Topics Below:
-Principal Message
-Bobcat Pride Slideshow
-Health and Safety
-Math Pathway & Virtual Homework Club
-Help & Support
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I went to college to study history and then taught social studies for 16 years. Specifically, I wanted to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement and the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I was, and continue to be, fascinated by his life work. As we approach a day off to remember and honor him on Monday, I wanted to share this quote from him about hope.
As I’ve shared in Whole School Messenger Communications, we have seen a recent uptick in Covid positive cases. I remain hopeful that this too shall pass. I remain grateful for this community who takes active measures to ensure our health, safety and to continually engage our students and ourselves in active learning. I remain grateful to our office staff and teaching team for their tireless efforts to support this community. I remain grateful to our families coming to pick up home test kits last week, your questions, your offers to help, your donated masks, and your partnership. I will “never lose infinite hope.”
Bobcat Pride Slideshow: I am so hopeful about our students’ future. Please check some of the many students who were honored prior to Winter Break for their achievements in academics and/or embodying our Bobcat Pride Values. Go Bobcats!!
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Health & Safety Updates:
Here are the top five things you need to know that we will also put on our homepage:
1) If you or your child is not feeling well, stay home and test. If there is a positive case in your household then monitor for symtoms, mask and test, as the household members are considered close contacts. Still mask & isolate indoors. If they are unvaccinated they need to quarantine at home and please consider vaccinating them. See locations below.
a. A list of symptoms is here.
c. All students and staff are required to wear masks indoors. If a student or a family member tests positive, let us know immediately through phone or email. We will share guidance. Guidance from the January 10th district communication is below.
2) We want all students to be part of our pool testing by this Friday at noon. (Register here. Access code: BOREL2021) If we communicate that your child is a close contact and they are in the pool and don’t have symptoms, then that’s all you need to do. We’re sending home hard copies of the Opt In Pool Form today, please return them to your homeroom teacher. Please note we update our lists Friday at noon for the following week. Also, if a student has tested positive in the past, they won’t be in the pool for three months, but we can still rapid test them.
3) We want all students to be vaccinated and if eligible, boosted. A list of vaccination clinics is here.
4) Though the guidance has changed, we will still continue to communicate Whole School Notifications and Close Contact Communications until we are notified not to.
5) Work/Homework Requests: Page 9 Student Planner: For absences less than 3 days, students are encouraged to call a "Study Buddy" from their class and check Schoolloop and Google classroom. In the case of an excused absence lasting 3 days or more, parents should inform office (Kristie Bales and Kimielou Gilchrist) & the students' teachers via schoolloop and request work (if they child is feeling well enough to do it).
From: SMFCSD 1/10/22: “Change to Isolation and Quarantine”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reduced isolation and quarantine periods to five (5) days and the guidance now applies to schools. Under this updated guidance, everyone who tests positive for COVID 19 regardless of vaccination status, previous infection or lack of symptoms will follow the recommendations:
Requirements for 5 Day Isolation and Quarantine
- Stay home for at least 5 days. Day 1 begins the day after you test positive.
- Isolation can end after day 5 if symptoms are not present or symptoms are resolving AND a diagnostic specimen (antigen test preferred) collected on day 5 or later tests negative.
Staff and students must present a negative test result or be given a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) upon arrival back to work/school.
The recommendation is to test with a Rapid Antigen Test and not a PCR test.
10 Day Isolation and Quarantine
- If unable to test or choosing not to test, and symptoms are not present or are resolving, isolation can end after day 10.
- If fever is present, isolation should be continued until fever resolves.
- If symptoms, other than fever, are not resolving, continue to isolate until symptoms are resolving or until after day 10.
Math Updates: Recently the district held Math Pathway Information nights. Information can be found here. Also, our math teachers wanted to make sure you knew they are still doing Virtual Math Club after school on Monday - 8th, Wednesday - 6th, and Thursday - 7th). The Zoom Link is on your child’s Math Google Classroom.
Help & Support: We know this has been a difficult time for many. We are here to help. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. A resource that might be helpful is Care Solace. It is where staff and parents can either search for mental health or substance abuse help services that match their insurance and needs or connect them with a Care Solace Care Companion who assists in finding those services for them, including appointment booking. Find out more here.
