Viking News
October 2020
Principal's Greeting
Greetings Viking Family,
We are thrilled to begin welcoming your students back on October 5th for in person learning. The staff at Crestridge is grateful for the support our families have shown us throughout this period of remote learning. Together, we have learned new technology and navigated new curriculum while physically distanced. It’s pretty remarkable what we have done together to ensure our Vikings continue to learn and grow. With that said, we fully acknowledge that for some of our students, this time away has been challenging. Although the work that our teachers have done to reach our students is truly heroic, we would all agree that there is truly no substitution for in person instruction and we are delighted with the opportunity to welcome our Vikings back to learn with us at Crestridge.
As we return to in person instruction, a few reminders to families about student attendance:
* During the first week, learners will attend as follows:
- Last name A-K: October 5, 6, 7
- Last name L-Z: October 8, 9
* Student attendance will be taken daily during morning meetings. Morning meetings will occur daily for all students from 9:00 AM- 9:20 AM
Reopening during a pandemic has required significant and thorough planning and preparation. By this time, we have all come to realize the importance of flexibility and at Crestridge, we have resolved ourself to the fact that this school year will look different from what we're used to. However, despite the many changes our commitment to high levels of learning and safety remain the same. The staff and I have worked tirelessly to ensure we have a thoughtfully designed plan to open safely and responsibly. We have used the safety guidance of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the safety guidance of Omaha Public Schools in rebuilding our school wide systems to prioritize the safety and well being of our students and our staff. Our goal is to prioritize safety while building a sense of calm and normalcy for our students. A thank you in advance to our parents for your continued partnership and for taking time to practice social distancing, wearing face coverings, and hand washing with your children. Our ability to reduce transmission and remain open will be a collective effort and will call us all to make choices that are in the best interest of the students, families, and staff at Crestridge. Below in the section labeled School Safety, I will share our plan for reopening.
Additionally, I want to thank the many families who reached out and have continued to share feedback on our instructional models and your children's needs during remote learning. As we make this transition to in person learning, this feedback continues to be a north star for us. Serving ALL kids well during this time is our goal. Please refer to the section labeled At- Home Learning with 3/2 Family Plan. We look forward to this upcoming transition and continuing to support teaching and learning practices that have led to a tradition of academic excellence at Crestridge.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. Email me at valerie.varas@ops.org and I'll be sure to respond to you as quickly as possible. At the bottom of this electronic newsletter is a form entitled Family Voice Survey that seeks to learn parents questions, concerns, and to hear parent input.
#Crestridgeproud
#Vikingstrong
#Bettertogether
Go Vikings!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Valerie Varas
Principal
Crestridge Magnet
Omaha Public Schools
(531) 299-1280
Mark Your Calendar
NO SCHOOL REMINDER and School Wide Supply Drop Off
A reminder that there is NO SCHOOL on Thursday, October 1 and Friday, October 2. During this time, Crestridge will be open and families are asked to return supplies as directed by your child's teacher.
Families are welcome to drop off supplies that are requested for return between 8:00 AM- 4:30 PM on Thursday, October 1 and Friday, October 2. Our drop off location will be the same. Parents will pull into the lane along Leavenworth Road on the North side of the building at the gym doors. Parents should remain in their vehicle for this process.
Please note, some teachers may not request for any materials to be returned. If there are questions, please reach out to the classroom teacher.
Crestridge Daily Schedule
6:30 a.m. Kid’s Club opens
8:00 a.m. Principal and Secretary on duty
8:35 a.m. Safety Patrols arrive at assigned posts
8:35 a.m. Teachers on duty
8:35- 9:15 a.m. Staggered Arrival and Grab N Go Breakfast
- 8:35-Bus students
- 8:45-Intermediate (3-5) Walkers/Riders
- 8:55-Primary (K-2) Walkers/Riders
Students will not be allowed in the building before 8:35 a.m.
9:00 a.m. Tardy bell – Morning Meeting Starts
9:15 a.m. Breakfast program ends
3:50 p.m. Bus Riders are dismissed
3:55- 4:05 p.m. Walkers and riders are dismissed based on staggered schedule
4:15 p.m. Patrols off duty
4:25 p.m. Teachers off duty
4:30 p.m. Principal and Secretary duty ends
TBD Kid’s Club closes
Supporting At-Home Learning
At- Home Learning with 3/2 Family Plan
Our teachers have advocated to provide all students access and an opportunity to participate in streamed instruction daily. This would allow your child, when at home, to engage with their classroom teacher for live lessons instead of the district created lessons. For parents who prefer the flexibility in scheduling, who want greater control of your child's screen time, or who feel like self paced videos would better suit your child, you have the ability to have your child engage with the district recorded lessons and for them to complete the related assignment.
