Dragon Tales

Attendance Line 913-993-2988

Email: michellelord@smsd.org
Website: https://corinth.smsd.org/
Location: 8301 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS, USA
Phone: 913-993-2900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1398900050325140/
Twitter: @SMSD_Corinth

It has been another great week to be a Dragon! I am very thankful for our supportive Corinth community. Your generous donations of TV trays for our cafeteria are so appreciated. The trays arrived at Corinth very quickly and plans are in place to arrange the cafeteria to achieve 6-feet distancing starting next week. Mr. Leo, our wonderful head custodian, worked hard to assemble all of the stands very quickly. Thank you to everyone for your donations and support.

Below you will find information regarding updated guidance from SMSD for fall events. This guidance will be revisited each quarter, and I will communicate with you when there is an update.

Thank you for your continued support! Enjoy the long weekend and the beautiful weather.

Respectfully,

Michelle Lord

SMSD Guidance for fall events during the 2021-2022 school year

Follow all mitigating measures as outlined in the BOE approved Plan D Document

• Masks required indoors

• 3-feet social distancing/seating to the extent possible
• No food or drink consumed at indoor events (could provide a take home option)
• Continue with practice that outside guests are not allowed past the office when students are on-site during regular school hours
• Intra-district academic trips will be considered (for example, a trip to the CAA, Environmental Learning Labs, Broadmoor Urban Farm, or The Career and Technical Campus).
• Field trips to non-SMSD facilities are being suspended for the first quarter and will be re-evaluated again at a later date. Additional requests can be made to elementary and secondary directors.
• On-site events with outside guests must take place after school hours or on the weekend
• If applicable, provide a virtual option for the event to allow families choice
• Provide specific direction/guidance to families regarding the event

Events during the school day

• Participants include students and staff only. The decision to allow external building visitors (including volunteers) will be determined based on community transmission data and/or additional guidance offered from public health officials. All visitors must wear a mask.
• First quarter - due to community transmission, no visitors.

• Follow mitigating measures that are consistent with the Plan D Document
• Field Days are allowed with structured events/activities that provide for social distancing and appropriate mask wearing for the safety of all participants
• Guest speakers/presenters for learning opportunities aligned with grade level standards
• Scheduled outdoors as guests are not permitted past the school office
• Virtual speakers/field trips are recommended to enhance learning

Events outside of the school day - Indoors

• Schedule guests in shifts via sign-up or assign times to ensure guideline is followed
• Utilize multiple large spaces to provide space for social distancing (cafeteria, gym, library)
• Recommend planning drive through events that allow for a designated stop/activity
• Recommend multiple designated stations to allow for social distancing of participants
• Utilize outside spaces for events when possible

Events outside of the school day - Outdoors

• If applicable, provide for a virtual event to allow families choice
• Provide specific direction/guidance to families regarding the event
• Masks are not required outside
• Physical distancing is required when appropriate; spectators should maintain at minimum 3’ distance to the extent possible

Dragons –

We hope everyone enjoys the long weekend break. However, if your child does present symptoms of the criteria listed below, you can secure an appointment for a PCR Covid-19 test via:

https://www.gogettested.com

If your child qualifies for either one of the below criteria, please call us immediately so that we can assess the situation.

• Any (1) of the BIG Covid symptoms: (cough, shortness of breath, or loss of taste or smell).

OR

• Any (2) of the secondary symptoms: (Fatigue, Fever, Chills, Congestions/Runny nose, Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Sore throat, Headache OR Body aches).

Last year we had very few bumps in the road and everyone was great about wearing their masks, washing their hands, practicing social distancing, and only coming to school when they were well. We had very few students who actually got Covid and from what we could tell they got it from outside of school. That being said, there may still be a case that sneaks through. With our mitigating measures at school we can say that almost anyone who comes into contact with someone who is positive at school will be a low risk exposure.

What is a low risk exposure?

A low risk exposure is any exposure where JCDHE and SMSD believe there is very small likelihood of transmission from one person to another. At school that would mean:

1. Both people are masked

2. When spaced 3 feet apart and unmasked for less than 15 minutes or when outside.

3. When students are spaced 6 feet apart and unmasked for more than 15 minutes

We can assure everyone that all students and staff are very good about following all of the protocols that kept us safe last year and we fully expect that Covid will be more of a nuisance than an actual fear among parents.

If any parent does have questions or concerns about what the school is doing Nurse Carl and Nurse Wiebe would be happy to address those.

In recognition of September being Suicide Prevention month, we wanted to share some resources with our Corinth parents. Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

Tina Lipari, LSCSW

School Social Worker

Corinth Elementary

913-993-2919

tinalipari@smsd.org

Reminder: Arrival & Dismissal Procedures

If you plan to pick up your child after school, please place your Dragon Family number on the dash of your vehicle. When you come through the car loop, your number and last name will populate onto a Google Document that will be projected in your child’s classroom for reference during dismissal. All car riders will remain in their classroom until their number is on the screen. At that time, they will exit the building and come to your car. This process allows us to help maintain social distancing as our Dragons exit the building.

