
Munhall Bulletin
May 15, 2020
Munhall Elementary School
Email: heather.miller@d303.org
Website: http://munhall.d303.org/
Location: 1400 South 13th Avenue
Phone: 331-228-2600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Munhall-Elementary-1459358344296891/
Twitter: @MunhallD303
Principal Note
Hello Munhall Families,
How do our Kindergarten and 1st Grade Students Show Kindness?
This week’s student message comes from our Kindergarten and 1st Grade friends. Enjoy their video, which includes all the ways they are showing kindness!
Munhall Mustangs Showing Kindness
Student Material Pick-Up and Drop-Off
Next Tuesday will begin material pick-up and drop-off for families. A detailed communication was sent on Monday, May 11th regarding the procedures and protocols. As a reminder, the schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, May 19th, 8:00am-11:00am: Students with last name A-D
Tuesday, May 19th, 12:00pm-3:00pm: Students with last name E-H
Wednesday, May 20th, 8:00am-11:00am: Students with last name I-L
Wednesday, May 20th, 12:00pm-3:00pm: Students with last name M-P
Thursday, May 21st, 8:00am-11:00am: Students with last name Q-T
Thursday, May 21st, 12:00pm-3:00pm: Students with last name U-Z
On Wednesday, May 20th we will be offering materials pick-up from 6:00pm-7:30pm for ANY Family whose schedule doesn’t permit them to pick up materials during regular working hours.
Please note, these pick-up times are created to minimize traffic and long wait times. They are general guidelines. Therefore, if your schedule doesn’t allow you to retrieve materials at your identified time, feel free to identify a time that is more convenient for your family.
I have received several inquiries regarding dropping off cards, gifts, etc. for teachers. If you do have something for a teacher or staff member, please place it in the materials drop-off bins that will be available. The bins will be clearly labeled by grade level. Also, this is a reminder that if you have library books, book baggies, etc. have the materials placed in a Ziplock or plastic bag, with your child’s name clearly identified.
Final Week of School: May 18-22
The last week of the school year is going to look a little different from the other weeks of remote learning. We hope that this plan provides a healthy balance between continuing engaged learning and providing meaningful closing activities for students. Our final week of school will be centered around 4 C's:
Conclude: It is the top priority for our students to finish up the learning and completion of assignments that have been given throughout the remote learning period. Your child's teacher(s) will notify you of any outstanding assignments that need to be completed. Students may use the last week of school to get support and submit these materials through May 22nd. In addition, your child's teacher may provide additional directions and activities for the final week. Look for communication from your child’s classroom teacher with regards to specific/personalized information.
Cultivate: If your child has completed their previous required learning, District 303 is offering a wide array of opportunities to learn and grow in areas and topics that inspire each individual student during the last week of school. Being that your child's teacher will not likely assign new content, this option provides an avenue for your child to stay engaged in learning activities. To access these learning opportunities, click here-https://sites.google.com/d303.org/d303remotelearningforstudents/home.
Collect: We know many students have belongings that are still at school, so we have provided guidance on how families and students can collect their materials before the school year is over. A detailed communication regarding Materials Pick-Up/Supply Drop-Off was sent yesterday, May 11th. The communication will be attached to this email as well.
Connect: Your child's teacher(s) will be providing an opportunity to connect through a live virtual session sometime during the last week of school. These meetings are a great way to interact with teachers and have a chance to say good-bye before the summer break. We hope you will encourage your student to attend. In addition, Mrs. Acker, Mr. Duncan, Mrs. Hammons, and Mrs. Jontz have created a virtual Field Day experience for all of our students. Though it won’t be the same as our typical Field Day, we did want the students to have something fun, physical, and creative to do on a beautiful spring day. Also, you can continue to look forward to daily morning announcements, and other events/experiences your child's teachers have planned before the summer send off.
Thank you again for your unwavering partnership throughout our remote learning experience. You can expect a communication from your child's classroom teacher regarding the last week of school before Monday morning.
Third Trimester Report Cards
Third Trimester report cards will be available on Home Access Center on the morning of May 28th. Please be aware that all schools are in unchartered territory when it comes to 3rd trimester report cards. Being that all but three weeks of the final trimester took place in a remote learning platform, proficiency markings and standards reported on will simply look different. Throughout remote learning, all grade levels have focused on essential standards. Therefore, fewer standards may have been assessed in the third trimester, leading to an increase in the number of standards with a marking of “N/A”.
If you have any questions regarding 3rd trimester report cards, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at 331-228-6637.
SEL Lessons:
Thank you for engaging in the weekly Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons. Across the past five weeks, parents and students have engaged in learning around each of the CASEL core competencies connected to SEL which are:
Self-awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism.
Self-management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward achieving personal and academic goals.
Social awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.
Relationship skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed.
Responsible decision-making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.
