Equipment Return Instructions

Dear Parents,

A letter was sent home late last week notifying you of our process for returning school materials this week. Starting tomorrow Thursday, May 21st, the school will begin taking school materials that were checked out for distance learning from 8-4. Just as a reminder, if your last name begins with A-L you will start this process at the elementary gym (please use far left doors to enter.) If your last name starts with M-Z please check in at the high school front doors. Please follow the signs, and listen to staff members as they will guide you through this process.

A couple of reminders:

*No more than 2 members of a family are allowed in thes school at a time (please do not bring infants or children younger than school age into the facilities, as well as elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system)

*If you or any family members are not feeling well, show any symptoms of Covid 19, DO NOT come to the school. We will schedule another time for your family.

*Students grades K-6 will need to be accompanied by an adult

*Personal items will not be passed out to you until you have handed in ALL items the school checked out to you. This includes technology, classroom texts, library books, etc.

*We will have carts and staff available to help larger families get all their materials into the gym for check in

*Please utilize the safety precautions we have available such as using the gloves and hand sanitizer provided, keeping a distance between yourself and other families, following the entrance and exit signs, we also encourage you to wear a mask when entering the building, however, it's not mandated.

The four dates for the material check in are:
Thursday, May 21st 8-4
Friday, May 22nd 8-4
Tuesday, May 26th 8-4
and Wednesday, May 27th 8-4

Thank you all for your cooperation! Sincerely, Ms. Wright

FFA- Hired Hand Sale!

There will be no FFA Banquet this year. However we would still like to have a Hire Hand sale. Below is a list of students that want to work. Employers will contact Mr. Whitney, he will put the buyer in contact with a student. Students will work one 8 hour day, and you pay the chapter $120.00. Students will be first come first serve. The first person to contact Mr. Whitney will get the first pick as to who they have work for them, and so on. Please email Mr. Whitney at sethw 'at' ekalaka.k12.mt.us let him know your first choice. He will get back to you if the student is still available.

Thank you for supporting the Carter County FFA

Here is the list

Item Check-in Procedure:

May 15th, 2020

Dear Parents,

As our school year comes to an end, we are now planning for the return of all the school’s materials that were passed out in mid March for distance learning. These materials include any textbooks, Chromebooks, chargers, Ipads, classroom novels, calculators, JetPacks, instruments and any other materials that belong to the school.

We will have a checklist from teachers to mark down what materials need to be returned to us per grade level/teacher and this does include technology. This checklist will be used by our staff to mark materials “checked in.” Once all materials are returned, you will be able to grab your child’s personal items. (We have these packed up and placed in bags/boxes.)

The first check-in day will be next Thursday, May 21st from 8-4. followed by Friday, May 22nd, Tuesday, May 26th, and Wednesday, May 27th. We will have staff available to collect and distribute personal items from 8-4 (our regular school hours.) I would encourage parents to try to bring in materials the first two days (Thursday and Friday.)We will have the most help those first two days.

The organization of this process is by the family's last name. If your last name begins with letters A-L your designated drop off site will be the elementary gym. If your last name begins with M-Z your designated drop off site will be the high school gym. Tables will be set up by alphabetical order- you will find your table and drop off ALL materials at that table to be checked in. From there our staff will distribute materials as needed.

To limit the amount of people in our building and to follow social distancing guidelines, we will only be allowing up to 10 people in the gym area at a time. We also have to consider our staff within that number. We will be monitoring at the front door the amount of people in and out. *There could be a wait time/waitlist if we have too many people at once. Please note that no more than 2 people per family will be allowed to be in the building. We ask that there be at least one adult assisting students grades K-6. Students grades 7-12 can bring in materials without an adult present.

Thank you for your patience in this process of materials collection/ personal items distribution. Remember to check into the front door of the building either at the elementary school (last names A-L) and at the high school (last names M-Z.) We appreciate your cooperation and encourage you to wear a mask while in the building, use hand sanitizer at the door, and keep your distance from others in the building while returning materials.

Sincerely,

Ms. Wright

2020 Recording of Graduation

Ekalaka Public Schools after May 7th

Dear Parents and Students,

Last week, Governor Bullock announced that schools would be reopened on May 7th during Phase II of his plan. However, the Ekalaka Board of Trustees and Ekalaka Teachers Union agreed at the April 22nd Special Board Meeting, to continue distance learning until the end of the school year (May 21st, 2020) regardless of the possibility of having students back into the buildings. This decision was made based on the best interest of the health and safety of our children and community. Public health officials support this decision. All grade levels K-12 will continue with the Ekalaka Distance Learning Plan which has been our platform of getting quality instruction to students during this time of national crisis. It is important that your child continue checking their online classes daily and completing all assignments. These grades are counted towards their instructional hours (for grades 4-12) which is how students progress to the next grade level, receive credits for courses, and it also affects district funding from the state.

Remote Student Work

Our students have been hard at work with their remote learning programs. Below is an example that looks for mathematical concepts in the world. Parallel and Perpendicular Lines by Shayne Enos.

Summer Food Service Program

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally assisted meal program that provides free, nutritious meals and snacks to kids throughout the summer months when school is out. The SFSP is administered in Montana by the Office of Public Instruction School Nutrition Programs. Click "Read More" to find more information and links to find a program near you.

Follow this link to the Summer Food Service Program website.https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-food-service-program

Follow this link to find a program near you! https://www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks

Classes update:

We realize that parents and students are working very hard right now to make distance learning work at home. In an effort to relieve some stress and workload of students grades 4-6, EPS's specialty classes (music, band, P.E., counseling, & library) will be "supplemental" -as in not graded for this last quarter. During this difficult time of adjusting to a new schooling style, we'd like you to focus on your core classes at this time. Then, when you have completed that work, check in with your specialty teachers for some extra activities. Sincerely, Ms. Wright

K-3 distance learning materials

Parents,
K-3 distance learning materials for the next two weeks are ready for pick up at the elementary entryway. Pick up at your own convenience! There is also a place to drop off work or any materials you need to return to the classroom teacher. Thank you for your hard work! Hang in there parents, we know this is not easy to do at home.

Ms. Wright

Students: We Miss You!