Dear Carman Families,

Last week we completed our first full week of blended learning. I wanted to provide a reminder that Mondays are distance learning days which means ALL students, Group 1 and Group 2, will participate in a full day of learning virtually. Attendance will be taken and new learning will be introduced. We want to make sure students participate each Monday with their class in addition to their assigned synchronous and asynchronous days. Group 1 will attend in person on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Group 2 will attend in person on Wednesdays and Fridays. The learning on our Monday distance learning days will include live (synchronous) experiences. Attendance for all students in Groups 1 & 2 will be taken in Infinite Campus on Mondays as well as their in-person days.

For your reference, here is the blended learning calendar.

https://www.parkwayschools.net/Page/10730

With CT pride,

Allison

Dear Parkway Families, Staff and Students:

We continue to experience the changing course of COVID-19 in our lives and our community. Today, I ask for your consideration in taking some preventive measures in our commitment to the health and safety of our students and staff.

Parkway is committed to providing both in-person and virtual learning options for all students, but we can’t do it without your help. We have been so excited to see our in-person students return to school and remain hopeful to keep our schools open. We are doing everything we can to support this goal.

At school we are controlling COVID-19 spread with key strategies that are recommended for schools by the CDC. They include requiring face coverings for staff and students, social distancing to the best of our ability, washing hands often, cleaning and disinfecting and quickly conducting contact tracing when a positive case is identified. While these strategies do not eliminate COVID-19 from our buildings, they can lower the risk of transmission significantly.

Our contact tracing shows minimal transmission of illness in our schools. To date, we’ve had 234 positive cases among students and staff and 211 were traced to transmission outside of school. You can see data for illness and quarantines by school on our Community Health Dashboard.

Yesterday, the Missouri Departments of Health and Senior Services and Elementary and Secondary Education announced a change in guidance for determining close contacts in schools based on mask wearing. However, locally the St. Louis County Department of Public Health determines regional contact tracing procedures and if an individual who is exposed is required to quarantine. The St. Louis County Health Department has indicated they do not intend to change the current requirements for quarantines and will continue to follow the guidelines of the CDC. Therefore, there will be no changes to our contact tracing investigation process, identification of close contacts and quarantine procedures at this time.

Every single member of our Parkway community plays an essential role in keeping students, staff and families safe. In the past few days, we’ve watched several local public and private schools close entirely or pause in-person learning plans due to COVID-19 concerns because so many staff and students are isolated or quarantined due to illness and exposure. As cases continue to rise in our region, we must all work together to reduce the spread of illness outside of school as well.

Today, St. Louis County released new restrictions for our community. You can review these new orders here. While St. Louis County has indicated schools are not subject to capacity or gathering restrictions, our staff and students at school will be impacted by our ability as a community to follow these health restrictions.

One important thing we can do is stay home when we are sick. Please review our daily health screening checklist every day before school, and stay home if:

• You are sick or answer “yes” to any of the COVID-19 symptoms on the screening.
• A household member is presumptively positive and waiting for COVID-19 test results
• You or a close contact has been diagnosed or presumptively diagnosed with COVID-19

For additional information about what to do in specific scenarios, click here.

Please take precautions if you are considering travel or gatherings during the holidays. Last week we announced the two days before Thanksgiving will be distance learning days. The Monday following Thanksgiving is already scheduled to be a distance learning day. We may need to add more distance learning days around the holiday breaks to help further prevent COVID-19 spread in our schools.

We know keeping both in-person and virtual options available is ideal to provide students with the best learning experiences. I am extremely proud of the work our teachers, leaders and families have done to provide quality learning experiences and options for our families. I am proud of our in-person students, teachers and staff, who wear their masks all day, wash their hands often, keep surfaces clean and remain positive in a school environment that looks much different than last year.

We plan to make decisions next week about our schedules for the remainder of the semester based on illness and quarantines in our schools, staffing levels available to support in-person students and the quality of learning experiences. We will update you as soon as possible.

I want to thank our educators and staff for their work and dedication during this pandemic. It has not been easy. I would also like to thank our parents and students for your ongoing patience and partnership.

Dr. Keith Marty
Superintendent
Parkway Schools

Dear Carman Families,

Here is the information for this week's picture day. Please make sure to pay attention to the dates and times, as they are different for students in the IN-PERSON and VIRTUAL learning models.

