8.30.2020 Principal Notes

Dear McKelvie Families~

It was such a wonderful first two days of school, having kids back in the building. It was certainly different than in years' past, but none the less, so good to be with kids again!  

School Schedule-August 31-September 4th:
A-K at MIS on  Monday and Wednesday

L-Z at MIS on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday

HYBRID CALENDAR

Important Dates:

September 7th: No School Labor Day

September 8th: No School Voting Day

September 14th: Picture Day for A-K kids
September 15th: Picture Day for L-Z kids

Drop Off and Pick Up Reminder:

Students whose last name begins with the letter A-F or L-R will be dropped off at the main entrance on Liberty Hill Rd.  Students whose last names begin with G-K or S-Z will be dropped off at the canopy entrance on County Rd.  Traffic was quite heavy on both days, for both morning drop off and afternoon pick up.  Given how few kids take the bus right now and that Lurgio drop off and pick up times are the same as ours, it likely will continue to be busy.  Please remember to pull all the way up when dropping off and picking up your child, so that we can get as many cars lined up as possible to avoid blocking the intersection as well as exits and entrances.

Sickness/Quarantine Protocol:

Please adhere to this FLOWCHART for protocols for sickness/symptoms of COVID-19. As I mentioned in a previous email: Please be prepared for children to be sent home if they are ill or display any symptoms of COVID-19. We ask that you display patience with our school nurses during these instances. In order for schools to stay open, it is imperative that we follow these protocols. HERE is a document from the NHDOE on what to expect if your child tests positive.

Looking to be more involved at McKelvie?
We have the perfect opportunity for you!  We are looking for two lunch/recess monitors to work at McKelvie from 11:45am to 1:45pm. We have a Monday through Friday position available as well as a Tuesday through Thursday position. If you are interested, please email parsonsj@sau25.net for additional details.  

Box Tops Shopping Coordinator Update:
Please keep in mind that the Box Tops for Education Program is a fundraiser that we can use to help our school. For over 20 years, this Program has given families an easy way to earn cash for their school with products they already buy. Now you can simply scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase with the Box Tops mobile app (Apple or Android) to identify participating products and instantly add cash to your school of choice. You can even give credit to your child’s homeroom teacher for any competitions we may have throughout the school year. If you have any questions on how this works, please reach out to me at amygaff9692@icloud.com.

NH Tackles Hunger Virtual Food Drive:
Over the next month, residents of NH, businesses, schools and more will make monetary donations via LINK, and any funds that are collected for your assigned school will be credited to your Food Bank (Bedford Food Pantry) account at the conclusion of the drive. We will notify you then as to how much money was donated to your program via the high school.

Girl Scouts:
We typically hang up flyers for parents to see when in the building, so in lieu of that, we are allowing this information to be sent home via Principal’s Notes.
Flyer 1  Flyer 2

Pre-Ordering Student Lunches:
Families are required to pre-order meals using the online system. Online ordering will be through www.sendmoneytoschool.com. Please click HERE for other important lunch information.

Table and Tents:
I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to all of the families that donated time and money towards purchasing tables and tents for our outdoor classroom spaces. The response was overwhelming, and as a result, we were able to create 8 outdoor classroom spaces.  McKelvie School is incredibly fortunate to have so much support from the community.  Thank you!

I hope everyone enjoys the beautiful weather today and as always, call or email if you have any questions!


Jen Asdot

8.26.2020

Dear McKelvie Families~

Tomorrow is the big day for our L-Z Hybrid kids and our Fully Remote kids! School drop off starts at 8:35 and kids should be in their homerooms by 8:50. Our L-Z Hybrid kids will be bringing home Chromebooks tomorrow, to use at school and on distance learning days. All 5th grade students will be getting new passwords from their teachers on their first day of school. They will not be able to log in with their elementary school passwords.

Our A-K Hybrid kids' first day of school will be on Friday! A-K Hybrid kids will get their Chromebooks on Friday to use at school and on distance learning days.  A-K Hybrid kids do not have school or distance learning tomorrow. 

If you or your kids have not seen the orientation video yet, here it is!

