Aviator Air Newsletter
Maple Dale Elementary's Parent Communication
September 18, 2020
THIS SECTION APPLIES TO F2F CLASSROOM LEARNERS
Letter of the Week
Coming Up...
September 21 & 23 - MAP Testing for 1st and 3rd Graders
September 22 & 24 - MAP Testing for 2nd and 4th Graders
Lost and Found
Dear Maple Dale families,
Thank you so much for all you do to keep everyone and everything where it belongs! Let's work together!
Attendance
Reunification Plan
In the event of an emergency where an evacuation of the school building is necessary, students will be transported to safety at Sycamore Community Schools’ reunification site:
Blue Ash Recreation Center 4433 Cooper Rd. Blue Ash, OH 45242
Detailed information can be found on the district website under Reunification Plans.
For more information on safety & security at Sycamore Schools, visit the district Safety & Security web page.
Visitor Policy
We encourage you to work with your child to help him or her remember items like lunch or school work. Please remember that the district has instituted a NO VISITOR policy in our buildings for the time being. Thank you for your cooperation.
New Contact-less Student Sign-in/Sign-out Procedure
We realize there may be times when you need to pick up your child during the school day for an appointment. We appreciate your efforts in limiting these instances as much as possible this year.
In order to comply with our obligation to have a written record of a child leaving our school during the day, and to help parents with this process, we have established a “contact-less” sign-in and sign-out system.
Posted on our front doors (see image above) you will see three QR codes: one for Late Arrival, one for Early Dismissal and one for Return to School. We ask that parents scan the appropriate code with a phone or device and enter the information on the form. This will serve as the written record we need to ensure that each child is accounted for.
Once you have entered the information, press the call button and we will have your child come out to meet you. Or, we will open the door for your child to enter our school.
Our front office team, Kathy Lake and Angie Spyrou, will be asking for parent/grandparent/guardian identification the first time a child is picked up this year. Identification can be shown by placing a driver’s licence in front of the camera outside.
We hope this new system helps all of us be safe and efficient this year!
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Ann Marie Reinke, Principal.
CHILD NUTRITION
Free Breakfast and Lunch (for now)!
USDA and ODE passed a new waiver for all schools that participate in School Nutrition Programs. As of today, Sycamore Schools is now able to serve breakfast and lunch to all students for FREE until the waiver expires on December 31st (or until the allotted program funds are no longer available—whichever comes first.)
This does not change anything in the process of receiving breakfast or lunch at school for your Sycamore student other than that if a student makes a reimbursable school meal they will not be charged. A student has to take 3 components and one HAS to be ½ cup of fruit or vegetable for their meal to be considered reimbursable. Click on the links below for more information by learning model:
Virtual Learning- Free Meal Information
Face-to-Face- Free Meal Information
Change in Pre-Ordering Meals
The Child Nutrition Department has made a change to the pre-ordering deadline for Elementary students. Families now only need to order by Noon the day before, rather than a week at a time. This is to better serve our parents and students.
Please note: You can order up to 2 weeks in advance. If choosing to do this, please understand that if you ordered a meal for your student and they are present at school they need to take the meal that was ordered.
Thank you for being patient with this new program and way of providing meals to students in the safest way possible. The Child Nutrition Department is doing everything possible to fix any issues that are found in a timely manner.
Continue to send questions and concerns to warrenk@sycamoreschools.org or by calling the office at (513) 686-1796.
TECHNOLOGY
Tech Issues?
MENTAL HEALTH
1N5 - Warrior Run (The Race for Life)
Sycamore High School’s speak up AVES student group invites you to join our team for the annual 1N5 Warrior Run. This year’s event is a virtual “choose your own path” event that encourages participants to complete a 5K - YOUR WAY! The challenge runs from September 26 through October 10. Registration proceeds support the work of 1N5, our community partner, committed to mental health education across the state, city and our district. Sponsorship funds raised come directly back to Sycamore Schools to support mental health programming. Additionally, if Sycamore High School can win the high school challenge, they earn additional funds and opportunities to support mental health at Sycamore High School, and most of all, bragging rights! Visit our team page for more information and register or donate today!
From the PTO - For ALL Families
Homeroom Parents
We are looking for one representative from each in-person room to act at the Homeroom Parent. As with most roles, this year the responsibilities will look a little different and still to be defined. This job will be mainly acting as a contact between the teacher, room parents and the PTO. We are still trying to determine what any celebrations will look like this year, so we appreciate your flexibility. To volunteer, follow this link: https://forms.gle/7UFeog9qeAvsxQLA7
With the virtual classrooms being a blend of students from different schools, we are working across the 4 elementary schools to determine the best way to handle homeroom parents for virtual classrooms.
