Patriot Press February 18, 2022

National Blue Ribbon School 2020 - Harris Elementary School

New from Harris

*All items subject to change if new guidance is received.

Yearbooks: Orders are due by March 18th. To order online, click the button below and use code 12594222.

3rd Grade Parents: As required by law in the state of Indiana, our 3rd grade students will take the IREAD and ILEARN assessments during second semester. The date ranges for these assessments are listed below. It is very important that your child is in attendance and on time for school if they are well.

• IREAD: March 7-11, 2022 (please do not schedule appointments in the morning on these dates.)
• ILEARN: April 18-May 13 (please do not schedule appointments during the morning from April 18-27)

Author of the Month: Congratulations to these students who have been selected by their teacher as an Author of the Month!

Kindness Week at Harris and Rally for Riley: February. 28-March 4, we will have a kindness week at Harris. Students will hear daily kindness related announcements and may enjoy some activities with their classroom. One way we show kindness is to have fun and share with others. Student will have this opportunity during the same week and will raise money for Riley Children's Hospital. See the graphic below for the fun ways to participate and raise money for a great cause. We have some Riley kids at Harris!

Cougar Cubs Preschool: Cougar Cubs Preschool enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year will begin on February 1, 2022. There are now 2, 3, and 5 day options available at both locations. Cougar Cubs accepts CCDF vouchers, On My Way Pre-K vouchers, and the Build, Learn, Grow scholarship. To review more information about the program, please visit their website at cougarcubs.gcsc.k12.in.us

2022/2023 Kindergarten Round Up: Online Registration begins February 1, 2022. Children aged 5 years old by August 1, 2017, are eligible for Kindergarten. Kindergarten Round Up for students pre enrolled in Kindergarten at Harris will be at the dates and times listed below:

• Tuesday, April 5th, 3-6pm
• Thursday, April 7th, 3-6pm

COVID-19

Mask Update: *As of 2/22/22 Masks will be optional beginning for all students and staff inside our schools. Please note that masks will still be required on Greenfield-Central school buses at this time. This is still a federal requirement established by the Department of Transportation.

Student Daily Self Screening: As a reminder, each morning you should screen your child for illness. Please do not send sick children to school. If your child has identifiable symptoms of illness or persists in reporting symptoms, we will need to contact you as we have always done. If your child is ill, he or she should be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications before returning to school.

Water Bottles: This is just a friendly reminder that water fountains have been turned off. Students should bring a sealing water bottle with their name on it. We will have refill stations available.

Hand Washing: Students will be asked to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer throughout the day. Please reinforce with your child the importance of washing and sanitizing their hands well.

PTO

PTO: We have a wonderful Parent Teacher Organization. There will be more info from them on how and when they will meet. Each year they sponsor a fundraiser to support the students and staff at Harris. Your support will be helpful in continuing to have the great resources we enjoy for Harris students. Thank you in advance for your support and generosity.

PTO Meetings will be held in the Harris Library starting at 2:30 on the following dates:

*Masks are required at this time. All participants are encouraged to socially distance. Should you become positive after attending a meeting, we kindly as that you notify us.

• Apr 13

Transportation

Arrival

School Starts @ 7:50 AM

Upon entering Harris, students should report directly to their classroom, unless they are eating breakfast. Students eating breakfast at Harris can visit a breakfast station located around the building and select a grab and go item to eat in their classroom.

Harris AM Drop Off: Harris officially opens the doors to students beginning at 7:30 AM, using the car line off Elm Street on the north side of the building. Students left before that time are not supervised and left in an unsafe situation. Please ensure the safety of your child by supervising them until they are dismissed from your car by school staff. Please remain in your vehicle during drop off. Car riders should not be dropped off at Door 1 by the main office.

Dismissal

School Dismisses at 2:10

Staggered Dismissal: We will stagger our dismissal at 2:10 to safely dismiss the various groups including: bus riders, car riders, walker, and daycare students. Student dismissal groups will be announced over our intercom system and the adults in our building will monitor a safe, staggered dismissal.

Special Transportation: Each student has a singular pick up and drop off location from their home in the Harris district. If you need picked up or dropped off from another location inside the Harris district, you must complete and Special Transportation Request form and have it approved. We do not pick up or drop off students outside of the Harris district. If your child attends daycare, the daycare is responsible for providing the transportation.