McKelvie Welcome & Orientation Video (Aug. 2020)

Before Coming to School:

Per CDC guidelines, students and staff are expected to stay home if they feel ill, display symptoms of COVID-19, or have been in direct contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Parents will be required to complete a daily health screening for their child prior to traveling to school.

 

AM Arrival Procedures:
Students whose last name begins with the letter A-F or L-R will be dropped off at the main entrance on Liberty Hill Rd.  Students whose last names begin with G-K or S-Z will be dropped off at the canopy entrance on County Rd.  Students cannot be dropped off at the playground as we no longer have morning recess.  Students who take the bus will be dropped off on the playground.  Grade 5 students will walk in through the library doors and grade 6 students will walk in through the blue sixth grade doors. Students need to be in their homeroom classes by 8:50 or they will be marked tardy.  We give some leeway to this on the first week of school.

PM Dismissal Procedures:
Afternoon announcements begin at 3:15 followed by dismissing parent pick-up students.  All students whose last name begins with the letters A-F and L-R are picked up at the main entrance on Liberty Hill Road in front of the school. A-F and L-R students exit the cafeteria doors near the flagpole and parents need to pull all the way up to pick up their kids.  This keeps the line moving and helps to prevent the blocking of intersections.  All students whose last name begins with G-K and S-Z are picked up at the canopy entrance on County Rd.  Parents need to pull all the way up to prevent blocking intersections and to keep the lines moving.

Students who are parent pick-up, walkers, or bike riders need a note stating how they are getting home.  All students go home on the bus that do not have a note indicating they are going home a different way.  If your child is always a parent pick-up, send in a note indicating the specific days and we will put their names on the permanent parent pick up list.  If your child is a permanent walker/bike rider, send that note in as well.

At approximately 3:17 we begin dismissing busses.  After ALL busses are dismissed and have left the parking lot, we dismiss walkers and bike riders at approximately 3:25.  Walkers and bike riders are dismissed last as there are far fewer cars and busses on the road. I anticipate students will get home a little late the first days of school.

School Lunch Program:
As a reminder, if you plan on purchasing hot lunch for your child, lunches need to be pre-ordered. Please click this link for information on pre-ordering your child's hot lunch.

Bus Routes:

Bus routes are online and can be found HERE. Scroll down to MCK Afternoon and MCK Morning Bus Routes for stop locations and pick-up times.

Have a terrific evening, and I can't wait to meet your kids in the next couple of days!

Jen Asdot

08.16.2020 McKelvie Update

Dear McKelvie Families~

It's hard to believe that school is starting in less than two weeks! Below are some important updates about the upcoming school year.  More information will be coming later this week.  

Infosnap Registration and Placement Information:
Schools are working hard to complete their hybrid and remote placements for students based on the information we have received from parents over the past couple weeks. Due to the Hybrid schedule, this has delayed our typical launch date for Infosnap. (Returning Student Verification)

Registration will be going out to parents on Wednesday, August 19th. High school students will have immediate access to their schedules while students at McKelvie and Lurgio will receive notifications of their placements after registration. 

I anticipate McKelvie placement going out to families by Thursday, August 20th.  We had to completely redo the placement process in order to create a hybrid model and offer a fully remote model, causing a delay.

Tents and Picnic Table Donations:
We are looking to create outdoor spaces for classrooms and are in need of tents and picnic tables. If you can donate or lend us either, we would greatly appreciate it! Please email me at asdotj@sau25.net if you can lend or donate a tent or a picnic table.

Before School Program:
We will continue to have the Before School Program this year for students. Kids will sit at individual desks in the cafeteria. THIS LINK contains additional information as well as the registration form.

Bedford Strings Program:
The Manchester Community Music School Strings Ensemble Program, in partnership with the Bedford School District, is once again offering strings lessons for interested students. These lessons will be done remotely. Please click THIS LINK for additional information.

Stay tuned for more information this week about placement, supply lists, Chrome Book and text book distribution for fully remote students, and other odds and ends regarding the 2020/2021 school year!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Jen Asdot