
In The Q
October 15, 2020 Newsletter
Free meal pickup change for virtual students
Beginning Monday, to save families time picking up free breakfast and lunch for virtual students, the Quakertown Community School District is changing its pickup schedule.
Starting October 19th, free meal pickup will be held two days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays. On Mondays, students can receive meals for two days, and on Wednesday for three days.
As many families are aware, elementary students began full-day live schedules five days a week on Monday. Secondary students are scheduled to do the same on Wednesday, November 18th. There are many students, however, who have chosen to remain with virtual instruction. Those students may continue to pick up free meals on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Pickup remains at the Quakertown Community High School bus loop from 11:15 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
Please click here for more information.
*
District boosts pay for substitute teachers
Hoping to incentivize more people with a Bachelor’s degree to become substitute teachers, the Quakertown Community School District is significantly increasing pay for substitute teachers for the 2020-21 school year.
The per diem rate is being raised from $105 to $120 per day. Long term per diem pay is being raised from $140 to $175 per day, highest in the area. The School Board passed the measure on October 8.
The average per diem rate in Bucks County and surrounding districts is $109. The long term substitute rate is $125.
Please click here for the story.
QCSD has several job openings that can be found by clicking here. They include substitute nurses, aides, and food service workers.
Click here for job openings in the Upper Bucks County Technical School.
*
Family Night returns for elementary students
The first of seven monthly events, free to all elementary school families in QCSD, is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20th, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The programs are hosted by the Family To Family Initiative, a cooperative program between Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services and the Family Service Association of Bucks County.
Please click here for the story.
*
QCSD officially 'ALICE certified'
Quakertown Community School DIstrict has officially become an “ALICE Certified Organization.”
ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. Each area is a means of survival if there is an active shooter. The program encourages everyone to choose the safest option during a life-threatening situation. To become an ALICE certified organization, school staff had to complete an online training session, participate in active shooter drills and implement ALICE procedures into emergency protocols.
The ALICE philosophy, which the district adopted and began implementing in the summer of 2015, is to use technology and information in a way that staff and students can make informed decisions in a crisis, remove as many people as possible from the danger zone, and provide realistic training so those involved in a crisis have a better chance of surviving. Students in each grade receive some form of training.
Please click here for the story.
*
10th annual Shop With A Cop
Shop With A Cop Registration Forms
Shop With A Cop raised more than $41,000 a year ago with more than 50 officers and 40 additional volunteers coming together to help local families in need. The program, geared toward Quakertown Community School District elementary aged children, gives them the opportunity to view police officers in a different atmosphere to promote positive relationships. The children are faced with life challenges, such as a parent losing a job, homelessness, military deployment, economic shortcomings, and other hardships.
Funded through the generous donations from the community and local businesses, Shop With A Cop affords each child a monetary gift card to purchase gifts for themselves and family members, allowing for a more enjoyable holiday. Volunteers from the community help with gift wrapping, hosting, and registration. Participating police officers volunteer their own time to support the program.
Shop With A Cop was developed to help make the holidays brighter for disadvantaged families in the district. But it needs your support! Please contact Julie Bender at 215.536.5001 x134 or jbender@quakertown.org with any questions.
*
Quakertown Community Outreach & Quakertown Cares offer holiday help
Quakertown Community Outreach and Quakertown Cares provide gifts to those in need through community donations.
Eligibility criteria includes:
QCSD residents only
Free or Reduced lunch eligible (or case by case special circumstances)
The deadline to apply is Friday, November 10 (on a first-come, first-served basis)
*
UBCTS cooperative education program
Julia has joined Kirban Customs as part of her cooperative education placement. They are standing in front of a recent boat restoration and painting project.
*
COVID-19 by the numbers
The information can be found here.
COVID-19 procedures to follow
The Quakertown Community School District wants all of its students, employees and community members to stay safe each and every day with special precautions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Toward that end, all employees and district families have been provided a daily checklist that aligns with the goals of the district’s Health And Safety Plan to safely monitor student and staff health. The questionnaire helps develop the important habit of checking for symptoms that may appear after exposure to the coronavirus.
