If your family is in need of anything (snacks, school supplies, winter gear, holiday help, or tangibles in general) please reach out to our school social worker, Terri Pickett (pickettt@salineschools.org/734-401-4509), or myself. We can confidentially work with you to help support your family.
Having zoom issues? Check to see that your iPad or Chromebook has four or less tabs open. We have seen multiple situations where students have had 15-20 tabs open and they are having lagging issues with Zoom. Please remind students about the “Friendly 4!”
6:30pm – Board of Education Meeting (Liberty Board Room)
There is a new call in number to be used for public comment as we have moved from the previous Zoom meeting format to a live stream platform. The number is 734-272-4365.
Wednesday, October 14th
BLUE DAY
Thursday, October 15th
GOLD DAY
Friday, October 16th
NO SCHOOL – MID- FALL BREAK
Save the Dates
October 30th – Early Release Day #1, Professional Development for all K-12 Staff
Week of October 19th – Hybrid student schedule is Blue/Gold/Blue/Gold/Async. **On Monday, SAS Administration announces intended schedule for October 26th and the weeks following
PTA Points
In the Spring of 2020, many families donated toys and games to send to Mott’s Children’s Hospital. The toys and games have been at Harvest awaiting the time when they could be donated. On Friday we were finally able to get the donations to Mott’s. Thank you to all who donated!
Sweet Tweets of the Week
Did You Know?
Did you know that Highlights Magazine has free puzzle games, stories, crafts, and printable activities for kids ages 4-12? Check it out HERE.
Picture Day this Monday (Blue) and Tuesday (Gold)! Students will have their picture taken during the school day. If you are a virtual student and still need your picture taken, contact the Harvest Office to plan a time for you to come to Harvest on Monday or Tuesday.
Wednesday, October 7th is Count Day. This is an important day for Saline Area Schools because attendance on this day largely determines how the District will be funded for this school year.
Therefore, on this day, it will be necessary for us to make a “2-way interaction” with each student. This will primarily be accomplished by taking attendance during the daily “morning meeting” for those students who will be at home (virtual mode and GOLD students) and an in-person attendance check for the BLUE students who will be at Harvest.
If a student is sick or unable to be checking in on this day, there is a process to monitor the student’s attendance before and after Count Day for a certain period of time. However, the easiest way to capture attendance on this day is to have your child present for the LIVE check-in/activity.
Please help monitor your child’s teachers’ plans for this day in order to have as many students checking in for attendance on October 7th as possible.
We appreciate your help in making Count Day (October 7th) run as smoothly as possible.
In-Person Students: Here is the schedule and rotation for the days that you are in school.
On the days that you are not in school, click on the corkboard for activities. This will also be shared via SeeSaw on Monday.
Virtual Students: You will be back following your daily special schedule.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Kindergarten
Media
Lab
Art
PE
Music
1st Grade
Music
Media
Lab
Art
PE
2nd Grade
PE
Music
Media
Lab
Art
3rd Grade
Art
PE
Music
Media
Lab
District Notes
Homecoming week is next week! This year’s theme … Hollywood Mask-erade! In addition, every school is following the same spirit week days alongside the SHS Student Council.
In addition to tagging SHS Student Council, use #HarvestLearn and tag us @HarvestElemSAS so we can see your amazing spirit!
We are beyond excited to have you back in the building starting on Monday (for BLUE students) and Tuesday (for GOLD students). Please take a look at our Harvest In-Person Toolkit that gives more information about procedures and ways we will be keeping our students safe when at school.
Morning Drop-Off
Watch this quick video where my friends Addie, Cece, and Ali help show how we are lining up in the morning!
Please refrain from dropping off your child(ren)/walking your child(ren) to their lines prior to 8:30am.
Afternoon Pick-Up
Please stay on the grass away from the teacher pick-up spot until your child is in their spot with their teacher.
Once you have picked up your child, please immediately head to your car so we have enough space to socially distance.
Picture Day is coming up on October 5th (Blue) and October 6th (Gold). Students will get their pictures taken in school during the day.
I am so impressed to see the growth that has already occurred in the virtual classrooms. Students continue to amaze me showcasing their ways to share learning and connect with their peers. It does not go unnoticed the level of commitment of families to make this happen, thank you for all you are doing to support your child(ren).
October 16th – No school for students & staff, Mid- Fall Break
October 30th – Early Release Day #1, Professional Development for all K-12 Staff
PTA Points
We need volunteers for Monday, September 28 through Friday, October 2. If you can assist with greeting the students and helping them find their class line-up, please sign up HERE.
