Welcome to October! Wow, we have had a wonderful time this last month welcoming our scholars back to Star Lake! I am so proud of the hard work our teachers, paraeducators, office staff and specialists have put in to help our Eagles learn safety routines, recess and lunch procedures, and common area expectations. Our students are doing an excellent job demonstrating kind, safe and productive behavior, and they are earning many Star Lake Way tickets! We all know that this return to school has been very different than previous years, and I want to thank our families and students for being so positive and flexible. Every day I see children engaged in rigorous learning! I see them having great discussions with peers as they successfully navigate how to communicate through masks and social distancing. Children are so flexible and resilient; they are rising to these new expectations and routines and are doing well.

I do have a few reminders and pieces of information as I reflect on September.

1. Thank you to our families in the parent pick up loop for being flexible and patient. Our dismissal starts at 3:15 so you will actually end up waiting longer if you arrive too early. Arriving right at 3:15, or even 3:20 if you are picking up 3rd-5th grade students, is OK and you may end up getting through the line more quickly. Please remember to join the line (either side) when you arrive and please DO NOT park your car unless directed by a supervisor.

2. Our move from three to four busses has significantly decreased crowding on the busses (though they are still full.) Bus drivers are working on creating assigned seats, so please remind your child to sit where they are asked as this helps with contact tracing if that becomes necessary. We have had a couple reports of students not being safe at the bus stop, please remind your children to line up with social distancing, wear their masks, and keep hands, feet, and body to themselves.

3. Please do not send your child to school if they are ill. With strict Covid guidelines we are required to send students home if they have any Covid symptoms. This includes: runny nose, fever, upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, sore throat, congestion, and loss of taste or smell. And while we know many of these symptoms can be related to things other than Covid, we still have to send students home. Our nurse will contact you to discuss the details if your child is sent to her office or the isolation room with symptoms.

4. That being said, we have had a couple of students “fake” symptoms so they can go home. Please discuss the importance of school attendance with your child, and honesty, and we will do the same on our end!

Staff sure enjoyed seeing families and students last week at open house! Please be watching for an invitation to a parent zoom meeting coming from me later in October. These parent meetings give you an opportunity to provide feedback to me and to ask questions, and just gives us a chance to visit, which I love! We also have a PTA meeting coming up on October 20th, and we need you! Please watch for a zoom invitation. October is my favorite month of the year, and I am looking forward to celebrating family birthdays, pumpkins and fall weather. I hope your family has fun planned for this month as well.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or feedback you have!

Kris Rennie, principal

krennie@fwps.org 253-945-4007