PCCS : Eriksson's Frog Pond Report ~ 10/24/21

Press release from Plymouth-Canton Community Schools:

10/24/2021 2:00 PM

Frog Pond Report ~ Sunday, October 24,  2021

It was exiting to see so many people at the PTO Trunk or Treat Event last Friday.  I loved seeing the creativity of our parents through their decorated trunks, and the costumes of our students.  Thank you to our PTO leadership for organizing this event.

The following is our Schedule of Events for the Week of October 25, 2021

Monday, October 25:

There  will be a significant lunch menu change due to the impact that our supply chain issues are having on food being delivered to schools.  First choice will be what is called a manager’s choice.  Students will be served one of three food items based on their availability NOT based on student choice.  Students who sign up for first choice will receive EITHER  waffles/sausage/potato, Tony’s Deep Dish Pizza, or Bosco Sticks.  The good news is that these choices are very popular with our students, but I encourage anyone whose child does not like any of these three choices who can bring their lunch to school, plan to do so.  In addition,  The vegetarian choice will be Soy Butter Sandwich.  I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and I appreciate your flexibility.  

The deadline for parents to sign their children up for the 1:1 Device Take Home Program is the end of the day on Monday.  The following steps need to be taken in order for your student to be eligible to take their school-issued device home.

1. Read the Chromebook/iPad Take-Home Participation Agreement and select “We will participate” from the first dropdown menu and a liability option (Insurance or Deposit) from the second dropdown menu. (This was one of the Back-to-School check in forms in MiStar ParentConnection), 

The steps to complete the user agreement are:

1. Log onto MiStar and log in to your Parent Portal account.

2. Click My Information in the top area

3. Then "Register Now" to the right on the line with your student's name on it. 

4. Then select the Chromebook User Agreement found on the left.

Devices will be distributed to Eriksson students starting on Monday, November 1.

If you have any questions, please send an email to Eriksson.technology@pccsk12.com. 

Wednesday, October 27: 

• All money for our PTO candy sale is due to be considered for the offered incentives.  If you found a Golden Ticket in your box of chocolate please make sure to turn it in with your money.  On the back of the ticket please make sure to write your name and your teachers name so we can get you your prize!

Friday, October 29: 

Half Day of School, with students being dismissed at 12:10 PM.

Teachers will be sending communications specific to their classrooms regarding  Halloween celebrations scheduled on October 29.  To highlight key points,   Please remember the at the elementary school level, Halloween is a time of the year for students to exercise their imagination and creativity.  “Playing Pretend” has been and continues to be an important part of child development.  Any celebration at the elementary level is meant to foster the imaginations of our students, not celebrate violence in any way.   For this reason, please see the following parameters shared with teachers for this year’s Halloween.

• Students will be able to wear costumes to school on Friday, October 29.  As always, costumes are optional, and should not show “blood and gore” as these costumes can be overly scary for our youngest students. Students may not wear Halloween masks except for during the parade. No one should come dressed as a clown or Deadpool.  Fortnite costumes will be OK, but students may not bring anything resembling a weapon.   Students should not bring anything to hold as part of their costume, as these items tend to cause accidental injury in the hands of children in a place where there is a group of other children.  For example, if your child dresses as a baseball player, they should not have a bat or glove with them.

• A student parade will be held outdoors, weather permitting, at 11:00 AM.  Parents are welcome to observe the parade.  However, because of the lack of parking and our need to walk on the driveways during the parade, access to the parking lot will be closed prior to the parade.  Parents are encouraged to park on Metaline Dr. or Saltz Rd. and walk up the path to the back playground to watch from the wood chipped or grassy areas during the parade.  Any parent wishing to sign their child out after the parade may do so after the parade ends by finding your your child’s sign-out sheet outside of door 20.   

• Unfortunately, parent volunteers are not permitted in the building due to continued social distancing protocols.

 As a special note, The United States Department of Agriculture has granted free breakfast and lunch for K-12 students until June, 2022.  P-CCS began the year with the option for families to opt out of getting the daily breakfast bag to take home.  We have heard from parents that they would prefer to opt in for this option. Sometimes bags are not taken or not wanted.  The use of the new process will assist with planning and food waste.  Effective Nov 1, 2021 elementary families will need to opt in to the free take home breakfast bag program.  See Flyer.   Please complete this Eriksson’s Opt-In Breakfast Form if you wish for your child(ren) to receive the daily free breakfast meal bag after November 1.  It is not mandatory to register for the breakfast program.  The opt in is a one time sign up. If you don't register and you would like to participate or opt out at a later time, you will just need to contact your school's cafeteria manager via their school email.

Until November 1st the breakfast bag program will run as it has.  On Nov. 1 if you have not opted in to the program, your student will not receive a breakfast bag to take home. Any questions regarding the nutrition programs please contact healthy.meals@pccsk12.com.

District News:

• Bus driver shortage continues - Durham School Services is short approximately 16 school bus drivers, including 10 general education routes and no substitutes to cover for illness or vacancies. The 10 general education routes are currently temporarily suspended until bus drivers can be hired, vetted and complete the mandatory training process.  Your patience is appreciated and as soon as new bus drivers receive their full credentials, we will continue to revise the routing. CLICK HERE for the official posting on the district website.  All current student transportation information is updated in MiStar.

• Plymouth-Canton Community Schools produces a weekly podcast with all the important district information for students, staff and families.  You can view the click  last LPT in 3 podcast for this school year on the district’s official YouTube channel at:  https://www.pccsk12.com/Home/Components/News/News/24178/19?backlist=%2fhome

As always, I thank you for your attention to this message, and remember, Learning & Leading… It’s the Eriksson Way!

Sincerely,

Kevin M. Learned, Principal

kevin.learned@pccsk12.com

(734) 981-6995

P-CCS COVID-19 TOOLBOX

This press release was produced by Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.