ORCA NEWS
Inlet View Newsletter. Welcome October!
Dear Inlet View Parents, guardians, and students.
I hope all of you have enjoyed our fabulous warm September and beautiful fall colors all around. The scenery is spectacular for sure.
You may have heard already that on October 1st district superintendent Dr. Bishop made the announcement of the difficult decision to delay the start of in-person school for elementary students and self-contained K-12 classrooms, which was initially scheduled for October 19, 2020. Although the district is confident that teachers can effectively teach in their classrooms, even with the presence of COVID-19 in our community; Anchorage has reached an all-time high of cases and community spread, causing the need to postpone the in-school option for now.
We miss our students so much and we understand the disruption all this may cause to your families. Our community suffers when public schools are not open to students to provide the greatest public service our country offers, a free and public education. In the meantime, teachers will continue to provide instruction, build relationships and connecting with students, maintaining school-home communication and offering support when needed.
Please know ASD's primary goal remains to return students to in-person learning in our schools. With that in that in mind, the team at Inlet View is currently creating our Return to School plan in anticipation of this eventual start date. There are many routines, procedures and logistics that we need to work out to make this return as safe as possible for everyone.
Please visit the ASD website HERE to review information about new guidelines criteria for risk factors and mitigation factors that impact the decision making process.
Thank you for your continuous support and here's to a new month at Inlet View.
In education,
Patricia Ahrens
Your Principal
SAFETY COMMITTEE
The Re-entry Team is working hard at looking at the big picture all the way down to the last detail. This team consists of the Safety Committee Team, which is led by Mrs. Ahrens, Mr. Meinen, nurse Kelly, with the help of BPO Mr. J, Mrs. Mendoza, and Ms. Dieter. We will be working diligently every day to make the return of in person learning safe and successful.
In the following sessions please take a moment to read some of the preliminary plans so that families can see how diligently we are working for this safe return knowing what we know now in this global pandemic.
If you have questions, please reach out to either of us, so we can answer those questions for you.
Thank you,
Inlet View Safety Committee
PPE (PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT)
Inlet View, as well as all elementary schools, have received PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) from the district. Each teacher received a box of PPE upon our return in August. This PPE box for every classroom now contains: masks, gloves, disinfectant spray bottles, paper towels, misting spray devices, hand sanitizer and social distancing markers. Each teacher also has received a face shield or humanity shield from the district.
SIGNAGE
Signage has been put around the school as a reminder to staff and students about keeping 6 feet of distance in the hallways, walking on the right side of the hallways for traffic flow and wearing masks at all times. There has also been signage put out front and inside about not entering the school if you have symptoms of Covid or been exposed to someone who has symptoms. We have received measuring tapes for social distancing protocols, 2 hand sanitizer stations have been set up in the main hallways, several flexible plastic barriers for Kindergarten, First Grade and Resource rooms so that teachers can see mouths when needed to make different sounds for phonics instruction and speech assistance. We will also have gallons of hypochlorous acid delivered to school to be diluted into the misting spray devices for teachers to use in the classrooms throughout the day. This is a broad-spectrum disinfectant, but incredibly safe. In fact, hypochlorous acid is something found in the human body already, produced by white blood cells to kill invasive organisms. You can read more about it and watch the news story on KTUU with Rob Holland, Director of Operation for ASD. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/bypassing-the-supply-chain-anchorage-school-district-producing-its-own-safe-effective-disinfectant/ar-BB19m7uJ
AIR VENTILATION
MITIGATION STRATEGIES
There will be mitigation strategies put into the re-entry plan at the building level and the classroom level. Consistent and correct use of masks will be required by everyone in the building. Students will also be required to wear masks at recess. Social distancing of 3ft to 6ft will be required at all times. Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette will be monitored throughout the day by teachers and staff. Cleaning and disinfecting will occur nightly with the night crew in every classroom. Throughout the day teachers will be wiping down areas in their classrooms and our BPO will be cleaning bathroom areas and high touch surfaces throughout the building. Contact tracing will happen when we are alerted to a Covid positive case in the school.
NURSE SERVICES AND ISOLATION ROOM
Students who are injured or receiving medications will have access to the nurse as usual. We will have a separate isolation room set up with cots 10ft apart from each other for students who show symptoms of Covid. These students will be in the isolation room until a parent or guardian comes to pick them up from school. Protocols will be followed to notify the family if their child has come into contact with a Covid positive student or staff member.
CLASSES AS PODS
IB Learner Profile of this month is COMMUNICATOR!
Students who are Communicators are able to think and communicate in more than one language. They can express their ideas by speaking, drawing and writing. They can also communicate using mathematical language and symbols. How can parents help to develop students who are Communicators at home?
· Encourage your child to stay in touch with relatives and friends who live in other countries by writing letters, using the phone or sending email.
· When working on mathematics homework, encourage your child to explain his/her answer to you orally or by drawing a picture.
· Ask your child thought provoking questions and encourage them to discuss them with you. For example:
· What would you do if you were scared of someone at school?
· Is there anything you cannot buy with money?
· Should you get an allowance? Why or why not?
· Work with your child to improve his/her listening skills. Being a good listener is an important part of communicating with others.
Library Books Requests
Inle View Librarian, Mrs. Dente welcomes all families to use the Library Book Request/Pickup that has being offered weekly. Students may use the form (below) and request specific books or simply select genres and I will try to find books that match their requests. Books can be picked up on Wednesdays after 1pm. Thanks for your time and please let me know if you have any questions.
https://forms.gle/C3BLqzvHRZmg3e1E8
Happy Reading!
Shout Out to our students and the fabulous job they are doing!
- Students in 6th grade reflect on who they are based on a natural element of their choice. Then they take their reflection further to describe who we are globally. Very thoughtful and inspiring.
- Students in Mrs. Kemp's class recognize attributes in their classmates who have been selected as star students of the week. This is pure cuteness!
Flu Vaccines still going. PLEASE GET THE FLU SHOT
Flu Vaccines
As we head into influenza season with the novel coronavirus pandemic still present it’s more important than ever for everyone to get their flu shot for several reasons. First, although influenza’s disease burden varies from year to year, evidence clearly shows that vaccination can reduce flu severity and prevent hospitalizations—critical considerations at a time when the health care system is burdened by coronavirus disease. Second, if you get sick and have to go to the doctor, your chances of being around someone with COVID-19 are much higher. Finally, how illnesses will be responded to in the school setting will be very different this year. ASD’s policy will be symptom free to be at school. Let’s work together and take flu out of the equation during these challenging times and all get a flu shot.
Health Services Information. Click HERE
Free Flu Shots & Windshield and Headlight washing
From 5:30-8:00 pm
Where: Alaska Regional Hospital
Who: Participants 9 years and older
Free for students and families of certain schools ONLY
Students and families from the following schools
Romig Middle School, Northwood Elem, Turnagain ES, Lake Hood ES, and Inlet View ES.
When: Oct 6From: 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Where: Romig Middle School
Mark your Calendars!
Oct 6 Free Flu Clinics
Oct 6-22 Parent/Teacher Conferences
Oct 15 Update from Superintendent Dr. Bishop
Oct 15 PTA Meeting at 4:00 pm
Oct 16 Free Flu Clinics
Oct 21 Free Flu Clinics
Thank you to our School Business Partners for their support!
Patricia Ahrens
Email: ahrens_patricia@asdk12.org
Website: https://www.asdk12.org/inletview
Location: 1219 N Street, Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone: (907)742-7630
Facebook: facebook.com/InletViewElementarySchool
Twitter: @PrincipalAhrens