Landon Lancer News

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Dear Lancer families,

I hope this first newsletter finds you and your family well and ready for school to start. The staff at Landon are so excited to get the school year started! While things may look a bit different, our goal remains the same---to provide a rich educational experience and support for our students and families. Please feel welcome and encouraged to reach out to the staff and administration at Landon so that we can work together to best meet the needs of your student. Due to the safety guidelines set by the country, state board of education, and Topeka Public Schools in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we will have several new procedures in place to make sure we are in compliance with those guidelines and to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep our school, students and staff safe. Thank you in advance for your cooperation, understanding, and flexibility with these changes. It is due to your continued support that we will be able to make this a fantastic school year! Stay well!

• August 18, 2020 (Tuesday)---form sent home collecting information about technology for remote learning. DUE BACK BY AUGUST 21
• August 31, 2020 (Monday) - 6th graders pick up Chromebooks (schedule follows below)
• September 2, 2020 (Wednesday) - Students new to 501 pick up Chromebooks
• September 3, 2020 (Thursday) 6:00-7:00pm - Back to School Night for All Grades Zoom Link - Password: 2020-2021
• September 8, 2020 (Tuesday) 5:30-6:30pm - 6th Grade Parent Information Night Zoom link - Password: 2020-2021
• September 9, 2020 (Wednesday) 7:50-2:45pm - First Day of School - Everyone Remote

Please use the Parent Resources link to find a variety of resources and information from the district regarding the TPS reopening plan. If you have any questions or need assistance, you can contact the front office of Landon at 785-438-4220.

Sixth graders will need to report to Landon on Monday, August 31 to pick up their chromebook that will be assigned to them for the 2020-2021 school year. The schedule for pick up is as follows:

• 9:00-10:00 Last name A-F

• 10:00-11:00 Last name G-L

• 12:00-1:00 Last name M-S

• 1:00-2:00 Last name T-Z

Students new to Topeka Public Schools will pick up their devices on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Parents will need to schedule an appointment to pick up the device between 9:00 and 3:00 on that day.

For pick up, only one adult can accompany the student and masks must be worn by everyone. Students will need to log on to their new device before leaving. Please do not come to the building if student or parent are feeling ill. Call the office and make arrangements to pick up the device at another time.

In order to receive the middle school Chromebook, the current device checked out to the student must be returned to Landon. If you need to drop off a Chromebook, call 438-4220.

In order to ensure that everyone has the resources they need as we begin remote learning, we will be sending an email on Tuesday, August 18, with a short Google form for you to fill out. Please submit the form by August 21. It is imperative that we gather this information so that we can support your needs before school starts. Thank you for your cooperation.

If your student’s chromebook is needing repair, please contact the district Information Technology department to make an appointment to have the device repaired prior to school starting. The technology department offers in-person technical support appointments each weekday, excluding holidays. Parents may schedule an in-person appointment with the IT appointment calendar or by calling our office at 785-438-4220.

All students and staff will be required to wear a face mask while in the building. Parents will be responsible for cleaning masks. We appreciate your cooperation in helping your student understand the importance of keeping the mask in place while at school. All staff & students will have daily temperature checks. Bus riders will have their temperatures checked as they enter the bus. The school will conduct additional random temperature checks on students as deemed necessary.

Please follow the TPS Covid Response for Staff, Students, and Visitors link to the district notice regarding school procedures should staff or students become exposed to the covid virus. Students with symptoms will be isolated immediately and parents notified. All parents need to have a plan in place should your child need to be picked up due to suspected illness. School personnel will not transport students that are ill, nor will they be allowed to remain at school indefinitely. Please have a plan in place with a variety of friends or family members that can be available to pick up your ill child. This is extremely important and will help our learning environment remain healthy.

