Somerset E-News

Upcoming Dates:

Mon-4/26: 3rd grade Dodge Virtual Q & A 10:00

PTA Board Meeting (All welcome to attend) 5:00-6:30

Tue-4/27: MCA Reading Test (AM) + 4th grade DL

Wed-4/28: MCA Reading Test (AM) + 3rd grade DL

1st grade Dodge Virtual Q & A 11:00

Thr-4/29: MCA Reading Test & Make-ups

Packet Pickup for Distance Learners 7:30am-6:30pm

Fri-4/30: No School for Students-Professional Development Day

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Mon-5/3: Dodge Nature Visit-Farm Animals (K-Spinner) 8:45-9:15

Dodge Nature Visit-Farm Animals (K-Redding) 9:15-9:45

Tue-5/4: MCA Math Test (AM) + 4th grade DL

Dodge Nature Virtual Visit-Farm Animals (K-Dill) 8:45-9:15

Dodge Nature Visit-Farm Animals (K-Korpela) 9:15-9:45

Wed-5/5: Walk to School Day

MCA Math Test (AM) + 3rd grade DL

Thr-5/6: MCA Math Test & Make-ups

Fri-5/7:

Our 1st ever Virtual Project Fair was Thursday evening. Thank you so much to those that participated and spent time viewing and commenting on projects!

The Project Fair Videos are still available and will be up through Sunday, May 2. Head over to the Seesaw Blogs for each grade level and view projects and comment on your classmates' hard work!

Project Fair Blog Links

• Kindergarten Projects
• 1st grade Projects
• 2nd grade Projects
• 3rd grade Projects
• 4th grade Projects

Reading MCA Testing Dates for In Person Learners April 27, 28 & 29

3rd grade 9-10:30

4th grade 9-11

Reading MCA Testing Dates for DL 4th (Dodson) April 27

9-10:30 and 12:30-2:00

Reading MCA Testing Dates for DL 3rd (Hill) April 28

9-10:30 and 12:30-2:00

Math MCA Testing Dates for In Person Learners May 4, 5 & 6

3rd grade 9-10:30

4th grade 9-11

Math MCA Testing Dates for DL 4th (Dodson)- May 4

9-10:30 and 12:30-2:00

Math MCA Testing Dates for DL 3rd (Hill)- May 5

9-10:30 and 12:30-2:00

Please Note: Students may not use cell phones, wearable technology or any other electronic device at any time during testing, including during breaks, or when testing is completed. If a student brings a cell phone, wearable technology or other electronic device to school during testing, the cell phone or device should be turned off and left in the student’s locker.

Our wonderful Somerset PTA is in the midst of planning for Teacher Appreciation, looking into next year, and recruiting new members!

Please join us via Google Meet on Monday evening to just listen, ask questions, or offer ideas!

When: Monday, April 26 at 5:00pm

Where: Google Meet, Code: meet.google.com/zho-pihf-vhk

The Somerset PTA is gearing up for a teacher appreciation celebration in the month of May and we need your help! We are looking to collect hand made notes from students and families showing our teachers and staff how much we appreciate everything they do. Once collected, we will deliver them all at once as part of a thank you package during one of our teacher appreciation celebration events. Notes will be collected in the office through April 30th. Distance Learners can drop off their notes on any of the packet picket days through the end of April.

In addition to this heartfelt appreciation from our students, we are planning on some additional special activities for the teachers and staff throughout the month of May. After a particularly challenging year, we want to make sure our celebration highlights the enormity of the work they do. With few fundraising opportunities this year, we are looking for donations to help support teacher appreciation events. If you are able to help, please click on the link below and sign up to donate the amount that is right for you. Thank you so much for helping us let our teachers and staff know how much we appreciate everything they do!

See how you can help celebrate our teachers by clicking here!

Wednesday, May 5 is National Walk to School Day! We have partnered with our district Transportation Department to organize a way for our students to “walk to school” on Wednesday morning, May 5.

All school busses will complete their normal routes, and then drop students off at the bike path on the corner of Brookside Lane and Laura St. (behind the school). Somerset staff will line the bike path to chaperone students as they walk up the bike path to the school, entering at the rear recess doors.

If your child is typically dropped off in the morning, you may still use the parking lot to drop your child off. If you would like to participate in the walk to school, we ask that you drop your child off on Laura Ct. (off of Sylvandale Rd.). The walking path is at the end of Laura St. as it turns into Laura Ct. We will have staff available to chaperone walkers from this side of the path starting at the bridge over the creek. Please stay away from the intersection of 1st Ave. and Laura St. as this is the path our busses will be taking.

Questions? Feel free to contact Libby Huettl, libby.huettl@isd197.org

In-Person Dates- July 7-29 (Stars is held Monday- Thursday)

Time- Approx. 7:30a - 12:40p

Location: Garlough Elementary School

Who: students going into grades 1-4 for 2021-2022.

Virtual Learning Dates- July 7-29 (Stars is held Monday- Thursday)

Time- Approx. 8:15- 11:15am

Location: Online

Who: students going into grades 1-4 for 2021-2022.

