Fall 2022 Back-to-School Guide

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Greetings Bremerton School District families!

We are looking forward to seeing our students on Wednesday (or next Tuesday if your student is in kindergarten!). Please take a moment to review this important information to help your student(s) get prepared for the new school year.

We've made a few minor updates to this guide since it was first distributed August 17:

• Minor updates to our COVID health & safety protocols
• Link to updated/revised before- and after-school childcare options for elementary families
• Link to Back-to-School Welcome Crew invitation
• Labor Day holiday reminder

Look for this graphic (above) on all of our websites for quick access to this Back-to-School Guide and other 2022-23 school year information and resources!

It is time for our Annual Back-to-school Check-in process or ABCs (formerly known as the Annual Demographic Update). Please take a few moments to complete this important process. It should take about 15 minutes (or less!) to complete the process for each child in your household.

The ABC process must be completed for all students in the district - including both previously enrolled as well as newly registered students.

Please log-in to Skyward and complete this important process for your student(s) ASAP. Thank you!

Questions about this process? Need help with your Skyward log-in? Please contact your student's school or click here.

We've updated information about before- and after-school childcare options and bus routes for each elementary school. Check it out!

Please visit BremertonSchools.org for information about school supplies for 2022-23.

Information is available on the District website about school and community back-to-school events. Check it out!

Elementary schools: Families are invited to log-into Skyward and find out their child's classroom teacher. Need help accessing Skyward? Please contact your child’s school for assistance.

Mountain View Middle School: Class schedules will be available in Skyward.

Bremerton High School: Schedules are available in Skyward.

Renaissance High School: Orientation for new/returning students at RHS will be Aug 31st from 10am-12pm. Advisors to schedule appointments with individual students after orientation.

Student schedules will be set when students meet with their Academic Advisor the following week. If a student is unable to attend orientation, please contact the RHS office or academic advisor if you're a returning student to schedule advisory appointment.

Why don't kindergarten students attend the first week of school?

Our elementary schools participate in the Kindergarten Family Connections - also known as Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) transition process.

During the first week of school for the District, kindergarten students and their guardians will be invited to the school to have an individual meeting with their kindergarten teacher. During this meeting, the teachers get to know more about your child. There will also be some time for your child to see and learn specific routines of their classroom.

Kindergarten parents can expect to hear from their child's teacher in late August (after class lists are finalized).

• Elementary schools: The doors open for students at 8:55 a.m. Breakfast will be offered in every classroom at the beginning of the school day at no charge. Breakfast will not be offered prior to the start of the school day.
  
• MVMS: Doors open for students at 7:40 a.m. Breakfast will be available in the cafeteria to all students at no charge. Students who arrive after breakfast can pick-up a “grab-and-go” breakfast to eat during first period.
• Unless enrolled in “0 hour,” the doors to BHS open for all students at 6:50 a.m. Breakfast will be available in the commons/cafeteria to all students beginning at 7 a.m. at no charge.
• The RHS Campus opens for students at 7:30 a.m. Breakfast will be available for all students at no charge.

All school meals (breakfast and lunch) are available for all students for the 2022-23 school year at no charge.

More information, including breakfast and lunch menus, is available on our website BremertonSchools.org/Meals. There is a "quick link" to this page on all District websites.

Because we no longer collect free and reduced-price meals applications every year, we must collect a Family Income Survey for all families in the District. In early September, students will be bringing home a family income survey. This is not an application, although it looks like one. We are required to collect this information from all families to continue receiving critical funding for services that benefit all students. Only one form is needed per family.

EVERY FORM COUNTS! We strongly encourage all parents/guardians to return their Family Income Survey ASAP. Completing this form takes less than 10 minutes. More information is available on our website. If you need assistance filling out the survey, please contact the Child Nutrition Services office at 360-473-4716.

Students are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles from home.

If your student does not have access to a reusable water bottle, please contact your child's school.

We will be running the same bus routes (with a few minor adjustments) that we ran in the spring. Some routes are still combined. All bus routes are be posted on the District website.

Please check your bus route before the first day of school as some bus stop times may have changed slightly. Please have your student arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes ahead of their scheduled stop time.

We will continue to post daily transportation updates on the website, and will notify families via "robo call" if a route is canceled. Look for this graphic on all District and school home pages for quick access to daily transportation updates.

Masks and hand sanitizer are not required but will be available for students, staff and school visitors on school buses and in all school facilities.

Questions about bus routes? Call the transportation office at 360-473-0507.

We are in need of substitute bus drivers. Please visit our website to learn more and apply!

• Parents/guardians are required to complete a Network/Internet Acceptable Use Agreement form for students to use District technology. This form is a part of the Annual Back-to-school Check-in (or ABC) process in Skyward.

• Students who do not have Chromebooks will be assigned one early in the fall. Watch for information from your child's school.

• Schools and teachers will be communicating with students and families about Chromebooks and whether or not your student will be required to bring his/her Chromebook to school.

A link to our updated Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook is included in our Annual Back-to-school Check-in (or ABC) process.

A link to this important resource is also available on every school and the District website (look for the graphic like the one on the left), and can be accessed at www.BremertonSchools.org/handbook.

We have updated our Tech Support for Families website and invite you to check it out!

A link to the tech support webpage is on every school and the District website (look for the graphic like the one on the left), and can be accessed at BremertonSchools.org/TechHelp.