If families choose to have their student stream in for instruction when at home in the 3/2 model or while participating in the remote pathway, students will continue to log on to the daily Teams meeting sent by your child's classroom teacher. This class meeting will also be where students who will participate in remote learning will receive specials instruction on "A" days only. More information about specials is available in the section below.
To build a common understanding moving forward, I want to clarify what teachers are hoping to provide for ALL learners by offering this opportunity for streamed instruction:
Students receiving 5 days of instruction
Maintaining connection with all students
Continuity of daily instruction
An opportunity to build meaningful connections between content
Directing students to where they can receive tech help
Giving students the option to choose the district option
Greater support and instruction in English and Spanish for students enrolled in the dual language program
Similar to the remote learning model, students who are logging in from home for instruction will have periods where they log off to complete independent tasks while the teacher supports small groups. Our students have done an outstanding job showing responsibility by reporting back for whole group or small group instruction. Please note that teacher's primary focus may be the students who are physically in the classroom. They will check the chat for questions and answers as they are able.
Additionally, in preparation for the shift to live instructional support, we are setting up a tech support line moving forward. Our instructional facilitator Christy Jácome will oversee the support available through this line. The number is 872-222-7011. Support will be available daily from 9-9:30 and 1:00- 1:30. If your call is not answered, please leave a message and we will respond back as soon as we are able.
Crestridge Specials Information
Students who attend Crestridge in the 3/2 model will only receive specials instruction on the days they are physically at school. For our remote learners, we invite you to remain logged in through Teams with your class for specials, regardless of last name, on the "A" days. On these days, specialists will provide live instruction for the "A" cohort and remote learners. Please note, that there may be additional items that families who have selected remote learning may need to pick up in order for their learner to fully participate in the given special. Follow up activities may be assigned by specialists to all students in our learning platform, Seesaw.
Please see the grade level specials times below:
9:45-10:35: 3rd Grade
10:40- 11:30: 4th Grade
12:10- 1:00: Kindergarten
1:05- 1:55: 1st Grade
2:00- 2:50: 2nd Grade
2:55- 3:45: 5th Grade
New Schoolwide Procedures for 2020-2021 School Year
Arrival
To ensure the safety of our 200 students on the family 3:2 plan, the below procedures will be followed.
8:35-Bus students
Students will be instructed when to vacate the bus. If eating breakfast, students will proceed into the gym and join either the cold or hot breakfast line standing on an appropriately spaced dot. After they get their breakfast, they will proceed to class. If a bus student is not eating breakfast, they will go right to class from the bus.
8:45-Intermediate (3-5) Walkers/Riders
All students will enter through the front doors. If eating breakfast, they will proceed into the gym and join either the cold or hot breakfast line standing on an appropriately spaced dot. After they get their breakfast, they will proceed to class. If not eating breakfast, they will enter through the front doors and go directly to class.
8:55-Primary (K-2) Walkers/Riders
All students will enter through the front doors. If eating breakfast, they will proceed into the gym and join either the cold or hot breakfast line standing on an appropriately spaced dot. After they get their breakfast, they will proceed to class. If not eating breakfast, they will enter through the front doors and go directly to class.
Families with more than one child may come during either of the scheduled drop off times (8:45/ 8:55) to allow older siblings to assist as needed. We are asking our families' assistance in coming at your scheduled time. This will ensure that we have adequate staffing to support our students in maintaining safety guidelines.
Dismissal
We are asking parents' cooperation with our curbside pick-up procedures for the 2020-2021 school year. With our new procedures, all parents should remain in their car and pull up into designated pick-up areas as indicated below. Dismissal will also follow a staggered schedule. Parking along Leavenworth Road and in the stalls on Crestridge road will not be allowable for the 2020-2021 school year. All students will be loaded curbside by a Crestridge staff member. Parents are asked to display signs with students names and grade levels during dismissal. These signs were provided during the School supply pick-up on August 7th. We are asking all parents to display your provided signs for the first month of school.
As we all adjust to this process dismissal will take longer initially, however as time goes on we anticipate dismissal process will become smoother and take less time. Thank you in advance for your patience.
Below details describe dismissal procedures for the 2020-2021 school year:
Bus
Bus Kids to the Gym
Students seats will be labeled and will follow guidelines for appropriate distancing
Students seating will assist in bus loading order based on student's stops
3:50 Buses will load
Students will follow bus supervisor out to bus.
Students who are the last stop will load bus first and the remaining students will be loaded in order of their drop off
Buses will have seating marked to ensure appropriate distancing
*If not all the busses are at Crestridge by 3:50, we will save the front of the first bus cut out for a bus to pull up into. This area will be marked. Please adhere to posted signage.
