Abernethy Community Newsletter

Well.... Last week is something that I am happy to have in the past. I hope you all survived the cold, wind, snow and ice. Hopefully not too many of you lost power or had any other winter damage that was impactful.

It is now on to clean up, make up and catch up! With that being said, we have a few things that we need to make up, the first being conferences. Conferences will be held on 3 days this week: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Childcare will be offered on Tuesday. Here are the times for the conferences:

Tuesday - 3:30pm - 6:30pm

Wednesday - 3:30pm - 5:00pm

Thursday - 3:30 pm- 5:00pm

Many of the teachers have already sent notices out to families who needed to reschedule, however, listed below are the conference links for some of the teachers. I will be updating the conference links as I get them, but please feel free to reach out to myself or your teacher if you have not heard anything.

We have childcare available for those who are finding childcare as a barrier to attend an in person conference with your student's teacher.

Our goal is to have no barriers for our families to be able to connect with their student's teacher. If coming into the building is difficult, we have virtual options available, and if you can come into the building, but childcare is difficult we will have childcare offered for tonight and next Wednesday.

Childcare offered:

Tuesday - January 23rd from 3:30 - 6:30

Childcare will only be offered for your student's conference time and will be located in the counseling room. Upstairs, in room 15.

We had so much fun with Charles from Third Eye Books during our January 10th conference date. I am very excited to partner with Charles and his wife to bring more reading experiences and author visits to Abernethy! If you haven't had the chance to visit their bookstore on the corner of Division and 33rd, you really should!

Jennifer Butler Brown was to join us on Thursday January 11th, however she had to reschedule due to being sick. We were trying to reschedule for last week, and we all know what happened last week....

We are trying to reschedule for this week and as soon as a date is confirmed I will let you know.

We are looking forward to seeing all 3rd Grade families as well as our 4th and 5th grade Choir families on Wednesday night starting at 5:00pm. This will be our first music concert of the school year. We are very excited to hear all our 3rd graders as well as our first 4th and 5th grade choir performance!

4th & 5th Grade Choir - Starting at 5:00pm

3rd Grade - Starting at 5:30pm

Friday marks the end of the 2nd quarter of our school year. On the previous PPS calendar, Friday was going to be a non-student day, however it was changed after the strike to a normal/regular student day. Please note that school will be in session on Friday, January 26th. Monday, January 29th is now the day that is a NON-STUDENT day as teachers will be filling out report cards. All report cards will be sent home in your students backpack on Monday, February 5th.

If you are looking at the PPS calendar, you may also see that Thursday is listed as a Late Start. THAT IS NOT FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. This is only a late start for middle schools. If you are navigating an elementary age student as well as a middle school student, don't let your elementary student convince you that they do not have to be at school at the normal time!

Thank you to all who have paid for your students' field trips!

We do believe that field trips and other extra enrichment activities help support the learning within each classroom. Our classroom teachers have put a lot of time and thought into planning for these activities knowing what it will bring to your students.

If you have any questions on how to pay using Schoolpay, please feel free to call the school - 505-916-6190

We also know that asking an upfront larger dollar amount for field trips may not be doable for all families. Therefore, we are asking that families pay what they can and then financial assistance through the school and PTA can fund the rest. As always, if there is a need to fund the whole amount, we are absolutely here to help. You can always reach out to Jenny Morgan at jmorgan1@pps.net.

Just click on your student's teacher and you will be taken directly to their Schoolpay account.

Clinton Bike Bus Route schedule (join in at any point along the route):

• Gather on Clinton just west of Cesar Chavez at 8:10am
• Departs Cesar Chavez and Clinton at 8:15am, heading West.
• Departs Clinton St Plaza (26th) at 8:25am
• Ladd's Circle at 8:30am
• 1 lap around Ladd's circle to celebrate and cheer; cruise into school on Elliot to the gazebo at 8:35am to give kids time to lock bikes and line up.
• (Optional) Join the Clinton Route Parents: Abernethy Bike Bus WhatsApp Group for occasional important communications.

Lincoln-Harrison Bike Bus Route schedule (join in at any point along the route):

• Gather next to Joe Bike at 8:15am
• Departs Joe Bike at 8:20am, heading West.
• Departs St. David of Wales Church at 8:25am
• Ladd's Circle at 8:30am
• 1 lap around Ladd's circle to celebrate and cheer; cruise into school on Elliot to the gazebo at 8:35am to give kids time to lock bikes and line up.
• (Optional) Join the Lincoln Route Parents: Abernethy Bike Bus WhatsApp Group for occasional important communications.

We are so happy to have our students at school, and we want them all to be at school every day. However, there are times when you will need to keep your student home. Over the past couple of years, since returning from distant learning, during the winter months, we have seen spikes in sicknesses after Thanksgiving Break as well as Winter Break. Many families travel, spend time with family and friends and are spending more time indoors. As a result we see more students with colds, stomach bugs and hear of more cases of Covid. We are hoping to stay on top of everything and keep our students healthy while at school, yet we do need your help while they are at home. If your student shows any of the following symptoms, please follow the attached guidelines. We want to help our students, and you all, stay healthy!

1. FEVER: a measured temperature equal to or greater than 100.4°F orally. • MAY RETURN AFTER fever-free for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medicine.

2. COUGH: persistent cough that is not yet diagnosed and cleared by a licensed healthcare provider OR any acute (non-chronic) cough illness that is frequent or severe enough to interfere with participation in usual school activities. • MAY RETURN AFTER symptoms improving for 24 hours (no cough or cough well-controlled.)

3. DIFFICULTY BREATHING OR SHORTNESS OF BREATH not explained by situation such as exercise: feeling unable to catch their breath, gasping for air, breathing too fast or too shallowly, breathing with extra effort such as using muscles of the stomach, chest, or neck. • MAY RETURN AFTER symptoms improving for 24 hours. • This symptom is likely to require immediate medical attention

4. HEADACHE WITH STIFF NECK AND FEVER. • MAY RETURN AFTER fever-free for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medicine AND symptoms resolve. • This combination of symptoms may indicate a serious condition. Advise student’s guardian to seek medical attention.

5. DIARRHEA: three or more watery or loose stools in 24 hours OR sudden onset of loose stools OR student unable to control bowel function when previously able. • MAY RETURN AFTER 48 hours after diarrhea resolves OR after seen and cleared by a licensed healthcare provider or LPHA for specific diarrheal diagnoses.

6. VOMITING: at least 1 episode that is unexplained. • MAY RETURN AFTER 48 hours after last episode of vomiting OR after seen and cleared by a licensed healthcare provider.