Week of August 30th – September 3rd

A Note from Ms. Sickler

As you might imagine, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity here at Harvest. It has been so heartwarming to see our teachers and staff coming together to prepare the building to welcome students once again.

I know that there will be new challenges to solve, new triumphs to celebrate, and new fears to face.  We do not know what the future will bring, but I do know this; on Monday morning we will open the doors to Harvest and welcome all students into classrooms once again. The sights and sounds of children and teachers learning from and with each other, together in one space, will fill the school. And whatever lies ahead, we will face it together.

We will not return to ‘normal,’ but perhaps normal was never the goal. We learned that we are stronger than we knew. We learned that we are braver than we thought. Most importantly, we learned that we are better together.

Thank you for entrusting us with your children, thank you for allowing us to grow and learn together. It is truly an honor.

If you are able to, drop in, when you can, to chalk the walk and welcome the students back to school on Sunday, August 29th. Let’s send them off with a smile & start this school year with positivity. Draw, write, & doodle happy messages. Bring chalk if you have it. Think about bus loop, walk from the parent lot, etc. Let’s do this for the kids!!

I am looking forward to this view filled with our Harvest Hornets on Monday morning!  Please take a look at our arrival/dismissal plan and where your child will line up each morning in THIS presentation.

Ms. Sickler


Upcoming Events 

Monday, August 30th

  • First Day of School for all 1st – 3rd Grade Students
    • Students can start lining up anytime after 8:30am
    • 1st grade students will be dismissed for pick-up at 3:40pm
    • 2nd/3rd grade students will be dismissed for pick-up at 3:44pm
  • Young 5s & Kindergarten – Orientation

Tuesday, August 31st

  • First Day of School for all Young 5s and Kindergarten Students
    • Students can start lining up anytime after 8:30am
    • Young 5s, Kindergarten, and 1st grade students will be dismissed for pick-up at 3:40pm
    • 2nd/3rd grade students will be dismissed for pick-up at 3:44pm

Wednesday, September 1st

  • Anyone who wears Saline Gear received free admission to the Saline Fair 
  • Saline Area Schools Ag Olympics (7:00-8:30 in the Horse Arena)

Friday, September 3rd

  • NO SCHOOL
  • Anyone who wears Saline Gear pays $5 for admission to the Saline Fair

Monday, September 6th

  • NO SCHOOL

Thursday, September 9th

  • Picture Day

Harvest Specials Rotation


PTA Points

Support the PTA and help welcome the kids for their first week back to school.  You will help by making sure the kids getting off the buses know where to go and get in the appropriate class line.

  • Sign up to volunteer as a bus greeter HERE

Support the PTA and help out the kids with their first week of lunch at school. Make sure they know where to go, help open things (juice boxes, applesauce, etc), and are following the rules. Most importantly, be a warm, friendly, masked face!

  • Sign up to volunteer as a lunch helper HERE

Quick Links

District

Transportation

Harvest


District Notes

From Dr. Laatsch’s August 27th Community Message:

For the first day of school, August 30th, and the first week of school, we will be requiring and enforcing mask wearing for all students and staff in all grades in this “high” phase of COVID-19 transmission. If a student forgets a mask, we will have an ample supply and will provide a new one. Students are not permitted to go to class without a mask. For elementary students, mask breaks will occur at recess, snack time, and other times throughout the day.  For all students, mask breaks will occur during lunch and when teachers conduct outside events/activities/breaks.

Read entire message HERE.


Sweet Tweets of the Week

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Did You Know?540 School Lunch Illustrations & Clip Art - iStock

Did you know that ALL students receive a free breakfast and lunch this year due to a federal grant?  Students are able to come into the building starting at 8:30am for breakfast.  Check out the menus for breakfast and lunch HERE.


Ms. Sickler Reads!

 

Week of August 23rd – August 27th

A Note from Ms. Sickler

I am looking forward to saying HELLO to all Harvest families this Wednesday, August 25th from 5:30-7:00pm at our Open House.  In addition to visiting your child’s classroom and meeting their teacher, you will also be able to meet additional Harvest staff in their spaces, meet bus drivers in the bus loop, and play games & purchase Harvest gear on the Harvest playground.

Ms. Sickler


Upcoming Events 

Monday, August 23rd

  • 6:00pm – Facebook Live with Superintendent Laatsch and District Nurse Karan Hervey
    • Watch on Saline Area Schools Facebook 

Wednesday, August 25th

  • 5:00pm – Walk to Harvest Open House with Ms. Sickler & Dr. Laatsch!
    • Meet at the corner of Annandale Court and Bicentennial Parkwayat 5:00pm
    • RSVP HERE to walk to Open House
  • 5:30-7:00pm – Harvest Open House
    • Medications (with the completed form) can be dropped off at the Harvest Office during Open House
    • Washtenaw County is in the “Substantial” phase of COVID-19 transmission.  This means that SAS will be requiring face masks at our Open House. This will be a crowded event and we want to make sure that everyone is safe who plans to attend.
    • It is a requirement that everyone wears a mask for this Open House event unless one of the following exemption categories have been satisfied:
      • A child under the age of 2 years;
      • A person with a disability who cannot wear a mask, or cannot safely wear a mask, for reasons related to the disability;
      • A person for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to workplace health, safety, or job duty as determined by the workplace risk assessment

Sunday, August 29th

  • 12:00 – 8:00pm – Chalk the Walk
    • All welcome! Drop-in when you can to chalk the walk and welcome the students back to school. Let’s send them off with a smile & start this school year with positivity. Draw, write, & doodle happy messages. Bring chalk if you have it. Think about bus loop, walk from the parent lot, etc. Let’s do this for the kids!!

