El Mirage Back to School Immunization Event
When:  September 21, 2020
Time:  2:30pm-6:30pm
Free:  Preschool-grade 12
Where:  El Mirage Elementary School, 13500 N. El Mirage School
Students with private insurance, without insurance, or on AHCCS.  

Make sure you are registered to vote by October 5 so your voice can be heard in the November election! Register today at Vote.org, or pick up a voter registration packet in our front office

The Governing Board called for a November 3, 2020 Override Continuation Election. The Maintenance & Operations (M&O) override allows voters to approve additional funding for operational expenses. In Dysart, a M&O override has been in place since 2000. If continued, the funding will retain highly qualified teachers and staff; provide academic support programs for Math and Reading; maintain manageable class sizes; fund Arts, Physical Education, and Athletic programs; and provide all-day Kindergarten.

"As we begin phasing students back to school this week, we wanted to take this opportunity to address what will undoubtedly be a controversial safety procedure implemented by the Arizona Department of Health Services, local cities and the Governor - the requirement of face coverings.
There will be instances where pictures are posted on social media of students and staff not wearing face coverings.  We would appreciate your patience and restraint as we work hard to educate everyone on the importance of wearing face coverings and this new normal.  With 24,000 students of all ages and 3,000 employees, it will take time and constant reminders to ensure face coverings become a consistent part of the school experience.  Mask shaming and “gotcha” posts do not help us all work toward our common goal of educating our precious children safely.  Also, please be aware that exceptions are made for students and staff with medical conditions.  These exceptions should not be met with hostility or ridicule.
Regardless of individual beliefs, face coverings are a required part of in-person schooling at this time.  We offer full-time iSchool for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade for those who feel in-person schooling is not the best solution for themselves or their children at this time.  We encourage everyone to make the best decision for their family and respect each other’s views. Thank you."

Good afternoon Dysart parents and guardians,

We are happy to share that last week’s district health benchmark data continues to move in the right direction. As we prepare to return to in-person classes on Sept 14th (K-4, 9) and 21st (5-8, 10-12), we know there are many questions regarding what health and safety protocols and processes will be in place. District protocols are below. Each school may also have additional protocols specific to their campus. 

HEALTH

• Families should screen their children for symptoms before sending them to school. Students must not come to school if they exhibit any of the following symptoms: fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, or chills; and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; muscle aches; sore throat; headache; fatigue; congestion or runny nose; cough; vomiting; diarrhea; or new loss of taste or smell. 
• Face coverings are required - When students and staff arrive at school, face covers are required except while eating, or during recess or outdoor activities. Please note that our guidelines allow face masks, neck gaiters or face shields, as long as they fully cover both the mouth and nostrils. An exception may be made for students with medical conditions, those who have difficulty breathing or who are incapable of physically removing the face covering on his/her own. 
• Temperature checks will take place daily at school for all students and staff.
• Air is purged from buildings and fresh outside air is brought in and cooled each morning. Air continues to be refreshed by 20% per hour throughout the day.

DISINFECTING

• Daily disinfecting of high-touch surfaces - Surfaces in high-traffic areas will be disinfected regularly throughout the day. Classrooms and offices will be provided with cleaning supplies to disinfect learning spaces and high touch surfaces in between uses. 
• Playground equipment will be disinfected on a regular basis.

HABITS

• Staff have been trained on our health and safety protocols and the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment. 
• Students will be reminded to wash their hands frequently. Hand sanitizer stations will be placed throughout each site and all bathrooms will remain open.
• Each school has developed routines for traffic in hallways, seating assignments in classrooms and the cafeteria, and distancing on playgrounds.
• School supplies will not be shared.
• Laptops will be assigned to students, not shared. Devices can be wiped down with damp (not wet) wipes to disinfect.
• Water fountains will be used only to refill water bottles.
• Signage to remind us of healthy habits, hygiene and social distancing.

MEAL SERVICE

• Meals will be served in closed containers - There will be no self-serve stations, or beverage fountains.  Students may also bring their own meals.
• Touchless checkout will be implemented and staff will take steps to speed up lunch lines and keep as much distance as possible between students. 
• Schools have developed procedures and schedules to help minimize the number of students in the cafeteria at one time.

