School Election May 7
Jennifer Luoma 1301 Four Mile Road
Principal Butte, MT 59701
luomajj@bsd1.org 406-533-2550
August 12, 2020
Hello Margaret Leary Families,
Welcome to another school year! Whether you have chosen to have your child learn in-person or remotely, we welcome you and want you to know that we are hard at work making plans for the upcoming year. Our goal is to provide your child with a quality education, while maintaining a safe environment in which to learn. COVID-19 has added new challenges, but we are meeting them head-on. Below are some items that will help you plan for the upcoming year.
Morning Arrival
Students may be dropped off in the north parking lot between 8:00-8:20. (NO EARLIER)
Parents should drive up next to the curb, pulling forward as far as possible. Students should then get out and walk to their designated entrance. (see map)
For safety reasons, please use the NORTH parking lot for drop off & pick up, even though it may not be the closest to your child’s entrance.
Students may NOT play on the playground in the morning.
Students will come directly into the school building using their designated entrance.
A staff member will be stationed at each door to greet your child.
Once in the building, students will go directly to their classroom.
Masks are required for entry into the building.
No visitors will be allowed into the building.
Your Child’s Day
Students will remain with their teacher and classmates for the entire day. There will be no switching classes for reading, etc.
Students will have bathroom breaks and recess with their classmates. Cleaning procedures are in place for playground equipment and bathrooms.
Students will be required to wear their mask in school. Please have your child practice wearing their mask for extended periods now. It will make the transition to wearing masks in school easier.
Students will eat breakfast and lunch in the classroom.
breakfast $1.60 (reduced $0.30); hot lunch $2.60 (reduced $0.40); milk $0.60
Students can bring a sack lunch.
Students will have homework, as we are getting out of school 1 hour early. Please plan a time for your child to complete this outside work and help them to return it to school the following day.
Afternoon Dismissal
Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd grades will be dismissed by 1:00.
4th, 5th, & 6th grades will be dismissed by 2:00.
Fridays, all students will be dismissed by 11:30.
Students will use the same doors to exit the school as they used to enter in the morning.
Students being picked up by parents will wait in a line (maintaining social distancing) on the playground for parents to arrive. Parents should drive up next to the curb, pulling forward as far as possible. Students will then walk to cars to load up.
Bus students will walk down to the bus area, waiting in a line (maintaining social distancing) until their bus arrives. Masks are required on the bus.
Student and Staff Safety
Each classroom will become a “learning community”. This will require us all working together to maintain a safe environment.
Students will need to have their own supplies, so please let us know if you are unable to purchase items on the supply list.
A personal sanitizer and water bottle should be added to each supply list.
Students will NOT be permitted to use water fountains at school.
Students will NOT need a backpack, as we cannot use our lockers, and our classrooms are too small to keep backpacks on our chairs. A foldable bag would be a good substitute, or kids can carry items in their hands each day.
Each morning, please follow the Daily Morning Checklist to ensure that your child is ready for school.
Remote Learners
Students will be expected to check in with their teachers daily.
Students will need a device that will support Microsoft TEAMs, as that is the platform where assignments will be posted and graded.
Videos of lessons will be posted for students to view.
TEAMs meetings will be set up at least weekly to support students in remote learning.
Students who choose remote learning will follow the district grading policy.
Distance learning will not begin until after Labor Day.
In addition to these areas, protocols are being developed to address an outbreak of COVID in varying instances, whether by student, classroom, or school. Because our plan maintains groups of students staying together throughout the day, we are doing our best to limit exposure within our school. Please understand that our plans are fluid, however, and we will continually evaluate and make improvements to ensure that we are doing what is best for both students and staff.
Sadly, we will have to postpone our CARNIVAL that was scheduled for August 27th. However, I will be working with teachers and parents to figure out a “modified” carnival (perhaps during the school day), so that students can be rewarded for last year’s hard work.
Updates will be posted on the Butte School District Webpage, www.BSD1.org, so please visit it often. You can also email me any questions that you still might have.
We look forward to seeing your kids again soon. We have missed them!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Jennifer Luoma, Principal
Entrances & Exits for Students
Student Drop Off/Pick Up Area for all students will be in the rear (north) side of the building. Each door will be marked for the grades that will be using it.
Kindergarten and 3rd grade will use the northwest doors.
1st and 4th grades will use the northeast doors.
5th and 6th grades will use the southeast doors.
2nd grade will use the southwest doors.
