Newsletter #24

Dear parents,

Barracks lined up in the California desert: Manzanar was one of ten camps opened by the United States to park its citizens of Japanese origin after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a dark chapter of the story that is often overlooked. 

"We were treated like enemies," remembered Rosie Kakuuchi, a survivor now living in Las Vegas. "We lost our freedom, we were forced to get used to the horrible conditions," she recalled, as the 70th anniversary of the first nuclear bombing raid in history - Hiroshima, Japan - was commemorated.

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order establishing military exclusion zones where Japanese-Americans could be controlled. The American government set up ten concentration camps, in California, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Arkansas. More than 112,500 American-Japanese were forcibly settled there, or "relocated" according to the official expression, until 1945. A dark chapter in American history. 

This is when Bob Fletcher, a state agricultural inspector, became one of those heroes who may not have found his way into the history books, but whose heroic actions will never be forgotten by those who were helped in a time of terror and desperation. Despite disturbing and deep anti-Japanese sentiment, Bob Fletcher acted instinctively to help Japanese American farmers: he quit his job and put all his effort into saving farms belonging to the Nitta, Okamoto and Tsukamoto families in the Florin community of Sacramento as they were deported to the camps. Bob Fletcher successfully paid their mortgages, the taxes, and survived financially with what he was able to generate, and turned the rest of the profits — along with the farms — over to the three families when they returned to Sacramento in 1945.

While Roosevelt’s order was largely initiated by fears of sabotage and spying, paranoia and racism also played a central part. “They are a dangerous element, whether loyal or not,” John DeWitt, Army commanding general of the Western Defense Command, said at the time of people with Japanese backgrounds. “I am determined that if they have one drop of Japanese blood in them, they must go to camp,” echoed Colonel Karl Bendetsen, then the Administrator of Wartime Civil Control Administration. (3)

Humanity has repeatedly demonstrated its struggle to remember its mistakes of the past. Today, Ignorance again acts as a catalyst to a growing anti-Asian racism. An unacceptable outcome of misleading propaganda.

Like Bob Fletcher, the world needs heroes who may not find their way in the history books, heroes who are willing to stand up against racism. And as Richard Cohen believed, "Heroism is a matter of choice." And so as a community, we at UNIS have a choice, the choice to raise our voices, the choice to protect our friends, our neighbors, or an unknown person harassed in the subway or on the streets for being Asian.

As a school principal, I look at Bob Fletcher with admiration and respect. And I have the choice, not only the choice but the responsibility to say NO to racism. To say NO to anti-Asian racism. History is not only made by others. History can be made by us. Let's make history. Let's put a stop to ignorance and racism.

Angela Tolosa and her husband Emmanuel Ago are helping this effort in our community. Parents of Junior and Middle School students, they are actively engaged in the Diversity and Equity Committee at UNIS Parents' Association, alongside its co-chairs Lamson Lam and Cynthia Muffah (fellow Junior School parents). Today, in this Newsletter, Ms. Tolosa and Dr. Ago share an important article, "Supporting Asian/Pacific Islander Communities, Communities of Color, and an Antiracist School: Understanding the Impact of Microaggressions in Our Everyday Lives."

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal 

Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal

(1) Japanese American Internment, Totally History

(2) Bob Fletcher, who saved farms of interned Japanese Americans, dies at 101, Washington Post, June 2013

(3) 'Honest' Farmer Remembered for Saving Crops of Japanese-Americans Sent to WWII Internment Camps. People, February 2020

• Tuesday, March 23 -  Mindful Parenting in an Upside-Down World 7:30 - 8:45 (REGISTRATION)  Click Here to join the session on 3/23

• Friday, March 26 -  I.B. Visual Arts Exhibition Virtual Opening 5:00 - 7:00pm (look for livestream link - details in this newsletter)

• 6-Part Parent Workshop Series: Mindful Parenting in an Upside-Down World on Tuesdays from 7:30 - 8:45 (REGISTRATION) 

• Tuesday, March 30  Click Here to join the session

• April 5 through April 16 – No Classes for Students – Spring Break (travel advisory in this newsletter)

• Monday, April 19 – Classes Resume

• TO READ: SUPPORTING ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES, COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, AND AN ANTIRACIST SCHOOL: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF MICROAGGRESSIONS IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES

