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Dragon News
Findley Elementary School
January 14, 2022
Message from the Principal
2022 sure has gotten off to rather busy start. But, we have made it two weeks in! Our staff continues to show up healthy, as do the majority of our kids. Thank you to everyone for following COVID protocols, adhering to district policy and procedures and remaining vigilant in practicing health and safety measures. We are fortunate to have such a great school community.
There have many updates this past week including the communication plan for a possible transition to Remote Learning. I have received several questions about this since the email was sent out Monday morning. The district is monitoring staff and student absences daily. Each individual school has its own set of circumstances, and decisions about transitioning to temporary remote learning are school specific. At this time, Findley has not reached levels of absenteeism that would warrant a transition to remote learning. Remaining vigilant with mask wearing, distancing and hand hygiene, paired with staying home when sick will keep us in school, learning.
Additionally, district quarantine timelines have been updated to match the latest guidance from the CDC. Please see the changes below, and don't hesitate to reach out with questions.
We are in this together. Thank you, Findley Families. I have been so appreciative of all the support and encouragement we have received from you. 🙏
Enjoy the extra day this weekend,
Sherry Marsh, Ed.D.
Principal
TEST KITS DUE 1/18
Thank you!
Updated Quarantine Guidance-Effective 1/18/2022
IF A VACCINATED OR UNVACCINATED STUDENT HAS A POSITIVE OR PRESUMPTIVE CASE OF COVID-19:
- The student must isolate at home for 5 days. Here’s how to count: Day 0 is the day when symptoms begin or a student receives a positive test result. The next day is Day 1 of the 5-day isolation.
- If the student is fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and other symptoms have improved, the student can return to school on Day 6. Otherwise, the student should remain at home until fever-free and symptoms improve.
- When the student returns to school, the student must wear a well-fitting mask for an additional 5 days, including instances where masking would otherwise be optional:
- Actively engaged in athletics
- Actively engaged in outdoor P.E.
- Participating in theater/choir/band performances
- If the student is medically unable to consistently and properly wear a mask for those additional 5 days, the student will need to remain isolated at home for 10 days rather than 5 days.
- Pre-K students are not eligible for shortened isolations.
IF AN UNVACCINATED STUDENT IS DETERMINED TO BE A CLOSE CONTACT TO A POSITIVE CASE OF COVID-19:
- The student must quarantine at home for 5 days. Here’s how to count: Day 0 is the day of the last contact with the positive COVID-19 case. The next day is Day 1 of the 5-day quarantine.
- However, if a household member (e.g. parent) tests positive and is unable to completely isolate away from the unvaccinated student, the student must quarantine at home for 5 days following the LAST day of exposure to the infected household member. That means after the isolation period ends for the infected person on Day 5, the student would begin their quarantine period on Day 6, so the student would not be able to return to school until Day 11. For further clarification, contact your schoolnurse or health assistant.
- When the student returns to school, the student must wear a well-fitting mask for an additional 5 days, including instances where masking would otherwise be optional (see above).
- If the student is medically unable to consistently and properly wear a mask for those additional 5 days, the student will need to remain quarantined at home for 10 days rather than 5 days.
- It’s recommended but not required that the student get tested at least 5 days after the close contact.
- Pre-K students are not eligible for shortened quarantines.
IF A VACCINATED STUDENT IS DETERMINED TO BE A CLOSE CONTACT TO A POSITIVE CASE OF COVID-19:
- The student can continue to come to school but should monitor for symptoms.
- It’s recommended but not required that the student get tested at least 5 days after the close contact.
- Per this new guidance, an 18-year-old student who has received either two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine (more than 5 months ago) or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (more than 2 months ago) BUT has NOT received a booster is NOT considered fully vaccinated and should follow the above guidance for an “unvaccinated student.”
- Per this new guidance, a student who had confirmed COVID-19 (tested positive using a COVID-19 viral test) within the last 90 days does not need to quarantine.
If your student has been isolating for at least 5 days and is now fever-free and symptoms are improving, they can return to school on Tuesday, January 18.
If your student has been quarantining for at least 5 days and is asymptomatic, they can return to school on Tuesday, January 18.
Our Test-to-Shorten-Quarantine Program is no longer needed and will be suspended on January 18. Our Test-to-Stay Program is still paused, due to staff shortages.
