to respond to a school level survey with their choice of either Cohort A at school from 8:00-10:15 or Cohort B online from 12:15-2:30 pm as this scheduling information was not part of the original survey. We know that this specific scheduling information and the addition of childcare may impact your decision in selecting which Cohort you select for your child. School times have been determined by the district and are consistent across all K-5 schools. 

If you want to make a change to what you selected in the district survey, then complete the school survey.
If you did not do the district survey for all your children, then complete the school survey. 
If you did not respond to the district survey, it’s really important that you complete the school survey. 
If your plans have not changed there is no need to do the survey. There will not be an option for families to opt into or out of in person learning after
Tuesday, 3/16 at 11 pm

Please complete this survey Abernethy HYBRID Survey by Tuesday, March 16, at 11:00 pm 

All families who do not respond to our school level will be assigned using the district data. Families that did not respond to either the district or school level survey will be assigned to Cohort B online. Please note that our school’s hybrid plan is due 3/12 and cohorting lists are due to the district on 3/17 so that they can coordinate transportation and other services. 

We are looking at creative ways that we can keep students with their teacher, which includes subs during in person instruction to help divide students into smaller groups for guided practice in other locations at school like the auditorium or in Room 19 reserved for grade levels for safety due to our small classroom sizes.  While these options are different than what was speculated when hybrid was initially surveyed, this is the model that we are planning for at this time. I will be at the PTA Community Meeting on 3/16 at 6:30 pm to answer any questions. 

Across the district, health and safety standards are being used to decrease the risk of spreading COVID. 
The following are some of the guidelines being followed:
● Families are being asked to screen their children for illness prior to sending them to school using this 
checklist (This does not need to be turned in. It is meant to help you determine if your child should stay home.)
● Families are being asked to follow these
guidelines for how long to keep an ill child home.
● Masks will be required by all people in the building unless there is a medical reason prohibiting mask use. For anyone unable to wear a mask, they will need to wear a face shield.
● A visual screening will be done by staff as students enter the bus and/or building along with temperatures taken.
● Students will sanitize their hands when they enter the school and classroom.
● Students will wash their hands when appropriate (e.g., after they use the restroom, cough/sneeze).
● Our sidewalks/ covered area are both marked so that students know where to stand as they wait to enter the building.
● Our hallways are marked for two-way traffic.
● Bathroom occupancy will be limited.
● Water fountains are safe and operable, but please send a water bottle with your child’s name on it.
● Class desks have been spaced out so that we can socially distance safely.
● The district has told us we will be getting air purifiers in each classroom.
● Classroom windows will be left open to increase airflow.  Students should  wear a light outer layer. 
Students will have their own personal supplies. Basic supplies will be provided and stored in a box/bag. 
We will not be using the lockers. Students do not need to bring their bookbags.
● Classrooms will be sanitized daily.
● The school will be cleaned regularly using the procedures outlined by the district.
● Students will not be allowed to eat in the building. 
● Bus drivers will screen students as they enter the bus. Students will go to the last empty row to sit. They will only be allowed to have one child per seat unless they have a sibling on the bus.
● Buses will be sanitized according to the protocol. (Hybrid Bus Videos will be shared in the Announcements soon)
● If a child is ill, they will be taken to the symptom space and monitored by our school health assistant or nurse until a parent comes to pick them up.
● We are using contact tracing.
● Our school nurse will work with the family and the health department to determine next steps if there is a reported exposure or positive case of covid in our school.
● Visitors and volunteers are not allowed inside the building.
● All staff are being trained to follow these and other guidelines.

Please be aware that new guidance from the Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority will be coming out between March 17-19. This new guidance may change the information we have at this point. The district will be updating information on this site regularly and I will continue to share information as I learn more. If you have questions, please contact me at cpetersen@pps.net.

Sincerely,
Dr. Christie M. Petersen, Principal

Inside This Week's Announcements

 

        CALENDAR

3/16   PTA Community Meeting Followed by Board Meeting
3/17   Hosford Connect to 6th Grade Event
3/22-26
 
Spring Break -                             No School
 
3/29
 
  Hybrid Instruction to Begin this week
4/1   Monthly Character Trait - Perseverance 
4/1   Welcome to Kindergarten! Virtual Event
4/8   Last Day Quarter 3
4/8   PTA Board Meeting

PTA Community & Board Meeting - March 16

The next PTA Virtual Community & Board Meeting is on March 16, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome! 

This meeting will be featuring a panel discussion with physicians (who are also Abernethy parents!) around the safety of return to physical school and provide information on
COVID vaccines. 

Dr. Petersen will also give a Principal's Update with an opportunity for questions using a Padlet. A few questions will be addressed in the meeting while most will be answered in a Frequently Asked Questions document that will be sent to our community in an email format. 

We will also get updates on the Recruitment Committee's work to recruit volunteers for next year's PTA.

We welcome input from all community members. Especially if you have never attended, please consider joining us! 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87862495642?pwd=T2FYcXRrRkQ1R3pHRi9QVDR0azUydz09
Meeting ID: 878 6249 5642
Passcode: 359421


New PPS Site about Hybrid

For the families who are planning to return to the building for Hybrid in the 4th quarter, we expect to have more details specific to Abernethy later this week including schedules and class lists. We will keep you all updated. 