Our Somerset community is one of the things we think makes our school so special and we want to make sure EVERYONE feels welcome and included in our community. COVID has prevented us from hosting some of our beloved school traditions this year like the Kindergarten Welcome Picnic, Fall Festival, and likely Spring Carnival.

We want to come back better, stronger and more inclusive than ever next year but we need your help in deciding what is important to OUR community.

We are looking for some parents who are willing to connect in a few sessions (1-2 hours) this spring to help shape how we can create and support a community that pulls everyone in. Please complete the linked Google Form to share your availability or even some ideas!

We know you are pulled in a lot of directions this year so we appreciate you considering this request.

Please remember to use the Minnesota Department of Health home self-screening tool each

day before sending your child to school.

https://www.isd197.org/district/covid-19-resources/home-self-screening-tool

If your child develops symptoms of illness while at school, we will be using the MDH decision

tree to determine the next steps that need to be taken in order to maintain a safe environment at

school.

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools/exguide.pdf

You will be called to pick your child up if they present with two or more “less common”

symptoms or one “more common” symptom. Further guidance on how long your child will need

to be out will be given by the school nurse depending on the situation.

If a positive case arises in your child's class, you will be notified and advised to quarantine your child for a 14 day period. During this time, the entire class will move to distance learning format temporarily. It would be best to have a back up plan ready for remote learning ready to go, given that a situation could occur at any time.

Thursday Packet Pickups will continue on the dates listed below for Distance Learning classes only. Because we will now have students in the building, the Packet Pickup table will be placed on the main sidewalk and families will need to hop out and grab their child's packets. We will no longer have staff available to deliver your packets curbside. The Packet Pickup times will remain 7:30am-6:30pm. Please avoid picking up your child's packet between 8:10-8:40 and 2:15-2:45 as these are our arrival and dismissal times and the parking lot will be busy.

Packet Pickup Dates 2021

Thursday, April 29 (Distance Learning Only)

Thursday, May 13

Thursday, May 27 (Final Packet Pickup)

Somerset will again compile a Somerset Family Directory this school year. Families that would like their information included in the Family Directory should complete the linked form for each of your Somerset Stars. We will send out the link to the Family Directory next week. Updates will be made throughout the year as more families add their information.

Click here to provide your information for the directory.

We are off to a slow start, but here is the start to our Somerset Family Directory! We will update with new submissions weekly until the end of October, at which point updates will become less frequent.

2020-21 Somerset Family Directory

All students and staff at Somerset will be required to wear face masks when inside of the school building and while riding the school buses. Masks may be removed while outside when social distancing of 6 ft. or more is in effect and while eating or drinking indoors. We will spend the first few weeks of students being on site to review and practice these expectations.

Please be sure to LABEL your child's mask with their name. Masks will not be placed in the Lost & Found.

Students riding the bus to school must wear a masks while riding the bus. Hand sanitizers will also be placed on all busses. Students will have assigned seats on the school bus. Upon arrival at school, all students will remain on the bus until they have been dismissed by a Somerset staff member. We will space out the dismissal of busses to help with social distancing. There will be stars spray painted on the sidewalk as a social distancing visual as well.

If a positive Covid case is found on the school bus, students sitting two rows in front or behind of the student that has tested positive will be asked to quarantine for 10 days. For these 10 days, the quarantined students will join our Distance Learning class at their grade level to continue with their instruction.

Breakfast and Lunch will continue to be offered for free to ALL students. Breakfast and Lunch will be consumed in classrooms this school year. A grab and go breakfast option will be available to all students as they enter the main doors in the morning. Depending on the grade level, lunches will be delivered to the classroom OR students will walk with their class to the cafeteria to pick up their lunches and return to their classrooms.

We will not be able to have the fruit and vegetable bar this school year. Instead, fruits and vegetables will be pre-packaged for students. There will still be both a hot lunch and sandwich options for students each day.

For the 2nd semester, there will only be a hot lunch option each day, no alternate will be available. Please visit the Somerset Menu page for daily lunch options: https://schools.mealviewer.com/school/SomersetElementary

Students in the in-person model will receive 30 minutes of outdoor recess each day. Our recess area is broken up into sections. Each class cohort will be assigned to a certain section of the playground, which will rotate on a daily basis.

Students will not be required to wear masks while outside at recess. We will have recess paraprofessionals supervising recess and helping to teach students to remain social distanced while outdoors. There will be one para outside assigned to each cohort of students.

Each in-person student will be assigned their own locker to use while at Somerset. There will be no sharing of lockers.

Just a friendly reminder to please continue to contact our Somerset nurse Kali Gray at 651-403-8202 if your child is either COVID positive or a close contact with another COVID positive person/family member. Despite being in Distance Learning, ISD197 will continue to maintain a snapshot view of how COVID is affecting our staff and student population.

COVID-19 Dashboard on the ISD197 website: https://www.isd197.org/district/covid-19-resources/covid-19-data-dashboard

Email: libby.huettl@isd197.org
Website: www.isd197.org/somerset
Location: 1355 Dodd Road, Mendota Heights, MN, United States
Phone: 651-403-8200
Facebook: facebook.com/somersetelementary