• TO DO: CLASS LISTS 2021-2022

• INFORMATION: PARENT WORKSHOP - MINDFUL PARENTING IN AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD

•  BIT OF NEWS: ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN STORYTELLER

•  BIT OF NEWS: FREE VIRTUAL KIDS JUMP ROPE CLASSES

• REMINDERS: SPRING BREAK and IB ART

• REMINDERS: HEALTH AND SAFETY

• REMINDERS: REMOTE LEARNERS

• REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR CHILD’S DISMISSAL PLANS in SDM

• REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION

“Why do people hate Asians?” asked one of our daughters upon hearing about the recent assault on an elderly Asian American on a subway platform. We realized that this is what goes through the minds of young children when hearing about these incidents. These events are incomprehensible and traumatizing to young children. As parents, we are constantly discussing how race and racism affect how some people think and what some people do, even in our multicultural capital of New York City.

The alarming rise in the number of physical attacks on Asians and Asian Pacific Americans, especially the recent mass killings in Atlanta, is compounding the harm that our communities are experiencing.  In addition, the prevalence of verbal and physical harassment of people of Asian descent continues to go unnoticed, unreported, and unchecked.  These assaults are rooted in a history of exclusion, xenophobia, and systemic racism that manifest itself in everyday racist behaviors and violence. To end this cycle, both societally and in our school community, it is important to understand the impact and harm of microaggressions on the individual and overall school environment. This is the first step towards cultivating a truly antiracist school.

The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities of color has been deeply felt by Asian and Asian Pacific Americans in New York City, evidenced by data and reports of microaggressions sanctioned by the government.  South Asian New Yorkers had the highest rates of positivity and hospitalizations among Asians, second only to Latinx New Yorkers for positivity and Black New Yorkers for hospitalization.  The NYC Health and Hospitals data also revealed that Chinese New Yorkers had the highest mortality rate of all racial and ethnic groups and were nearly 1.5 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than Whites.  But as the virus spread, then-President Donald Trump’s microaggressions spread. He and millions of Americans repeated the use of the term “Chinese virus” and the even more offensive "Kung Flu." This behavior sanctioned hate, prejudice, and blame across the country. 

Advocacy groups estimate that anti-Asian violence surged, with nearly 4,000 incidents reported between March 2020 and February 2021. For instance, last summer, an 89-year old Chinese immigrant grandmother in New York was slapped and set on fire walking down the street. In December, Filipino immigrant and U.S. Navy veteran Angelo Quinto was killed in his mother’s home by police who knelt on his neck for five minutes. Also in that month, Christian Hall, a 19 year-old Chinese American teen, was experiencing a mental health crisis when the Pennsylvania State Police responded by shooting him seven times. Locally, an Asian frontline healthcare worker was beaten and slashed in an unprovoked attack on the New York City subway in March. And, of course, just last week, six Asian/Asian American women were shot dead at close range in spas around the northern Atlanta area.

Yet this is not new. Anti-Asian sentiment goes back centuries and continues to permeate American society today.  Examples of xenophobia, white privilege and systemic racism include the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which barred all people of Chinese descent from entering the country, the Japanese American internment camps during World War II, and U.S. colonization of the Philippines and Guam (as well as Puerto Rico and Cuba) as a result of its win against Spain in the Spanish American war.  These experiences of structural inequality and racism in Asian Pacific American communities, Black and Brown communities and other communities of color beg us to challenge the status quo, to reflect on how we each stand up against racism, and to advocate for justice. We believe we must commit to making unbiased choices and being antiracist in all aspects of our lives.

Antiracism Defined 

“To be antiracist is a radical choice in the face of history, requiring a radical reorientation of our consciousness.”

• Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, How to be an Antiracist (2019)  

Being antiracist means to actively fight against racism.  When we choose to be antiracist, we become actively conscious about race and racism and take actions to end racial inequities in our daily lives. Being antiracist is also believing that racism is everyone’s problem, and we all have a role to play in stopping it. In “The Racial Healing Handbook,” Dr. Anneliese A. Singh reminds us of the importance of being purposeful: “You need the intentional mindset of Yep, this racism thing is everyone’s problem-including mine, and I’m going to do something about it.” 

