FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
MASKS: There is going to be change starting April 1st with the wearing of masks. At the March Board meeting the USD 211 BOE stated that the Mask mandate will be lifted, giving parents the option of their child being mask free at school. On the Eisenhower Facebook page, the specific wording of the change in policy has been posted by the Eisenhower office staff from the Central administration. We are encouraging our teachers to still use social distancing as a best practice in the room, and encourage the cleaning of the rooms with sanitizer often during the day. Washing hands will still continue to be a priority throughout the day.
Students can still wear masks if they choose.
Please note that if there is an outbreak of active COVID cases in Norton County, during the final weeks of school, the school administration will look at our options for the masks, and other strategies to do what we can to keep our kids in school, as we end the school year.
No doubt this has been challenging for the students, staff and families during the 2020/2021 school year, but to be in school on a daily basis has been huge accomplishment for all of us, when many schools in Kansas and in the country did not have that as an option. I want to thank all of you for your cooperation in this difficult time, and hope and pray we can finish out this year on a positive note as we prepare for the beginning of next year.
SPEED LIMIT: Just a friendly reminder of the speed limit on Eisenhower Drive is now 20 miles per hour.
STATE ASSESSMENTS: The Kansas State Assessments will continue for students in grade 3, 4, 5, and 6. State assessments will continue until the end of April. It always helps performance if the students get plenty of rest and are encouraged to do their best on the tests.
So far results on the early testing have been pretty good. Keep supporting your student during this important time of the school year.
PICKING UP STUDENTS: After school it has been observed that some people are blocking the driveways of our neighbors to the East. Please consider this being an issue for our neighbors in case they had to leave in an emergency.
Please encourage your students to use crosswalks at all times, before and after school.
6th GRADE TRANSITION: During the next few weeks, Eisenhower Elementary will be working with the Junior High in developing a transition process for the 6th grade students to the Junior High. One of the first activities will be a parent meeting scheduled for Monday, April 19 starting at 6:30 PM. in the music room at the Junior High. Earlier in the month, Mrs. Hauser, school counselor, will be handing out enrollment forms to the students to take home and fill out with the parents.
STUDENT SICKNESS: A child needs to be fever free for 24 hours without having Tylenol or Ibuprofen reducing the fever, before they can come back to school. Students still contagious during that 24 hour period are exposing their classmates if they come back to school too soon. If you have a question about this, please contact school nurse Angie Alexander.
KINDERGARTEN SCREENING: There will be no school for kindergarten students on Friday, April 30th , due to kindergarten screens for new kindergarten students next year.
MTSS: More than 30 years of research exists indicating how children learn to read, why some children fail at reading, and what components and practices are necessary to provide effective instruction in reading. A multi-tiered reading model has been designed to implement these research findings and meet instructional needs of all readers. MTSS is a prevention model aimed at providing early supports to students before they become disengaged from school because of advanced learning needs or falling behind. Considerable research supports the importance of using systematic and explicit instruction when teaching the five essential areas of reading—namely: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.