Bulldog Bulletin

Back to School Edition

Principal's Update

Welcome to the 2021-22 school year! We are looking forward to having our students back on campus August 10 for the first day of school. Our entire staff have been preparing this summer to deliver an outstanding educational experience to your student(s) and we can't wait to get started. Even though the Covid-19 virus has not left our community, we plan to provide our students a normal school year to the greatest extent possible during the pandemic.

This newsletter contains several start of school items that should help your family navigate the beginning of the year. As always, we thank you for your support of Melbourne High School. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Dr. Chad Kirk, Principal

Show Your School Spirit!

Mel High has a new, online school store! This is the place to get your official Mel High gear with our school colors and logos. Please check it out and share this link with friends, family, and alumni of Mel High. We would appreciate your help with spreading the news of this online school store through your social media. You are welcome to share the link. Thank you!

https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/florida/melbourne/melbourne-high-school-off

Health and Safety

Face coverings: Per School Board directive, face coverings for students and staff are optional for the 2021-22 school year. We have masks on campus if a student requests one. Of course, students may bring their own face covering from home as well if they wish to wear one on campus.

Stay home if you are sick: We ask our families to keep children home if they exhibit any Covid-19 symptoms for the safety of our students and staff. Please do not send children to school if they are sick.

What do I do if someone in my home contracts the Covid-19 virus? Please call the principal at 321-952-5880 x24503 if your student, or someone living in your home, contracts the Covid-19 virus. We will help you determine the correct dates for quarantine and when your student can return to campus for instruction.

Clinic Policy: During the pandemic, any student sent home from our school clinic with Covid-19 related symptoms must quarantine for 10 calendar days unless (1) the student receives a negative Covid-19 test and brings the printed result to the school nurse or, (2) the student's family physician diagnoses the student's condition as something other than Covid-19 and writes a note allowing the student to return to school.

How can I get my student tested for the Covid-19 virus? There are multiple venues in Brevard County that administer the Covid-19 test, including CVS and Walgreens pharmacies and several urgent care clinics. We recommend contacting your health care provider for specific information about testing.

Mitigation Strategies: We will implement the following strategies to mitigate the spread of the Covid-19 virus on our campus.

Classrooms thoroughly cleaned every day.
Cafeteria and patio tables cleaned after breakfast and each lunch period.
Hand sanitizer available in each student occupied space, school offices, guidance office, and media center.
Water fountain usage restricted to refilling water bottles. Students may not drink from the fountains.
Regular reminders to the student body about hand washing and social distancing.
HVAC filters changed regularly.
Cashless transactions in the cafeteria encouraged through the use of mypaymentsplus.com accounts.

Quarantine Information: In accordance with guidance from the Brevard Department of Health, students who are contacts to a positive case will not be required to quarantine under the following circumstances:

The student has had the full Covid vaccine AND is asymptomatic. This applies to students who may be a contact to a positive school case as well as students who may be a contact to a positive case within their own home. The key points are that the student is vaccinated AND asymptomatic.
The student has tested positive for the Covid virus in the last 90 days AND is not symptomatic.

We are required to confirm both receipt of the Covid vaccine and a positive Covid test with the Department of Health before excusing a student from the quarantine requirement.

Learning During Quarantine

The district eLearning platform is gone, but that does not mean that Mel High students will be out of options for learning if they are quarantined this year. Our teachers plan to utilize a blended learning format from the first day of school. Blended learning is the combination of traditional classroom instruction and digital resources such as Google Classroom. In the event a student is forced to quarantine, they will be able to access course curriculum and assignments from these digital platforms. Teachers will provide more information to their students about their digital platform when school begins next week.

Homeroom

Melbourne High students have a course on their schedule this year called Temporary Instructional Placement listed as an "8th" period. That course is actually their Homeroom for the 2021-22 school year and it meets after 4th period. At the start of the year Homeroom will focus on student orientation activities and meet almost daily. As the year progresses Homeroom will meet fewer days per week and will focus on keeping students informed about school activities, announcements, and the monthly social-emotional curriculum the state requires us to deliver. As Homeroom meetings decline to one day per week after September 15, we will begin increasing student access to our Power Hour student intervention program. We will provide more information about Power Hour in an upcoming newsletter.

From August 10-23 our students will go to their Homeroom after 4th period every day except for Fridays. During this period we will deliver a series of orientation activities to our student body. We will provide families a link to the orientation information in an upcoming newsletter so that you know exactly what we have taught to your student(s).

From August 23-September 15 our students will go to Homeroom every Monday and Wednesday. They will have Power Hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays during this time.