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of reported symptoms – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure, and can include:
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
New loss of taste or smell
Fever or chills
Muscle or body aches
Headache
Fatigue
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
In the event a student or QCSD employee develops symptoms they should not attend school but should notify their school nurse and their physician about potential testing for COVID-19. Siblings of a symptomatic student should also stay home until student is cleared to return to school. If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, the District will then notify the Bucks County Health Department. Confidentiality will be maintained. BCHD will then conduct an investigation, contact tracing and provide appropriate guidance.
Employees must have a note from their medical provider or local health department that documents they are cleared to return to work. The note must indicate your diagnosis, that you are symptom free of COVID-19, and that you can work full duty with no restrictions. The note must be provided to Anita Kaseman, Benefits Manager, before you return to work.
Here are charts that show the procedures to follow:
This has been an incredibly challenging time for our entire school district community. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we have dealt with this unprecedented situation.
*
Experts call on QCSD's tech savvy leader for answers
Joe Kuzo's expertise and leadership in the use of technology in education has not been missed by technology companies and online educational publications.
Recently, NUITEQ published a Q&A with Mr. Kuzo titled “Distance Learning Lessons From A Tech-Fluent School District.” Please click here for the story.
eSchool News, which writes about technology trends in education, has included Mr. Kuzo for a discussion “How to Protect District Data from Phishing, Malware, Ransomware, and More.” It’s scheduled for October 29 at noon. Click here to register.
Technology Support for QCSD families
If you have a technology issue that requires a device repair or swap in person, please click here for the Sign Up Genius. There are appointment slots for Tuesdays through October 20th between 1 and 3:30 pm. This will take place at the district office, 100 Commerce Drive, Quakertown, at the loading dock on the side of the building opposite of Route 663.
If you have a technology issue that can be handled virtually (ie. login information, Clever badge, PowerSchool related questions, etc.), fill out the form by clicking here.
*
School Day Screening Questionnaire
Parents and guardians, please don't forget the screening questionnaire you've received each week by email. It aligns with the goals of the district’s Health And Safety Plan to safely monitor student and staff health.
You do not need to submit the questionnaire to anyone, but the QCSD safety plan does require that you screen your child(ren) each morning before they get on the bus or you bring them to school. Thank you in advance for your help in keeping students, staff, and our schools safe for live instruction.
Please click here for the questionnaire.
*
SAP counselors dedicate monthly newsletter to bullying prevention
The October Student Assistance Program monthly newsletter, published by The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, is dedicated to National Bullying Prevention Month.
Please click here for your digital copy.
*
Minding Your Mind: Just Talk About It
This interactive presentation is for families of secondary students. In #QCSD, that would include families of students at the Sixth Grade Center, Strayer Middle School and Quakertown Community High School. It’s an introduction to mental health, designed to train adults on how to recognize the warning signs of stress, anxiety, depression, and crisis.
Attendees will learn about:
- Stigma regarding mental health
- The most common causes and effects of stress and anxiety
- Adaptive and maladaptive coping skills
- The symptoms of depression
- The warning signs most often associated with a mental health crisis
- How to help a youth who is experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis
The live webinar, sponsored by Quakertown Community School District, is scheduled for October 20th, 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Click here to join. Questions? Contact Kimberly Rogers: krogers@qcsd.org
*
VFW Announces Middle School & HS contests
One, for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders, is an essay competition titled “What is Patriotism to Me?” It comes with a grand prize of $5,000.
Another contest, for students in grades 9-12, is an audio essay competition. The title for that one is “Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned?” It comes with a grand prize of $30,000.
The deadline for both contests is October 31.
For more information about the middle school contest, please click here.
For more information about the high school contest, please click here.
*
Radon Poster Contest
*
Treatment center resources for parents
*
*
*
*
*
*
Here's how to access school board meeting videos
Looking for past "In The Q" issues?
Quakertown Community School District
Email: gweckselblatt@qcsd.org
Website: www.qcsd.org
Location: 100 Commerce Drive, Quakertown, PA, USA
Phone: 215-529-2028
Facebook: facebook.com/QCSDNews
Twitter: @QCSDnews