Franklin Focus
Week of January 18-22, 2021
Return to In-Person Instruction
We are excited to welcome students back to FES for full in-person instruction on Tuesday, January 19!!!
Upcoming Half Days
There are two scheduled half days for students during the 2020-2021 school year. The first half-day is scheduled for Friday, January 29. School hours for the first half day are:

  • Grades 1-5 - 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  • AM Kindergarten - 9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. 
  • PM Kindergarten students will not report on January 29

Students in grades 1-5 will have lunch before being dismissed.

The second half-day is scheduled for Thursday, April 1. School hours will be the same for the second half-day, except PM Kindergarten students will attend school 9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. and AM Kindergarten students will not report.
Counselor's Corner
Important Dates
January 18 - No School (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
January 19 - Return to In-Person Instruction
January 28 - End of Quarter 2 Report Period for Elementary Students
January 29 - In-Service Half Day (Classes held in the morning)
February 1 - No School (Act 80 Day)
District Updates
Preparation for K-8 Full Return on Tuesday, January 19, 2021

As we return to Full K-8 In-Person instruction on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, below are some reminders regarding the availability of live instruction in the home for this instructional model.

During full-time In-Person Instruction, students and staff are face-to-face to allow for social interaction and real-time learning within the confines of the District’s Health & Safety Plan. Teachers are following safety protocols while organizing students to work collaboratively. Partner work, small groups, and one-on-one meetings with teachers are taking place through the use of different collaboration tools and strategies including available technology. Traditional student and staff resources and supports are available in the Full-Time In-Person Instruction setting while implementing the Health & Safety Plan protocols. 
  • All staff and students report to the school building five days a week for instruction. 
  • All staff and students follow enhanced hygiene protocols. 

Guidelines for Students/Siblings Quarantining (Q) or Exhibiting Symptoms Only (R)
Parents/guardians will notify the main office of the school that they will be participating in instruction from home if a student is staying home because:
  • They are displaying symptoms of COVID-19 and they have not received a letter from the District asking them to quarantine.
  • A student has a sibling who has been asked to quarantine by the District and the family would like to keep their other student(s) at home.
  • Has a family member that has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been instructed to quarantine by a medical professional. 
  • A family travels outside the area and chooses to quarantine upon return to North Allegheny based upon recommendations from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
  • Parents/guardians will need to notify the main office of the school for any of these reasons before 7:30 a.m. for grades 6-8 and before 8:30 a.m. for grades K-5.
  • Students who have an illness or reason for absence other than those listed above, will be marked absent, will not have access to live streaming and will be required to submit an absence note to the school to be excused.  

Limited Live-Streaming During the Full-Time Instructional Plan
  • Live-streaming will only be available for students who are following the Guidelines for Students/Siblings Quarantining (Q) or Exhibiting Symptoms Only (R) listed above.  
  • In order for teachers to be prepared for live streaming, families who are following the guidelines above must:
  • Notify the main office of the school before (7:30 a.m. 6-8 and 8:30 a.m. K-5) if they are displaying symptoms of COVID-19, and they have not received a letter from the District asking them to quarantine; if they have a sibling who has been asked to quarantine by the District and the family would like to keep their other student(s) at home and/or if they have a family member that has tested positive for COVID-19 and have been instructed to quarantine by a medical professional. 
  • Notify the main office of the school prior to returning from travel.  
  • The school nurse will follow up with each family as needed.  
  • Live Streaming will only be available the week students return from travel, not during the time they are traveling.  
  • The District will continue to use Blackboard to post agendas, assignments etc.  
  • Classes will not be recorded during Full In-Person Instruction.  
  • Any technology issues that occur on the student or teacher part and do not allow the student to watch the lesson will be handled on a case by case basis.
Kindergarten Registration Now Open

Registration for students who will attend kindergarten in the 2021-2022 school year is now open. Visit our website for more details!
New Testing Window for the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) for grades 2-7

The new testing window for the ITBS will be February 8-12 for students participating in in-person instruction in grades 2-5. Students participating in in-person instruction in grades 6 and 7 will be administered the test on January 27 and 28. Fifth grade students in NACA will have the opportunity to participate during this testing window as well. Students in Grades 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 who attend NA Cyber will be able to take the ITBS later this spring.
Transitioning from Blackboard Collaborate to Google Meet

Starting in the second semester, teachers will begin to transition to the use of Google Meet in place of Blackboard Collaborate. This transition is occurring to address some of the technical issues that have been experienced by some families when using the Blackboard Collaborate platform.
Your child’s teacher has been working on setting up Google Meet sessions so that they can be securely accessed through Blackboard in a manner similar to how they accessed classes in Collaborate. As a part of Google Meet security, students cannot enter a Google Meet session unless a teacher is in the session. If your child tries to join a class before the teacher arrives, he/she will receive a message that says “You are not permitted to join the meeting“. If this occurs, your child should wait a few minutes and try again to enter the class.

This document will provide more information about Google Meet. If you have a child in grades K-8, the Google Meet app should already be installed on their iPad, but if it is not, it can be downloaded through the Self-Service app.
NASD Free Meal Program Survey

NA continues to be approved to provide free breakfast and lunch for all students. We want you to take advantage of the free meals that are available to students for the rest of the year! Please complete the short survey below to help our food service provider better accommodate you and your family.
Resources
Missed a Newsletter?

All building newsletters are archived weekly on the North Allegheny website. This designated webpage will be updated with links to the previous week’s newsletters at the beginning of each school week by 11:30 a.m. A link to the archive is accessible on the District’s homepage and on each building’s homepage.
Community Flyers
The North Allegheny School District often receives requests for the distribution of athletics and approved non-profit community organization digital flyers. All requests for community flyers to be included in this newsletter must be submitted via email only at flyers@northallegheny.org. Flyers will only be posted and removed from the District website on Friday. Visit our website for details on how to submit flyers.
Building Contacts
Main Office - 412-366-9663
Nurse's Office - 412-366-9663
Counseling Office - 412-366-9663