Did you know that we have a new secretary at Harvest Elementary School? Please welcome Alyssa Dawson to our Harvest family!
From Ms. Dawson:
Hello! My name is Alyssa Dawson or Ms. Dawson and I am the new secretary for Harvest Elementary. I have worked with students for many years in Saline Community Ed through our youth theatre programs. Theatre is a great passion of mine and I love to see what our Saline students create through the arts. I love to travel, especially student travel. I’ve also had the opportunity in recent years to take students on a few international trips to London, Italy, and Paris, before the pandemic became an issue! If you can’t tell from the photo, I absolutely love Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter! Pooh has been my favorite Disney character for a long time and your students may see him masked up on my desk. I love to read and I have over 200 books in my own personal library and it’s an ever growing collection. I am so excited to get to know your students throughout this year, even if it might look a little different!
This week is an asynchronous week of instruction for our Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade learners. Your child’s classroom teacher will start each day with a live morning meeting and provide independent learning opportunities and feedback via Seesaw. Additionally, they will be meeting with students one-on-one to complete a reading assessment.
For assessments, we need accurate information on what your child can do independently. This shows us what we need to teach them moving forward. Please do not help or assist in any way. There are no judgments or rankings. We truly just want to gather information so we can best meet your child’s needs.
Ms. Sickler
For our virtual families who are spending the year at Harvest, here are the links to your “home school” updates.
This week our specials team will be offering live webinars three times a day as a complement to our classroom’s asynchronous activities. Click HERE for the enrichment calendar and join the enrichment classes that fit your interest and schedule.
Click HERE to check out the latest version (updated weekly) of the CLP.
Upcoming Events
Monday, September 21st
Tuesday, September 22nd
6:30pm – Board of Education Meeting (in-person and streamed)
There is a new call-in number to be used for public comment. The number is 734-272-4365.
Wednesday, September 23rd
Thursday, September 24th
Harvest 4 Day!
Friday, September 25th
Save the Dates
September 28th – “In-Person” students begin hybrid learning at Harvest
October 16th – No school for students & staff, Mid- Fall Break
October 30th – Early Release Day #1, Professional Development for all K-12 Staff
PTA Points
We need volunteers for Monday, September 28 through Friday, October 2. If you can assist with greeting the students and helping them find their class line-up, please sign up HERE.
Week one, check! Thank you for your support, patience, and grace as we worked together to provide ways for your child to connect, learn, and find joy this week. Even with the buildings being mostly empty of students, it was still pretty special to see the energy that radiated through computer screens. I was able to “see” students as a mystery reader, check out reading spots on SeeSaw, and learn about students sharing during small group times. Check out this “sneak peek” of just one of our hallways during a learning block…
Students who are in a hybrid/in-person teaching class, please read this important message:
The week of September 21st will be an asynchronous week of instruction for our K-5 learners. Teachers will be reaching out to schedule a time to complete your child’s Screening #1- Individual Reading Assessment (Running Record). This one on one time with your child will offer valuable feedback and insight to drive literacy instruction. For this week, your child will have more asynchronous lessons to allow your teacher to be able to meet with students in person or virtually for the screening. You can still expect your child’s classroom and specials teachers to schedule live touchpoints (more details to follow) with the class, provide meaningful learning opportunities for students, and offer feedback via Seesaw.
There will be a second screening assessment, Screening #2 (Acadience), that will be coordinated when students are back in-person during the hybrid period.
Students who are in a fully virtual teaching class, please read this message:
The week of September 21st will be an asynchronous week of instruction for our K-5 learners to allow Saline Area Schools virtual students to complete two academic screenings. For this week, your child will have more asynchronous lessons to allow your teacher to be able to meet with students in person or virtually for the screenings. You can still expect your child’s classroom and specials teachers to schedule live touchpoints (more details to follow) with the class, provide meaningful learning opportunities for students, and offer feedback via Seesaw.
Your family will need to sign up for two different screening sessions:
Screening #1 (Individual Reading Assessment (Running Record): This one on one time with your child will offer valuable feedback and insight to drive literacy instruction. It will be scheduled through your child’s classroom teacher. Please look for a sign-up in the near future. The screening will occur during the week of September 21st. This screening may take place at Harvest or virtually. The time needed for the screening is based on grade level and will be determined from the teacher’s sign-up.
Screening #2 (Acadience): This will be scheduled at Liberty School (or in virtual format) where you will gather materials and your child will be screened for 15 minutes by one of our literacy specialists. It will also take place during the week of September 21st.