This has been a very different school year. The collaborative relationship between home and school, established and made stronger by this health crisis, has supported students' ability to continue to come together to learn and grow. Remote learning has taken a toll on students and adults. As you enter the summer months, know D303 staff continue to be accessible to you. Do not hesitate to reach out via Let’s Talk or by connecting with your building administration. All previous SEL lessons are available through the D303 Remote Learning for Students.
We are hopeful the resources shared will be a continued support to parents/guardians and children across the summer months. If you have any questions on the information provided or are seeking additional support for yourself or child, please contact Patti Palagi, Director Instructional Interventions (patti.palagi@d303.org or (331-228-6457). Additional resources to support you over the summer months are included here:
Coping During Times of Uncertainty
Self Care is defined as the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress (Additional resources: Self Care: CDC, 40 Things You Should Do for Yourself During Self-Quarantine, 25 Simple Self-Care Tools for Parents and Parents Self-Care: Prioritizing Your Own Well-Being Benefits your Whole Family
Registration for Returning Students—2020-2021 School Year
Registration for all students returning to D303 for the 2020-2021 school year has been open since April 29th. Registration for next year is done entirely online. All families should have received a postcard from the district office with all pertinent information regarding registration. Registration continues through June 10, 2020. Started the second week of June, office staff will begin contacting any current Munhall families who have yet to register for next school year. This will help us keep an accurate count of projected student enrollment for 2020-2021, which supports purposeful academic planning.
Finally, if you have moved, and don’t plan on returning to Munhall in the fall, please email Allyson Taylor at Allyson.Taylor@d303.org and Heather Miller at Heather.Miller@d303.org. If you questions regarding registration, logging into Home Access Center, etc., please call 331-228-2600 and leave a voicemail. Mrs. Miller or Mrs. Taylor will follow up with you.
Have a great weekend!
Jarrod Buxton, Principal
Returning Student Online Registration is due Friday, June 5th.
Returning Student Registration for 2020-2021 has moved to an online format that opened on April 27. In years past, parents completed the necessary paperwork in paper format. This year, all acknowledgments and authorizations are contained in a single electronic, online registration form that will be easily accessible from most electronic devices (computer, Chromebook, and Smartphones).
Parents can now sign into the Returning Student Online Registration form using their Home Access Center (HAC) credentials, select individual students, and complete their registration. The form will be located in the Parents/Community menu of the District website. https://district.d303.org/returning-student-online-registration-annual-update
Registration fees for elementary and middle school are available in Pushcoin and are billed to reflect the early bird discount of $10.00 if paid by May 22. High School fees will be available in June. For families who may qualify for a fee waiver, and are not directly certified by the state, a 2020-2021 district fee waiver application will be available on the District 303 website in July, accessible from the Parent/Community menu.
IMPORTANT END OF YEAR ORCHESTRA INFORMATION:
Dear Future Orchestra Families,
All students entering 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade next fall are welcome to participate in our elementary string program! Our goal is to provide a meaningful learning experience in music and develop individual student achievement and appreciation of music.
There are four string instruments for students to choose from. Click on these links to learn more about each one: violin, viola, cello, and the string bass.
As we are not currently in school, the introduction to the Orchestra Program will be different this year (all online and not face to face)!
To find out more about the Orchestra program at Munhall and to enroll your student in orchestra, click on the links below:
New Orchestra Information /Enrollment Presentation Munhall - Lincoln
Below is the screencastify version of the above presentation. It goes into more specific details about the program and will be helpful for families that are new to orchestra for the first time.
Screencastify of Orchestra Information Presentation
If you have any questions about the Orchestra Program, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to meeting new orchestra families soon!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Rita Borkowski
RE -ENROLLMENT
To re-enroll your child in orchestra for next school year:
1. Fill out the online enrollment form: 2020-2021 Orchestra Online Enrollment Form
2. Pay the $40 school year D303 instrument music fee for orchestra through PushCoin
3. Continue renting your musician's instrument over the summer! By doing so you will not lose any credit you have built with your rental company, and students will not lose valuable skills they gained during the school year.
IMPORTANT INSTRUMENT INFORMATION!
If your child will not be continuing orchestra next year, please contact your rental company to set up an appointment to turn in their instrument. Please note that NO instruments can be dropped off at school this year, due to the current pandemic.You will continue to be charged the monthly rental fee until the rental company receives your rental instrument.
NEXT SCHOOL YEAR: We are happy to announce that each school will have
their own before school rehearsals next year! No weekly traveling! So, all Munhall students will rehearse at Munhall.
Rehearsals will be from 7:15 - 8:00 am. The day of the week has not yet been finalized. Please know that we will send home information as soon as that is known. Advanced groups will consist of:
- There will be a beginner orchestra.
- There will be a 4th grade advanced orchestra.
- All 5th graders will be in the 5th grade orchestra.
Group lessons will be 40 minutes starting in the fall and will continue to rotate times as was done this year. I am looking forward to making music with students again next year! Have a great summer!