In order to keep covid exposure to a minimum, the following guidelines will be followed as it relates to all school visitors. School visitors will be limited to parents only at this time. One parent / family member will be allowed in the building at any given time. They will be required to report directly to and remain in the main office area only. Visitors are required to wear a mask at all times while in the building and are required to have their temperature checked when they enter. We encourage and welcome parent contact. However, parent meetings will need to be scheduled by appointment only with appropriate parties. Meetings will be held via phone conference or through a zoom virtual meeting. If you wish to visit with an administrator, please schedule an appointment by calling the main office. Administrators are not available before school, during dismissal or over lunch hour as we have increased supervision of students due to new guidelines. We will continue to communicate with parents via newsletters, phone calls, and emails on a regular basis.

We strongly encourage supply purchases be kept to a minimum. We suggest students start with pencils, pens, 2 spiral notebooks, 2 composition notebooks, and a pocket folder. When students return to school, they should bring one of each of these supplies to get started. Students will be allowed to carry a backpack on their back (no roller bags) as we will not utilize lockers at this time due to the 6 feet social distancing requirement. It is our expectation at Landon MS that items in a backpack are school related only. Items that are not school related and become a distraction in class will be confiscated by administration. Food, other than a sack lunch, is also not allowed. Please ensure that your student is not overloading his/her backpack with items they do not need during the day. Students will not dress out for PE at this time either. They may bring a pair of athletic shoes to place in a PE locker if they wish.

Social distancing guidelines require us to spread students out during lunch. These requirements limit the number of students we can accommodate during breakfast and lunch. Therefore, visitors will not be allowed to join students for lunch or breakfast until further notice. In addition, due to food distribution restrictions, no outside food will be allowed in (i.e. parents delivering food from restaurants or having lunch delivered to the school over the lunch hour) other than the normal sack lunch students pack at home. Our kitchen staff will be trained on how to distribute food safely to students. Students are encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle to school. We recognize the inconvenience, but greatly appreciate your cooperation in keeping unnecessary virus exposure out of our learning environment.

It is the expectation at Landon Middle School that all remote learners report to class via zoom for normal instruction daily. All remote learners will be expected to follow their normal school schedule and hours. Attendance will be taken daily whether students are in the classroom or remote setting. The district truancy policy will be followed and parents are expected to report absences to the front office as they would any other school year. Please call the front office to excuse any student absence within 48 hours of your student being gone. Students will be expected to actively participate in class activities and discussions. Assignments will be collected and recorded in the gradebook weekly. Students will be expected to complete work to the best of their ability within the timeline provided by teachers in order to pass each class. Google Classroom and Zoom will be the primary tools used by staff to communicate and provide instruction for students. Other additional online resources will be used by each content as it pertains to their curriculum. Students will also be expected to be appropriately dressed for class, keep the video on and utilize their given name when online with their classrooms. Teachers will communicate with parents and students if they feel students need extra instructional time outside the normal class period.

Please regularly check the TPS and Landon websites and social media for information and updates about athletics and other extracurricular activities.

Remember that to participate in athletics, your student must have a current physical dated after May 1, 2020. Physical forms can be found below.

Students are allowed to enter the building at 7:20 am. School buses drop off students on the south side of the building. NO cars are allowed down that driveway in order to ensure the safety of our students as they load and unload buses. Students that walk or are dropped off at the front of the building will wait outside, using social distancing guidelines, until 7:20. At that time, they will be allowed in the building and will have their temperature checked daily. Students will be seated in the gym, again social distancing, until they are dismissed to go to their 1st hour class. If your student is eating breakfast, they will eat in the cafeteria and then wait either in the commons area or the gym until going to 1st hour.

Please follow the posted traffic signs when dropping off or picking up your student. Cars are not allowed down the south drive and must follow the one way signs in the parking lot to keep traffic moving as smoothly as possible and to keep our students safe.

If you pick your student up after school, you are permitted to wait for your student in the school parking lot, the church parking lot across the street, or at nearby Sk8 Away. Students are to be off school grounds by 3:00 if they are not involved in a school activity.