OBOB Update
We are quickly approaching the start of the OBOB Battles. Unfortunately, at this point we cannot have volunteers in the building. I will be conducting all the battles myself for the Preliminary Round. The Preliminary Round will run from Monday, January 24th through Thursday, February 3rd; during this period each team will compete twice. The battles will be conducted during the class library time and the class lunch recess.
After the Preliminary Round the top 80% of the teams will move on to the Competitive Round. I will wait before setting those dates, in hopes that we can get volunteers back into the school. This week I distributed the OBOB T-shirts to each class during their library time. If your student was not at school or has not yet received their T-shirt, please have them come see me in the library before their first battle.
The battle schedule will be posted sometime this weekend; Findley webpage > Academics > OBOB > Battle Schedule. I will also send it out in an email to parents and students. Please remind your students they can also find practice questions on the OBOB webpage.
I look forward to another fun-filled energized year of friendly competition!!! Remember OBOB’s three rules are:
READ
GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP
HAVE FUN
Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the OBOB program. rita_vennes@beaverton.k12.or.us
Parent Partnership
Dear Families/Caregivers of our Findley Students,
Thank you so much for your responses to our Parent Partnership Survey. It's so helpful to hear from you on what we can do to meet the needs of our community. If you haven't had the chance yet, take a moment to let us know your thoughts!
Click here to access the survey!
We know that it is an extremely challenging time right now with the rise of the omicron variant. Things are changing rapidly and our whole community has been impacted by this latest surge. It's frustrating and difficult to be experiencing yet another uncertain time in the pandemic and we know that it can be hard to find the right words or helpful ways to support our kids. We want to provide you with a quick and easy-to-access resource to help you navigate this time as parents and caregivers. We know that our children are looking to us to find safety and understanding. We hope this will be a helpful piece of information for you to look over and consider how you might implement these strategies in your family.
This is from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology. It notes 14 tips and ways of communicating with children about the Covid 19 pandemic.
Click here to view the article
As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to us for help and support. We're right here with you and care so deeply about the students of Findley.
Emily Gotfried, School Counselor (emily_gotfried@beaverton.k12.or.us)
Su Hargrave, Student Success Coach (susan_hargrave@beaverton.k12.or.us)
Victoria Sharan, School Social Worker (victoria_sharan@beaverton.k12.or.us)
Volunteering
You must be cleared and have a valid COVID Vaccine card on file in order to be in the classroom with students.
Here is the link in order to complete the background check.
At this time, only Lunch Support volunteers are permitted in school buildings.
Updating student vaccine records
To input your vaccination dates and upload your student’s card with both doses recorded, login to ParentVUE. Select “Family Updates and New Student Enrollment” in the upper right hand corner. You’ll then select “2021-2022 Vaccination Card Upload” from the dropdown menu in the blue box at the bottom of the screen.
Thank you for doing your part to keep your child and our community safe.
Immunization Exclusion Day. - February 16
Exclusion Day for this school year is Wednesday, February 16, for children who are not up-to-date on their vaccines. Students can see their health care providers, go to a school-based health center or contact the Washington County Health Department to find other vaccination locations.
While recommended, BSD doesn’t require students to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Students won’t be excluded on February 16 if they haven't received a COVID-19 vaccination.
More information, including a full list of required immunizations for the 2022-23 school year, can be found on the School Nursing and Student Health webpage.
Community Resources
Bethany & Cedar Mill Library. -October Newsletter
Talking to Children about Scary Events
Coronavirus and Covid: A book for Children about the Pandemic
FREE E-Book "I Love you" A story about not being able to visit relatives during the pandemic
Extensive list of Children's Books related to the Pandemic
COVID-19 Free Washington County Counseling (+accepts undocumented folks)To request an appointment, email COVIDCounseling@co.washington.or.us or call Washington County Behavioral Health at 503-846-4528.
Student Health Center - Catherine Kately Williams is the new mental health provider. KateleyWilliamsC@nhcoregon.org It is easiest to reach her via email as she does not have a specific phone routed to her. Cat is available M-F 8-5 and will conduct sessions via zoom. She will serve a bridge gap, providing up to about 10 sessions before she moves students on to a long-term counselor if necessary. They are set up to take every major insurance plan including Kaiser for OHP kids. They will also have an intake person who can help families get the kids on OHP.