In the meantime there is a new PPS site for about HYBRID for parents called PPS Reopen, It will be similar to the Fall2020 site and will include updates for parents. You can find that here: https://www.pps.net/reopen2021

For families planning to have their students ride the bus we have some handy videos about riding the bus safely during HYBRID please share these with your students. 
English:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKYVXq6zHjw
Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQaF6nZIvD0&t=2s
Chinese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB-f41wZ9bU
Russian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yzyLKd1x5k

Woodlawn School has shared a video about new safety rules for being in the building during Hybrid please share this with your returning students as well as these safety precautions will be similar at Abernethy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6I2TX9Jat0


Safe Schools Ready Learners Guidance

Safe Schools Ready Learners Guidance has been updated with new guidance linked below. 

https://www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/healthsafety/Documents/Ready%20Schools%20Safe%20Learners%202020-21%20Guidance.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery


Return to School Update About Drinking Fountains/Water Bottles

After consultation with the district Health Advisory Panel, PPS has appropriately cleaned and  flushed all drinking fountains and they are safe to use.  However we are advocating the use of reusable bottles so students are allowed to bring their water bottles to school and will be able to lift their mask to drink.  Drinking fountains are classified as frequently touched surfaces and therefore will be disinfected multiple times per day.

Health Room Update!

As we plan for hybrid learning, parents can be proactive in their students' health and well-being by bringing in their students' medication to the school starting next week. MESD health assistant, Kelly will be on site Tuesday (3/16) to check in medications from 11 AM  to 1 PM. Parents who plan to have their students participate in hybrid learning and need to have medications at school should bring them to the school for check in. Please email Kelly @  kbalderso@mesd.k12.or.us if you plan on bringing medications during those times and/or if you have any additional questions regarding student medications.

Prescriptions must be written by an Oregon-approved prescriber and have a pharmacy label that includes:
Students name
Medication name
Dose 
Time/frequency of administration
Non expired medication 

Thank you!   Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

 ~  LeAnn Teixeira RN and Kelly Balderson, School Health Assistant


Hosford Forecasting Google Forms

5th Grade Parents!

A gentle reminder to please fill out your Hosford Forecasting Google forms.  

Forecasting Form - Due March 15th and needs to be filled out with a parent/guardian.  

Question and Answer padlet - This is a padlet for student and parent/guardian questions that will be answered by the Hosford Counseling team over time. Questions can be about the forecasting process and/or middle school in general! Lots of good info already linked here.

Any additional questions can be answered by Elizabeth Schroedel, Hosford Middle School Counseling Secretary: eschroedel@pps.net

--

Jessica Blei
School Counselor


Successful Schools Survey 2021

The 2021 Successful Schools Family Survey is once again upon us. When you take the survey, you help us understand your experience as a parent or guardian. This important information will guide us as we determine the future of our schools. The survey launched February 8th, and 5th graders have begun taking it. It will be available for the next four weeks through March 19th.

Take the survey today! You can complete the survey from a computer, tablet, or smartphone. It should only take 15-20 minutes of your time. Select the school your child attends and answer the questions for that school. If you have children at more than one PPS school, please complete one survey for each school your children attend. If you need help taking the survey, please contact Jessica Blei.

All teachers and 5th grade students will also take the survey.  Students will be given the opportunity to take the survey at school.


The Surprising Impact of a Small Compliment

In this article in Psychology Today, David Ludden reports the results of five studies published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. It turns out that people underestimate the impact of a small compliment – saying something as simple as “I love your scarf” – and overestimate the psychic effort involved in giving it. The researchers had people take a few seconds to pay an out-of-the-blue compliment to a same-gender stranger. Some details:
- Just before giving the compliment, participants were anxious that the recipient would feel awkward and annoyed.
- Those predictions significantly underestimated how flattered, happy, and pleased most recipients felt.
- After the compliment, the mood of those who gave it improved significantly.
- But blinded by their own discomfort, they didn’t see the impact on the other person.
- Third-party observers could see the positive impact of the compliment.
“The biggest challenge is getting out of our own head,” says Erica Boothby, one of the researchers (University of Pennsylvania). “We tend to be overly focused on our own ability to give a compliment effectively, or worried about what the other person will think of us.” Better to think about how we would feel receiving a positive comment, and realize that most other people will have the same reaction. “A few kind words can go a long way,” she says. “The Power of a Kind Word” by David Ludden in Psychology Today, April 2021 (Vol. 54, #2, p. 17)


Field and Grounds Permitting

As of March 1, 2021, the Civic Use Of Buildings office (CUB) began issuing permits to the public for the use of PPS fields and grounds during non school hours, M-F 4 PM to 8PM and Saturday and Sundays 8 AM to 8 PM.  Permitting of the fields and grounds is also available to PPS staff during these hours.

CUB is currently not issuing permits to the public for the use of our building interiors during non school hours. Please refer to our permit fee schedule to determine fees that may apply. CUB Fee Schedule

To make a request visit our CUB webpage and click on “Reservation Request” under “Frequently used links”.

Cognizart Spark Camp

Link your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to help Abernethy earn a donation!  (non-profit number SG119).
Submit receipts through the BoxTops app and earn money for Abernethy!

Need Childcare?

If you need of childcare for your student, please contact Child Resources:
503-548-4400 x 9
Support Abernethy
 
Drop off cans/bottles and earn money for Abernethy! Email ptabottledrop@supportabernethy.org for more information and a bag delivery.

Amazon Smile will give the PTA 0.5% of each purchase.  Sign up here. 

GET YOUR PASS! All 4th graders and their families get a year long pass to National Parks for FREE!

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