![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/_fr/funnypumpkins.5655dcc2.jpg)
UNION GAP SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 2021
SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE
Our first quarter of school has ended, and we move into the winter season. I appreciate our families and community for understanding the health guidelines for attendance this school year. I am happy to say we continue to have no in school transmission of COVID-19. Keeping your students home when there is a positive in the household or your child has symptoms, is critical to keeping students and staff safe at Union Gap School District. Please reach out to our nurse, if you have any questions or concerns.
We have a lot of exciting projects on the horizon for Union Gap. If you are interested in serving on the committees for the projects below, please contact me at (509) 654-7985 or lgredvig@uniongap.org.
- Adding another gym to our existing building (Bond)
- Levy renewal
- Reviewing a change to the instructional calendar for the 2022-2023 (Balanced/Modified Calendar)
Throughout this newsletter, you will find articles and information that we believe to be pertinent for our families and community.
Please let me know if you have any additional information you would like to be communicated.
Lisa G. Gredvig
Superintendent
DATES TO REMEMBER
- NOV.1-5 Parent/Teacher Conferences, Early Release 12:50 p.m.
- NOV. 11 Veteran’s Day-NO SCHOOL
- NOV. 16 Picture Re-takes
- NOV. 24-26 Thanksgiving Break-NO SCHOOL
- DEC. 9 Winter Program, Grade 1 @ 6:00 p.m. & Grade 2 @ 7:00 p.m.
- DEC. 14 Winter Program, Kinder @ 6:00 p.m. & Grade 3 @ 7:00 p.m.
- DEC. 16 Winter Program, Band 6:30 p.m. in the gym
- DEC. 16 Cookies with Santa, 5:15 p.m.-7:15 p.m. in the multipurpose room
- DEC. 17 Student of the Month
- DEC. 20-31 Winter Break—NO SCHOOL
- JAN. 17 Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday—NO SCHOOL
- JAN. 20 Family Math Night, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Parent Information on COVID Screening Guidelines and School Attendance
During the COVID pandemic, the guidelines have changed about sending a child with mild illness to school.
To protect the staff and students, only healthy children will be permitted to attend school in-person.
Union Gap School is following the Yakima Health District guidelines for COVID screening and Return to School timelines. Parents are responsible to evaluate their child for signs of new illness associated with COVID-19: (Class A) Fever, cough, shortness of breath, new loss of taste or smell, (Class B) fatigue, muscle aches, headache, congestion, runny nose, nausea or vomiting.
Recognizing mild illness in the morning can be difficult for several reasons: little time to interact with the child before he or she needs to leave for school, concerns about work, and the illness changes throughout the day.
At minimum, please:
- Take the child’s temperature before school.
- Keep the child home for any illness during the night.
- When in doubt, keep the child home for observation.
- Contact the school to report symptoms of illness.
Contact with a COVID positive case in the last 14 days:
If your child has had known contact with a COVID positive case in the last 14 days and has any new COVID-like symptom, please keep your child home and contact your health care provider for evaluation and instructions regarding COVID testing. Notify the school of the provider’s recommendations and any positive COVID test results.
No Known contact with a COVID positive case in the last 14 days:
If your child has one Class A COVID-like symptom (listed above in bold print) or two or more of the Class B symptoms, he or she may not attend school in-person for 10 days following symptom onset. Prior to the end of the isolation period, the school will contact the parent to confirm the symptoms of illness have resolved. The Department of Health recommends evaluation by a health care provider and a COVID test. Early return will be granted for symptom improvement with a negative COVID test result, or symptoms explained by a current diagnosis of a chronic, non-contagious illness from a medical provider, listed in the school health record.
If the student has one Class B symptom: fatigue, muscle aches, headache, congestion, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, with no known exposure to a COVID positive case in the last 14 days, please keep your student home, notify the school of illness, and monitor for improvement. If the symptom resolves in 24 hours, the student can return to school the next day. If the symptom continues, follow the instructions for the 10 day isolation period.
