CANES COMMS 1/29/2021
Hello CANES!We are beyond excited that we begin welcoming students to the new building next week! It is encouraging to see the district COVID tracker continue to show steady improvement. Current Phase details are provided below. Whether students are in-person or virtual, we are committed to providing the best education possible for ALL students, and we look forward to continuing our good work with all.
Please continue to encourage your student to show up for class each day, pay attention and participate, complete assignments, and relieve stress by enjoying the outdoors, hobbies, or other positive activities. In particular, let me encourage you to emphasize the benefit of reading. Research clearly shows that a habit of reading significantly accelerates success for learners of all ages.
The notes below provide helpful information for the days ahead. Thank you for your patience with some repetition from previous messages as we strive for thorough communication.
Phase 2 reminder - For the coming school week, we are in Phase 2, February 1 - 5. Each Tuesday, the district will continue to announce the learning Phase for the following week. We can expect Tuesday February 2 to hear the Phase for the week of February 8. The HCDE Phase tracker provides helpful insight into learning phase status:
HCS Reentry and Continuous Learning Plan - Hamilton County Schools (hcde.org) You might also see some interesting COVID data at this link:
https://www.hcde.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=350278&pageId=30819688
As a reminder, our in-person learning cohorts at EHMS are divided as follows: Cohort A A-L – as determined by student's last name
Cohort B M-Z – as determined by student's last name
*if there are siblings with different last names, refer to the oldest sibling’s last name; we have coordinated with all schools in our feeder pattern for the same plan across elementary, middle, and high schools
Monday and Tuesday – ONLY Cohort A students will attend school at the building. Cohort B and CANESatHome students will join remotely according to the directions given by their teachers.
Wednesday – ALL students will join remotely according to the directions given by their teachers. NO students will attend school, apart from certain Ex Ed students who will be otherwise notified of attendance.
Thursday and Friday – ONLY Cohort B students will attend school at the building. Cohort A and CANESatHome students will join remotely according to the directions given by their teachers.
In summary, during these two weeks Cohorts A & B attend school at the building two days a week; three days a week they will be learning remotely. CANESatHome students will learn remotely five days a week.
School start and stop times – The same as at the last building, classes begin at 7:15 am each day and end at 2:15 pm. Please ensure students are present for learning each day and every class. The school address is included below in the Transportation section, as well as arrival and dismissal procedures. Students are not permitted into the building until after 6:45 am.
Health, safety, and wellbeing - We continue to place top priority on the safety of our school community. We look forward to welcoming our students back, and we have prepared with ample supplies of PPE. We have completed a careful safety walkthrough with safety plans, and follow the HCS Safe Pledge protocol. Our building is regularly cleaned by both ABM and SMS cleaning services.
All staff and students must follow the district protocol for safety. Among other needs, this calls for mask wearing at all times unless during a designated mask break in a safe area, social distancing, and consistent hygienic practices such as hand washing.
We remain alert to student emotional wellbeing, particularly in this time of increased pressures due to the pandemic. Our counseling staff is available for students, with contact information noted below.
For safety reasons to reduce congregating in the halls, lockers will not be issued until we reach a Phase 4 status.
Attendance and success in learning - Success in school depends on regular attendance and participation. All students should attend every class, whether in-person or online. Teachers will take attendance in each class. A pattern of absences results in follow-up by administrators and our truancy officer. More importantly, absences make it difficult for students to succeed in class.
Students should check emails frequently, at least several times a day for teacher
communications. As a learner striving for knowledge, growth, and success, communicate with teachers thoroughly, ask questions for clarification, and seek help when needed. Be an active learner in all respects!
For lifelong learning, please encourage habits of reading, nature walks, fine arts, and nourishing music.
RESPECT – For success in school, one simple word can suffice: RESPECT. When
students respect themselves, they care about learning. When students respect others, they create no distractions and practice kindness. When students respect teachers and other adults, they learn important life skills of listening, communication, and integrity. When they respect property, they care for their environment, from the classroom to nature. As a CANES Family, let’s practice RESPECT in all that we do!