Please sign up for a one-on-one 15 min screening slot here. The 1st-5th grade whole group portion of the screening will be done virtually with your classroom teacher using paper copies you will get ahead of time. If your child has an IEP, please communicate with their case manager to determine whether you should sign up for a slot as they may already have plans to conduct this assessment themselves.
Families with multiple students, please sign up as quickly as possible if you wish for all of your children to be assessed at the same time. Although we recommend your child be screened in person to maintain the integrity of the assessment, we are offering a limited number of virtual spots. You can find more information and important guidelines for each option below:
If you have any questions about any aspect of this assessment plan, please let me or your classroom teacher know.
Again, thank you for a great start to the virtual school year!
Harvest Specials
Stuck working on your assignment? Your special teacher will be available from 12:00-12:30pm on your assigned day to help you! Find your special teacher’s Zoom link on the SeeSaw Journal page.
Beginning on September 28th, we are planning to begin hybrid. This would mean that students (who selected the “in-person” model of instruction) would attend on an alternating daily schedule, referenced as Blue/Gold days.
Students whose last name begins with:
A-K would attend on Blue Days
L-Z would attend on Gold Days
Note, in order to balance the number of students in attendance, classroom teachers may be reaching out to make individual shifts to the model above.
It was wonderful seeing so many of you this week during Meet-and-Greets. I know I can speak on behalf of the entire Harvest staff when I say how much we all enjoyed meeting each and every one of you and having you back at Harvest, even for a short time! If you were unable to pick up your device and back to school bag, please contact your child’s teacher so we can arrange a time for you to get your child’s materials.
This year, more than ever, we need to form a strong home-school connection. If you have any questions or if there is anything you need, please contact me.
Emily
And a note from the Harvest Specials Team…
We are so excited to begin working with your child in our specials classes this year. Below, you will find the schedule for our specials rotation for the first three weeks of school. Your child should work to complete the lesson for that special on that day. You will find each specials class listed in your child’s Seesaw. By clicking your child’s name in the upper left corner, this will drop down a menu of class choices and your child can switch into their correct special for the day. We do understand that getting adjusted to this schedule and creating a work at home environment that isn’t overwhelming can be difficult. We will be assigning weekly activities to assess learning and understanding, but want to offer some flexibility. We are hopeful that each activity will be completed before the next time your child is scheduled to have each special since many of our lessons build upon the learning done in the previous week. If you need help or clarification, please feel free to reach out to any of the specials teachers and we would be happy to help you.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Young 5s
NO SCHOOL
Art
PE
Music
Media
Kindergarten
Lab
Art
PE
Music
1st Grade
Media
Lab
Art
PE
2nd Grade
Music
Media
Lab
Art
3rd Grade
PE
Music
Media
Lab
District Notes
If conditions are conducive for in-person instruction, the district plan is to begin a hybrid attendance model beginning September 28th. This would mean that students (who selected the “in-person” model of instruction) would attend on an alternating daily schedule, referenced as Blue/Gold days.
Students whose last name begins with:
A-K would attend on Blue Days
L-Z would attend on Gold Days
Note, in order to balance the number of students in attendance, classroom teachers may be reaching out to make individual shifts to the model above.
Last Thursday was an exciting day as emails were sent out to families sharing who their child’s teacher will be for the 2020-2021 school year! On Friday, you should have received an email from your child’s teacher scheduling a meet-and-greet this week. We look forward to safely welcoming you to socially distanced spaces set up in the front of Harvest this week. If you did not receive an email with your child’s teacher for the 2020-2021 school year, please let me know. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you are unable to attend the meet-and-greet so we can plan an alternate time for your child to get their device and other materials to set them up for success.
–Ms. Sickler
District Notes
Superintendent Graden’s 8/28 Community Message:
We are quickly approaching the starting line of the 2020-2021 school year, which will be unlike any we have experienced before. Our staff continues to dedicate time to meet each child’s academic, social and emotional needs both in and out of the classroom. Our Board of Education, Foundation for Saline Area Schools and district leadership are committed to providing students with the necessary tools to ensure success. We are all busy navigating uncharted waters to prepare our buildings and resources for an unusual return.
Look for an email each day this week to help onboard for the 2020-2021 school year.
Save the Dates
PTA Points
Looking for Harvest Spirit Wear? You can now order online and pick-up at the school! Visit our shop Harvest-PTO.square.site
Sweet Tweets of the Week
Did You Know?
Did you know that the local public health department and CDC do not recommend that on-site screening be conducted by schools due to the time and interruption to education this would cause?