Walkers/Riders
Walkers and riders will begin exiting the building between 3:55- 3:58. Students will be lining up outside in the below designated areas.
Parents will have a sign in their car with the students’ names and grade level(s). We can use these signs to help radio one another about which student(s) to have ready to hop in the car. Parents that have 3-5 and K-2 students will be asked to proceed down Leavenworth Rd first to pick up their 3-5th grader(s) and then to go down Crestridge Rd to pick up their 2nd -Kinder student(s). If a parent only has K-2 student(s) they can simply proceed down Crestridge Rd.
Intermediate Information - Grades 3-5
- 5th grade will line up along Leavenworth road on the sidewalk by the 2nd bus cut out. 4th grade will line up on Leavenworth Road between the sign near the crossing to 116th and the first big tree and 3rd grade will line up between the second tree and the stairs. We will can have these areas marked.
Primary Information- Grades K- 2
- 2nd grade and 1st grade will line up on the sidewalk in front of Crestridge
- Kindergarten will line up on the ramp coming out the kinder doors.
Other Safety and Procedural Information
Face Coverings:
All staff, students and visitors must always wear a face covering while on campus to include district transportation. This includes arrival and dismissal times.
- In the event that scholars forget or misplace their face coverings, we will have extra face coverings on hand
- Students may choose to wear family- provided face coverings
Exceptions: Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack Time, Drinking, and Structured Physical Education Activities led by teacher
We ask the support of all of our families in practicing with your students how to properly wear the provided face coverings to ensure students nose and mouth are covered
Family and Friends of Crestridge Access to the Building:
- At this time, parents, guardians, and friends of Crestridge will not be permitted in the building. This will include the first day of school in person.
- To limit traffic and groups in schools and classrooms, parent meetings should be conducted virtually whenever possible. If meetings must be conducted in person, parents and guardians should arrange appointments in advance to allow planning for proper safety precautions.
In the event that an in-person meeting is required and has been scheduled, visitors will adhere to the directed health measures set forth by the Omaha Public Schools in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and local health officials to include:
- Social distancing
- Hand washing and hand sanitizing
- Wearing of a facial covering
- Frequent cleaning of equipment and areas
- All Students will be provided time for frequent hand washing or hand sanitizing
- Based on district guidelines, all students will wash hands prior to all meals and following meals
- Teachers will use the CDC recommended hand sanitizer prior to transitions and as needed
Frequent Cleaning of Areas
- Crestridge will adhere to district guidelines for cleaning throughout the school day with district approved products that are deemed safe
- Nightly deep cleaning and sanitizing will occur in each classroom and throughout the building
Social distancing
- Physical markers and building procedures such as designated play areas by cohort will assist in ensuring social distancing guidelines are followed
Reducing Transitions
- During the 2020-2021 school year, recommendations have been made to limit the number of transitions for scholars.
- Students will receive all specials classes within the classroom
- Breakfast and lunch will be eaten in the classroom
Limiting Supply Sharing
- Every scholar will have his/ her own supplies in the classroom
- For materials that need to be shared, teachers and paraprofessionals will complete thorough cleaning before items are used by another student
Recess:
- Scholars will definitely go outside to enjoy recess, but classes will be assigned to zones outside to keep cohorts of scholars together
- Crestridge will adhere to guidelines for permissible activities
Restrooms
- Classrooms will take several scheduled restroom breaks during the school day to encourage safety guidelines are maintained and proper hand-washing occurs
- The school has established protocols for individual student bathroom use as this is needed
Drinking Fountains:
- All students are encouraged to bring water bottles labeled with their name for the 2020-2021 school year.
- District Operations will install bottle fillers at each school to support with students filling up their water bottles regularly.
Backpacks and Lockers
- Backpacks will be permitted and lockers will be used. Students will not share lockers during the 20-21 school year. Lockers are currently assigned so that students within the same cohort have a locker in between.
- Students may still bring lunch from home.
Responding to a COVID Concern
Classroom Response
In the event that a student is reporting or presenting the following:
- One or more of the following symptoms: Fever of 100.4 or greater, new onset of cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell, vomiting
- Two or more of the following symptoms: Chills/ shivering, muscle aches/ pains, headache, sore throat, nausea, diarrhea
- The student had close contact with an individual diagnose with COVID-19 within the past 14 days
The school will send the nurse or school designee to escort the child to the cares room. The child will be isolated and encouraged to wear a face covering. The nurse or designee will contact and inform parent/guardian that the student must be picked up immediately, and kept home in accordance with the Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) criteria. The school will recommend Parent/Guardian contact student’s Health Care Provider (HCP) for guidance.The child will be moved over to the remote learning program for the time they are excluded from school.
