The Parrots' Nest

Hello Pontiac Families,

It’s hard to believe it’s October! As you are well aware, RSD2 is currently operating in Phase 1. Which means that all students are learning in a virtual setting. While no date has been given for the move to Phase 2, we would like to be proactive and begin with the end in mind.

We have worked hard to ensure that before-school care and after-school care are both available to those of you who choose the Classroom Communities option for Phase 2. When we move to Phase 2, if your child comes back to the building for instruction, you will have the option of both before and after care if needed.

Our before school option remains our Early Birds program. Students will be able to be dropped off between 6:30am and 7:30am Monday through Friday during Phase 2. The cost is $25 a week or $40 a week for 2 or more children. Space will be limited in this program due to social distancing guidelines. If you’re interested, please click here to fill out the pre-registration application.

We are excited to announce that we have a new afterschool program this year. We are now utilizing Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands. We have met with the staff of Boys and Girls Club and feel confident that they will provide safe, engaging after-care. During Phase 2 students will receive homework help, arts and S.T.E.M. activities, and much more. Hours of operations are from dismissal to 6:30pm. They will be following CDC and DHEC Safety Guidelines. Due to social distancing requirements, space is limited. To pre-register for this program, please click here. Please see their Phase 2 flyer for more information.

We hope that both of these services will be of help to you and your family when we move to Phase 2. If you have any, please feel free to call me or email me at dsavage@richland2.org.

http://richlandcountyrecreation.com/programs/after-school-program/

Tutor.com

• K-12 Student Center with Live Homework Help, WriteTutor Center, Test Prep Center, SkillsCenter Resource Library

  
  

• Real-Time Tutoring: 8am-10pm, Sunday – Saturday

  
  

• Students are not required to create an account to use the resource

  
  

TumbleMath

• Kindergarten through Grade 6

  
  

• Subjects include counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, word problems, geometry, fractions, place value, measurement, probability, division, graphing, finance, and time and temperature

  
  

• Quiz Portal provides material to gauge comprehension

  
  

• Book links are found in the Index by clicking BookID

Parents,

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade will be assessed a non-refundable $20 technology insurance fee to cover the cost of device repairs.

The technology fee plan provides 100% repair cost coverage for the first instance of accidental damage to the student’s school-assigned computing device. The plan also covers the cost of device replacement in the event of theft, provided a police report is filed. The cost of repeat instances of device damage will be assessed according to the full cost of repair.

The deadline to pay the $20 technology insurance fee is October 15th for students who are currently enrolled. Students who enrolled on or after September 16th will have 30 days after the first day of enrollment in Richland School District Two to pay the $20 insurance fee.

Any family experiencing financial hardships can request a reduction or waiver of the technology insurance fee to their child's school principal prior to the due date. After 30 days, the technology insurance fee will be removed from students' fees and 100% of damage costs, even in cases of accidental damage as well as a first occurrence, will be the responsibility of parents/guardians.

The 2020–2021 Student/Parent Handbook is available on the district’s website at

www.richland2.org/studenthandbook or by clicking the link below. If you are not able to access the online version, please request a printed copy by calling the Communications Office at 803-738-3306 or sending an email to info@richland2.org. Please be sure to provide your name and mailing address.

Students are expected to attend "live" class sessions using Google Meet. Attendance is taken daily, just as it is when we are in the brick and mortar setting. Students who attend "live" class sessions will be coded as present. If a student does not attend a "live" class session, he/she will be coded as absent.

When a student is not able to attend a "live" class session, he/she should watch the recorded lesson and submit the Daily Participation Assignment (DPA). The student's absence will then be changed to present. The student will also be responsible for completing and submitting any make-up work.

Teachers explained this DPA in detail during our Back to School virtual sessions. If you need further explanation about this process, please ask your child's teacher.

If your child does not attend elearning classes on a specific date, please be sure to email an excuse to our attendance secretary, Mrs. Janice Watson at jawatson@richland2.org.

As many of you know, earlier this week the USDA authorized school districts to continue the Seamless Summer option (free student meals), but we needed to wait for SCDE approval before doing so. Yesterday, SCDE began sending SSO extension waiver surveys to school districts (ours has been submitted). SSO reimbursement will be retroactive, so we can begin serving meals at no cost to students/children.

What does this mean?: This means all children (regardless of eligibility) ages 1-18 can receive meals at no cost until December 31st, 2020 (or until federal funding runs out)! Parent/Guardians can pick up meals without children present and will not be asked for student ID's, etc.

Are we currently feeding students during Phase 1?: Yes! We're currently operating from 8 distribution schools and 10+ bus routes on Mondays and Wednesdays (pending any holidays) and have extended the time students/parents can pick up meals from distribution schools (now from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm). On Mondays, students receive meals for Mon/Tues, and on Wednesdays, students receive meals for W/T/F.

Where can I stay up to date with Richland 2 foodservice information and updates?: We would love for you and your school Facebook pages to follow us at our Richland 2 nutrition page.

We appreciate your support and look forward to continuing to serve!

Tony

It’s very important that families who qualify for free and reduced price meals apply for this status as soon as possible. To find out more about the process please click here to read the parent letter that answers a lot of questions including who qualifies for free or reduced-price meals. The quickest and easiest way to submit an application for free or reduced-price meals is to use the online application. Click the link here to start the application.

As a reminder, families have to apply every year. That means students who attended schools in Richland Two in 2019-2020 and received free/reduced price meals MUST complete a new application for eligibility of extended benefits each school year. If you do not reapply, all meal prices will automatically change to full price.

If you do not have access to the online application form, you can submit a paper form. To turn in a paper application, you may

• FAX your completed application to 803-419-5839 OR
• RETURN your completed application to your child's school cafe manager OR
• MAIL your application to Richland School District Two Food & Nutrition Services, 124 Risdon Way, Columbia, SC 29223.

Website: https://www.richland2.org/pe/
Location: 500 Spears Creek Church Road, Elgin, SC, USA
Phone: 803 699-2700
Facebook: facebook.com/Pontiac
Twitter: @Pontiac

October 1 - PTO Meeting 6:30 pm

October 9 - No School

October 15 - SIC Meeting 7:45 am