Microaggression Defined

In Microaggression Theory: Influence and Implications (2018), Dr. Derald Wing Sue defines microaggressions as "brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership.” Microaggression theory, in part, uncovers the power of words. Words can be weaponized to hurt feelings and divide people. Verbal abuse can at times escalate to physical harm and even loss of life. Words can also serve as the foundation for systems of inequity that reinforce racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia and other forms of hatred. However, understanding the impact of what we say – and, being conscious of how we say things - can also help heal and transform the pain we inflict on each other with the words we choose to use. 

Microaggressions and Antiracism

As we choose to fight racism, we must also recognize the microaggressions that are being committed in our society and within our school community. We must help our children and the UNIS faculty/administration understand how they can be strong advocates against racism by ensuring they are not only informed on how to act, but what to say to one another in and out of the classroom. 

Forms of microaggression can include direct verbal abuse; an invasion of someone's personal space (in person or online); unintentional comments or actions that diminish someone’s self-worth; comments or actions that objectify; acts that lead to the exclusion of individuals or groups; and/or a blatant disregard for others’ feelings or beliefs. Everyday examples of microaggressions could include:

• Asking a person of color, “Where are you REALLY from?”

• Saying, ““When I look at you, I don’t see color.”

• Touching the hair of Black students.

• Commenting on the size of an Asian student’s eyes. 

• Justifying an anti-Semitic act by saying, “I am not anti-Semitic. I have several Jewish friends.”

• Praising someone on how well they speak English.

• Accusing someone who is Muslim of being anti-American.

• Assuming that all families have a mom and a dad.

• Observing, “You throw really good for a girl.”

These types of microaggressions are extremely dangerous because they leave no physical scars. Frequently, microaggressions occur and go unchecked: they are perpetuated constantly. Although at times people may apologize for biased language, far more often people simply “get away with it.” This can have long-lasting harm on those who experience microaggressions.

Microaggressions affect the mental health and physical health of their targets. Researchers such as Arline Geronimus of The University of Michigan say that it prematurely ages victims, to constantly feel like they are othered. She explains, "Humans have life-threatening stressors that activate a physiological stress response, like seeing a tiger in the bushes; the problem is that people who experience discrimination are endlessly seeing tigers."

The school climate can in part be defined by the interactions that take place in its gates. What is said and done in the classroom, on the playground, in the halls, and in the cafeteria can, ideally, contribute to a sense of “community.” These interactions, however, do not occur in a vacuum. What people say and do at school are also informed by what they have learned or hear at home, in activity groups outside of the school setting, on TV, on social media, or just walking down the street. When microaggressions find their way into and pervade throughout the interactions that take place at school, our “community” becomes fragmented, divisive, and traumatizing.  

Moving Forward

As a school community, we should allow and help children express their range of emotions (anger, rage, frustration, sadness, hopelessness) about what’s happening as well as listen with compassion to the feelings of others. Fortunately, this year the school appointed Dr. Judith King-Calnek as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Tut House students assembled the Equity and Inclusion Board (EIB), and the UNIS PA established a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee headed by co-chairs who also are Junior School parents, Lamson Lam and Cynthia Muffah. Through collaborations, the school now has online resources on how to be antiracist and the EIB hosted a conference for Tut House students on microaggressions. But we have much work to still do. For example, increasing racial diversity in our student body and in the faculty can help reduce implicit bias and/or microaggressions.

As UNIS parents, we call on all of us to condemn racism and microaggressions. We need to show compassion for one another on both a personal and a societal level. As parents, we need to educate ourselves, call it, speak up, cultivate empathy among our children, and support our children. And we must engage in activism in our school or in our community to combat the hate and promote policies and laws that support change. The totality of these actions will create antiracist, safe, nurturing, inclusive, and healthy communities at school, at work, and at home.  As civil rights activist Ella Baker said, “Give light and people will find the way.”

Resources on Asian American Issues

• Stop Asian Hate NYC

  • If people are facing harassment or discrimination in housing, at work, or in any public place, contact the NYC Commission on Human Rights by filling out their online form or by calling 212-416-0197. If you are a victim of or witness a hate crime, call 911.  

