August 18, 2020
Good afternoon,
School starts Thursday! Please take a few minutes to review the attached documents as they contain important information regarding your child’s schooling. In addition to these documents, please carefully read the following:
- Face shields- The Governor provided a clearer directive of face shield use in schools last Friday. A face shield cannot be worn in place of a face mask. However, they can be worn in conjunction with a mask. This is a change from previous information. See attached Public Health Order for additional information.
- Face Masks- Please send your child with at least one face mask (additional ones would be very helpful to keep in student desks). The school has some masks available for students. Please wash cloth masks frequently at home. To help with the organization and cleanliness of masks, the school has purchased lanyards to clip masks to when not in use.
- Early out Fridays- Currently, there are three early out Fridays: August 21, 28, and Sept. 4. The previous letter didn’t include Sept. 4th. School will be dismissed at noon on those days. The school will notify families if early out Fridays extend past Sept. 4th.
- Before School- When a student arrives at school, he or she will need to go to their classroom right away. The only exception is students who eat breakfast at school. School begins at 8:10am. If you can, we are asking that you please drop your child off as close to the beginning of school as possible. We recognize that this isn’t possible for all families.
- 1st Day of School- We are doing all we can to help keep everyone safe while at school. This includes limiting the number of people in the building. For the first day of school, we are allowing parents of Kindergarten, 1st grade, and new students to have a parent walk them to their classroom. If you choose to do this, please wear a mask, limit your time in the building to five minutes, and practice physical distancing. If your student has extenuating circumstances, please call the school.
- Volunteers- At this time, volunteers are not allowed in the school buildings. If your child’s teacher celebrates birthdays and you choose to participate, please only send pre-packaged treats.
- Health Checks- Please check your child's symptoms dailly. We will not be taking mass temperature checks as students arrive at school. However, students who are referred to the school nurse will have their temperature checked.
- School Lunch for Online Students- If your child is attending Manti Elementary via SSSD online program, they can still eat school lunch. Please call the school office by 8:45am if you would like your child to eat school lunch that day. Lunches will be ready for curbside pickup at 12:30. School lunch charges apply.
- Free/Reduced Lunch- Please apply for Free/Reduced lunch even if you might not qualify. The number of applications help ensure our school receives federal funds.
- School Breakfast- Breakfast will start Friday, August 21. Breakfast will be served from 7:45am - 8:00am.
- Appointments- Please contact the school office for any appointments with school officials. Walk-ins will be asked to schedule an appointment. Paying lunch, registration, picking up students, dropping off lunches, etc. do not require an appointment. Please wear a mask when you come to the office.
- Other School Reopening Information- SSSD reopening information can be found at ssanpete.org. You are welcome to contact the school office with any questions you may have.
- Summer Bridges Pool Party - Due to the current circumstances there will not be a pool party for those who finished their Summer Bridges workbook over the summer. Instead all who turn in completed workbooks will a) receive a pass to the Manti City swimming pool and b) get ice cream with the principal. Details TBA
I would like to thank everyone for the kindness and support offered through this unique and challenging time. I am so grateful to be welcoming back our wonderful students. On August 20th, the first day of school, marks 160 days since we last welcomed students into our building. I am so happy and grateful that we are back together again! As school will look different than it has before, I encourage you to talk to your children about the upcoming school year in a positive light. I once read this quote that is ringing loudly in my thoughts right now, “Staying positive doesn’t mean that everything will be ok, rather it means that you will be ok no matter how things turn out.”
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the school.
Thank you for all you do,
Mr. Ipson
Parents or Guardians:
The United States Department of Agriculture has announced that starting Monday, September 14th all students in our district can eat breakfast and lunch for free. This will be offered until funds run out or December 18, 2020, whichever happens first.
Lunch Balances—If your student has a negative lunch balance you will be responsible to bring it current. If your student currently has funds in their lunch account, we will hold those funds and use them when the free lunch program ends.
Online Students—If your student is online you will still need to call your student’s school the morning you wish to pick up lunch. If your online student wants breakfast and or lunch you will need to contact their school to arrange pick up times.
- If your online student is in elementary, they must get their lunch from the elementary that they are enrolled in.
- If you have a middle school online student, they must pick their lunch up at the middle school they are enrolled in.
- If you have a high school online student, they must pick their lunch up at the high school they are enrolled in.
If you have any questions regarding this change, feel free to reach out to the school. Thank you for your support of the Sanpete School District lunch program.
Delene Coates
School Nutrition Supervisor