Join Scout Night Open House – September 23th
Maple Dale Cub Scout Pack 189 is recruiting families for the 2020-21 school year. Boys and Girls ages 5-10 are welcome to join. The Pack supports a wide range of activities from Camping, Rock Climbing, Range Day, various Community Service Projects, Blue Ash Memorial Day Parade, and the ever-popular Pinewood Derby. Along with Pack and Den activities, we work on preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
To join or for more information come to our open House:
Wednesday September 23th
6-7pm
Maple Dale Parking Lot
Still not sure, contact Judson Armentrout for more information.
Join the PTO!
PTO Fall Help Wanted!
Kroger Community Rewards
You can earn money for Maple Dale just by shopping for groceries! Kroger gives a percentage of their sales to Maple Dale through their community rewards program - you can sign up today! This is a nice fundraiser for us, so please follow these directions to link Maple Dale to your Kroger card.
1) Create a digital account. A digital account is needed to participate in Kroger Community Rewards. If you already have a digital account, simply link your Shopper’s Card to your account so that all transactions apply toward the organization you choose.
2) Link your Card to an organization. MAPLE DALE PTO’s number is MG536. Selecting the organization that you wish to support is as simple as updating the Kroger Community Rewards selection on your digital account. Steps:
- Sign in to your digital account.
- Search for your organization here.
- Enter the name or NPO number of the organization you wish to support. Maple Dale- MG536
- Select the appropriate organization from the list and click “Save”.
Box Tops for Education
Box Tops is alive and well, but your clipping days are over! Now you can simply download their app and take a picture of your receipt - and you're done! Follow these instructions and start earning money for Maple Dale in this easy, convenient, and updated way!
- Go to your devices App Store and download the Box Tops for Education App
- Fill out your name, email and zip code
- Search for school using the 45242 zip code
- Select Maple Dale
- Begin earning money for our school just by taking a picture of your grocery receipts! The school gets $2 just for you signing up!
Meet Your PTO Board!
The PTO Board is excited to welcome our entire Maple Dale Family back to school this year! Though some of us are learning in the building and some are learning at home, we are all one school! We personally represent all grade levels, as well as both at home and face to face learning, and we are eager to answer any questions you may have about our beloved school. We are:
Jeff Stechschulte, President - mdpto@sycamoreschools.org - has a 2nd grader learning face to face (and also a 5th grader at Greene).
Jen Peri, Vice President of Fundraising - mdptovpfund@sycamoreschools.org - has 1st & 2nd graders learning face to face.
Chase Aston, 1st Vice President of Programs - mdptovp1@sycamoreschools.org - has a 2nd grader learning face to face (and also two 5th graders at Greene).
Harshana Patel, 2nd Vice President of Programs - mdptovp2@sycamoreschools.org - has K, 2nd, & 4th graders learning virtually.
Becky Gohr, Treasurer - mdptotreasurer@sycamoreschools.org - has 1st & 3rd graders learning face to face.
Anne Berg, Secretary - mdptosecretary@sycamoreschools.org - has a 2nd grader learning virtually (and also 7th & 9th graders at the JH & HS).
BACK TO SCHOOL PICS
Email us your Virtual Classroom pictures!
Covid-19 Weekly Stats
THIS SECTION APPLIES TO VIRTUAL CLASSROOM LEARNERS
Chromebook Support for Virtual Families
Hello Virtual Students and Parents,
If you are experiencing an issue with your school student Chromebook, please review the video below that provides tips on how to update your Chromebook, check your Internet settings and connection.
If you are still experiencing a Chromebook issue, please contact our helpdesk 686-1793 (8a-3p) or submit a ticket by sending an email to helpdesk@sycamoreschools.org
Thank you,
Technology Department
Attendance
New this year: Sycamore Community Schools has established a centralized Sycamore Attendance Line. To report an absence for both face-to-face and virtual students, please call (513) 686-1707 and listen carefully to the prompts to make the appropriate selection for your child's school. We're asking both face-to-face and virtual families to report COVID-related illnesses by calling this line also.
Free and Reduced Forms for Virtual Families and P-EBT
All families that qualify for free and reduced-price meals or feel like they might qualify this year need to fill out their application ASAP. Ohio Department of Education in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services is running another round of Pandemic-EBT cards, but ONLY for families who have children learning virtually 5 days a week.
The P-EBT program provides families eligible for free or reduced-price meals with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps, in the amount of $5.86 (the federal reimbursement rate for breakfast and lunch) for each day a school has remote learning provided for the month of September. All children eligible for free and reduced-price meals are eligible for these benefits, including children who were approved through Direct Certification and children approved based on a free or reduced-price student meal application, as long as the student has remote learning periods lasting at least five consecutive days.
IF you want to be included on this list that will be sent to ODJFS early next week, you need to have your free and reduced applications for the 2020-21 school year turned in by 8:00 am on Monday morning either online OR o the Child Nutrition Office - 5959 Hagewa Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45242. We encourage whoever is able to do their application online to do so by visiting www.payschoolscentral.com. Online applications will have an automatic response. Find more information on filling out a free and reduced meal form by visiting https://www.sycamoreschools.org/Page/2292.
Virtual Families - Technology Issues
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