Our campuses, including our athletic facilities, are closed to the public during school hours. For student, staff and visitor safety, the gates surrounding our buildings are locked during the school day and access to the school is through the main entrance only. The gates are unlocked after school hours.

• Before entering the school, visitors must have their ID scanned by the Bremerton School District's visitor management system Raptor. Learn more here.

• There are no specific COVID protocols in place for school visitors for this school year. However, if a visitor is experiencing any symptoms of illness, they should not enter the school facility.

Teachers, staff and students should consistently use proper handwashing and respiratory etiquette while at school and on school buses. Staff and students should:

• Frequently wash hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.

• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth.

The District will provide approved alcohol-based hand sanitizers for all school facilities.

The Peninsula Community Health Services clinic at Mountain View Middle School and Bremerton HIgh School provides services to Bremerton School District students (Preschool - 12th grade) and staff. PCHS can bill most insurance companies. Learn more at BremertonSchools.org/Clinic.

Notify school staff if your student requires medication during school hours. Follow school protocols for medication at school. Unless otherwise instructed, if your student’s illness requires antibiotics, the student must have been on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school. Antibiotics are not effective for viral illnesses such as COVID-19.

If your child is sick - even with mild symptoms - please keep your child home from school and notify your child’s school that your student is ill.

Chronic illnesses

If your student’s symptoms are related to a chronic condition, contact the school and follow school policies for chronic condition management.

Other serious illnesses

Please contact your health care provider immediately about serious illness, including any fever of 100.4°F or higher.

To help protect all students, please notify the school if your child is diagnosed with any of these diseases:

• Chickenpox
• COVID-19
• Diphtheria
• E. coli diarrhea
• Hepatitis
• Measles
• Mumps
• Pertussis
• Rubella
• Salmonella
• Scabies
• Shigellosis
• Tuberculosis
• another disease as requested

The school will protect your private information as required by law. RCW 70.02, Washington’s Health Care Information Access and Disclosure Act.

As your child returns to school, it is important to make sure they are up to date on all their required vaccinations for the 2022-2023 school year. Students who do not meet the immunization requirements for school entry could be excluded from school, per Revised Code of Washington RCW 28A.210.120.

COVID vaccinations are recommended and encouraged but not required for students.

According to the Washington Administrative Code WAC 246-105-030, any child attending school, preschool, or childcare in Washington State is required by law to be fully immunized against or have an exemption in place for the following diseases:

• Chickenpox (Varicella)

• Diphtheria

• Haemophilus influenzae type b disease (Hib)*

• Hepatitis B

• Measles (Rubeola)

• Mumps

• Pneumococcal disease*

• Polio (Poliomyelitis)

• German measles (Rubella)

• Tetanus

• Whooping cough (Pertussis)

*not required for children age 5 years and older

For more information about immunization requirements, visit https://www.doh.wa.gov/SCCI or contact your child’s physician.

Our COVID cleaning Protocols have been adjusted to meet the current Washington State Department of Health guidelines.

Below is a summary of the updated COVID-19 health and safety guidance for schools:

• Students and staff who show symptoms of COVID-19 are required to stay home, and should get tested for COVID-19.
  

• Families must report any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 when calling into the school to report an absence.
  

• Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate at home for 5 days. If symptoms improve and they have had no fever for the past 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, students and staff can come back to school and are encouraged to test before returning.

• It is recommended, but not required, that students and staff returning to school after their 5 days of isolation:

• wear a well-fitted mask from days 6 to 10, and

• remain masked for sports and other extracurricular activities on days 6 to 10.

• Students and staff who test positive after 5 days of isolation must stay at home for the full 10-day isolation period.

• Schools must inform students, families, and staff when there are cases or outbreaks in school. Schools are no longer required to directly notify high risk students or staff. We will communicate cases and outbreaks to families in our COVID dashboard which will be updated weekly.

Masks:

Masks are not required but students and staff who chose to wear a mask may do so. Masks and hand sanitizer are available for students, staff and school visitors on school buses and in all school facilities.

COVID vaccinations

Our state’s requirement for school employees and adult volunteers to be fully vaccinated to protect against COVID-19 or have obtained a medical or religious exemption is still in place.

These requirements are in place for all public and private K-12 schools and child care facilities in Washington state. Schools and child care facilities are required by state law to follow these guidelines.

Cleaning protocols

Our custodians will continue to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces (such as door handles, sink faucets, drinking fountains) daily. We are also following DOH guidance for our HVAC systems. Additional cleaning and disinfecting will be done in classrooms anytime there has been a confirmed case of COVID in the class.

If you have any questions about these guidelines, please contact the District’s COVID Supervisor John Welsh at 360-473-1012.

If a student is already in the building and has a fever of 100.4°F or begins to show symptoms of COVID-19, the child’s parent/guardian or emergency contact(s) will be notified immediately. The child will wait in a room away from other students/staff until the student can be picked up and taken home.

If your child is out for an extended illness or due to quarantine, please contact your child’s teacher or principal for support and answers to your questions

Photo: Fall 2021 at Bremerton High School (photo by Larry Steagall).

The Bremerton School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employee(s) has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Garth Steedman at 360.473.1031 or the Section 504 Coordinator, John Welsh at 360.473.1012. Mailing address: 134 Marion Avenue North, Bremerton, WA 98312.

Email: communications@bremertonschools.org
Website: www.BremertonSchools.org
Phone: 360-473-1000
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