Letter to DISD families: Majority of students returning to face-to-face instruction

Dear DISD Families,

I hope this letter finds you and your family well. We are very excited about getting some more of our children back to school. We have missed their smiles and laughter. Approximately 85 percent of our students will be back face-to-face for the next nine weeks. We are excited to see our returning students. In order to have a smooth transition for all of our families, I am sending out some important information. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter carefully.

1. Parent Remote Training Nights – Thank you to all who attended and a special thanks goes out to our campus staff for putting these meetings together. We were able to further support the remote learners through each of these events. If you still need additional assistance, please contact our technology department at 936-258-2667 or reach out to your child’s teacher and/or principal.
2. Don’t Forget Breakfast and Lunch are free. Thanks to our Child Nutrition Department, they applied for a program that will allow all students through June 30, 2021, to eat both breakfast and lunch for free. I hope your children take advantage of this opportunity. It is still very important to fill out the Child Nutrition Lunch application. To apply, please click on this link https://www.mealappnow.com/manday/splash.php or go to Dayton ISD’s website and you will see a link on the right side called Meal APP NOW. Also, curbside pick up for our Remote Learners will continue to be at Richter Elementary from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Monday – Friday. A parent or guardian may pick up meals on behalf of their child without the child being present. This is for DISD students 18 years and younger.
3. Colbert’s News – For those students returning face-to-face from remote, we are staggering their drop off times on the first day in order to smoothly start the transition for our youngest students. Drop-off for these first time returning students on Oct. 26 will be 8:30 a.m. for gen-ed and 9 a.m. for the Bilingual and ECSE returning kids. Current face-to-face students, drop off will be at normal times.
4. Elementary News – This includes all three of our K-5th grade campuses. Here are some good informational tips for returning students. You might want to mark your calendar for Oct. 23 as we start our return process for our remote learners.
   ○ There will be an opportunity for you to drop off School Supplies, Pick up Car Rider Tags and also get your Teacher Tags for Backpacks on Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
   ○ It will be helpful if you have all supplies in a bag so we can label it with your child’s name and deliver it to their teacher’s classroom.
   ○ We will give you a wristband with your child’s name, teacher name and grade level. We ask that you attach the wristband to your child’s backpack. This will help us get your child to the correct class the first few days of school.
   ○ You will not be allowed to walk your child to class.
   ○ You will also be able to return any chrome books that you checked out.
   ○ If you picked up a math workbook at the beginning of school, please return it with your child. They will need it in class.
   ○ You will receive a Parent Packet with important and helpful information.
   ○ It will be Red Ribbon Week when your child returns to school. Please refer to the flyer in your parent packet for dress up days.
   ○ If you have any questions, please contact your child’s campus principal.
5. WWJH News – Principal, Mr. Matt Barnett will be sending a letter with lots of information this week in preparation for our WWJH remote learners who are returning. One thing to note for all current face-to-face (F2F) and returning students need to know is that all students will report to their Advisory/Homeroom class on the morning of Oct. 26. They will have staff members on duty that
   morning with homeroom lists to help the new F2F students get to the right location. Schedules will be handed out during Advisory. There will be a table at the front office area to return any Chromebooks that need to be checked back in.
6. DHS News – ALL DHS students will go to their homeroom at the beginning of the day. We will give out schedule cards and go over the health and safety policies such as masks, traffic patterns etc. For students who are returning to F2F, DHS will collect Chromebooks during homeroom and first period next week. Also during homeroom, DHS staff will take the opportunity to remind students of our safety protocols and expectations.
7. Transportation News – If your child is returning to face-to-face from remote and will be a bus rider, you can come to the front office of your child’s campus and fill out the Bus Rider Request Form or go to our Dayton website and register online. (click on Bus Rider Request Form) If you want your child to start riding the bus on Oct. 26, please make sure you register no later than Oct. 21. This is for returning to face-to-face students only. Current bus riders will continue as usual. Remember, all bus riders must wear a mask at all times.
8. Attendance and Grades – There is a correlation between attendance and grades as they go hand in hand. Students must be in attendance in order to learn, whether students are remote or face-to-face. Please remember that TEA’s Commissioner is not waiving the 90% rule for any student. Therefore, students MUST be in attendance 90% of the time. If your child must be absent, then send a note and/or email to the campus’ attendance clerk. As another reminder, students not only need to be in attendance, but MUST do their assignments and turn in their work. I appreciate the partnership between parents and teachers to work together to ensure our children’s academic success.
9. Wearing of masks – Due to the number of students who are returning, it will be a requirement for all students to wear their masks. Thank you for your cooperation in discussing the importance of keeping the masks on. We want all our students and staff to stay as safe as possible

To be transparent, yet respect the HIPPA and FERPA laws, Dayton ISD has started sending out letters to parents whenever there is a positive case on a campus. This could be a student, a staff member, or a visitor who has tested positive. Additional letters will be given for those who may have come in close contact with the individual who has tested positive. The additional letter will be given to those who will need to self-isolate. In those instances, our campuses will be working with those who are quarantined to go remote during their time of isolation.

As we continue through this challenging school year, please know that we are here to assist and support our Dayton ISD families in any way that we can. One last reminder is to remember that our drop-off and pick-up lines will be a little longer than usual along with our bus routes starting on Oct. 26. Thank you once again for your patience and understanding. Traffic is one thing that is beyond our control. Please stay safe and God bless our Dayton ISD families and staff.

With Bronco Pride,
Dr. Jessica Johnson