The Parrots' Nest

Hello Pontiac Families,

It’s hard to believe that it’s almost Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow is College Colors day! As an AVID school, we love to see our students wearing their favorite college colors! If your child is wearing college colors, please take a picture and send to parrotspersevere@gmail.com. We will hold a raffle for all students wearing college colors.

A quick reminder that ALL students will learn in a virtual setting from home next Monday and Tuesday. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you aren’t sure how to find the link for your child’s classroom Google Meet link.

Light weekend meals will not go home with students tomorrow. However, a 7-day meal pack is available for pickup for ALL students at our middle schools. Distribution of those 7-day meal packs will take place on Friday, November, 20th from 8:00am-11:00am.

Thank you for all that you do to support students at Pontiac!

Dr. Davis recently reminded the Parent Advisory Council that while the positive cases among employees and students remain low, district and school administrators and our school nurses are concerned by the number of individuals having to quarantine as a result of being identified as close contacts. “Close contact” is determined through the case investigation process and is dependent upon each situation. In general, if an individual is spending periods of time in close contact (less than six feet apart) with a person who test positive that add up to greater than 15 minutes throughout the day, the individual may be considered a close contact, regardless of whether they were wearing masks.

The contact tracing process is complicated and time consuming. These procedures are based on the guidance provided to schools from S.C. DHEC. Click here to review the S.C. DHEC information. Thanksgiving Break would add even more challenges to the process and possibly limit the ability of our school nurses to contact employees and students. Taking that into consideration is what led district administrators to designate Nov. 23 and 24 as eLearning days.

Parents,

Thank you for practicing safety and ensuring that you send your children in good health and with the necessary protective gear such as the mask. I want to reiterate to parents that bring their children to school that we must follow certain procedures in order to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Please pay close attention to the procedures below.

• In the mornings, please follow the blue line the entire length of the car rider line. I know at times there may appear that no one else is coming, but often times there is someone who has followed the blue line and is on the way back. When you do not follow the blue line and cut in the line or turn around at unauthorized spots along the way, you disrupt the flow of the line or potentially could cause an accident.

• Please do not turn around in the parking lot by the cafeteria. Teachers exit their cars in that location to go into the building, and therefore, we do not want to turn that into a part of the car rider line for this safety reason.

• Please do not turn around by the loading dock. Delivery trucks come there and as stated before you will disrupt the flow of the car rider line and potentially could cause an accident.

• If an administrator or faculty member on duty waves you forward, please follow their directives. This ensures we can get all students into the building quickly and safely.

• Remember your child is watching you and they follow your example, please set a good one by following the car rider line procedures. Thank you!

Please notify Nurse Larck is your child is on quarantine, isolation or a close contact for COVID-19

While gaiters are permitted, we encourage the use of facemasks. Please make sure gaiters and masks are properly fitted so that they stay on your childs face.

Richland Library and Richland Two have partnered to provide a library card for every student in the district. This project is part of the nationwide initiative: Leaders Library Card Challenge.

• For students under 13, parents/guardians can complete an online form at www.richlandlibrary.com/librarycard.
• Middle and high school students have been assigned accounts using their Student ID number.
• Teachers who live in Richland County and/or work in a Richland County school can apply for a free Education card. Contact Richland Library to learn more.
• For any questions about the ConnectED program and these library accounts, contact Richland Library by phone: 803.799.9084 or by email: Ask a Librarian.

November 20 - College Colors Day

November 20 - Early Dismissal at 11:30 am

November 23 - Virtual Learning Day

November 24 - Virtual Learning Day

November 25 to 27 - Thanksgiving Break - No School

November 30 - Military Monday

Please be sure to follow us on our social media platforms for up to date information as well as a glimpse into our school! We are so excited to welcome your family to our school family!

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