Material bags for Scott School students will be delivered by bus drivers to in district families starting on Wed., September 2nd. Please take great care of the Journeys reading textbook that your child will receive. The textbook and reading consumable booklet are the only items that will need to be returned when we transition into in person learning. Students who are online for the year, will work with their teacher at the end of the year on a plan for returning these materials. All other items that your child will receive in their material bag are yours to keep. The assignments provided are to support your child's online learning, but will not be returned to school or teachers. If you live out of district, please discuss a material bag pick up plan with your child's teacher. We are here to support you!

• We are on track to follow the Return to School Phase In Plan which means that students will be scheduled into A/B cohorts soon. Families can expect to learn what cohort their child has been placed in the week of September 8th. Please accept our apology in advance that we unfortunately cannot honor cohort requests. A cohorts will attend in person instruction at school for full days on Mondays and Tuesdays. B cohorts will attend in person instruction at school for full days on Thursday and Friday. If COVID-19 numbers remain low in our area, our hybrid schedule will begin on September 21st and go until October 2nd. If COVID-19 numbers in our area continue to remain low, we will then resume full in person learning at school Monday-Friday on October 5th. The criteria we are using for A/B cohorts includes:

  • Alphabetically divided class lists (A-L and M-Z) to support families who have students in multiple buildings so they are learning on the same days

  • Balanced class numbers - an alphabetical split may not be possible in all classes, so some students A-L or M-Z may be placed in the other A/B cohort.

  • Support services for students with special education and intervention needs

• Refer to the Elementary Remote Learning Schedule to help you and your child plan each week. Classroom teachers will eventually provide more detailed information to families about small group meeting times that will occur within the ELA and math blocks and perhaps even in the afternoon once we start bringing students into the building. Also, reference the Return to School Phase In Plan as a guide for when we are planning to move to a hybrid and then full in person instruction when confirmed COVID-19 cases are at or below 5% in our area.

• Live instruction will occur M, T, Th, & F. Attendance is important, but we understand things come up that prevent students to log on and participate. All live instruction will be recorded and shared with students through Google Classroom. This will allow students an opportunity to watch the lesson if they miss it the first time or view the lesson again to help everyone stay on pace with daily instruction.

• If you do NOT wish for your child to be videotaped during live, virtual instruction, please turn off the camera on your child's device. This feature allows students to still participate but not be on camera when the lesson is recorded.

• Because we are starting school virtually this year, please complete this online Scott School Permission Form asap if you haven't already. This is really important for us to have on file to support your preferences for the items listed on it.

• If your child is going to be "absent" and miss virtual and/or in person school on any given day, please be sure to call our attendance line at 517-668-3458. We are required to take attendance even when students are learning remotely, so we want to be sure to account for our students and excuse absences in Infinite Campus. While online instruction is occurring, you should also communicate absences to your child's teacher. We care about our students and worry about them when they aren't in class, even during virtual school times. Remember, lessons are recorded and placed in Google Classroom so students can still complete their daily learning slides even when they aren't able to join live instruction. Please help your child stay on top of their assignments while learning remotely.

• Eligible special education students have been scheduled to come to school during designated times. Special education teachers will continue to communicate with families about schedule adjustments should the occur. Parents/Guardians can help prepare their child by reviewing CDC guidelines such as mask wearing, social distancing, and frequent hand washing. Mask wearing practice at home also help build stamina and familiarity with this necessary safety measure.

Teachers are putting together a bag of learning materials and a pick up day will be scheduled for families. If you're unable to pick up materials on the scheduled day, no worries! Our fabulous bus drivers will deliver them to families who live in district. It's important that your child have packets and other materials to help them be successful while learning from home. Stay tuned for more details about our pick up day. This information will be emailed to families.

Thank you to those who have reached out and asked what needs our school has. We would be grateful for things such as:

• Disinfectant Wipes

• Hand Sanitizer

• Face Masks (to have on hand for those in need)

• Disposable Gloves

• Paper Towels

Please access the DPS Remote Learning Technology Access page about connectivity and devices if this is a need area for your child. It's important that our students have what they need to be successful learners. Don't hesitate to reach out; we're happy to help as much as possible.

Students will use Google Classroom for accessing their remote learning lessons. Teachers will guide students with how to use this platform. The Parent's Guide to Google Classroom is a helpful video resource for parents. Please consider watching it. This will help you be better informed on how to assist your child.

To reduce unnecessary exposure to students and staff, volunteers and other guests will not be allowed in the building during phase 4. This protocol may be revisited when we reach phase 5 and additional communication will be shared with families if it is determined appropriate to open our building to volunteers and guests. This includes access to our office. Until then, parents/guardians who enter the building will be required to stay in the vestibule to drop off or pick up items and to sign in or sign out their child. We are hoping this protocol isn't necessary all year because we love having volunteers and guests in our school.

There are some Scott students who have health-threatening nut allergies in our building. Scott School is a 'No Nut' building this year. Pack items that do not contain nuts for your child's lunch and snack when we return to in person instruction. It is critically important that we provide a safe learning environment for all students, and your help with this is needed and appreciated. Please always contact your child's teacher if you have a concern about an allergy or other health condition related to your child that he/she should be aware of. Also, if your child has a medical need, including food or other allergies, don't forget to update your child's Medical Management Plan by completing and submitting the district forms to the office when we return to brick and mortar instruction.

In order for Scott School personnel to administer medication to your child when we return to in person instruction, you must:

• Submit a completed district medication form to our office.

• Be sure all medications are brought to and stored in our office.

• Be sure prescription medication is in its original container accompanied with a physician’s signature.

• Be sure non-prescription medication is in its original container accompanied by a parent’s signature.

• Please communicate with your child's teacher if he/she takes medication daily at school.

• If your child has a medical condition, please be sure to complete a Medical Management Plan for your child and turn it in at the office.

Medication and other medical forms can be found on our DeWitt Public Schools website.

Our school social worker, Mrs. Schwarz, is always willing to assist students and families in any way possible. In addition to working closely with your child's teacher, consider reaching out to her if you have questions or need support. She is truly amazing at what she does! She can be reached at 517-668-3446 or schwarzdea@dewittschools.net.

You can expect further communication from Mrs. Schwarz about a social/emotional questionnaire for families to fill out with their child. Please be sure to help your child complete the questionnaire when you electronically receive as this will help to inform guidance services. Stay tuned!