In-Person Learning

Our Carman students attending classes in person will have their pictures taken November 17 (Group 1) and November 20 (Group 2) at Carman Trails during the school day. Attached is the digital copy of the flyer for Picture Day. Inter-State is only using an electronic flyer this year and the flyer will not have dates on them. The website for ordering pictures is www.inter-state.com and Carman Trails school's order code is 55562PA. When you enter this code, all of Carman Trails' picture days will appear. If you have any questions, you can call the Inter-State Studio at 314-878-1800.

Virtual Learning Students

Our Carman students attending the Virtual Campus will have their pictures taken on Friday, November 20 from 2:30-5:00 pm at CARMAN TRAILS. Click here to sign up for an appointment on November 20.

If that time does not work for you, you can schedule an appointment with Inter-State on the preset dates identified by the photography company. The available dates are November 23 and December 21 by APPOINTMENT ONLY. Click here to schedule an appointment at the studio. The studio is located at:

INTER-STATE STUDIO

46E WORTHINGTON ACCESS DR.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO 63043

314-878-1800

The website for ordering pictures is www.inter-state.com and Carman Trails School's order code is 5562PA.

With CT pride,

Carman Trails Elementary School

Dear parents,

Please join us for the third virtual meeting of the district parent group PAMEE (Parents Advocating for Multicultural Excellence in Education).

PAMEE is a Parkway community group of parents who are raising children of color. All parents are encouraged to attend. It is designed to be a resource and support group for parents to share strategies and concerns and provides a place for families of similar backgrounds to network.

The theme topic for the meeting is: "Health & Wellness during COVID-19"

The meeting will be held on Thursday, November 19, from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m, via Zoom.

Please feel free to join the meeting during dinner-we can “chat” from the dinner table! District staff will be in attendance and we welcome your insight and want to hear your voices.

*Please join the meeting by clicking here.

Dear Parents and Families:

The Scholastic Book Fair is back! While the Fair will be exclusively held online this year, we still plan on making it a fun and joyous experience for our kids. Features include:

• Carman Trails Elementary's own online store, with a large selection of titles, at the right price points
• A Virtual Fair so you and your kids can experience the magic of the school shopping experience. Browse titles by grade, meet popular authors, and discover the comfort and joy of our Fair
• Every dollar you spend will benefit our school directly (25% back in rewards!)

Save these dates and view our school’s Fair site:

Fair Dates: Thursday, November 12, 2020 – Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Online Store: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/carmantrailselementarysch

We can't wait to "see" you at the fair!

Danielle Peterson and Ellen Woerner

Carman Trails Elementary’s Book Fair Co-Chairs

Parent Pointers: Parent University

Are you interested in learning more about the online platforms that Parkway is using with students during distance and virtual learning?

Parent University is a course created in Schoology, our district Learning Management System, that has information about Schoology, Google for Education, videoconferencing, and digital citizenship. Within the course, you will find information that will help you understand the tools students use as well as opportunities for you to experience the tools from the student perspective. The goal of the course is to support you in feeling confident that you can help your child(ren) with online learning in Parkway. While you are welcome to explore the materials in any order, it would be beneficial to work through the Schoology folder first to learn how to interact with tools you will encounter in other folders. Follow these directions to enroll in the Parkway Parent University Schoology Course! Be sure to scroll down to page 2.

Adventure Club is available this school year. Please contact our Adventure Club staff for more information. We still have space available! The phone number to the Adventure Club main office is 636-891-6644. The website is http://www.prcommunityed.org/adventureclub/Pages/default.aspx .

Daily Health Screening

• All students and staff will complete a daily health screening before coming to school. If your child has any symptoms, including known exposure to COVID-19, flu or cold symptoms, you should stay home and call your school. Medical evaluation will be required if students are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-like illnesses.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzrrAD-nDHGZf0nX-28zQhcBbGdQvA6dbWxZ3X9krgC9VE-w/viewform

• You can follow our key metrics on the new Parkway Community Health Dashboard

Parent guide to student health

As we return to in-person learning, we want to share the procedures we will use to notify parents and staff when there is a positive case of COVID-19 at school and how you can help keep our children, staff and school communities healthy.

