The St. Michael's Weekly - September 18th, 2020

A PEEK AT OUR WEEK VIDEO

#smsstaysconnected

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO

HELLO FROM THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION

The SMCDS Parents Association would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone, especially to all of the new families joining us this year!

The Parents Association encourages fellowship among all members of the SMCDS community, provides aid and reinforcement to the Head of School, and raises funds for the benefit of the whole school community and PA events.

The PA Board for 2020-2021 is Tim Moulton, President, Alexandra Marcaccio, Vice President, and Whitney Clarke, Secretary.

Please join us for the first PA meeting of the year!

September 23, 2020 at 8:15 am on Zoom

Parent Association meetings will occur every third Thursday of the month (with the exception of September’s which is on the fourth Thursday), alternating between mornings and evenings. Due to COVID-19, all meetings will be virtual, and recorded for those who are unable to attend. The meetings are the perfect time to get the latest on events and initiatives in the community, share information, offer support, and socialize.

This school year is certainly starting under extraordinary circumstances, and will look different than years past. Due to health protocols, there will be events that cannot proceed. While the Newport House Tour will not be going forward as traditionally planned, we are attempting to capture the spirit of this event in the form of an alternative fundraising venture. Sadly, Fall Frenzy has been cancelled, but the PA is optimistic that we will be able to deliver a reimagined Halloween event.

It is the PA’s hope to use this event planning lull to refocus and build an even stronger PA for the future. We encourage your participation!

We would also like to give a nod of appreciation to our Class Parent volunteers for this year – thank you! They will be reaching out shortly, if they have not already done so.

Toddler Program - Please contact Alexandra Marcaccio if you are interested in being the Toddler Class Parent! allaplant@gmail.com

Preschool - Hannah Daniels

Pre-Kindergarten - Susan Mitton

Kindergarten - Maya Duru

1st Grade - Tatiana Schweibenz

2nd Grade - Catherine Abbate

3rd Grade - Lucy Darragh, Lauren Dana

4th Grade - Jen Caulfield, Lisa Fitzpatrick

5th Grade - Jeff Judson

6th/7th Grade - Lauren Ralph, Mary Van Pelt

8th Grade - Darcy Carr, Patrina Irving

Please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to seeing you soon and making this another great year!

Kind regards,

Tim, Alexandra, and Whitney

Tim Moulton: tmoulton@motimindustries.com

Alexandra Marcaccio: allaplant@gmail.com

Whitney Clarke: schmiedw@gmail.com

NOTES FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE

After-Illness Attestation Form

Beginning this week, any students or staff who develop symptoms of covid 19, or are told they have been exposed to a person who tested positive, will be able to schedule a free test, often the same day. The testing site in Newport is at CCRI on John Chaffee Boulevard, open Mon - Sat, 9 - 5 pm. Testing on Sundays is available at The Convention Center. Appointments must be made for all testing by calling 844-857-1814, seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Here is a link to the state site for more information: RIDOH pre-K to 12 Testing

If symptoms arise at school, our school nurse will contact you with information and instructions for scheduling. If your child(ren) becomes symptomatic over the weekend, please use the number above to schedule testing and report the symptoms and day of the test to the school nurse (results as well when they become available).

Reminder: Our school is a Nut Free Zone. Thank you for not bringing foods onto campus that contain nuts of any kind. (IF you do not have an allergy, it is ok to bring packaged foods made on shared equipment etc., but no actual nuts in the ingredients list.) Please remind your children there is no sharing of snack or lunch foods at school. Thank you for your attention to the safety of our whole community.

UPDATES FROM THE OFFICE OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT

Records Request: New Students in Grades 1 - 8

If you haven't done so already, please be sure to request official records from your child's previous school using this official Records Release Form.

Financial Assistance Taxes Reminder

If your family is a recipient of financial assistance and hasn't done so already, please be sure to upload your 2019 taxes to SSS as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Sandy Merten, Director of Enrollment Management, at smerten@smcds.org.

Whether you are "a lifer", or are a brand new family, we would like every family to log into your PowerSchool account and check to see if your information is accurate. Also, now more than ever, we are requesting that your emergency contact information is updated to include a person who is immediately available to pick up their child, within 30 minutes of our call, if the parent/guardian is not available.

Log into your account, and click on PowerSchool Registration (the bottom link in the right hand column - see picture)

If you need assistance with your PowerSchool account, please contact Jeff Day, Director of Technology jday@smcds.org 401-849-5970 x390

PICK UP/DROP OFF REMINDER

New Front Office is the little window in front of the Early Childhood Main Entrance in the Van Beuren Building.

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EXTENDED DAY SIGN UP

Our extended day program runs until 5:30 each school day and is offered at no extra charge. You can find more information about ESD in our Reopening Manual at this link: https://rb.gy/t7a21l

Registration for ESD is required for this year and will occur in increments of 2 weeks. You can register using the below links:

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR ESD (Oct 5 ^th – Oct 16 ^th⁾

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR ESD (Oct 19 ^th – Oct 30 ^th )

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR ESD (Nov 2 ^nd – Nov 13 ^th )

Please Note: We ask that you provide at least 24 hours notice and notify Deborah Perez at dperez@smcds.org if your after care needs change.

FLU CLINIC

SMS Flu Clinic will be held on Wednesday, September 30th from 3 - 5:30. Students and faculty/staff who do not have a medical reason to not receive the flu shot, are required to submit proof of flu vaccination this year. Family members of our students and staff are also permitted to sign up for flu immunization at our clinic. As soon as the online sign up information is made available it will be shared with you. There will be no walk-ins this year.

Stay tuned! Information will be shared as it is made available.

PICTURE DAY IS OCTOBER 2nd!

COVID-19 PROTOCALS

SOME FRIENDLY MASK TIPS!

Please make sure to keep your child's masks clean; ideally they should wear one to school, bring a spare and then wash the used one (or two if the spare is used) each day.

If your child has long hair, bangs or fringe, please consider having the hair styled up or cut short enough to not get in their eyes. Keeping hands away from eyes and faces helps to reduce the risk of illness, due to covid or colds and flu too!

Thank you for reinforcing proper mask wearing (cover both the nose and under the chin), hand washing, and distancing - 6 feet as often as possible!

'20-'21 FAMILY HANDBOOK + DIRECTORY

HANDBOOK AGREEMENT FORM

This years handbook + directory will be a "live" document and will be available with all updates in every weekly. No binders this year, so please let us know if you do not have a printer and we can send a copy home with your child. Please sign the form to acknowledge you have read and understand the policies and procedures for the '20-'21 school year.