Aviator Air News
Maple Dale's Parent Newsletter
November 20th, 2020
Important News! Sycamore Schools Moves to One-Week Remote Learning After Thanksgiving
Sycamore Community Schools will be moving to remote learning for all K-12 students between November 30-December 4 as a preventative measure to ensure our schools remain the safest place for students and staff following Thanksgiving Break. Face-to-face learners will return to school in-person on December 7, pending a major shift to our student and staff health data.
Sycamore’s Data Assessment Risk Team (DART), composed of district leadership and local health professionals, have been carefully evaluating our school and local health data. While we continue to see zero in-school transmission of COVID-19, we are seeing an elevated number of cases among students and staff.
The number of quarantines among students and staff has also increased. During the week of 11/6-11/12, we had 108 new close contacts enter quarantine, up 39 from the previous week (10/30-11/5) and 58 more than two weeks ago (10/23-10/29). Meanwhile, community spread in our local zip codes continues to rapidly increase:
- The 7-day moving average of new daily cases among residents in 45242 and 45249 is 21.375 (Up 7.75 from our last report on November 13)
We anticipate an increase in COVID-19 related absences following Thanksgiving due to the likelihood of increased exposure through gatherings, travel, and other activities during the break. “Our team of medical professionals has advised that on average, symptoms from the virus develop three to five days post-exposure,” said Frank Forsthoefel, superintendent. “By giving ourselves a week buffer, we minimize the risk and keep the community spread from entering our schools."
The shift to remote learning only impacts face-to-face students and staff. Students already in Virtual Classroom Learning will continue on with school without any disruption or changes. Face-to-face students will be sent home with learning materials, including Chromebooks and chargers, prior to Thanksgiving Break. Please look for additional information from your student’s teacher(s). The HelpDesk will be available to assist with any tech issues during the week of remote learning. They can be reached by calling (513) 686-1793 or emailing helpdesk@sycamoreschools.org
In order for us to accurately assess our student and staff health data during the break and the week of remote learning, we encourage families to report any suspected, probable, or confirmed cases of COVID-19 as well as any quarantines to our Attendance Line at (513) 686-1707. We will monitor this line throughout Thanksgiving Break.
As stated in our Healthy Aves Plan, Sycamore Community Schools will need to have the capacity to operate in various modes at different times, and sometimes, with minimum advance notice, in order the ensure the health and safety of all students and staff. We understand that this may cause a burden for some families and staff. Our teachers and administrators will make every effort to ensure that our students are prepared for a successful week of remote learning.
THIS SECTION APPLIES TO F2F CLASSROOM LEARNERS
Letter of the Week
Coming Up...
November 23: Evening Conferences
November 25-27: Thanksgiving Recess
November 30 - December 4: Remote Learning for F2F students
December 7: Face to Face Students Return to Maple Dale
December 19-January 3: Winter Break
Parent/Teacher Conferences
ALL conferences will be held virtually, for both Virtual Classroom and Face-to Face students. Parents will receive details regarding the conferences as they get closer. Dates are as follows:
Nov. 20 (Friday) Daytime conferences (No School-K-8 only)
Nov. 23 (Monday) Evening Conferences (K-4 and 7-8)
Dec. 1 (Tuesday) Evening Conferences (Gr. 5-6 only)
March 4 (Thursday) Evening Conferences (Gr. 9-12)
Need an interpreter for Parent/Teacher Conferences?
Dear Families,
Teacher conferences are quickly approaching! If your family would like a language interpreter for your teacher conference, please let your child's homeroom teacher know or email Mindy Zellner at zellnerm@sycamoreschools.org. We will happily schedule an interpreter to be present during your conference time.
Thank you!
Morning Announcements
From the PTO - For ALL Families
A letter from the PTO President
While this year is one like we’ve never experienced, the Maple Dale community is still strong! The Warrior Challenge Fundraiser was a huge success because so many participated. Together We Are Better! THANK YOU!!
As a PTO Exec Board, we work hard to ensure we are thorough and thoughtful in the way we invest back into our school. In addition to the numerous programs we fund and the support we provide the teachers, every year the PTO makes intentional choices on where to invest incremental money via school grants. Thanks to your generous support of the Warrior Challenge, the PTO has even more to invest this year. Since your kids raised the money, we want you to be part of the choices that we make on investing.
Please plan to attend a special meeting of the PTO at 1:00m on Thursday, December 10th. The entire agenda will be set to address the ideas submitted for how to wisely invest proceeds from the Warrior Challenge.
Do you have an idea for how to spend the proceeds? All members of the Maple Dale Community (Parents, Teachers, Students, Staff, Administrators - everyone) are invited to submit a funding request for items and projects they think would be a good use of these funds. Submit your request at: https://forms.gle/DhdvYZfzpDLNHD6k7 Be sure to read the tips below for how to write a good funding request. Requests are due by December 3rd. .
How did we get here? Budgeting for this school year was a challenge not knowing which PTO events/programs we’d be able to do and not knowing what impact there may be on fundraising. The PTO adopted a conservative budget that projected a large decrease in fundraising versus last year. To balance the budget, expenses for grants were reduced.