Cell phones – We understand the safety and convenience need for students to carry cell phones in this day and age, and we also understand the distraction and disciplinary
challenge they can create. For that reason, cell phones may be carried by students though may not be out inside the school. If cell phones are out, they will be collected. Please see the cell phone policy on page 10 of the student handbook included below. Please note too that due to the similar capability of smart watches, these also need to be kept out of sight and out of use during school. Students, either leave these at home, or place in your backpacks as they will be collected if used or visible in school, like phones.
Student handbook and disciplinary code – We have implemented the following two publications since the beginning of this school year. Students, please remain familiar with these publications. We want you to remain focused on successful learning, and not be distracted by yourself or others. Strive and succeed one day at a time!
EHMS Student Handbook: East Hamilton Student Handbook 2020-2021 .pdf HCDE Code of Conduct: Hamilton County Schools COAB - Google Docs
School nutrition – Teachers will share lunch schedules and times with students following arrival at school. We are glad that within our new building, we are now able to extend lunch time for all students by five minutes. To help with social distancing during lunch, we limit the capacity of the cafeteria to 40% maximum and also utilize an ancillary dining area.
Please see the link below for information about our continuing free meals for all students as well as additional helpful meal information:
Meals During COVID-19 - Hamilton County Schools (hcde.org)
Communications support - We want everyone to succeed and be an advocate for learning. To facilitate communication, please update your contact information in
PowerSchool. In addition, please be aware of the following resources for communication and questions:
Contact individual teachers with questions about class academics and learning. Contact counselors for general academic questions and emotional support: Grades 6 and 7, Counselor Margay McGee, [email protected] Grade 8, Counselor Lauren Watkins, [email protected]
Contact the front office with general questions about school operations and attendance, as they can assist with putting you in touch with the appropriate resource:
Secretary Becky Collier and Attendance Clerk Kathy Vazquez, 423-498-6800 Contact administrators if you need assistant principal or principal support:
Assistant Principal Arielle Hayes, [email protected] Assistant Principal Deanna Rice, [email protected] Principal Ethan Hildreth, [email protected]
Our new website is now up and running. It provides helpful information, and we will continue to develop it to make it a useful tool for our school community. The website
Virtual building fly-through – Our ribbon cutting ceremony for the new building was a great success! Thanks to those who participated in this event, necessarily limited due to the pandemic and resulting campus restrictions. Please enjoy a virtual visit to our new school at the following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gq3gfEqtabJty94j3cMkYCNv9chdrNLf/view?usp=drivesdk Technology - Remote learning has created a whole new world of tech use...and
challenges! For tech help, please see the following link for tech hotline assistance:
https://www.hcde.org/hcs_learning_resources/hcs_continued_tech_support_hotline
Transportation and arrival/dismissal procedures - When in-person students arrive at the building next week, they may not enter the building until after 6:45 am. Please see the attached map for the general flow of traffic arrival. Car riders will drop off behind the school building, and bus riders will drop off in front. Upon entering the building, all students will report to the gym until dismissed at 7:05 am. Those students who eat breakfast will report to the cafeteria. Staff members will be present to direct students to appropriate areas. Our large spaces are managed for social distancing among students, and the Phase 2 learning environment also reduces student numbers.
Map of school traffic flow: Traffic Pattern Exhibit EHMS 2021.pdf
Our new school address is 3550 Bentwood Cove Drive, Apison. We are located directly behind Apison Elementary School.
Bus transportation routes and other details can be found at the following link, and questions about bus transportation can be addressed to Transportation, located through the website.
https://www.hcde.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=698957
Again, we are tremendously excited about continuing learning for all students. For those who report to the building next week, we look forward to welcoming you in person! Despite the challenges we are currently experiencing in our community, state, and nation, we remain committed to the learning, growth, and wellbeing of your child.
