Author: Mr. Jenson

First Semester Ends Friday

It’s nearly the end of 1st semester, so please take a moment to check your student’s grades and reach out ASAP with any questions to your student’s teachers. Some deadlines for turning work in have already arrived and it’s important to work with teachers while there is still time to do it.

No Nose Notice (Wearing Masks Correctly)

Please take a minute and remind your students that masks need to fit snugly over both the nose and mouth. At this point, not wearing the mask correctly can unfortunately still result in being sent home per the governor’s mask mandate, and can also result in a 10-day quarantine if exposed while at school. The majority of students are doing great, but we are seeing many more masks creep down under the nose. We’d love to keep students here, so any reminders or reinforcements you can offer at home are appreciated!

Schedules for Second Semester

Counselors are working on adjusting schedules for next semester for online, hybrid, and in-person students. The new schedules will be updated on Skyward on Tuesday, January 19th. Please be patient as these adjustments are being made, as there are a lot of changes that need to happen. We hope to accommodate all requests for changes, but this will be dependent on seat availability at the district-level. 

FREE Social & Emotional Wellness Screening for Students (Ages 10-18)

Do you have concerns about your child’s social and emotional wellness? Wednesday, January 20, 2021, the Jordan Health and Wellness Team will be providing virtual mental health consultation interviews with appointments every 30 minutes between 3:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. At each event, licensed professionals will:

• Discuss possible mental and behavioral health needs for your child.
• Connect students and families to available community resources.

These screenings are by appointment only. Space is limited. Appointments take approximately 30 minutes and the screening tool takes 15 minutes to complete, prior to your appointment. Interpreters will be available upon request. Visit this link to schedule an appointment or email wellness@jordandistrict.org.

Angel Tree

Our deadline to get things collected for the Angel Tree is this Wednesday. If you’re looking to do more than just what your class has signed up for, you can go here to pick up what still needs to be covered. Thank you for your generous support, and we love that kids in our community will have a Christmas.

Permits

Just a reminder that the permit window is now open. You don’t need a permit if you are in DLI or ALPS, or if you are already attending Elk Ridge. To be considered for the first round of the lottery, please make sure you apply before the end of December. Visit this FAQ for more.

The Benefits of a Positive COVID Test

Getting coronavirus is not good in any scenario. However, we want to remind anyone who thinks they might have it that a positive test allows the student to avoid quarantine for 90 days. The test must be confirmed through the health department to count, and an antibody test doesn’t work. This means you have to get the positive test in a timely fashion and not weeks after getting sick. 

We’ve had instances where the entire family gets sick, but only one person gets tested. The rest of the family is presumed positive if they develop symptoms, but that unfortunately doesn’t work for avoiding quarantine in the future. A positive test is the only way. If you do get a positive test result, please notify the school so that we don’t quarantine your student from future exposures. You don’t need documentation for a positive result, as we confirm all positives and negatives with the health department. We don’t need documentation for a negative result either, unless you are hoping to return from quarantine earlier than the 10-day mark.

It’s also important to remember that if you are getting tested and don’t have symptoms but have a confirmed exposure, it’s recommended that you wait until the 7th day after the last date of exposure in order to maximize chances of getting an accurate result.

It’s been absolutely fantastic to have (almost) all of our students back in school again! Learning from home went much better than in the spring, but we definitely prefer to be here live and in person. We want to stay here at school from now until Winter Break, so any help you can give is appreciated in those casual social settings.

Topics in this Skylert Include:

• Angel Tree Fundraiser
• 8th Grade PCCR’s (8th Grade, Please Read and Complete by Friday!)
• Notes on COVID Testing
• Permits for 2021-22
• Curbside Lunch Time Update
• Community Council Meeting

Angel Tree Fundraiser

Our annual Angel Tree fundraiser kicks off today. Each class will get an ‘angel’ that represents a child in our community that needs some help this Christmas. Gifts should be unwrapped, new, and in original packaging. Gifts will be collected by students’ 2nd hour teachers.

We have two angels set aside specifically for our online students to work toward. Students in online classes that would like to participate can contact Ms. Spitzer or Mrs. Nicholes for the list of items needed and the ID#. Purchased items can be dropped by online students in the main office.

We’ve loved sharing with our community in the past, and we look forward to another year of giving back!

8th Grade PCCR’s Via Canvas (Important!)

