Marrs Falcon Flyer
February 19, 2021
Principal's Greeting
Hello Falcon Families,
Happy February! We are over half-way through the school year and are so happy to have a majority of our students back in the building every day. Hearing their interactions and laughter has been wonderful! This school year has presented many challenges but has also allowed us to discover innovative ways to reach our students and utilize technology to expand the walls of the classroom.
As things slowly return to normal, we are happy to have some of our clubs and extra-curricular activities back. These are great opportunities to build social skills, meet new friends and expand skills.
At RM Marrs we will continue to follow all the safety protocols we have established. This includes all people wearing masks while on campus, sanitizing measures, limiting transitions, and social distancing as much as possible in the classrooms, hallways, and cafeteria. We also will continue to limit visitors to the school, opting for virtual meetings and conferences. Being outside and getting fresh air is important, so we will continue to go outside every day for about 10 minutes. Remind your children to dress appropriately for cooler temperatures.
As I have said many times please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments or concerns as we work together for your child’s success in both their academic and social growth. Please remember - If your child is staying home and is struggling at all with his/her virtual classes we can help. Our counselors, deans, social worker and administrative team is here to support and serve you and your children.
We are committed to the following for every student:
*A welcoming, safe and supportive environment where each student is known and valued
*High academic growth for every student
*Social emotional learning and character building
Stay warm and safe! Please review this newsletter to see some of the exciting things we have planned for the rest of this school year.
~ Ms. Gunderson
Events and Information
During Spring Break, Meals2Go curb-side meal distribution at your school will continue. The food will help families provide meals for their children, ages 1-18, during the week the students are at home. The meals will be distributed between 11:30 - 1:30 on Monday, March 8, 2021 only. Each bag will contain 5 breakfast and 5 lunches.
March Principal Coffee!
Hello Falcon Families!
We are moving ahead with many GATE activities. The fifth-grade students will be doing small group activities in the coming weeks centered around Genius Hour. The students have been very enthusiastic about the meetings.
Poetry slam students will be meeting every other Tuesday after school with Ms. Meier. The poems they are writing have been amazing.
Our African American History Challenge team is studying hard for the competition in April.
We have several Book Blaster teams working on the competition challenges as well.
The National Junior Honor Society process is being moved back until the end of third quarter. Students in seventh grade with a qualifying grade point average will receive an application to be completed. A letter notifying parents of students who have received that application will be sent home.
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to me through e-mail susan.ernst@ops.org or 531-299-8844.
What is Here Comes the Bus?
Here Comes The Bus is an easy-to-use website and app* that will enable you to see the location of your child’s school bus on your smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.
How does it work?
Here Comes The Bus uses global positioning system (GPS) technology to locate and track your child’s school bus.
How does the app track my student?
The Here Comes the Bus tracking system is not a child tracker. It tracks your child’s bus ONLY! It does not track your child’s activity or movement.
Will the Here Comes the Bus track the buses for my Special Needs students?
The Here Comes the Bus app for the district at this time will be tracking “Regular” Education buses only.
How do I sign up?
It’s quite simple. You can go to the Apple Store or Google Play to download the HCTB app or you can visit herecomesthebus.com.
What will I see on my phone with HCTB?
You will be able to see the real-time location of your child’s bus on a map. It will also show you the scheduled and actual bus arrival times at your child’s stop and when they arrive at school. You will receive a confirmation notification of the bus’s arrivals at the bus stop, at school or both.
How will I be notified of my child’s bus arrivals?
You will receive a “Push notification” and email alert when the bus has entered the radius around the home stop, or if their regular bus has been substituted.
Will I be notified if my child’s bus is running late?
The app will always show the bus location, whether it’s on time or late.
How secure is HCTB?
Here Comes The Bus uses HTTPS, just like a bank or online store, which means that all communications between your web browser and the site is encrypted and secure. (That’s what the S in “HTTPS” stands for – secure.
Is HCTB available in different languages?
Yes. It is available in three languages (English, Spanish and French). This can be located in the app under “Language Preference."
Do I need separate accounts for each of my children? Or separate accounts if we want to be notified separately?
You will not need separate accounts as you and your children can access all the information about the buses you need using just one Here Comes The Bus account.
Does this app track late after school buses?
Here Comes the Bus does not track after-school buses at this time.
What’s the difference between the mobile app and the website?
The primary difference is how you access the data. The look and feel are different on a mobile device for better on-the-go use. You can use mobile and tablet apps anywhere you can use a mobile device.
Will all schools utilize the Here Comes the Bus application in the District?
At this time to best serve the district, we will be tracking High School and Middle School first with bringing in Elementary schools later in the school year.
Do I have to use the Here Comes the Bus App?
No. The Here Comes the Bus app is Optional not mandatory. It is your preference if you want to use this bus tracking method or not.
How much does it cost?
Here Comes the Bus is available at no cost to all families of children who receive transportation.
Look at what our amazing students from Marrs are creating! Aren't they just fabulous and inspirational!
Other exciting news include the selections our student book club has been reading. We started off the year with City of Ghosts, then tackled Projekt 1065, and are now reading Ghost Boys. It's so nice to be able to get together to discuss literature. The staff book club will meet virtually to discuss the book Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.
The Manga Club has also had its first meeting where students shared artwork and talked about their favorite Japanese manga. Students had a great time reconnecting!
Finally, the Marrs library will be hosting a virtual author visit on March 16. Students who are attending this presentation will receive a copy of the book, Captain Superlative, by JS Puller, one of this year's Golden-Sower nominated books. Lots of exciting things going on in the Marrs Library!
OPS Inclement Weather Plan
Following the successful implementation of our district 1 to 1 Technology Initiative, Omaha Public Schools is able to support student engagement on days where inclement weather or other unexpected events would prevent people from attending on-site. The remote day will consist of shortened live instruction and virtual office hours for students and families. Students will follow their normal A-day or B-day schedule; however, blocks have been shortened to accommodate the modified school day. Teachers will be available during "Office Hours" from 1 - 2 pm.
Secondary Inclement Weather Schedule:
Block 1/2: 8:40 - 9:10 am
Block 3/4: 9:15 - 9:45 am
Block 5/6: 9:50 - 10:20 am
Block 7/8: 10:25 - 10:55 am
Student Office Hours: 1 - 2 pm
Sample 6th Grade Student Schedule:
Block 1/2: ELA
Block 3/4: Music/PE (Music, 9:15 - 9:30 am and PE, 9:30 - 9:45 am)
Block 5/6: Math
Block 7/8: Science (A-day) or Social Studies (B-day)
Office Hours from 1 - 2 pm
Please feel free to contact your student's counselor or grade-level administrator with questions or for clarification.
Contacting your Counselor
No matter if you are learning in-person or remote, counselors are here to help students and families. If you want to talk to your counselor, please reach out. There are several easy ways to contact the counselors; you can call, email, or fill out the electronic request (link below).
5th grade Jeff Ruzicka 531-299-8782 jeffrey.ruzicka@ops.org electronic request
6th grade Cean Ingram 531-299-8827 elizabeth.ingram@ops.org electronic request
7th grade Tara Vaughn 531-299-7480 tara.vaughn@ops.org electronic request
8th grade Karen Konopik-Bishop 531-299-8320 karen.konopikbishop@ops.org
Social Worker Meredith Wipf 531-299-8862 meredith.wipf@ops.org electronic request
About us
Email: marrs.principal@ops.org
Website: marrs.ops.org
Location: 5619 South 19th Street, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: (531) 299-2420
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RM-Marrs-Magnet-Middle-School-244556262362440/
Twitter: @OPS_RMMarrs