If your child has been diagnosed with a chronic, non-contagious illness, such as allergies, nausea related to anxiety or medication, migraines, or asthma, please notify the school to update the health record.
Eliminating the option for students to attend school with mild illness is a significant change in school healthcare. This is a temporary change in practice related to the COVID pandemic and the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Yakima County. We will inform you when this strict guideline is lifted.
Please contact the school for any questions.
Thank you,
Suzie Barnes, RN
Union Gap School Nurse
(509) 248-3966, ext. 311
School Uniforms
Please note that we sell school uniform apparel at cost. We add the cost we pay for the items, along with postage, and then round the overall cost to the nearest dollar. School uniform apparel is not a fundraiser for the school district.
School delays or closures due to weather conditions
The district posts to media organizations, ClassDojo and our mobile app when school is delayed or closed due to weather. Classes will begin at 10:30 am for ALL students in grades K-8 when we have a two-hour delay. Also, the morning Preschool will not be in session, we will have the afternoon Preschool and breakfast will NOT be served. We may also have to move to snow bus routes so please make a note of this change.
Parents: The final decision on whether your child attends school is always your call as a parent. Please call us to let us know you kept your child home due to your local road conditions.
Thank you.
School Facility Security Measures
Union Gap School District utilizes a variety of state of the art security systems as well as a partnership with the ESD 105 School Safety Operations and Coordination Center (SSOCC) to ensure the safety of all students, staff, and visitors. We wanted to share some of the security features that go into creating a safe environment for teaching and learning.
One the most important features for day to day operations is our visitor management system to ensure all visitors are accounted for and that only pre-screened adults are allowed into the building, this includes parents, contractors, volunteers, vendors, and other guests. Though visitor protocol has changed due to COVID, our safety measures remain.
Additionally, we have a great surveillance system to ensure we have good visibility throughout our campus as well as on our buses and an excellent access control system that helps keep our building secure from the outside and allows us to issue electronic "keys" that can easily be disabled if lost.
Lastly, we utilize a variety of emergency communication systems to help relay important information to staff and local law enforcement, which we feel is critical in the event of an emergency.
Safety is always a very high priority at Union Gap School and we will continue to research and implement new safety features and methods to ensure we continue to offer the safest environment for our staff and students!
Teaching Kids Independence
Have you ever put on your child’s coat and shoes so you could get out the door quickly? As parents, we have all felt the time crunch and the need to just do things for our children so we can be on our way. I am going to challenge you to think about how often you do this and the long-term effects of these daily choices.
Habitually doing things for your children that they can do for themselves can send the message that you don’t have confidence in their abilities. This can lead to a child who lacks independence, problem-solving skills and one who can’t or won’t do things for themselves. If this sounds familiar, don’t worry it is never too late to get your child back on track to becoming confident and capable. Here are six tips for teaching kids to be more independent.
- Give notice: Get your child on board by encouraging her/him to help “you” change. You could say that you are sorry for treating them like a little kid when they are ready to do some big-kid jobs!
- Target priorities: Tackle one item or task at a time so you don’t overwhelm her/him.
- Negotiate compromise: If your child digs in their heels and refuses to complete a task, compromise and inject some fun. For example, if your child can dress themselves but you have been doing this for them, tell them that you will put the top on the cake once the bottoms (pants) are on.
- Forget perfection: Accept that the task gets finished even if it means that you must clean up spilled milk when your child is working on pouring.
- Praise something: Instead of telling your child that they put their shoes on the wrong feet, say, “Wow you got your shoes on all by yourself!”
- Encourage thinking: Don’t rush in to solve minor issues but instead ask your child if they can come up with a fix and then give them think time before offering your ideas.
Routines and Rules
Having a routine at home and set rules is important for your child. It can help reduce tantrums and problem behaviors, and help your child feel safe and secure.
Make a daily routine or schedule and follow this every day. As a family, also create rules and set consequences for breaking rules.
