Greetings South High Freshmen and families,
Following up on the district email sent to you on Wednesday, I wanted to provide details about next week:
- Freshmen who chose to attend school in person using the hybrid schedule should plan to follow Week One of the Modified Hybrid schedule next week. Group A will attend in person on Tuesday and Wednesday morning and Group B will attend on Thursday and Friday morning. Students who selected Fully Remote should join class remotely as they usually do.
- Please click here to see a map of the school showing the classrooms so that the students can think about their paths. Please know that we will have people in hallways to help students find their classrooms. Our 15 minute passing period will allow students time to find their route, consider where their other classes are located, and ask for help if needed!
- Students must wear their student ID at all times using the lanyard provided. Students without an ID can get one printed in the Bookstore, located within the cafeteria, during non-class time. Students need to bring the needed materials, including a mask, face shield, self-certification slip, fully charged Chromebook, earbuds, books, notebooks, calculator, writing utensils, etc. It is also recommended that students bring a personal water bottle; our bottle fillers are working and can be used. Additionally, because we are circulating in extra outside air into the classrooms, students may want to bring a light jacket or sweater.
- Bus Riders should be at their pickup stop 5 minutes prior to the time listed on the bus route guide with their mask and face shield, which is to be worn at all times while on the bus. The bus supervisor will collect the self-certification slips and help to seat the students in a socially distanced manner. Students arriving to school on the bus will enter door 1.
- Students walking to school or being dropped off should arrive after 7:30 am and will enter either door 1, door 2 (main entrance), or door 27. Door 27 is the door closest to the new drop-off circle off of Dunham Road. Cars using that drop off location should enter the drive on the north end to drop students off. Exiting cars must turn right onto Dunham and proceed Southbound. Students must be wearing masks and have their face shields, which they will wear while in the hallways. Students will present their self-certification slip to security before entering the building and then will proceed directly to their first class of the day; students will not be able to stop at their lockers, congregate in the halls, or use the restroom (teachers will send students from class to the restroom as needed). All of these expectations are put in place to limit contact between students in the building for everyone's health and safety. NOTE: The bus lot cannot be used for after school pick-up. Parents may want to consider the large lot on the west end of the building and the students can walk to you.
- Students with their own transportation are allowed to arrive late/leave early when they have a lunch and/or study hall period at the start or end of in-person learning. Families must complete the form that was included in the previous email. Otherwise, students are scheduled into a supervised space at school where they can work quietly on their school work.
Any student displaying COVID-like symptoms at school will be sent to the nurse’s office for evaluation. Any student with confirmed COVID symptoms will be sent home and cannot return until approved by the school nurse.
The week of October 12 has an adjusted schedule to accommodate state testing for seniors and parent teacher conferences. The day by day schedule is as follows:
- Monday - Remote Learning Planning Day - NO Student Attendance
- Tuesday - periods 0-1-3-5-7 all students remotely
- Wednesday - SAT test for seniors (Other students work on assignments)
- Thursday - periods 0-2-4-6-8 all students remotely
Parent Teacher Conferences - NO Student Attendance
During the week of October 19, all students will begin following the Modified Hybrid Schedule, beginning with Week One. As a reminder, the “Guide for 2020-21” webpage contains all of the communication that has been sent home, including the schedule for the remainder of the semester. I recommend that you bookmark that site for ease of returning as a point of reference.
I know that this has been a challenging start to the freshman year. To help to make sure that everyone is as comfortable as possible, I will be hosting a webinar for freshmen and their parents to ask questions. I will be available from 7:15-8:15 pm on Monday, October 5, 2020. So that I can use the time most efficiently, I encourage you to submit your questions in advance by filling out this form. To join the webinar, click this link. If you are asked for a passcode, use 709529. You will be muted during the webinar, but you will be able to submit additional questions in writing during the session.
We are looking forward to welcoming the newest members of the Mustang family!
Stay well,
Ed Schwartz