PTA Points

Help make the Harvest Open House a big success by volunteering!  It takes lots of people to make it happen and we welcome your help.  Please sign up to help direct people and move them about the open house (entrances and then to the playground) and also to help sell merchandise.  Last year was a challenging year for all so let’s kick this year off with a fun, back-to-school open house!

  • Sign up to volunteer at Open House HERE

Support the PTA and help welcome the kids for their first week back to school.  You will help by making sure the kids getting off the buses know where to go and get in the appropriate class line.

  • Sign up to volunteer as a bus greeter HERE

Support the PTA and help out the kids with their first week of lunch at school. Make sure they know where to go, help open things (juice boxes, applesauces, etc), and are following the rules. Most importantly, be a warm, friendly, masked face!

  • Sign up to volunteer as a lunch helper HERE

Quick Links

District

Transportation

Harvest


District Notes

From Dr. Laatsch’s August 20th’s Community Message:

I do know this. ALL of our parents and community members care about three things:

  1. Getting our students back to 5 days a week of in-person instruction

  2. The social-emotional well being and academic achievement of our students

  3. Working towards a day when all of these Covid protocols (including mask-wearing) are unnecessary

Most of us are feeling some loss and despair regarding the grip that COVID-19 still holds on our community and our children in particular. Many of you have expressed concerns that mask-wearing is detrimental to children’s social-emotional well-being. I understand this concern. However, there are ways that children (and adults) can offset any of these social-emotional concerns as referenced in our Continue to Learn Plan – Community Frequently Asked Questions document (see “Mask Wearing” question #4). We are also going to be working with our teachers to provide frequent mask breaks, especially for our youngest learners, so they can “see” each other on a regular basis. 

Read entire message HERE.


Sweet Tweets of the Week

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Did You Know?

Did you know that on Wednesday. September 1st, anyone who wears Saline gear gets free admission to the Saline Fair?  Learn more HERE.

Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year

The 2021-2022 school year is right around the corner. I’m so excited to be welcoming so many students back to Harvest this year. I will use this blog to keep you updated with all the Harvest Happenings!  Please be on the lookout for weekly updates each Sunday at 3:00pm.


Save the Dates

Coming up this week:

  • Thursday, August 19th
    • Teacher Placement Letters shared electronically
    • 5:30-6:30pm New to Harvest?  Meet Ms. Sickler and PTA representatives on the Harvest Playground
    • 7:00pm Facebook Live Q&A session with Dr. Varsha Moudgal, St. Joe’s Infectious Disease Specialist on Saline Area Schools Facebook

Upcoming Events:

  • Wednesday, August 25th
    • 5:30-7:00pm Open House
      • Doors will not open until 5:30 p.m., so teachers have time to finish getting ready for your visit
      • PTA will be selling Harvest gear on the playground during Open House
  • Monday, August 30th
    • Young 5s & Kindergarten Students: Orientation Day.  Please refer to your welcome letter from your child’s teacher as to your scheduled time.  Note: Tuesday, August 31st will be the first day of transportation and the first full day of school for Young 5s and Kindergarten students.
    • 1st – 3rd Grade Families: First Day of School

Dr. Laatsch’s Community Message

From Dr. Laatsch’s August 13th Community Message:

Current  Phase – COVID-19 Transmission

Washtenaw County is currently in the “substantial” phase of Covid transmission. During this phase, the CDC is recommending the use of masks in indoor spaces. As a result, SAS is now recommending the use of masks indoors in our facilities for all students and staff, particularly when in crowded spaces. However, this is not a requirement and mask-wearing will not be enforced at this point. 

We have announced that IF Washtenaw County is in the “substantial” phase (or higher) of Covid transmission as we start hosting events with a greater density of students, staff, and community members, SAS will be requiring mask wearing for all participants. Examples of events include WEB, Link Crew, Schedule Pick-Up, and Open Houses. SAS will communicate with stakeholders about mask-wearing requirements at these events. 

For the first day of school, August 30th, we will be requiring mask wearing for all students and staff in all grades IF we are in the “substantial” or “high” phase of Covid transmission. If we are in the “low” or “moderate” phase of transmission, we will be requiring mask wearing for all students and staff in grades Y5-6th grade AND recommending (not requiring) mask wearing for all students and staff in grades 7 and higher.

We will be referring to this CDC COVID  Data Tracker  (consistent with the Washtenaw County Health Department’s tracking process) when making decisions related to these 4 phases of COVID-19 transmission (low, moderate, substantial, and high). Every Friday, I will communicate out to the SAS Community to explain what phase of Covid transmission we are in AND what our mask requirements will be for the upcoming week.

Read entire message HERE.


I can’t wait to get the year started with all of you. Let’s make 2021-2022 something special!

Ms. Sickler