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Congratulations to several Borel students that auditioned for the All-State Music Ensembles and were recently accepted as the BEST middle school musicians in the state of California! In February, these students will perform a concert in Fresno. The following students were accepted into All-State:
Congratulations to:
Hudson Atkinson
Alec Blair
Tyler Nichols
Kate Sato
Charlie Wilcox
Way to go Borel Musicians! Thank you for making Borel the best in the state!
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We want to thank the Borel community for your kind contributions which have supported Borel Bobcats. So many students and families have benefited from your continued generosity. We appreciate your snack donations for students who are hungry. Because of your thoughtfulness, students are able to pick up a snack on their way to class. On behalf of Project Pantry, we appreciate all of the December gift card donations. These gift cards helped several families over winter break.Thank you again for your ongoing support.
Sincerely,
Project Pantry Members
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Upcoming Important Dates:
Jan. 17
Martin Luther King Holiday--No School
Jan. 31
PTA General Meeting 6:30-7:30pm
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If your child will be absent, please call the school's attendance line 650-312-7669 directly to report their absence.
Please contact Kristie Bales at: kbales@smfc.k12.ca.us to send in medical appointment notes.
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Click on yellow button to access your PTA Website |
BOREL’S 31ST ANNUAL CULTURAL FAIR
Share your cultural heritage at Borel’s 31st Annual Cultural Fair on Wednesday, March 23, 2022 from 5-7 PM. Coordinating a booth is easy and fun! We will guide you through the process, provide you with paper products and recruit volunteers to help you, if you need it. This highly popular community building event takes many hands. Please consider lending yours! Contact Karina Alibudbud at CulturalFair@borelbobcats.org
ONLINE AUCTION VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We are excited to announce Borel’s first virtual auction, happening this March! Details are still in progress but we need your help. This will be one of the most important fundraisers for PTA this year. Any experience level welcome. Thank you so much! Please sign up here.
PTA ASSOCIATION MEETING
Our next PTA Association meeting will be held on Monday, January 31st at 6:30 PM. We'd love to hear what topics you'd like to hear about during our meeting. Click here to submit your feedback before Wednesday, January 26th. The virtual meeting information will be posted a day prior to the meeting on our PTA web page which is linked here.
BOREL BOOSTERS 2021-2022
We are still a bit shy of our goal of $140,000 for the year. As of 01/08, we are just under 83%, coming in at $116,000. As always, we appreciate and acknowledge those who have already donated to the Borel Boosters, a list can be found here. This is the only Borel fundraiser that supports the entire student body with funds going to those areas that help to Build a Brighter Future for every single Bobcat. Donate here and join the PTA. Every contribution big or small helps a lot. Questions, email Shirley at Boosters@borelbobcats.org.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!
Link up with our community of Borel parents on Facebook! Search for us at Borel Bobcat Boosters. This is a great way to get Borel community news and tips relevant to you and your student as well as interact with current Borel parents. Questions, please email Communications@borelbobcats.org
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Parent Workshops of Interest |
Smoking on Snapchat? Talking About Vapes, E-Cigarettes, and Tobacco with Teens
Erin Vogel, PhD, Senior Research Associate, USC Keck School of Medicine
Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 5:30pm – 6:30pm PST, Online Event (Live)
How has teenage use of tobacco (nicotine), e-cigarettes, and vapes changed during the pandemic? How does social media influence the health behaviors of adolescents?
Join Erin Vogel, PhD, USC Keck School of Medicine, to learn answers to these questions and more. This online session will cover vaping, youth tobacco use, e-cigarettes, and the impact of social media on teenagers' health and well-being.
Parents/caregivers, educators, mental health professionals, and community members welcome! Free admission. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available.
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Valedictorians at the Gate: Standing Out, Getting In, and Staying Sane While Applying to College
Becky Munsterer Sabky, Former Ivy League College Admission Director
Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 5:30pm – 6:30pm PST, Online Event (Live)
In Valedictorians at the Gate, Becky Munsterer Sabky, a former Ivy League admission director, looks beyond the smoke and mirrors of the college admissions gauntlet and places the power firmly where it should be: in the hands of the students themselves.
Witty and warm, informative and inspiring, Valedictorians at the Gate is the needed tonic for overstressed, overworked, and overwhelmed students on their way to finding the ideal college for them.
Parents/caregivers, educators, mental health professionals, and community members welcome! Free admission. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available.
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