After September 15 our students will report to Homeroom every Monday. If a student holiday falls on a Monday, students will report to Homeroom on Tuesday of that week. Students will have Power Hour Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday weekly after September 15.

Free and Reduced Lunch Information

FRL applications can be completed online by clicking here: www.brevardschools.org/page/3473

Families can also set up an online lunch account through the district system. Go to www.mypaymentsplus.com to create your account and add money for your student to use in our cafeteria. If you already have an account you do not need to create another one for this year.

School times

First day of school is Tuesday, August 10

The first early release day is Friday, August 13. Dismissal on early release days is at 2:15 p.m.

Campus gates open daily at 8:00 a.m. We ask families not to drop students off early as there is no active supervision on campus prior to 8:00 a.m.

Our school day is 8:35 a.m. - 3:35 p.m. Students should plan to be on campus no later than 8:30 a.m. so that they can make it to first period on time.

Tardy to school or to class

Students who are late to school in the morning must sign in through our Attendance office. We allow students two late arrivals to school without consequence. However, on the third (or more) late arrival to school the student will be reported to the appropriate grade level administrator for follow up and possible disciplinary consequences.

Tardies to periods 2-7 are handled in a similar fashion. Teachers will handle your child's first two tardies to their class. On the third (or more) tardy, the student will be referred to the appropriate grade level administrator.

Students have five minutes between each class, which is plenty of time even on our large campus. Please reinforce the importance of being on time to class with your student so that they do not disrupt instruction by arriving late.

Bus Transportation

Students in Melbourne High's attendance area are eligible for district bus transportation if they live more than 2 miles from school. Many of our students received their bus registration form at fall registration. If your child needs bus transportation and you did not receive their bus registration form please contact Erik Linde at linde.erik@brevardschools.org to set it up.

Lockers

Hall lockers will be available this year if students wish to have one. We will provide information about hall lockers to our students during Homeroom.

School Supplies

Melbourne High School does not maintain a school supply list due to the large number of courses we offer. Many of our teachers will discuss the supplies necessary for their class during the first few days of school. We recommend sending your child to school on the first day with basics such as paper, pen, pencil, and a folder or binder. We also recommend that students carry a backpack to hold their belongings regardless of whether they choose to use a locker this year.

Dean's Corner

Our school dress code policy and our cell phone policy are listed below for your reference. We thank you in advance for taking the time to review these policies with your student.

Dress Code--We ask our students to dress for success at school. When students encounter a problem with the school dress code is it usually because of one of these reasons:

A. Low-cut shirts (females)--Our dress code requires that shirts completely cover the student's chest. No part of the chest should be visible in the interest of modesty.

B. Short shorts (females)--Our dress code requires that shorts are long enough to completely cover the student's bottom when standing or sitting.

C. Undergarments (females)--Student undergarments should not be visible underneath their shirt (i.e. see through), nor should undergarments be visible if the student wears a tank top.

D. Hoodies (males)--For security reasons, we must be able to see the faces of our students at all times. Students may wear hooded sweatshirts to school, but they cannot wear their hood on their head.

E. Low-riding pants (males)--Our dress code requires that pants or shorts are worn at the waistline at all times. A student's undergarments should not be visible.

F. Head coverings (males)-- Hats, watch caps, or other head coverings may not be worn on campus except for a clearly defined religious purpose.

For all students, clothing that contains images and/or messages of violence, drugs, death, profanity, racism, or are sexually suggestive are prohibited from campus.

Cell Phones--Mel High allows students to use their cell phones before school, between classes, during lunch, and after school. Otherwise, cell phones should be in silent mode or turned off so that students can focus on learning. We kindly ask families not to text or call their student during instructional time. Please note that Melbourne High School is not responsible for lost or stolen cell phones.

Student Identification Badges

Melbourne High students must have their student identification badge in their possession at all times during the school day and must show it to our staff in the morning in order to be admitted to the campus. We recommend that students wear their ID badge on a lanyard around their neck. It may also be worn clipped to the student's shirt above the waist.

Students are permitted to keep a picture of their Melbourne High ID on their cell phone. We will accept a photo as their official school ID.

Our student IDs will be used in the school cafeteria to purchase food from their mypaymentsplus account. Students simply scan their ID to access their account. Mel High students can also check out books from the media center by scanning their ID at the circulation counter. We also plan to implement an ePass system this year that will use student IDs as our hall pass to various points on campus.

Students without their ID will be sent to the front office upon arrival to campus to receive a temporary badge (1st and 2nd offense). Subsequent arrivals without the ID will require the student to purchase a new ID badge for a $5 fee that will be added to the student's school account. For that reason, we recommend that the student wear the ID badge and/or keep it in a bag (purse, backpack, wallet) that he/she brings to campus every day.