Schley County Schools

February 26, 2021 Dear Parents, As we close out February and look at the little more than 50 remaining school days, thank you for your patience and assistance to get us to this point. Our Friday numbers look better this week and we hope this pattern continues. We will be in the process of preparing for the availability of teacher and staff vaccinations over the next couple of weeks. All of our school procedures will remain the same. Please continue any and all efforts at home as well. This has not gone away. It is important that everyone stay safe and adhere to guidelines. Thank you for your help in monitoring your children daily and exercising caution when any symptoms are present. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of February 26, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1154 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1297 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-1, ES students-1, MHS staff-0, MHS students-2 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 12, MHS staff- 0, MHS students- 13 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

February 19, 2021 Dear Parents, I hope everyone gets to enjoy some much needed sun and outside time this weekend! Numbers related to COVID-19 were trending down this week. Staff and student numbers for cases and active quarantines were lower. Thank you for your help in monitoring your children daily and exercising caution when any symptoms are present. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of February 19, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1154 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1297 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-0, ES students-3, MHS staff-1, MHS students-6 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 18, MHS staff- 0, MHS students- 26 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

February 12, 2021 Dear Parents, We hope everyone enjoys a long Valentine holiday weekend this week. Monday, February 15 will be a school holiday in recognition of Presidents’ day. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of February 12, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1154 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1297 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-1, ES students-2, MHS staff-1, MHS students-10 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 13, MHS staff- 0, MHS students- 62 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

The Middle/High school will be participating in a LokDown drill today. Please be aware that this is just a drill.

February 5, 2021 Dear Parents, As we continue with in person instruction, we will mitigate and assist with contact tracing as much as possible. We depend on the assistance of our parents. Much of the identification and accurate recognition of symptoms, as well as when they occur, come from sources outside of the school setting. Please check your student each day, especially if they are assigned to quarantine. Quarantines are issued when someone is identified as a close contact. A close contact means being within 6 feet of a person with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or more. While this is very difficult at times to investigate and determine, taking precautions to prevent spread is necessary. Your help in the detection from home, at any point when your child doesn’t feel well, is appreciated. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of February 5, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1166 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1309 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-1, ES students-0, MHS staff-2, MHS students-9 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-1, ES students- 11, MHS staff- 1, MHS students- 73 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

Free Covid-19 Testing in Columbus

January 29, 2021 Dear Parents, Our schoolyear is now past the halfway mark and in-person instruction went well this week. Thank you parents, teachers, bus drivers, lunchroom and maintenance staff for continuing to work to get these days in safely. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of January 29, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1166 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1309 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-1, ES students-0, MHS staff-1, MHS students-7 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 12, MHS staff- 1, MHS students- 33 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

Georgia’s Special Education Parent Survey is now available to all families of students with disabilities. The survey takes only a few minutes to complete and can be easily accessed by clicking here: https://survey.gadoe.org/SPEDParentSurvey/Pages/ParentSurvey.aspx

Maintenance Position Open The Schley County School System is seeking a full time Maintenance worker. Job includes helping to maintain school buildings and grounds, safely use tools and equipment, follow directions and be able to work in a professional environment. Salary is based on experience and job responsibilities. To apply, download a Non-Instructional application online at http://5il.co/5ito or pick up an application at the Schley County Board of Education, 204 Perry Drive, Ellaville, GA. Completed applications can be mailed to Human Resources at P.O. Box 66, Ellaville, GA 30806 or dropped off at the Schley County Board of Education. For more information call Mr. Tim Whitt at (229) 937-2405.