We need your commitment to screen your child(ren) daily for the 2020-2021 school year, unless otherwise directed. Please also understand and commit to call Saline Area Schools as soon as possible to let them know if your child is not going to school due to potential COVID-19 symptoms.
Ms. Sickler Reads!
Taken from the 19-20 archives, Ms. Sickler reads Come With Me.
I have had the chance to talk or email with many of you these past few weeks. How lucky I am to serve as a principal to a building with such a strong home-school connection. We are stronger together! I have included a few common questions and answers below.
When will I find out who my child’s teacher is for the 20-21 school year?
You will receive an email this THURSDAY with your child’s Teacher Welcome Letter. This email will also include a suggested supply list.
Will my child get a device this year?
YES! Each Young 5 – 2nd grade student will receive an iPad to use this year. Each 3rd grade student will receive a Chromebook to use this year.
When will we get our child’s device?
Teachers will be organizing an in-person, socially distanced meet and greet during the week of August 31-September 3rd. During this time students will be able to pick up their device and other materials to set them up for success. Teachers will send out more information about the meet and greet after Thursday’s teacher letter is sent.
What if I am unable to come to the meet and greet?
Teachers will make alternate plans to connect with families who are unable to attend any of the meet and greet times. Additionally, there will be time to pick up devices September 8th – September 11th.
Feel free to email me with any lingering questions.
In partnership,
Ms. Sickler
District Notes
An excerpt from Superintendent Graden’s 8/21 Community Message:
Since our buildings closed in March, we have listened and learned from our families, our educators, our support staff and our surrounding health organizations. The result is our detailed district plan – titled “ConnectedLearningPlan (CLP),” which you can locate HERE. The document is a guide and will be updated regularly based on your feedback and the fluid health updates we receive. Please reference the date on the front page when accessing the latest version.
Welcome to the FIRST weekly blog update for the 2020-2021 School Year! Each Sunday you will receive an email with an updated blog post. You will notice that the blog contains the same sections each week:
A Note From Ms. Sickler – Harvest specific updates
District Notes – updates from Superintendent Graden, Community Education, or Board of Education
Upcoming Events – information about the current week
Save the Dates – upcoming dates/events
PTA Points – updates from our Harvest PTA
Sweet Tweets of the Week – 1-2 Twitter posts related to Harvest
Did You Know? – a tidbit about our school, district/ community, or resource for your family
Ms. Sicker Reads – a book read aloud by Ms. Sickler
About four months ago, our Harvest staff created a video with a message to remind our students how much we care and love them. It seemed fitting to reshare as we prepare for the 20-21 school year. Although we do not have all the answers about exactly what the beginning of school will look like, the message in this video continues to ring true!
Ms. Sickler
District Notes
Hornet Homeroom provides a safe space for students to access their online instruction from September 8th – September 25th. Link to register HERE.
Upcoming Events
Monday, August 17th
Tuesday, August 18th
Wednesday, August 19th
Thursday, August 20th
Yearbook Pick-Up at Harvest (9-11am, 4-6pm)
Friday, August 21st
Save the Dates
PTA Points
Our yearbooks are here! PTA graciously purchased a yearbook for all 19-20 families that did not already purchase one. We are assured all families will receive a yearbook from this very unprecedented year.
Yearbook Pick Up at Harvest
Thursday, August 20th from 9-11am and 4-6pm outside of the Harvest main entrance
Safety guidelines:
Stand 6 ft apart
Masks are required
If you are unable to pick-up a yearbook on the 20th, please contact Emily Sickler. She will schedule a different pick-up time with individual families.
Sweet Tweets of the Week
Did You Know?
Did you know that Cub Scouts Pack 420, based at Harvest Elementary/Heritage is actively recruiting for 2020-2021?
Since some students will be receiving all of their school education virtually this year, and those who are learning in person will have fewer interactions with other classrooms, Scouts is an ideal opportunity for improved socialization while maintaining safety and getting an education beyond the classroom. We welcome all boys and girls, from K-5th grades.
Yesterday you should have received the district survey that will collect your back-to-school preference for each child in your family. The survey was sent by a third party, K12 Insight, and could have ended up in your spam folder. Additionally, the survey was only sent to one email address from our PowerSchool system. If you did not receive the survey, please use this link to request a survey: https://survey.k12insight.com/r/Request-Link-SAS-Reopening-Survey
Tomorrow at 11:00 am I will be holding a Webinar where Harvest families will have a chance to ask questions.
Feel free to email me if you would like to discuss any individual questions/concerns you have prior to the survey closing on Sunday. I will be checking email and getting back to families all weekend.