School Response
The school will activate the following processes:
- Contact tracing to determine if any other individuals within the classroom must be isolated
- Providing an alternate location for teaching and learning while the classroom is being deep cleaned and sanitized.
- Communication to students who may be impacted will be provided with support of the district and with the advisement of local health officials.
Schools will be following updated guidance from public health officials to determine whether other individuals from the classroom may self-monitor symptoms or whether they must quarantine. The below information captures the guidance to be used and the school response. All cases will be addressed individually and schools will act based on the medical advisement of health care providers.
•Positive individual is masked and close contacts are masked = close contacts' self-monitor
•Positive individual is unmasked and close contacts are masked = close contacts' quarantine
•Positive individual is masked and close contacts are unmasked = close contacts' quarantine
Note: A close contact is defined as a contact that is within 6 feet or less for 15 minutes or more cumulative minutes
A Note from Miss Rowland
Dear Crestridge Families,
Hello and happy Fall from Miss Rowland. As we transition to our Family 3/2 plan, Counseling classes will be focusing on our Skills for Learning Second Step unit. These skills include: listening carefully, focusing attention, using self talk to stay on task, and asking assertively for help with school work. These skills are essential not only to learning but also for building and strengthening working and interpersonal relationships.
As always, I am also here to offer support individually to any student that may need it or to help families with any resources they may need. Please do not hesitate call me at 531-299-1286 or email me at heather.rowland@ops.org.
Be well,
Miss Rowland
Crestridge Counselor
Food Distribution Sites
OPS Meals 2 Go
Thanks to a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Omaha Public Schools is offering Meals2Go at no cost to students and community children, ages 1 - 18. Each bag contains school favorites, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Milk is available as an option.
• All students will receive a breakfast and lunch, at no charge until USDA CARES Act funds are gone.
• Children ages 1-18, will have the opportunity to receive Meals2Go bags at all schools where we are currently distributing meals curbside. Students who are learning remotely as well as community children may receive meals. Additionally, students who will return to the classroom will receive breakfast and lunch at no charge.
• Parents/guardians who pick up the meals without children in the car will need to provide identification (report card, schedule, birth certificate, etc.) that the meals are for a child at home.
• Meals2Go bags will continue to be distributed on Mondays (Monday and Tuesday) and Wednesdays (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) at all of the schools where meals are currently distributed. Beginning Oct. 5, the meal distribution time will change to accommodate for staffing:
- Elementary: 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
- Middle and High Schools: 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
- Program schools, early childhood locations and TAC programs will not distribute the Meals2Go bags. The parent/guardian may pick up the meals at any of the other sites currently open.
Omaha Public Schools is able to offer the meals at no cost to all children, ages 18 and under, through a short-term waiver issued from the USDA. After the waiver is over, our district will keep the community informed of all changes as they take effect.
Food Bank of the Heartland
A Map of Food Distribution by Address
Social Resources
Cox Connect2Compete Internet Access for Families
If you find yourself in need of assistance in attaining a home WiFi connection, Cox Cable offers their Cox Connect2Compete program for families in need. The program offers WiFi for $9.95 per month. Cox is offering special discounts for families due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Please see the link below:
211
People across our area face challenges every day and may not know how to find or access local programs that address them. That’s what 211 is all about: connecting our neighbors with nearby services that can help. If you are looking for assistance in finding a food pantry, paying for a utility bill, accessing safe housing or shelter, receiving counseling services and more, speak with one of our helpline specialists today. 211 is available 24/7 by phone or text. Your call is free and confidential.
Call 2-1-1 or text your zip code to 898211 to get in touch with a helpline specialist today.
Please see the link below for more information or to visit their website.
PTO News
Crestridge Family,
In our ongoing effort to try to engage as many families as possible, we are trying on a new day and time for the October PTO meeting. We would love to see you and share how you can be involved in current PTO initiatives. Please join us!
Topic: PTO Meeting: October 2020
Time: Oct 7, 2020 09:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/2783904074?pwd=NnBsd3l1dFJrbzE4czJmRSs2K0hzUT09
Meeting ID: 278 390 4074
Passcode: Vikings
Stay safe and well!
Crestridge PTO
Want to Support the PTO?
The below are opportunities for you to give through your purchasing:
TAGG
Direct Donation
Amazon Smile
Other Resources for Families
District Level Support
If you have additional questions, please consider which of the following department below may best meet your needs.
Contact Student Information Services at SIS@ops.org for:
- Current or past student proof of education
- Pre-K and K registration or physicals
- Questions about summer school
Contact the Student Placement Office at StudentPlacement@ops.org for:
- Transfer requests
- Questions regarding home attendance areas