BUSING

• Buses will be disinfected between each run, and will undergo additional cleaning and disinfecting each night. 
• Students will load from back to front and unload from front to back in order to minimize student contact.
• Face coverings are required.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• What happens when students or staff exhibit COVID-19 symptoms? All health office staff and administrators have been trained in COVID-19 symptomatic triage to determine if symptoms are typical, such as those associated with allergies and other identified conditions.  If symptoms are new and unexplained, the health office staff will follow the established health services procedures. If the symptoms continue after following the procedures, the parent will be contacted to help identify the onset or continuation of symptoms.  If the student is sent home they can return when they are symptom free for 24-hours without pain-relieving medication. 
• How should families report if a person in the household has tested positive? Students, families and staff and students must inform the teacher, nurse, site administrator, or attendance clerk if they have symptoms, test positive, or have had direct contact with someone that has tested positive. Anyone in the household with direct contact with the person who tested positive should quarantine for 14-days from the onset of symptoms. If anyone else in the household tests positive, the 14-day quarantine time begins again.
• How is direct and in-direct contact defined? Direct contact is defined as being within 6’ of someone who has tested positive for 10 minutes (consecutively) or longer, with or without a mask. Indirect contact is defined as being within 6’ of someone who has tested positive for less than 10 minutes.
• What is the protocol for a positive COVID case at a school site? Parents/guardians will be notified if their child has direct or indirect exposure. Please note that HIPAA, FERPA, and ADA regulations limit the details we can provide. Following state and local health agency guidelines, any student or staff member with direct exposure is required to quarantine, per CDC guidelines, and we will notify local health officials.
• What will be the criteria for requiring classrooms or entire schools to close?  School closures will be determined in conjunction with county and state health departments. If a closure is necessary, parents will be notified, and learning will continue remotely, using the same curriculum, for the mandated closure period. 
• How will student learning be handled during any quarantine period?  Temporary quarantines may be necessary for a classroom or school. During quarantine periods, students will continue learning remotely using Schoology and Florida Virtual curriculum. 

We have added this information to our Dysart.org/BacktoSchool website as well, and that will be the best source of information, should any changes occur. Each school will be providing details about their site-specific protocols with parents. Please note that protocols are subject to change based on guidelines from health officials.

We’re looking forward to seeing students back on our campuses over the next two weeks! Thank you for your patience as we navigate these new challenges together.

On September 14th, our K-4th graders will return to campus. Learning Lab will only be available to 5th-8th graders that week. Our 5th-8th graders will return to school on September 21st and Learning Lab will no longer be available at that time. 

This Thursday, there is a Virtual Community Meeting at 1 p.m. about new safety protocols and school procedures. Please stay tuned for a Zoom link from your child's teacher. This is an informational session only. Questions can be followed up via email. 

New Wifi Map and Free Tech Support HotLine Launches to help Arizona students access internet via open hotspots for virtual learning

 
As schools begin online instruction this month, a coalition of statewide organizations realized that 200,000 Arizona families will struggle to access the internet with enough bandwidth to facilitate virtual instruction.
In collaboration with the AZ State Library, School Connect, Common Sense Media, the Commerce Authority and the AZ Broadband Stakeholder Network, our Connect Arizona website provides an interactive map of Free Wifi spots across the state (public libraries, schools, internet providers, community organizations). 
 

This web site is available in English and Spanish and provides:

·       Easy access on mobile phones
·       Simple training on how to access a hotspot
·       Free Tech Support phone line by Arizona public library staff (AZ LibTAP)
·       Special discounts provided by Arizona internet providers
·       Google Map with step by step directions to get to these free WiFi spots. 
 

The deadline for responding to the 2020 Census is Sept. 30, 2020. There’s still time this month to use virtual and educational classroom materials provided by the U.S. Census. Each person counted (or not counted) represents $3,000 in funding to our local community. El Mirage is currently trailing other West Valley Cities in the Census response rate, which could affect our children’s future. We hope you’ll consider incorporating Census materials into your plans this month.  —El Mirage Complete Count Committee

How the 2020 Census Affects Children: The 2020 Census count impacts the federal funds that communities receive each year for programs and services that are critical for schools, students, and younger children, such as:
· Special education, Head Start, after-school programs, and classroom technology.
· Food assistance, including free and reduced-price school lunches.
· Maternal and child health programs.

