6th Grade Return to School Update

Wednesday, October 28 & Thursday, October 29

6th Grade Hybrid students return to school

Friday, October 30

Instructional Day will end 2 hours early (2-hour early dismissal)- No School for Head Start and PreK Students - End of 1st Marking Period

Students, Parents, and Guardians:

Throughout the first marking period, the hybrid return to school plan has been discussed with the community and identified groups of students set to return on either A or B days. The A/B label has caused some confusion since we also use those letters for the special area classes (band, music, art, PE, general music) which have historically met on A or B days.

In an attempt to hopefully eliminate the confusion, we will be renaming the hybrid groups. The group coming on Monday and Wednesdays will be referred to as the Burgundy Group, and the Tuesday and Thursday group will be referred to as the Gray group. These indicate our school colors and will allow us to continue to use A and B days for our specials. Our special area classes (band, music, art, PE, general music) will meet as follows:

Monday and Tuesday- special area A day classes will meet

Wednesday and Thursday - special area B day classes will meet

In other words:

The Burgundy group will have their in-person A day special on Monday and their in-person B day special on Wednesday.

The Gray group will have their in-person A day special on Tuesday and their in-person B day special on Thursday.

This change will take effect immediately (Monday, October 26)

Wednesday, October 28 (Burgundy Group), and Thursday, October 29 (Gray Group):

6th Grade Students

Burgundy Group: Students with last names beginning with A-Lic

Come to school on Mondays/Wednesdays

Gray Group: Students with last names Lin-Z

Come to school on Tuesdays/Thursdays

As our students return, all students and staff will always be required to wear face coverings during the school day. Students and staff may provide for their own face coverings or be issued a disposable face covering each day.

“Face Covering” is defined as a covering constructed with multi layered fabric (2 layers or more) that fully covers a person’s nose and mouth and is secured to a person’s head. Loosely folded fabric, bandana-style coverings, t-shirts pulled up to cover the mouth/nose, and “gators” are minimally effective and are not included as a “Face Covering”.

Students being dropped off in the morning by their parent/guardian will enter the cafeteria. A staff member will greet them and escort them to the 6th grade wing of the building and ensure they get to their correct homeroom. Please see additional information concerning parent drop off and pick up further below in this SMORE.

Students riding the bus will be dismissed from the bus by individual homeroom teachers and escorted into the building/class. All administrators and 6th grade teachers will facilitate bus arrival and ensure students get to their appropriate homeroom. Please use this link for bus stop and pickup/drop off times.

Bus Locator

It may be helpful for students to have a copy of their schedule. The 6th grade general education classrooms are contained in a single area within the building and special area classes are located in a single hallway directly outside of the cafeteria.

Staff will be throughout the 6th grade areas/hallways to assist students in getting to the appropriate classroom. The attached map has the 6th grade area and class route indicated with a black line.

Orientation Clarification

You may have noticed that October 28 and 29 are listed as Orientation for 6th grade. This is not to be confused with Orientation or Open House that we have had in previous years. Students will arrive at school as they would for a normal school day. As students attend each of their classes, each teacher will conduct an "orientation" that is simply a discussion of classroom procedures and expectations for that particular class.

Although MBMS has enough SMCPS laptops for each student, families/students may choose to bring their own personal computer to school and not use the SMCPS computer. Students/parents should be aware that SMCPS will not be able to provide IT support for software or hardware issues for personal devices. Information for connecting personal devices can be found at https://www.smcps.org/dss/its/connecting-online.

• Computer and charger (students should charge their computer nightly, please bring the computer and charger to school each day)
• 1 Five subject notebook
• 5 folders w/pockets
• Pencil box (pencils, pens, highlighter, scissors, glue stick, sharpie)

As a school, we have decided that we will not be assigning lockers for students to further assist us in maintaining social distancing. We will allow students to carry backpacks throughout the day. Since there will be only 1/2 the students normally in class, we can easily accommodate the backpacks in the classrooms.

Students will not be assigned PE lockers nor will they be changing clothes (locker rooms will be closed). Students need to be aware of the days they will be attending PE and dress appropriately including footwear.

We also want to encourage students to bring their own water bottle although the water fountains are still available throughout the school. Please ensure the bottle your child brings is not made of class and is clear. We do not allow students to bring coffee, Dunkin Donut drinks, smoothies, sodas etc. into our classrooms. We do have a touchless water bottle filler in the cafeteria that students may use to refill their bottles during lunch time.

The map below indicates the parent drop off/pick-up route. Please enter from Rt. 5 and turn right traveling through the parking lot past the tennis court/basketball court. The line will then follow along the sidewalk next to the brick Park and Rec building and turn in front of the school in front of the cafeteria. Students will exit their cars on the sidewalk side of the vehicle. They should then proceed into the cafeteria and sit on one of the designated spots until dismissed to classes. Students should not leave their vehicle until indicated to do so by a MBMS staff member.

Additionally, this process will be followed in the afternoon but in reverse. Students will be called to the cafeteria at 2:40. Once a staff member has verified the parent's ID, the student will be called from the cafeteria to their car.

An attached form is for parents to complete. This will indicate to us who needs to be dismissed from class for the afternoon parent pickup. Please complete and return to Ms. Kirby rgkirby@smcps.org

The application for Free and Reduced Meals is still open. Apply now for free and reduced meals online! Completing the form online is safe, secure, private, and fast! Follow this link to the form! https://myschoolapps.com/Application

Margaret Brent is selling masks (moisture wicking material) as a fundraiser for the school. The masks come in black and are screen printed. $15.00 each or 2 for $26.00. Please contact Robin Kirby rgkirby@smcps.org for orders. Students will be able to wear the MBMS masks at school.

The health and safety of our students and staff is our primary focus. Working with the St. Mary's County Health Department, SMCPS has the following protocols in place for student and staff safety when entering school buildings.

• Hand Washing: Promoting frequent hand washing throughout the day, especially before and after meals.
• Physical Distancing: Emphasizing increased spacing in the building and in classrooms with fewer students in spaces, including a hybrid Burgundy/Gray schedule.
• Cleaning: Cleaning and disinfecting facilities, buses, with an emphasis on frequently touched areas.
• Face Coverings: Wearing masks during the school day and on buses.
• Hand Sanitizer: Providing hand sanitizer and hand sanitizing stations, as appropriate, and at building entrances and in classrooms and shared spaces.
• Training: Providing ongoing training on COVID-19 prevention practices, including social distancing and face-covering use. Signage and ongoing communication will supplement and reinforce training

Frequently Asked Questions for parents.