• Stop AAPI Hate   

• Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund  

• Chinese American Planning Council  

• Asian American Federation  

• List of other Asian American organizations to support or to donate 

• Other Resources to Help AAPI communities

• To learn about Asian American history, watch PBS’ Asian Americans.  

Resources for Parents and Children

• Resources for talking about race with kids

• For a guide on how to be antiracist, read a handout from Dr. Singh’s book by visiting here.

• How Kids Can Be Allies

• How to Raise Kids to be Allies 

• What White Children Need to Know about Race 

• Information on UNIS Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

• How to be Antiracist Padlet at UNIS

• To get involved with the UNIS PA DEI committee, please contact co-chairs Cynthia Muffah (Cynthia.Muffah@pa.unis.org) or Lamson Lam (Lamson.Lam@pa.unis.org) 

Our teachers will soon begin the process of creating class lists for the 2021-2022 school year.

Homeroom teachers and specialists collaborate to create balanced classes across each grade. Teachers take into account friendships and social interactions from this and previous years and take care to ensure that children are placed in a group with familiar friends and where they also have the opportunity to develop new friendships. Our school psychologist and counselors review all class groupings before they are finalized.

While we cannot honor specific requests for teachers, if you have any concerns about next year’s class placement be sure to reach out to your child’s counselor before Friday, April 2.  

• PK and JA: Dr. Dana Marnin  dmarnin@unis.org

• J1 and J3: Alyssa Frost  afrost@unis.org

• J2 and J4: Amy Iamundo  aiamundo@unis.org

Dear Parent,

I hope that you are doing well. Below you will find resources from our last workshop and info about next week's session.

As always, if you have questions, please feel free to reach me at rachel@rachelhenes.com.

Resources from Workshop 3

Please find the slide deck from our session on Cultivating Kids Social-Emotional Health at Home attached. In addition, here are a couple of articles that can support your continued learning and reflection on the topic:

• Do You Really 'See' Your Child?

• How do you teach kids social and emotional skills?

Survey

If you haven't filled out the brief survey about the session (less than 2 minutes, I promise!), you can do so here. Thank you!

Next Session Info

As a reminder, our next workshop is on Tuesday, March 23rd at 7:30pm and will focus on using a mindful parenting lens for Setting Limits & Boundaries. 

Click Here to join the session on 3/23:

Meeting ID: 405 301 5196

Looking forward to seeing you next week!

Rachel

Rachel Henes, LMSW

e: rachel@rachelhenes.com

J2-J4 UNIS Spring Break Virtual Camp

During the Spring Break, UNIS offers a “Virtual Spring Camp” for J2-J4 students. 

• • All activities take place on ZOOM platform. 

  • The MORNING program runs from 9:30AM to 11:30AM

  • The AFTERNOON program runs from 1:30PM to 3:30PM

  • The FEES are based on $380 per week - morning or afternoon 

  • Week # 1 => Monday April 5th through Friday April 9th 

  • Week # 2 => Monday April 12th through Friday April 16th

For more information you may contact: Dr. Lidana Jalilvand | Director of Special Programs ljalilvand@unis.org | +1 212-584-3083 Ext: 3083

SPRING BREAK TRAVEL

As you consider travel plans for the upcoming UNIS Spring Break (April 3 - April 18), the Governor of New York State has announced that travelers coming into New York from domestic destinations do NOT need to quarantine, whether they are vaccinated or not. 

This will allow families who wish to travel domestically to do so without missing on-campus / hybrid learning upon return. 

However, at this time, note that international travelers coming back to New York remain bound by quarantine travel rules.

USE REMOTE LEARNING ON DAYS WITH APPOINTMENTS OR TRAVEL

We ask that you opt to have your child learn remotely on days when you have scheduled appointments outside of school or when you need to leave early for travel. 

Because parents and caregivers are not permitted inside the school gate, a request for early dismissal for a JS student requires that school personnel leave their work in order to escort your child. There is no guarantee that we can free staff from their work duties at any point during the day to accommodate an early dismissal.

Instead of requesting an early pick up, please enter Remote Learning as an Exception in SDM to alert your teacher that your child will connect remotely instead of joining in person.

Of course, if your child falls ill during the school day, the nurse's office will coordinate an early pick plan with families.

