Principal Parent Letter

Good Afternoon Parents,

Thank you so much for your patience as we navigate our change of instructional model. 

We are so excited to welcome our hybrid students back to in-person learning five days a week beginning March 15th! I would like to provide you all with some additional information as we prepare for this change.

Upcoming Dates:

• March 5: NO SCHOOL

• March 8th-12th: NO SCHOOL- Spring Break

• March 15: Hybrid students return fully in-person

• March 15-16: Picture Retakes

• Feb 22: BGC Starts

In-Person Learning Five Days a Week:

As we welcome our students back to the building five days a week, teachers will be able to focus their attention and efforts on in-person instruction each and every day!  Teachers will no longer be able to provide instruction remotely.  If students are ill or quarantined, accommodations will be made to ensure their learning continues during the absence.  However, as in a typical year, if a student is absent (e.g. sick, quarantined) teachers will need to provide opportunities for the student to continue learning while at home. Teachers may offer assignments in FLVS, have the student remote in using WebEx, provide asynchronous work, or a combination of these options.

We will maintain our protocols of contact tracing and quarantining, as necessary.  Therefore, teachers should continue to send iPads home with students on a daily basis and ensure they are prepared for remote learning should circumstances dictate the need to do

Volunteering:

We wish we could welcome back our volunteers and visitors, too!  But for the foreseeable future, we are unable to do so. Our restrictions on assemblies and field trips remain in effect, as well.

Students New to the District:

Students new to the district will be provided with Five Day a Week In-Person learning, or the option of applying to Lawrence Virtual School.  Distance Year Long will not be an option for students new to Lawrence Public Schools. 

BGC Information:

The Boys and Girls Club will be resuming childcare @ Pinckney Elementary School for (before and/or after). Specific programming information will be forthcoming on February 22nd from BGC. You can stop by the front office and receive an enrollment packet of BGC information from Christie Stratton. You can also sign up through members.bgclk.org. There are only 45 spots available, so please sign up as quick as you can. 

State Assessments:

Students in grades 3-5 in both Distance Year Long and 5 Day/Week In-Person Learning Models will be taking the Kansas State Assessment in April and May of this year. Students enrolled in the In-Person Learning Model will take the assessment at their home school. Students enrolled in the Distance

Year Long Model will be assigned to a common site to take the assessment in person which is a requirement of the Kansas State Department of Education. Further information will be forthcoming. Please note:  DYL students with disabilities will be taking the assessment in - person at their neighborhood building

Free Meals Continue:

Breakfast and lunch will remain free for all students throughout the remainder of the academic year.

Mitigation Measures:

As we welcome back our students to five day a week in-person learning we will continue to practice mitigation strategies whenever possible! The difference between our hybrid environment and full in-person is that our inability to maintain all of the mitigation protocols (e.g. maintaining 6 feet of distance, cross-cohorting) will not preclude an activity, event, or grouping from occurring. Wearing masks, temperature checks, and frequent sanitizing are still required practices. Pinckney’s Non-Instructional Systems: Click Here 

Please take your time to review our Pinckney non instructional systems. This document outlines how students navigate our building in all settings. There have been some slight changes made to Cafeteria and Classroom mitigations.

Kindergarten Enrollment:

We are excited to welcome our incoming kindergarten students for next fall!

Children who reach age 5 on or before Aug 31, 2021, are eligible for kindergarten registration for the 2021-2022 school year.  Please share this information with your neighbors, friends and/or family who may also have an eligible student.

Click Here to begin the on-line enrollment process and select the link for the 2021-2022 school year.  

Next, be sure to email or bring the required registration documents below to your school/administrative assistant:

• *Certified Birth Certificate - *We will need to see the original prior to the first day of school, but can use the scanned copy for now

• Proof of Residency -Proof of Residency (accepted: a current utility bill - water/gas/or electric, current car registration, or a new lease agreement/buyers agreement)

• Current Immunizations -  We will take immunizations that your child has had to this point. You may follow up with any updated immunizations prior to the first day of school. 

• *Physical - *We understand that some children may not have had their 5 year physical yet and will have more immunizations at that time. You may email it as soon as it is complete, or prior to the first day of school. 

Once your student's registration has been completed, you will be added to your school's email/mailing list to receive an invitation to their kindergarten orientation/information sessions that will be held this spring. 

If you are unsure of your school boundary or have questions, please call the enrollment center at 785-330-1921. 

Please let me or Christie Stratton know if you have any additional questions or concerns. 

Christie Stratton (Administrative Assistant) Christie.Stratton@usd497.org

Miah Lugrand (Principal) miah.lugrand@usd497.org