January 22, 2021 Parents, We will resume in-person instruction for middle high students on Monday January 25th. Your help is needed on two fronts to allow us to maintain low numbers of students in isolation or quarantine status. If a student or a direct close contact family member exhibits any of the symptoms listed below, be sure to take precautions and do not send your student to school. In addition to this, simply wearing a mask consistently throughout the day provides a common layer of protection for everyone. The limits set within our reopening plan are in place to ensure safety and maximize instructional time. However, active quarantines will likely continue until COVID-19 is under control. This makes school participation very difficult by creating a break with continuous instruction for many students. Despite our teachers’ best efforts to continue in-person instruction, provide assignments, and share instruction with absent students, high case numbers sometimes prevent us from offering face-to-face instruction. The management of all factors continues to be a challenging task. We are very thankful for the proactive steps our parents have taken thus far. Many of our post-Christmas quarantines never placed others at risk because parents took an extra day to watch a symptom or called in to check on a timeframe of exposure. This prevented the need for potential quarantines within the school. Please do not hesitate to call the school with concerns or questions. We will work to get you the information you need. The Schley County DPH has been very helpful and quick to provide us with the needed guidance. Together, we will make it through this pandemic. We thank you for your help and continued support, and we ask you to continue to be vigilant helping to mitigate potential exposure by: · Continuing to observe your child for the following symptoms: Fever/chills, Cough, Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle/body aches, Headaches, Sore throat, Loss of taste or smell, Congestion/runny nose, Diarrhea, Nausea/vomiting · Masking up · Allowing children to stay home when sick · Physically distancing as much as possible · Washing/sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of January 22, 2021 at 4 p.m. (Elem school only) Total Number of In-Person Students: 525 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-0, ES students-0 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 14 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

Parents, We will resume in-person instruction for middle high students on Monday January 25th. Your help is needed on two fronts to allow us to maintain low numbers of students in isolation or quarantine status. If a student or a direct close contact family member exhibits any of the symptoms listed below, be sure to take precautions and do not send your student to school. In addition to this, simply wearing a mask consistently throughout the day provides a common layer of protection for everyone. The limits set within our reopening plan are in place to ensure safety and maximize instructional time. However, active quarantines will likely continue until COVID-19 is under control. This makes school participation very difficult by creating a break with continuous instruction for many students. Despite our teachers’ best efforts to continue in-person instruction, provide assignments, and share instruction with absent students, high case numbers sometimes prevent us from offering face-to-face instruction. The management of all factors continues to be a challenging task. We are very thankful for the proactive steps our parents have taken thus far. Many of our post-Christmas quarantines never placed others at risk because parents took an extra day to watch a symptom or called in to check on a timeframe of exposure. This prevented the need for potential quarantines within the school. Please do not hesitate to call the school with concerns or questions. We will work to get you the information you need. The Schley County DPH has been very helpful and quick to provide us with the needed guidance. Together, we will make it through this pandemic. We thank you for your help and continued support, and we ask you to continue to be vigilant helping to mitigate potential exposure by: · Continuing to observe your child for the following symptoms: Fever/chills, Cough, Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle/body aches, Headaches, Sore throat, Loss of taste or smell, Congestion/runny nose, Diarrhea, Nausea/vomiting · Masking up · Allowing children to stay home when sick · Physically distancing as much as possible · Washing/sanitizing hands regularly Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

Registration Information for out of county students in Pre-K and K for the 2021 - 2022 school year: https://5il.co/onej

Parents, This week has shown an increase in quarantines and isolations among our middle and high school students. While some of our students have not returned to campus due to holiday exposure, we have had new cases for contact tracing this week -- and specifically today -- that will place us above the limits established in our COVID -19 Plan. We will be open for in-person instruction tomorrow at both the elementary and middle/ high school but beginning January 19th, the middle/ high school will operate through distance learning for the week. The elementary school will continue on Tuesday, January 19th with in-person instruction. Lunches for middle/ high students will be sent home on Friday for Tuesday’s meal. Meals for the rest of week will be delivered at designated stops on Wednesday. Pick up locations will be posted. Thank you for your continued support in our efforts to mitigate this virus. We will return to in-person learning at the middle/high school as soon as possible. Brian Hall

The Schley County School System is seeking a Full Time Custodian. The Job includes helping to clean and maintain school buildings and grounds, safely using tools, equipment and cleaning supplies, following directions, and working in a professional environment. Salary is based on experience and job responsibilities. For more information about the job, call Mr. Tim Whitt at (229) 937-2405. To apply for this job, call The Staffing People at (229) 924-0476.