IB ART GALLERY EXHIBIT: UNMUTED

UNIS is proud to present the IB Art Gallery Exhibit: Unmuted, scheduled for an in-person showing from March 27th-28th at the Caelum Gallery in Chelsea. We are thrilled to showcase our students at this live exhibition, and welcome the Tut House community to make a reservation to attend!

To follow COVID protocols, only 30 people will be allowed in the gallery space at one time. To accommodate everyone, visits are limited to one hour time slots. Please be sure to arrive promptly and be prepared to leave the space at the end of your reserved time. Please note that every person attending the gallery must have a reservation to attend.

If you are unable to attend the gallery in person, we invite you to attend our live-streamed event on Friday, March 26th from 5 p.m.-7 p.m., to hear our student artists speak about their process and artwork. More information on the live-stream will be shared closer to the exhibition date.

Unmuted Exhibit Dates and Times:

• Saturday, March 27th: 12:00 p.m.-6 p.m.

• Sunday, March 28th: 12:00 p.m.- 6 p.m.

Location: The Caelum Gallery, 526 W 26th St #315, New York, NY 10001

Please make your reservation by clicking here. Space is limited, so we encourage you to make your reservations as soon as possible. Should you have any questions about registering for a time slot, feel free to contact Emily Reineke (UNIS Performing and Visual Arts Administrator) at ereineke@unis.org. 

1. Arrival: To speed arrival for everyone, please have your child take possession of their backpack and lunch before they approach the entry gate in the morning and check to see that their mask is on, fits well, and is covering their nose.

2. Late Arrival: The late arrival of students in the morning delay our faculty and staff moving back to their positions. The JS gates should be closing no later than 8:40. Please ensure that you arrive at the time assigned for your child's grade.

3. Masks: Be sure you have packed spare masks in a clean bag in your child's backpack, as well as an extra bag to hold used ones. For the safety and peace of mind of all, do not send your child to school in a vented mask. We understand that many of you do use vented masks with filters inserted. But our teachers cannot be certain that every vented mask has the filter necessary to keep them safe. Please respect our community and do not send your child to school in a vented mask.

4. Use Remote Learning on Days with Appointments or Travel:

We ask that you opt to have your child learn remotely on days when you have scheduled appointments outside of school or when you need to leave early for travel. 

Because parents and caregivers are not permitted inside the school gate, a request for early dismissal for a JS student requires that school personnel leave their work in order to escort your child. There is no guarantee that we can free staff from their work duties at any point during the day to accommodate an early dismissal.

Instead of requesting an early pick up, please enter Remote Learning as an Exception in SDM to alert your teacher that your child will connect remotely instead of joining in person.

Of course, if your child falls ill during the school day, the nurse's office will coordinate an early pick plan with families.

5. Switching from Remote to Hybrid: When requesting a switch from full time Remote Learning to Hybrid attending in-person classes, at least 48 hours (2 full school days) in advance, please email:

• your homeroom teacher

• jsoffice@unis.org

• schoolnurse@unis.org (to request health clearance to attend in person if your child has not been on campus yet or has had an extended absence)

The last step is to update SDM with your dismissal plans for each day your child is on campus.

6. Returning to Campus After Illness:  

Based on CDC and NYSDOH guidance, students who are sent home or become ill may not return to UNIS until the following:

WITH A COVID TEST: MUST BE  A PCR NOT A RAPID (AS PER NYS)

• A negative COVID test must be emailed to the health office for clearance to return to on campus learning. 

• At least 24 hours symptom free.

WITHOUT COVID TEST: 

• • Must have a physician note. Must explicitly state that the student or employee is cleared to return to school. Physicians must also document an alternative diagnosis if symptoms are due to illness (ie- lab confirmed influenza, strep throat) or preexisting diagnosis and not COVID.

  • Must be fever free (less than 100F) for 3 days with no fever reducing medications and improvement of symptoms

  • AND must be 10 days post-symptom (No symptoms in last 10 days)

  • AND report general feelings of wellness.

* Note: a signed note by the health care provider documenting unconfirmed acute illness, such as viral upper respiratory illness (URI) or viral gastroenteritis will not be accepted. If this is the physician indicated diagnosis, please know a negative COVID test will also be required to be cleared for on campus learning.