Findley PTO
Findley PTO: Supporting our students by connecting parents, staff, and the community!
Visit our website at www.findleypto.com or email president@findleypto.com.
Passport Club
Dear Findley Passport Club members,
Let’s continue the fun with the virtual Passport Club at Findley!
We are now moving our way into the December countries!
Here is a summary of the steps to get in on the fun with more detailed instructions below:
1. Download this month's maps (We are moving to December this month)
2. Visit this month's virtual classroom
3. Learn this month's maps
4. Take the quiz when you are ready
This is a whole new experience and we understand that there will be a lot of questions, learnings and changes as we navigate this new virtual Passport Club.
Please rest assured that we are dedicated to making this the best that we can under the circumstances and ask for your patience and understanding as we all go through this process together.
With that being said, let's have some fun and travel the world together!
In addition, here is a reminder in regards to Passport Club:
Passport Club is a volunteer-run geography enrichment program offered at Findley to 2nd – 5th grades. This is an optional program and is not mandatory.
- Please practice with your child for several minutes a day to help them get ready!
Grade Level Clarification:
- 2nd-4th grade students have the option of 5 levels of study to choose from. However, students are encouraged to learn all the items in each level up to grade level.
Grades. Grade level
2nd Grade. Level 1 and Level 2
3rd Grade. Level 1, Level 2 and Level
4th Grade. Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4
5th Grade. Special Itineraries (SI) study maps
For example, a 2nd grade student would be asked to learn the following for the month of December:
- Level 1: Iceland, Switzerland, Honduras, Mauritania, Japan
- Level 2: Guinea, Hungary, Guyana, Somalia, Afghanistan
Sincerely,
Vothy Heang and Xiao Shi
Passport Club Leads
Step #1 Download this month's maps
Maps (password = findleypassport)
Step #2 Welcome to the virtual classroom
Step #3 Learn the Map for this month
There are lots of fun ways to learn each month's maps!
- Use Quizlet - December Passport Club Flashcards | Quizlet
- Color the maps - On the virtual classroom there is a password protected map that has suggestions on how to color each level's countries (password = HelloWorldDL)
- As always, the best way is to study with your parents
Step #4 Take the quiz
When you are ready, decide what level you want to test for this month. Here are the links:
Level 2/3 (Includes Level 1)
Level 4 (Includes Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3)
Level 5 (Includes Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4)
PASSPORT CLUB - Special Itineraries
Dear Findley Passport Club members,
We are happy to start the States of Mexico this month as the next installment of the Virtual Passport Club Special Itineraries for Findley 5th graders!
We are continuing to create new virtual content from scratch and will release new material as it becomes available with time between releases.
Here is a summary of the steps to get in on the fun with more detailed instructions below:
1. Download this month's maps
2. Learn this month's maps
3. Take the quiz when you are ready
This is a whole new experience and we understand that there will be a lot of questions, learnings and changes as we navigate this new virtual Passport Club.
Please rest assured that we are dedicated to making this the best that we can under the circumstances and ask for your patience and understanding as we all go through this process together.
With that being said, let's have some fun and learn about the United States and their capitals!
In addition, here is a reminder in regards to Passport Club:
Passport Club is a volunteer-run geography enrichment program offered at Findley to 2nd – 5th grades. This is an optional program and is not mandatory.
- Please practice with your child for several minutes a day to help them get ready!
Grade Level Clarification:
- 5th grade students have the Special Itineraries program.
Grades Grade level
5th Grade Special Itineraries (SI) study maps
Sincerely,
Vothy Heang and Xiao Shi
Passport Club Leads
Step #1 Download this month's maps
Maps (password = findleypassport)
Step #2 Learn the Map for this month
There are lots of fun ways to learn each month's maps!
- As always, the best way is to study with your parents
Step #3 Take the quiz
When you are ready, take the quiz. Here is the link:
Upcoming Events
January
17th - MLK Day NO SCHOOL
25th - Vision Screening
28th-All School Assembly (Virtual) & Spirit Day~Wear your favorite Hat Day!
February
4th - No School Grading Day
16th - Vaccination exclusion day
21st - No School - Presidents Day
22nd - No School Staff Development