Responding to the US Census only takes minutes. It’s easy, safe and important!  Go to www.my2020Census.gov now to respond on any device, in any language. For 2020 Resource Materials: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/2020census/2020-resources.html
 
 

Next week is Spirit Week. Student Council met and chose some fun dress days for our first Virtual Spirit Week. The days are listed below:

Monday 8/24- Dress you Best (Wear your first day of school outfit)
Tuesday 8/25- Funky T-Shirt Day
Wednesday 8/26- Crazy hats and headbands
Thursday 8/27- Sports Day (wear your favorite team jersey or shirt)
Friday 8/28- Pajama Day
 

DUSD Virtual Classroom Expectations for Students and Parents/Guardians
Students at all levels are now engaging in virtual class lessons and check-in sessions on video call platforms, such as Google Meet and Zoom. To ensure a positive and productive learning experience for all participants, it is important that all students and parents/guardians adhere to these video call platform expectations, which include online behaviors for students and privacy guidelines for parents. 

Behavioral Expectations for Students
Students at all levels are now engaging in virtual class lessons and check-in sessions on video call platforms. To ensure a positive and productive learning environment during these sessions, it is important that all students adhere to the following behavioral expectations.

• Students should adhere to the agreements and provisions identified in the Electronic Information Services (EIS) User Agreement.
• Students are responsible for Dysart owned technology. They will treat the device with care and use the learning websites, search engines and databases provided by teachers. Certain behaviors may result in loss of privilege of using a Dysart owned device.
• Students should always be respectful and courteous to other students and teachers during video call platforms virtual sessions. Inappropriate, offensive or threatening comments; logging in as someone other than yourself, and/or disruptive behavior by any student during any online virtual sessions will not be tolerated.
• Students must use their Dysartstudent.org email account to log into a video call platform virtual session.
• Students must not share their login credentials, and passwords must be changed from the default setting immediately. Sharing of login information violates both student and teacher rights to confidentiality, and could allow unauthorized persons into the virtual class and/or lead to disruptive behaviors that detract from a productive and positive learning environment.
• Students who are disruptive and/or “trespass” video call platform virtual sessions will receive appropriate consequences in accordance with the Dysart Student and Parent Handbook Discipline Matrix.  Consequences may result in temporary or permanent loss of technology access, which would prevent the student from participating in district virtual class sessions. Students receiving this consequence would have alternative assignments provided to the student’s parent/guardian.

Privacy Guidelines for Parents/Guardians
Thank you for providing a learning space for your child to use the laptop and access lessons and online content during remote learning. To maintain a positive, productive learning environment and assure confidentiality for students and teachers during distance learning, all parents/guardians are asked to follow the following privacy guidelines.

• Video call platform virtual sessions are designed for students. To prevent disruptions to the learning environment, parents/guardians should not actively participate in online sessions, although parents/guardians may assist their child with technology, logging in, and/or remain nearby.
• Virtual classes, just like in-person classes, have an expectation of privacy. Do not video record, audio record, photograph, live stream, or transmit in any other way any part of a video call platform virtual session, including not posting on any social media platform, or allowing others to do so from your child’s class(es).
• Any confidential or personally identifiable information related to students participating during video call platform virtual sessions should not be collected, discussed or shared.
• Parents/guardians should not engage with other students or the teacher during a video call platform virtual session. If you need to speak with your child during a session, first mute your child’s microphone.
• If a parent/guardian has a question about something from the session, please email your child’s teacher.

Parents/guardians should email your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns regarding privacy or virtual classroom expectations.
Thank you for your support and cooperation in ensuring that distance learning is a positive and productive experience for all participants.

Hello El Mirage Families, 
Thank you for another successful week of remote learning. We have two important events to tell you about. On Wednesday, families of K-2 students need to come by from 8-3 to pick up new supply bags. These goodies include whiteboard markers, pencils, and important resource packets for student work. 

Friday we have our virtual Coffee Talk with the principal. Ms. Davis will talk about our Title I status, you will meet the social worker, and learn about what we have been doing so far this year. A virtual link will be posted on our website and sent to you from your teachers. 

We hope to see you there!


Buenas dias, familias de El Mirage,
Gracias por otra exitosa semana de aprendizaje remoto. Tenemos dos eventos importantes que contarte. El miércoles, las familias de los estudiantes de K-2 deben pasar de 8 a 3 para recoger nuevas bolsas de suministros. Estos obsequios incluyen marcadores de pizarra, lápices y paquetes de recursos importantes para el trabajo de los estudiantes.
 
El viernes tenemos nuestro Coffee Talk virtual con el director. La Sra. Davis hablará sobre nuestro estatus de Título I, conocerá a la trabajadora social y aprenderá sobre lo que hemos estado haciendo hasta ahora este año. Se publicará un enlace virtual en nuestro sitio web y se lo enviarán sus profesores.
 
¡Esperamos verte ahí!