We kindly ask if your child is exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID to have them tested so we can alert potential contacts within UNIS. This helps us keep everyone safe. If you feel these symptoms are due to a cause other than COVID, please have your physician clearly document this in your return to school clearance letter.

Mt. Sinai are our consulting physicians and can help find a Mt. Sinai practice that will offer expedited results. You are also free to utilize any testing practitioner you are comfortable with.

For anyone who needs confirmatory testing, please email AccessDowntown@mountsinai.org or call 646-531-1504 and identify yourself as a part of the UNIS community. If there are any issues, please reach out to their team directly at BusinessHealth@mountsinai.org and they will assist.

If you are a parent and you are having your child tested at Mt. Sinai, please know you will need to create a MyChart account to access your minor child's test results. You will also need to ask the practice manager to upload the results to the mychart account, as it doesn't happen automatically for minors.

For health related questions please email: schoolnurse@unis.org and mrivera@unis.org

7. Social Distancing Outside of UNIS: Exercise caution and, whenever possible, to stay clear of gatherings where social distancing or face masks might not be the norm. We advise students and families to be particularly vigilant on playgrounds and during play dates, keeping in mind the impact they may have on the safety of everyone in our community.

8. COVID Testing: We recommend that students be tested at least ONCE a month, preferably every two weeks. All UNIS Faculty and Staff will be pool-tested every other week on campus.

9. When Your Child Learns From Home For A Medical Reason:  If you elect to keep your child home for a medical reason (allergies, running nose, etc.) but your child feels well enough to engage in learning remotely, please inform your teachers as far in advance as possible, and certainly before 8:00am.

Of course, when your child is sick there is no expectation that they should log in to class - we hope that time will be taken for them to rest and recover. 

However, if you plan to have your child engage remotely at any point during the school day, it is crucial that your teachers are aware before the school day begins for them at 8:00am, and preferable the day before, by emailing your teacher directly and using SDM to alert the office. Informing your teacher in advance allows them to anticipate and prepare to support your child as a remote learner. Appearing on the screen when they are expected in the classroom can be disruptive for the class and divides your teacher's attention.

Thank you for your support.

• • Instruction begins at 8:40 each morning. Remote learners are expected to connect with their homeroom no later than 8:40 to participate in Morning Meeting. Students who try to connect after that time disrupt the class and pull the teacher away from the rest who are already engaged in person or remotely. It is tremendously important that students are ready to join at 8:40. Meanwhile, we recognize that due to technical glitches or late arrivals, not all teachers will always be able to start at 8:40. We thank you for your patience. But, once the class begins, students who join between 8:40 and 9:00 are missing important direction and are inevitably disrupting the class. Let's try our best together!

  • Question related to technology should be addressed by email to tech.support@unis.org only. Tech Support will need your child's full name, teacher name and grade in order to assist you quickly. Please do not disrupt your teacher's instruction time to address tech support issues for your family. We understand it can be frustrating sometimes; we recognize it and are working hard to address the glitches we are facing. But we have noticed teachers trying to troubleshoot a system while teaching, a system that really requires technician intervention. They do it out of caring and concern about their students not being able to connect. Please help them by reaching out to our Tech Department for support instead. 

  • All families should check their internet connection. The audio when your child connects from home should never be distorted - it is disruptive to the class when that happens and is likely the result from a poor connection at home. You should have at least 3mbps up and download. A 5mbps up and download will ensure optimal quality. You can check your bandwidth here: fast.com 

Our homeroom teachers follow the instructions entered by parents in School Dismissal Manager (SDM) each day. Please update your SDM account to regularly indicate what the plans are for your child each day of the week. SDM is always mandatory for Dismissal but can easily be used for Attendance as well. If your child will be learning remotely on a day that he/she is normally scheduled to be on campus, please use SDM and select "Remote Learning as an Exception". On days when your child will not engage in classes either remotely or in person, please use SDM to mark your child "Absent".

SDM is the only way of letting the dismissing teacher know where your child should go at dismissal. In addition to indicating that there is an After School Activity, you must enter a description of the activity in the box below. If the activity name is not entered in SDM your child may be placed in the Care Program instead.

No student will be placed on a bus at dismissal if their SDM account does not authorize their ridership on that date.  They will be placed in the Care Program instead.