Leaving by Car: Students who are being picked up by a car should use the car line off of Elm Street on the north side of the school. When picking up a students, please remain in your car. Staff will assist in safely loading students, and you will need to follow their directions. Please leave your car tag visible until after your child has entered the car. It is also helpful to have your student sitting on the passenger side. If you wish, you can also check students seatbelt straps by pulling up to the parking lot near the playground/construction fencing. If you do not have a car tag, you may be asked to pull around so we can verify that an appropriate person is picking up your student.

• Shared GIS/Harris Students: Harris students may not walk to GIS to meet a sibling. GIS students meeting a Harris student will be escorted to Harris. These students may arrive after our dismissal has started, so please plan to not be first in line. If your GIS student does not make it on time, you may be asked to pull around to the end of the line.  As a reminder, younger elementary children take longer to safely load than intermediate students. Thanks for being patient as we adjust to construction related delays.

Leaving by Foot: For students who will walk home and leave on foot, they will exit out Door 1 by the office after 2:10 and after buses have moved on from GIS. For the safety of our walkers, cars are not to park in this area during dismissal. Parents on foot will meet their students outside of Harris near Door 1. Parents waiting to pick up their children should wait outside Door 1 after buses have left Harris and moved to GIS. Parents may not wait inside our lobby. At 2:10 or after buses have left, a staff member will identify the parent and retrieve the student one child at a time. Parents meeting students on foot are asked to practice safe social distancing outside and to follow all local and state guidance for safe social distancing and masking. Mask are recommended, but not required.

Other Transportation Information

School Dismissal Manager:  Harris uses the School Dismissal Manager program or app to manage transportation arrangements for our students at the end of the day. Parents may also use this to report absences or schedule early dismissal for appointments. To ensure an accurate dismissal, any change you need to make to your child's after school transportation should be done through this prior to 1:30 PM.

Buses: As required by federal mandate, students riding a bus must wear a mask. On the bus, students should be assigned a seat, and sibling groups may be asked to ride together. Students should practice safe social distancing when entering and exiting a bus. When arriving at school, students should follow the directions of a staff member for safe unloading and report directly to their classroom.

Ride 360: This year you will have the ability to see your child's bus number, approximate bus pick up time and approximate, drop off time. Registering for this services is easy. All you have to do is go to your APP store, download the Ride 360 app, and enter your information that ties your student to your account.

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Breakfast and Lunch

*For this school year, all students will have access to one free breakfast and lunch.

Breakfast:  This year, breakfast will be Grab & Go. As students enter the building, there will be several stations that they can stop at and purchase a breakfast to take back to the classroom with them. Students will have a grain choice, one cup of fruit, and milk. Breakfast will be available the first day of school.

2-Hour Delays & Breakfast: Harris does NOT serve breakfast on 2-Hour delays.

Lunch: Students will eat in the same assigned area and assigned seat daily. Students will be distanced to the greatest extent possible. Tables will be cleaned between each group of students. Visitors are not permitted at lunch.

Lunch Accounts - Greenfield-Central is once again using www.ezschoolpay.com to put lunch money in your child’s lunch account (there is a small fee and you will need your child’s student number found on Powerschool). Lunch money may also be submitted by check when you come to registration. Please be sure to keep your child’s lunch account in good standing. Additionally, our cafeteria computer system does not have the capabilities to put a “block” on student lunch accounts for purchasing extra lunch items. You will want to make sure your child is on the same page as you when it comes to spending lunch account money. You can also pay textbook rental fees and iPad insurance on ezschoolpay as well!

Visitors to the Cafe: Due to limited seating and contact tracing requirements, visitors will not be permitted to eat in the student lunch room.

Stay Connected with Harris

Future Dates at Harris

*The following dates are tentative and are subject to change based on national, state, and local guidance.

Harris Specific Dates

• Winter Break: December 20-31
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No School) January 17, 2022
• Planned eLearning: Monday, February 14, 2022
• President's Day (No School/Weather Make Up Day): February 21, 2022
• IREAD (3rd Grade Only): March 7-11, 2022
• Spring Break: March 14-25, 2022
• ILEARN (3rd Grade Only): April 18-29, 2022 (tentative)

Opportunities Around GC

Bowen Center Services

Greenfield Central has partnered with the Bowen center to establish a Student Assistance Program (SAP). This program is a benefit to ALL students and provides three PREPAID (free to students) telephonic counseling sessions. This is private and confidential. No one is informed of your decision to access this program. To schedule an appointment, you may call 1-800-342-5653 or go to www.bowencenter.org and click on “Schedule an Appointment”. There is no co-pay or pre-authorization required for these three prepaid visits.

24 Hour Crisis Hotline: 1-800-342-5653