August 2022

2022-2023 MAZE

You should have recently received an email from FUSD regarding the MAZE registration process. If you have not done so already, please register and update information ASAP (window closes on August 17). If you need assistance completing the online registration, we will be offering MAZE Day support on August 11, 1:00 - 4:00 PM at MSJE.

Office Business and Visitor Policy

When possible our office staff prefers to support parents and families via email or phone. Please be sure your child(ren) has all of their belongings (backpack, lunch, water bottle, etc) upon school arrival. Our office will not accept any late drop-offs of lunches, water bottles, or other items.

All visitors must be pre-approved by the teacher and principal. All visitors must be fully vaccinated. All visitors must check in at the office prior to going into a classroom.

Covid-19 Safety and Protocols

As a reminder, it is extremely important that if your child is exhibiting any of the following symptoms they must be kept home and get tested. Symptoms include:

• Fever (above 100.0 degrees) or chills

• Sore throat

• Cough

• New loss of taste or smell

• Headache

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Congestion or runny nose

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

If your child will be absent, please promptly report the absence. If you have tested your child, please wait until you have results before you send your child to school. If they test positive, please keep your child home and follow the guidelines as directed on the COVID-19 Flowchart. More information can be found on the FUSD Parent/Student COVID protocols page.

Masks

Masks are strongly recommended to be worn inside FUSD facilities.

For 10 days after known exposure, and for 10 days after infection if completing a shortened isolation, masks are:

• Required for staff

• Strongly recommended for students

Masks for students and staff are available in the school office.

Masks will be required for staff in the event of outbreaks as determined by ACPHD under Cal/OSHA guidance.

COVID-19 Testing

FUSD will continue to provide testing opportunities to our staff and students, with an increased emphasis on antigen testing, per recommendations in the CDPH Testing Framework for K–12 Schools for the 2022–2023 School Year.

FUSD will continue to implement testing requirements for unvaccinated employees set forth in the State Public Health Officer Order of August 11, 2021.

Notifications

FUSD will provide timely notifications of on-campus exposures as the District is informed of positive cases.

The following notifications continue to be required:

• General/Site notices to staff

• Exposure/Close contact notifications for staff

Additionally, FUSD will provide the following for our community:

• Exposure notifications to parents/guardians (group tracing)

• A simplified summary of self-reported COVID-19 positive cases with on-campus exposures, updated weekly

Attendance and Tardies

Daily attendance and being on time are crucial factors in how successful children are in school. You are helping your children to set lifelong patterns when you prioritize their attendance in school and their arrival on time. Tardies interfere with instruction in the classroom, both in terms of the time the student is missing from the classroom and the disruption the student causes when he/she arrives. Education Code 48260.5 has strict guidelines for families to follow when truancy (absences) or tardies are a concern. A letter will be sent home to notify you when your child’s attendance record begins to suffer. Please help us to help your child learn responsible work habits by getting them to school on time every day.

MSJE Revised Food/Birthday/Celebration Policy

Non-food celebrations and rewards are encouraged. Examples are birthday book club, party games, pencils, stickers, music, art projects, or teacher assistant of the day.

Food or beverages offered to students during school activities, celebrations, parties, and recognitions, shall follow the following guidelines:

1. Celebrations involving food and beverages shall occur after the close of the lunch period.

2. Any food/beverages served to students must be store-bought and brought to school in original packaging with nutritional labels.

3. Parents/guardians must be notified prior to an event in which food/drink is offered to students. Alternatives may be provided by the parent.

Birthday favors provided by families may be distributed to classmates and shall follow the following guidelines:

• Parents/guardians must have pre-approval from the classroom teacher to send party favors.

• No students in the class shall be excluded.

• Favors shall not include any consumable items (food, drink, candy).

• Favors will be passed out within the last 10 minutes of the school day.

FUSD is Hiring

Paid positions available! See the links below for more information.

• Child Nutrition Assistant 1 (2022/2023 School Year) https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1631254

• Child Nutrition Assistant 2 (2022/2023 School Year) https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1631255

• Special Education Paraeducator 2: https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1609177

MSJE's School Site Council

Volunteer position available! The school Site Council is composed of parents/community members and school staff. Collaboratively we work to advance the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) for the continued growth of student success in order to close the achievement gap and enhance and enrich the school experience for all students. We are in need of one additional parent/community member to serve as an SSC member and one additional parent/community member to serve as an alternate on the SSC. The elected members/alternate would agree to serve a 2-year term and attend virtual (Zoom) SSC meetings 5 times per year (2nd Wednesdays of September, October, February, March, and May, 3:00 to 4:00 PM). NO EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY. Please contact Katy Carter kcarter@fusdk12.net if you would like to provide a nomination (or self-nomination).

Counselor's Corner

Greetings MSJE Families,

Welcome back to the 2022-2023 school year. I am so thrilled to return as your school counselor at MSJE. The school counseling program includes school-wide activities, classroom social-emotional lessons, small group counseling, and individual counseling. We support students with social-emotional development, self-management, social skills, maintaining friendships, and managing transitions.

Counseling is available to students to address school based concerns that create barriers to learning (for example: anger, self-esteem, anxiety, challenges with peers, etc.) This support is provided on a short-term basis to address immediate needs to ensure student success. Counseling referrals for students can be made through the request of a student, parent or staff member. You may visit our website for more information about our program.

As we start a new school year, it is normal for students to present a variety of different emotions and all feelings are okay. Below are links to resources to help guide a smooth transition back to school. In addition, there is a mindfulness section on our website, which provides strategies to cope during stressful times. Please feel free to reach out if your student needs additional support with this transition. I look forward to seeing all of our students and working with you again this school year.

Transition Back to School Resources:

• Parent’s Guide to Kindergarten Transition

• Taking Charge of Back to School Fears

• First Day of School Jitters

Best Regards,

Ko Vue

kvue@fusdk12.net

MSJE Community

Paperless fliers for community events, programs, and resources can be found at https://app.peachjar.com/flyers/all/schools/51584 . To sign up for automatic notifications, go to www.peachjar.com and click on 'Sign Up'.

Remember to also check MSJE's School Website for updates and information.