It's the SCOOP for October 9, 2020
Your weekly news from Santa Barbara Middle School
|
|
|
Dear SBMS Families,
Thank you for all your help in making our orientation training rides a success. We appreciate everybody’s efforts and willingness to adapt to our new protocols so we can connect with our students and work towards returning safely to campus as soon as possible. It was great to see all of our students in person and to witness their excitement and joy to be outdoors, on their bikes, and with their classmates again.
As we wrap up our bike rides, we are now turning all of our attention toward reopening the school in the coming weeks. On Tuesday, we hope to hear that Santa Barbara County remains below the state monitoring threshold and that local schools will be allowed to open on Wednesday. With that approval, we will start to bring our cohorts back to school for our Safety and Orientation trainings, beginning with the 9th graders on Thursday, October 15, in the afternoon and the 6th graders on the morning of Friday, October 16. Once our 6th and 9th graders complete their on-campus Safety Orientation, they will begin on-campus classes on Tuesday, October 20. Our 7th grade cohorts will complete their training on campus on Wednesday, October 21, followed by 8th grade cohort training on Thursday, October 22. Our 7th and 8th graders will rejoin our 6th and 9th graders on campus on Tuesday, October 27, to begin our 2nd Quarter with a new schedule, new cohort-based electives, and a variety of new enrichment opportunities. We believe this careful, methodically phased approach will allow us to open safely with all of the appropriate training and protocols in place.
As we prepare to reopen our campus in the coming weeks, we are grateful for your patience and flexibility, and for your understanding that we will have to continue to adapt to the challenges of this pandemic as we go. We ask that all of our families follow our COVID Response Plan while at school and CDC guidelines at home to help us all return safely to campus. Please lookout for more updates next week with specific on-campus cohort orientation times.
To the journey,
Brian, Bianca and the SBMS staff
|
|
THE SBMS COUNSELING OFFICE
The counseling office is standing by and available to help out, consult, and offer support. Please contact Dr. Steve Smith (steve@sbms.org) to arrange a meeting or phone call.
|
|
THE WEEK AHEAD
Monday, October 12
DLP 4.0 continues
Tuesday, October 13
SBCPH confirms approval for reopening of schools if Red Tier status is maintained
Wednesday, October 14
SBMS OFFICIALLY BEGINS SCHOOL REOPENING STEPS
Thursday, October 15
9th grade training and orientation in the afternoon (More details to come)
Friday, October 16
6th grade training and orientation in the morning (More details to come)
12pm Town Meeting
|
|
⚠️ WEEKLY SAFETY REMINDER! ⚠️
|
|
Practice social distancing by putting space between yourself and others. This is important on campus especially. We should never congregate in the hallways, classrooms or any indoor spaces and should always keep at least 6 feet between us and others (and be wearing a mask!).
Continue to practice healthy habits to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
- Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds
- Clean and then disinfect frequently used surfaces, especially at school
- Stay home if you’re sick
- Avoid touching your face
|
|
LICK THE PLATE
This upcoming Thursday, October 15, PA will be teaching how to make a tomato sauce to pair with any pasta you'd like to enjoy! This tomato sauce could easily turn into a bolognese, be used for pizza, or lasagna. Join at the Zoom Link here at 4pm: https://sbms-org.zoom.us/j/7037972194
See your shopping list and equipment needs HERE!
|
|
SBMS BOOK CLUB
Our next book will be The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett which we will be discussing on Monday, November 9, from 9:30-10:30am. You can join at the zoom link here. More about the book below:
The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect?
|
|
NATURETRACK FILM FESTIVAL
This Friday begins the NatureTrack Film Festival. The virtual film festival brings exhilarating adventure and compelling narratives to your screen and supports NatureTrack which is a nonprofit that uses 100 volunteer science docents to take kids on nature field trips for free. To see the film guide or purchase your all-access pass, visit https://ntff2020.eventive.org/welcome. |
|
|
COVID UPDATES
SBMS continues to closely monitor updates and track statistics related to COVID-19 within our county. We have updated our policies and COVID Response Plan based on successes and the knowledge gained from other CA schools so that we can open safely when the time comes. We will continue to follow guidelines and mandates laid out by the state, county, and CDC and seek direction from our COVID medical team.
Resources:
|
|
ON THE HORIZON
Please note that dates and events are subject to change and updates will be communicated. **Subject to SBMS COVID-19 Committee & Public Health Guidance**
October 2020
Thursday, October 22: 7pm Parent Association Meeting
November 2020
Monday, November 9: Parent Book Club at 9:30am
Wednesday, November 11: Veteran's Day - No School
Monday, Nov. 16 - Friday, Nov. 20: Academic Conferences **
Monday, November 23 - Friday, November 27: Thanksgiving Break
December 2020
Friday, December 18: Annual Solstice Celebration**
Monday, Dec. 21 - Friday, Jan. 8: Three Week Winter Break**
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