We are thrilled by the response and success of the Warrior Challenge. As a result, we have a lot more money than we had budgeted to be used to enhance existing programs, start new ones, or provide for extras around the school.
Do we have to spend it all? No. We don’t have to spend it all and the PTO Exec Board feels strongly that we shouldn’t if we don’t have good things to spend it on. We also believe that the money has been raised by this year's students and should be used to benefit them, if possible.
Tips for a good funding request:
We are better together - talk to others about your ideas and gather co-sponsors
Talk to the school or a board member if you have a major request or a really new idea. We might be able to give some input so that your idea is the best it can be.
Be specific. As much as possible know exactly what you are proposing. Get quotes or firm costs. Have a budget.
Ask any of the board members if you need help.
I would like to conclude by thanking the Warrior Challenge committee (Barbie Bergan, Carly Lefton, Jen Peri and Ben Schneider) for the awesome job they did on the fundraiser.
Jeff Stechschulte
Maple Dale PTO President
Order Your Yearbook NOW!
Second Semester Learning
Sycamore Schools is now accepting requests to change your student's learning model for the second semester. You DO NOT need to fill out this form if your student plans to stay in their current learning model. Please fill a separate form for each student in your household who wants to switch models by November 30 at 10:00 p.m. If you do not complete a form by the deadline, your student will be automatically re-enrolled in their current learning model. Please review our Frequently Asked Questions regarding the second semester and the process to change models. To access the request form, please click here. You will receive an email confirmation after you submit the form.
Sycamore GEAR
Do you have questions about navigating the Sycamore gifted program with your child? Do you have a story or expertise to share? Are you desiring to be more connected to the GEAR community? If so, go to www.SycamoreGEAR.org, find a date that works for you, and join for casual conversation and connection about these topics and more.
All Pro Dads- November Meeting
You are invited to a virtual meeting of the Maple Dale Elementary All Pro Dads chapter on Saturday November 21st from 8:30am – 9am. This virtual meeting will be held here:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/94363067234?pwd=eHlCdUtHWFc5QTR3dXU1SE1qcFVMUT09
Meeting ID: 943 6306 7234
Passcode: 65VtDJ
The theme this month is gratitude.
Gratitude means having an appreciation for our lives, relationships, circumstances, and possessions. Grateful people tend to have a better experience of life. When life is going well, they are more likely to have greater enjoyment. When they face difficulty, they have more hope and a positive attitude. One of the main ingredients to living a full life is gratitude.
This is a virtual meeting so RSVPing is optional. Here's the link to RSVP:
https://allprodadsday.com/chapters/5004
Hope you can make it!
Covid-19 Weekly Stats
Be sure to grab some Sycamore gear at the Aves Hangar in November!
The Aves Hangar has agreed to give 10% of the sales in November back to the Maple Dale PTO. Please use the code MDFALLSALE November 1-30 so we can track these sales. This is not a discount, just a way to identify Maple Dale sales.
If you place an order $19.99 or higher, they offer free delivery on Fridays to anyone in the district! You can also choose to pick it up on Tuesdays from 5:00-6:00 pm at Sycamore High School store.
THIS SECTION APPLIES TO VIRTUAL CLASSROOM LEARNERS
Updated Virtual Schedules for K-4
For our virtual families, attached please find the new schedules for virtual students in grades K-4 that begin on Monday, November 23. Please note these schedules reflect a corrected start date of 11/23 as well as a fixed typo in the second grade schedule. For third and fourth grade students who are in gifted class(es), their gifted classes will remain the same time as they are currently held. There is no change to gifted classes. For students in intervention, special education, related therapies, or ESOL - their teacher(s) will reach out directly to families about any change in the schedule of their services, if applicable.
MRS. WESTMAN'S AFTERNOON KINDERGARTEN
Parent/Teacher Conferences
ALL conferences will be held virtually, for both Virtual Classroom and Face-to Face students. Parents will receive details regarding the conferences as they get closer. Dates are as follows:
Nov. 20 (Friday) Daytime conferences (No School-K-8 only)
Nov. 23 (Monday) Evening Conferences (K-4 and 7-8)
Dec. 1 (Tuesday) Evening Conferences (Gr. 5-6 only)
March 4 (Thursday) Evening Conferences (Gr. 9-12)
Warrior Challenge Prizes
Thank you!
Need an interpreter for parent/teacher conferences?
Dear Families,
Teacher conferences are quickly approaching! If your family would like a language interpreter for your teacher conference, please let your child's homeroom teacher know or email Mindy Zellner at zellnerm@sycamoreschools.org. We will happily schedule an interpreter to be present during your conference time.
Thank you!
Virtual Students Hearing and Vision Screenings
In order to keep your child's screenings on track for school, providing updated Hearing and
Vision screening information to your child’s School Nurse is very important.
Please read this link for an important letter from Julie Ferron RN.About us
Email: reinkea@sycamoreschools.org
Website: http://www.sycamoreschools.org/Domain/12
Location: 6100 Hagewa Drive, Cincinnati, OH, United States
Phone: (513)686-1720
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mapledaleaviators/
Twitter: @MapleDaleElem