MCS Reminders from Mrs. Wenck - Friday, 9/24/21
Milford Central School
Reminders from Mrs. Wenck
Friday, September 24, 2021
Good Evening,
Yes, it is Friday again and I am so very pleased that we are still in person after three weeks of school!
Our fall sports teams are in full swing, and whatever your preference, check out the school website for game times. In addition to our own teams we have students playing soccer with Laurens, football and swimming with Cooperstown, and running cross country with Morris. Hopefully, you can match up a game time with your personal schedule and attend a game!
Enjoy the fall colors this weekend. They are starting to beautify our hills and valleys.
Mrs. Romona N. Wenck
Important Information and Reminders
*1. COVID update: Last week I shared that we have been required to quarantine our first students. This week we have been experiencing several symptomatic students, but so far, everyone tested negative for COVID. (There must be another virus going around.) We continue to have “close contact” situations and most recently we even had a parent test positive. A special “thank you” to those parents who have kept their symptomatic children at home and who have been diligent in notifying the school nurse with regard to the own health and that of their children. All of these efforts are working as we are still in school!!
*2. A note from the Otsego County Department of Health: With the recent upsurge in cases, the state's contact tracing staff has been stretched to the limit. As a result, going forward, contact tracers will only attempt to reach school contacts a total of 6 times over the course of two days before closing out that record as unreachable. If that happens, those school contacts will NOT have any quarantine paperwork.
In an effort to make contacting more efficient the DOH is asking people to please answer the phone when called. The call will come from a 518 area code and usually says NYS Contact Tracing. THERE IS NO NUMBER FOR PARENTS TO CALL BACK IF THEY MISS THE CALL. They MUST answer the call when it is made. Your help with this is greatly appreciated.
*3. Virtual Open House:
Due to the increasing number of positive COVID cases in Otsego, our consistent efforts to keep everyone as safe as possible and our students in school, we have decided to move to a “Virtual Open House Concept” this year. On September 30th, videos created by each of our elementary teachers will be posted to the school website. We encourage all parents to view their children’s teacher as they are taken on a “virtual tour” of the classroom!
*4. 5 week mid-quarter Progress Reports: It is hard to believe but next Friday, October 1st, marks the mid-way point of the 1st quarter of the school year. Teachers of grades 6-12 will have all their students grades to date posted. Parents are encouraged to check into their eSchool account to see how their children are doing at this point in the school year. It may be early, but checking to make sure your children are turning in their work, and performing well on assessments is an important step starting the school year off on a positive note!
Additional Reminders:
Daily Arrival to and Dismissal from School: I think we are all getting really good at this!!
Daily Arrival: If you are bringing your children to school, arrive between 7:30 – 7:45am. Parents are not to enter the parking lot when the buses are in the lot. The school doors will open at 7:30am for those parents needing to bring their child(ren) to school.
Daily Dismissal: Please do not to enter the school parking lot between 2:30pm and 3:10pm; rather make every effort to pick up your child at 3:10pm. Also, please make every effort to schedule appointments so that you can pick up your child either before 2:30pm or after 3:10pm. Students waiting to be picked up will do so in the lobby area/entrance to the school or in the cafeteria.
As was started on Monday, September 13th, students who are walking may be picked up at the back door of the cafeteria. THIS IS FOR WALKERS ONLY. Parents who are driving are asked to follow the times above.
Universal Masking Requirement:
As was shared at our recent presentation of the Return to School Plan, the State of New York Department of Health has issued a Mandatory Mask requirement for everyone in school. All students, staff and any person entering the school building must properly wear a mask. Please see the “Return to School Plan” located on the school website for details.
I would like to thank everyone for complying with this requirement. Our students continue to be great about both wearing their masks and social distancing. If this is going to help us stay in school and able to provide in-person instruction I will wear a mask for as long as it takes!
Thank you for your continued support!!
News from the School Based Health Center:
The SBHC has vaccine and can vaccinate students, age 12 and above. Students can be signed up to receive the vaccine on Tuesdays, from 8:00am – 4:00pm, and on Fridays, from 12:00noon to 4:00pm.
Presently, we have about 55% of SBHC of our students who are enrolled in SBHC. Your child must be enrolled to receive the vaccine and you can enroll your child at any time.
Call 286-7909 to sign up for the vaccine and/or enroll your child.
No child will be able to sign up for the vaccine without written parental consent. Consent forms are available in the SBHC.
News from the Milford PTSA(Parent/Teacher/Student Association):
The Milford Wildcats PTSA yearly membership is due. The link to purchase a membership is: https://milfordwildcats.memberhub.com/store
Membership to the PTSA helps to support the PTSA insurance and provides school related activities like the community barbeque. Our first PTSA meeting will be September 23rd, 2021, at 7:00 pm in the cafeteria. We hope to see you there!!