January 8, 2021 Dear Parents, We were very glad to welcome students back from the holiday break on Tuesday to begin our second semester. While 2020 has ended, there are still challenges ahead of us as we begin 2021. I must commend all of our parents with helping to keep us notified of illnesses or quarantines; both schools received prompt notifications from parents informing them of holiday quarantines that prevented some students from returning. We ask that all families continue to make the decision to stay home if any student shows signs of illness. We do have a larger number of in-person students for the second semester, and therefore we must take greater precautions each day. Bus riders are still required to wear masks at all times while being transported to and from school. Hand sanitizer is available as they enter the bus. All students are encouraged to wear their masks daily in both the hallways and classrooms. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of January 8, 2021 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1166 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1309 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-0, ES students-5, MHS staff-3, MHS students-5 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-0, ES students- 19, MHS staff- 1, MHS students- 43 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

December 14, 2020 Dear Parents, In-person instruction resumed today as we prepare to finish the final days of the semester and anticipate the start of our Christmas holidays. Last week did see an increase in the number of quarantines, with the majority of our cases being among middle/ high school students. New quarantines were reported for the elementary school just this morning following weekend testing of family members. This continues to be a very difficult task of determining close contacts and making immediate contact for families. Our goal remains to stay open safely. The largest single factor in the determination of closing at this point has to do with maintaining the necessary personnel to continue. I appreciate the effort made by our teachers, bus drivers, lunchroom staff, and custodians. Without their efforts, we could easily have had more interruptions to instruction. This crisis has altered many parts of every life within our community since March 13th. Its impact has been widespread. While I hope we are closer to seeing it end, I know there will be more obstacles in our path. The only way to overcome the difficulties will be with everyone’s best effort. Please continue to help us stay safe and healthy by: • Masking up • Staying home when sick • Physically distancing as much as possible • Sanitizing hands regularly To ensure you are provided with the most recent information, please see the weekly status report below. This information provides the total number of active COVID-19 cases reported by our system to DPH, as well as the total number of quarantines as a result. COVID-19 Status Report as of December 14, 2020 at 4 p.m. Total Number of In-Person Students and Staff: 1018 (students) + 143 (staff) = 1161 Total Number of Active COVID-19 Cases: ES staff-0, ES students-0, MHS staff-3, MHS students-2 Total Number of Active Quarantines Due to Close Contact: ES staff-1, ES students- 11, MHS staff- 4, MHS students- 59 Thank you for your continued support of our schools! Sincerely, Brian Hall

New Covid-19 quarantine guidelines for people with no symptoms.

Elementary Virtual Students and Parents - We would like to notify you that Pathblazer®, Hybridge®, and Odyssey® solutions will be down for system maintenance from Friday, December 11 ,at 8:00 pm EST through Sunday, December 13, at 8:00 pm EST.

Parents and students, Wireless internet access is available at Shady Grove Apartments, Pecan Village, Union Hill AME Church and the Legion.The access points advertise as SchoolBusInternetxxxx, where xxxx is the unique number for the access point. 1) Connect student device to SchoolBusInternetxxxx wireless. 2) Have student go to mybusinternet.com if not automatically redirected to login page. 3) Authenticate student by entering accessxxxx as the pass code when prompted. (xxxx is the 4 digit unique number)

Schley County Schools will continue distance learning December 7 – 11. Students should have received information from their teachers today as they plan for next week’s activities. Contact, as needed, can be made through email or Remind for each teacher. School offices will be open each day if you need further assistance. Virtual Edgenuity students’ assignments remain uninterrupted and students should be checking their displayed completion status. Thank you for your continued support.