It is important that parents see that consequences are carried out when the rules are not followed. Here are some websites for ideas on rules and routines:
- How to Create Structure: https://www.cdc.gov/parents/essentials/videos/video_struct_vig.html
- Using Discipline and Consequences: https://www.cdc.gov/parents/essentials/consequences/index.html
- Providing Nurture and Structure: http://centerforparentingeducation.org/library-of-articles/discipline-topics/role-of-parents/
- The Importance of Family Routines: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/Pages/The-Importance-of-Family-Routines.aspx
On October 7th, our 4th Grade students enjoyed a presentation from Pacific Power about how to conserve electrical energy at home. Students participated in a BINGO game
and completed a survey with their families about how they use electricity. By completing this survey, students received their very own LED nightlight! Each 4th grade teacher will also receive a $50 grant to purchase fun materials for the classroom.
BREAKFAST
On average, students who eat school breakfast have been shown to achieve 17.5% higher scores on standardized math tests and attend 1.5 more days of school per year!
Family Access
Dear Parent or Guardian:
Union Gap School District uses “Family Access” for parents/guardians/students to view grades, attendance, schedule, etc. online. This service is available for parents at the 3rd through 8th grade levels.
Family Access is currently available in Yakima School District so if your students attend a high school in Yakima School District, you will already be familiar with the service. Once a Family Access username and password has been obtained, it will eventually work for all children in a household regardless of grade level and school attendance. The username and password should work without any problems. If you encounter problems accessing the information, you may contact the following person at the school:
- Alma Padilla at 509.248.3966 x302 or apadilla@uniongap.org
Family Access will be available through Union Gap’s website at www.uniongapschool.org. You will click on the “For Parents” button at the top of the page and then select the Family Access link to use the system: To use the system you will need to:
- Have access to the internet (Google Chrome)
- Allow or accept cookies
- Have username and password
Note: Union Gap School District does not provide support for off-site technology or software applications. To allow or accept cookies, please consult your computer dealer or software vendor.
It is Union Gap School District’s policy that usernames and passwords for Family Access must be obtained “in person” at Union Gap so nothing can be sent through US Mail or through email. To obtain a username and password, parents need to complete the enclosed request form, “Family Access Login Form”. Parents will need to present the form along with a legal, photo ID to the Union Gap School Office. Each application will be processed to ensure information is accurate and appropriate access to the appropriate household is secure. Parents must pick up the information “In Person Only” in the school office. Once parents receive their username and password, they will have the ability to change the password to keep their access secure. Usernames that are provided are permanent and cannot be changed. It is important to keep the “Access Card” given to you as it will contain your username and temporary password and directions to access the website.
You may return your Family Access Login Form anytime to the school office between 7:30 am and 4:00 pm Monday through Friday.
Sincerely,
Lisa G. Gredvig
Superintendent
Union Gap School Board Honorees:
These students were honored for their academic excellence for the month of October 2021:
Isabella Cortez
Ximena Escareño-Castillo
Andy Gutierrez
Israel Mendez Silva
Alina Mendoza Negrete (ABSENT)
Dahlia Salgado Ramirez
DAHLIA SALGADO RAMIREZ & NICOLE SULLIVAN
XIMENA ESCAREÑO-CASTILLO & ZOEY PATNODE
ANDY GUTIERREZ & MELISSA GOTT
ISRAEL MENDEZ SILVA & TIMOTHY KILGREN
ISABELLA CORTEZ & JOSHUA BUTRICK
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2021
- SET CLOCKS BACK 1 HOUR
Nondiscrimination Statement:
The Union Gap School District does not tolerate discrimination in connection with any programs, activities, or employment based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, including gender expression or identity, creed, religion, age, veteran or military status, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups. Inquiries regarding compliance procedures may be directed to the school district Civil Rights Coordinator, Mr. Patrick Vincent, 3201 S. 4th Street, pvincent@uniongap.org (509) 248-3966. You can report discrimination and discriminatory harassment to any school staff member or to the district's Civil Rights Coordinator, listed above. You also have the right to file a complaint. For a copy of your district’s nondiscrimination 3210 policy and procedure, contact your school or district office or view it online at www.uniongapschool.org.