We have also outlined some scenarios here to help you determine what to do if your child has had contact with a symptomatic person or positive case, as well as other scenarios.

https://www.parkwayschools.net/Page/10692

All meals including breakfast and lunch will be distributed for free to all students K-12. Free meals will be available for Virtual Campus students and those attending in-person at school.

Students enrolled in Virtual Campus will need to complete the weekly meals signup page. You can sign up for meals here. Only students not attending school in person need to signup for meals. You can choose your pickup location as well as how many days you will be picking meals up for your children. Families can choose a box that includes three meals or five meals, which will be available for Virtual Campus students and during blended learning schedules

Students learning in-person will receive lunch at school. This free program is provided to all public school districts with federal USDA funding through December 31, 2020.

Free and reduced lunch links for parents.

• Here is the link to our home page.

• Here is the link to the direct application by zip code.

Meals and menus can be found here.

With the exciting news that the updated Return to Learn plan was approved by our Parkway School board, some parents may be concerned with their child's ability to wear a mask at school. Here are a couple of short stories from Tara Tuchel for children that may help. We would also encourage families to practice at home for short periods of time. You can set timers, let children decorate a mask, wear them as a family for a short time together, etc.

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you would like to talk about your concerns.

Wearing A Mask - A Story for Children

Mask Etiquette for Children

Counselor Newsletters

Counselor Connection Newsletter

"I would like to share the link to my virtual office where students/families will be able to access everything counseling related so that it can be in the newsletter as well. Through my virtual office they can click to enter my calming room, resources room, lesson classroom and my counselor's cafe. Below is the link to my office. Thank you!"

-Grant Steward, Counselor

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AKXkg6Sxa4Drrauym6L-MqpcU3cUNT1FI9-ngnrsjQo/edit?usp=sharing

Parkway Nurse's October Newsletter

Coronavirus-Evaluation of Symptoms

All students and staff should complete a daily health screening before coming to school.
If your child has any symptoms, including known exposure to COVID-19, flu, or cold symptoms, they should stay home and call your school.
When will your child be sent home from school?

• If your child has 1 low risk symptom they will be sent home and may return to school in 24 hours after symptom resolution if there is no known COVID-19 exposure
• If you child has 2 low risk symptoms OR 1 high risk symptom they will be sent home and require a medical evaluation

When will we need a doctor's note?

• Healthcare provider confirms alternative diagnosis for symptoms
• Medical clearance required from your healthcare provider or Department of Health for student to return to school after medical evaluation

When can my child return to school after COVID testing?

• If negative, the student may return after 24 hours without fever and symptoms improving
• If positive, the student may return to school after 10 days since symptoms onset, 24 hours without fever, and symptoms improving

When can my child return if they are found to be a close contact?

• The student may return after 14 days from last contact with COVID positive individual, unless symptoms develop

• If symptoms appear the student should receive a SARS-CoV-2 PCR test

Please check out the Parkway Nurse's October Newsletter. This is a great source for health information, resources, and safety tips!

Parkway will be offering Visiting Nurse Association flu clinics on the following dates in November for Parkway families and staff from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

Dates and locations:

November 16th: North High School, 12860 Fee Fee Road, 63146

November 17th: Central Middle, 471 North Woods Mill Road, 63017

November 18th: South High, 801 Hanna Road, 63021

November 19th: West High, 14653 Clayton Road, 63011

Registration is required, please fill out the google form by November 10th if you and your family would like to participate.

Permission forms need to be filled out and brought to the clinic along with a copy of your insurance card. Permission forms vary depending on age. Permission forms can be found here.

November 17: Group 1 In-Person. Picture Day In-Person students

November 18: Group 2 In Person

November 19: Group 1 In-Person

November 20: Group 2 In-Person. Picture Day - Virtual Campus students (3:00-5:00 pm at Carman Trails)

November 23: Distance learning K-5 (at home)

November 24: Distance learning K-5 (at home)

November 25: Virtual Book Fair Ends

November 25: No School-Thanksgiving Break

November 26: No School-Thanksgiving Break

November 27: No School-Thanksgiving Break

Email: alove@parkwayschools.net
Website: parkwayschools.net/carmantrails
Location: 555 South Weidman Road, Ballwin, MO, USA
Phone: 314-415-6100
Facebook: http://facebook.com/CarmanTrails
Twitter: @trailscarman