Due to the large number of bikers and walkers, we are staggering this dismissal process. We call bike riders first and then call walkers in groups of 100 based on their family number. It is important for student to dismiss with their group so that our hallways are safe. The car line is working very well this year with our family numbers.

We encourage you to please use the car loop pickup whenever possible.

Opening Car Doors

To ensure the safety of our Dragons, our staff is not opening car doors during arrival and dismissal. We hope to return to this practice when it is safe to do so. Additionally, please remember to remain in your vehicle during arrival and dismissal. We are working to add an additional adult at the north and south entrance to help encourage vehicles to pull forward during both arrival and dismissal.

We need your help!

After reflecting on our first two weeks with our Dragons at school, we need your help to continue providing safe and efficient arrival and dismissal processes.

• Please have your Dragon(s) ready to exit their vehicle in the morning with their mask on.
• Please pull all the way forward in the car line at drop off and pick up.
• Parents: please remember to remain in your vehicle throughout the duration of the arrival and dismissal processes. If you need to get out of your car to assist your child, please use a designated parking spot and avoid the carlines.
• Students need to enter and exit the vehicle during arrival and dismissal using the passenger side door. This is our safest option as it prevents students from going between vehicles in the car loop.
• Please display your Dragon Family number on your dashboard.
• Everyone on school property needs to wear a mask.
• Mr. John, our amazing crossing guard, is here to help you and our Dragons safely cross Mission Road and/or 83rd Street. Please only cross the street utilizing the crosswalk.
• No left turn out of the parking lots from 7:45-8:30 am and 2:45-3:30pm.
• Due to visibility concerns regarding our walkers & bikers, as well as neighborhood concerns, we ask that you do not park in The Cloisters after school to pick up your students.

The DEI Connection

We are excited to introduce Corinth’s new DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) Committee and launch the DEI Connection. During the school year, we will periodically share interesting and valuable information centered around DEI in this section of the newsletter. Here, you’ll find resources, events, and updates on our initiatives.

• Our Members:
• Our founding members are Haley Jeffrey, Amy Pierce, Christina Zahid, Kendra Garwood, Lane Odle, and Holly Hagman who formed this group back in June of 2020 at the height of the BLM movement with Ali Larson and Amy Covitz joining recently.
• Our Purpose:
• To cultivate an environment that is antiracist and inclusive in an effort to support our students in becoming citizens of the world. By providing diverse cultural educational resources and learning opportunities that holistically represent the American story and celebrate our country’s differences, our students will create the future they desire.
• Our Work:
• Parent Book Club
• While we are busy preparing plans for the year and have programming in the works for students, we’d also like to offer DEI resources for parents. Please fill out the survey below to gauge interest in a book or movie club that would spotlight diverse authors and films.
• Please offer your feedback! Complete this quick three-question survey. Click link--> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TCJPF7S
• DEI Book Donations
• As Mike English noted in the PTA newsletter, Kendra Garwood dropped off several books to the Corinth library the first week of school. A special thank you to her mother-in-law, Julie Garwood and Penguin Books for the gracious donation. These books embrace and celebrate diversity and inclusion through a wide range of different colors, cultures, and abilities.

Grade reps: For each grade, we have representatives outlined below to be your main point of contact. Feel free to reach out to your grade rep OR anyone on this list with questions, concerns, or suggestions.

§ Kindergarten - Haley Jeffrey

§ 1st Grade - Ali Larson

§ 2nd Grade - Kendra Garwood

§ 3rd Grade - Amy Pierce

§ 4th Grade - Holly Hagman

§ 5th Grade - Lane Odle

§ 6th Grade - Christina Zaid

Don’t forget to fill out the survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TCJPF7S

-DEI Committee

Artsonia – the online virtual art gallery, new and kindergarten families should receive an email inviting them to join. It truly is a way to view and share your students art work.

Follow the Corinth art room & see students at work, projects, and an occasional dance party!

Crbogart2018 – Instagram

Kim Bogart – Facebook (not Kimberly bogart)

Any questions feel free to email

kimbogart@smsd.org

Thanks – here’s to a great year!

Become a member of the Corinth PTA

With your paid Corinth PTA membership ($10/parent) you'll get full access to:

• Corinth Elementary directory
• Calendar of PTA events
• Volunteer opportunities
• Purchasing yearbooks, paying for special events & more

Dragon Tales is sent every Friday by the school, but on Sundays, the PTA sends a newsletter covering all upcoming dates and important information about where help is needed, how you can give back to the school, and more.

If you aren't receiving the weekly PTA newsletters, please send an email to dragon.pta@gmail.com to be added. It's so important to stay informed and receiving these weekly newsletters will ensure you stay in the know!