Our 8th grade PCCRs (Plan for College and Career Readiness meetings) will be conducted a little differently this year because of Covid-19 and our inability to have parents in the building. We have created a Canvas class with all the content that we would normally talk about in person. Your 8th grade student learned about this in their Language Arts class today. We would like to ask that you review this information with your student by Friday of this week. It should take about 45 minutes, but the good part is that you don’t have to take the time to come to the building. There are 5 short videos and some simple questions to answer so that we know your student actually watched the videos. 

This content will take the place of most (or all) of their Friday assignments this week. When they have viewed the content, they will take a screenshot of the “submission” page and upload it to their math class to get credit. 

If you have additional questions, please feel free to make an appointment for a video conference with your counselor. You can do this via the “Conference” tab under the parent Skyward login. There is also a link to this in the Canvas class.

8th Grade PCCR Assignment Steps:

1. Go to Canvas and find the Canvas Course titled–8th grade School/Library/Counseling-NICHOLES
2. Open the course and click on the RED SQUARE on the Homepage called 8th grade PCCR. This will take you to the module 8th Grade PCCR (Plan for College and Career Readiness).
3. Complete all learning activities in this module and then when you are done with the survey, do the following:
   1. Take a screenshot of the submission page.
   2. SUBMIT IT TO YOUR MATH CLASS in the assignment called, “PCCR Exit Survey.” (You will get points in your math class for completing this.)

The Benefits of a Positive COVID Test

Getting coronavirus is not good in any scenario. However, we want to remind anyone who thinks they might have it that a positive test allows the student to avoid quarantine for 90 days. The test must be confirmed through the health department to count, and an antibody test doesn’t work. This means you have to get the positive test in a timely fashion and not weeks after getting sick. 

We’ve had instances where the entire family gets sick, but only one person gets tested. The rest of the family is presumed positive if they develop symptoms, but that unfortunately doesn’t work for avoiding quarantine in the future. A positive test is the only way. If you do get a positive test result, please notify the school so that we don’t quarantine your student from future exposures. You don’t need documentation for a positive result, as we confirm all positives and negatives with the health department. We don’t need documentation for a negative result either, unless you are hoping to return from quarantine earlier than the 14-day mark.

It’s also important to remember that if you are getting tested and don’t have symptoms but have a confirmed exposure, it’s recommended that you wait until the 7th day after the last date of exposure in order to maximize chances of getting an accurate result.

Permits

Permit applications for the 2021-22 school year open today, December 1st. To be in the first round, your application must be submitted before January 1st. Visit this page for frequently asked questions and go here to submit an application. Remember that you don’t need a permit if you are already attending Elk Ridge on a permit, or if you are in the DLI or ALPS program.

NOTE: Based on projected enrollment, we do not anticipate having open seats this year for out-of-boundary permits. However, it’s always good to apply in case things change.

Curbside Lunch Times

Curbside lunch pickup is now from 10:30 to 11:30 am, based on feedback from patrons.

School Community Council Meeting

Our school community council will meet tomorrow at 4 pm. A zoom link will be posted on our Community Council page on the school website.

It’s been a much smoother ride into virtual learning than it was in the spring, and we’ve loved being able to see everyone’s faces.

We have a few quick reminders before Thanksgiving, and we hope you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday!

Musical Auditions

Matilda the Musical auditions are December 1st and December 2nd. All students are welcome to audition. Sign-ups for auditions will close November 30th at 10pm. Check the school musical website for more details.

A Message of Hope from our SBO’s

It’s been quite a year so far, and moving to virtual learning is a big change. Our Student Body Officers took a moment to share a message of hope. We miss you, and we’ve got this.

A MESSAGE OF HOPE

WATCH ON IGTV

Counselors Are Available

ERMS Counselors Are Available!

Counselors are still available to help students through email, phone calls, or video conference. Please sign up by using the “Meet with a Counselor” button under the Student drop-down menu or the Parents & Community drop-down menu on the school website.

Or feel free to email your counselor:

Last names A-Ch: alishia.huefner@jordandistrict.org

Last names Ci-J: camille.francis@jordandistrict.org

Last names K-Q: richard.lambert@jordandistrict.org

Last names R-Z: paul.bennett@jordandistrict.org

Here is a link to “Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook: a tool to help you build resilience during difficult times.”

Try to answer these questions.

What is one thing that is within my control (pg 7)

Pick one stress-reducing activity (pgs 1-22)