Elementary and MS/HS students are asked to "check in" their library books one of the following ways today or Monday:
1. Through the lunch delivery program. If you pick up lunch at either school location OR if you have rural delivery, please return your books to the driver OR just inside the front door of either school at 11 AM today (Thursday, April 2nd) or on Monday, April 6th.
2. Contacting us. If you have a library book, but you are not currently receiving lunches, please contact the MS/HS (for all K-12 students) at 402-225-3371, ext. 6100, & leaving a message OR by emailing aepley@southcentralusd.us -- and we will make arrangements to pick up the book(s) from you.
Don't forget to take an AR test over your library book if you haven't already, and when you are ready for your next book, there are TONS of free resources available during our closure...
1. EPIC. Soon (if not already) your child will be receiving an email to their Google email encouraging them to sign up for GetEpic.com - this website not only has free books for your children to read, BUT they also have some for the younger ones that will read the book to them! Teachers are creating (or have already created) your child's account so that they can see who has signed up & who is reading.
2. AMAZON PRIME. Don't forget that Amazon Prime has free downloads!
3. OVERDRIVE & SORA. Here are two apps that can help your children read free eBooks while they are away from school. Overdrive (computer) and Sora (mobile) allow students to access the NE Schools Digital Collection. Watch the videos for help connecting, and thank you Mr. Borer for sharing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZBzj840frQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vPvBVNoUOA
Elementary students should be at 50% or more of their AR goal for the fourth quarter to be on track, and MS/HS students should be at 75% of their second semester goal by April 8th. The "celebration" for reaching your goal is still up in the air, so we will keep you posted on that.
The South Heartland Health District has issued an immediate Directed Health Measure to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 in the South Heartland District which includes the counties of Adams, Clay, Nuckolls, and Webster. The Directed Health Measures are effective immediately and will be in place at least until May 11, 2020. This means that South Central Nebraska Unified #5 will prolong the time our facilities will be closed until May 11th.
E-learning will continue until we are able to re-open our facilities. Please continually check the E-Learning Plan as it outlines expectations for students, parents, and staff as well as each grade level daily learning goals. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher and/or the principal. The E-learning plan can be accessed here: bit.ly/eLearningSCNUSD
At this time the district will continue to provide the Grab-N-Go breakfast/lunches. If mandates are given and we can no longer provide this service, we will share that information.
The administrative team is in discussion regarding graduation, second semester credits, prom, college classes, attendance and grading and will share detailed information on these topics next week.
Our staff has been working hard to retain some sort of normalcy and expectation of learning for all our students. I truly appreciate the way they have switched gears in the middle of the school year and are continuing to provide a learning environment for our students. We appreciate your support as we make very difficult decisions about events that have great significance to our students and their families.
Sincerely,
Julie Otero
Superintendent
All eLearning classes will officially begin on Monday, March 30th, while some have started already. Click the link HERE to see the lesson plans for our district's teachers. Please click on the links below for the following resources:
Lawrence/Nelson:
Sandy Creek:
Lunch & Breakfast Program:
If you would like added to the district's breakfast & lunch program, please fill out the Google Form at http://bit.ly/COVID19LunchSurvey. Starting on Mon., Mar. 30th, meals will be delivered Monday - Thursday, and Thursday's meal will include Friday's breakfast & lunch AND Monday's breakfast items.
Please understand that lunch times vary daily, so there are times that the drivers may be running a little earlier or later for delivery, especially in the rural areas. The delivery includes lunch for that day, and breakfast for the following morning. Any child 18 and under in the district qualifies for the program (your lunch status does not matter), and there is no cost. If there is a day(s) that you will be gone & don't need the lunch, please call and leave a message at 402-726-2151.
If you have a negative lunch balance from previously in the school year, we encourage you to mail your checks to:
Lawrence/Nelson School (this includes preschool through high school lunches)
850 S. Nevada, Nelson, NE 68961
or
Sandy Creek (for all preschool - high school lunch balances)
30671 NE-14, Fairfield, NE 68938
Please note that all phone calls to the Lawrence/Nelson Preschool & Elementary School secretary are now being forwarded to the middle/high school in Nelson, as the preschool/elementary secretary is out on maternity leave! The number to the MS/HS in Nelson is 402-225-3371, and the extension is 6100.
While we weren't able to attend State HOSA this year, there were some students who were able to take tests online prior to the event. We are proud of the team as they had several qualifying for nationals! The following students will have the opportunity to attend the International HOSA Conference in Houston, TX this June. Below are the results of students who placed in the top 10. They competed against students all across NE and did a wonderful job representing SCNUSD#5. Be sure to give them a shout out if you virtually see them!
Emily Himmelberg: 2nd place in Cultural Diversity & Disparities in Health Care. This is the 3rd year in a row she has qualified for Nationals!
Wyatt Mach: 5th place in Medical Terminology. He earned an alternate spot for Nationals.
Jon Mueller: 6th place in Medical Terminology
Noah Shackelford: 9th place in Medical Terminology
Ethan Sherbeck: 6th place in Medical Law & Ethics
Kennedi Tripe: 5th place in Physical Therapy
Marilyn Whitaker: 7th place in Medical Law & Ethics
In order to keep parents and students up-to-date Sandy Creek Elementary has launched a website for students and parents to work from.
Click the link here to view site.
Congratulations to seniors Taylor Harrington & Karigan Drudik (1st team), Annie McCartney & Hallie Epley (2nd team), and all five senior girls for being selected to play in the TVC All Star Game: Harrington, Drudik, McCartney, Epley and Allison Miller. Coach Andy Peterson will once again get a chance to coach his senior athletes in this game.
Congratulations to senior Trevin Kotinek and junior Blake Janda for being selected to the 2nd team, and Logan Menke for being selected to honorable mention. Trevin is also playing in the TVC All Star Game, and Coy Ceder is an alternate.
Way to go, LN student athletes!
South Central #5 is prolonging the time our facilities will be closed. The schools will be closed through April 30th. This decision was made with guidance from the Nebraska Department of Education, other schools in the ESU 9 region, and the Local Health Department.
While many teachers have maintained communication with their students since we have been closed, our teaching staff will formally begin e-learning on Monday, March 30, 2020. E-learning will continue until we are able to re-open our facilities. To follow social distancing rules we have met with staff virtually this week to prepare staff for teaching via distance learning.
Alternate Learning Start date
SCU 5’s Start Date for e-Learning/packets is scheduled to happen BY Monday, March 30, 2020. Teachers may have already started contacting students digitally through our district-wide tools such as SeeSaw (K-5), Schoology (6-12), Google Meet, Zoom, etc.
Communication
SCU 5 will use the alert system to update parents regularly. Closure decisions will be reviewed again April 16.
IMPORTANT - Primary tools for communication between students/teachers/parents are listed for each grade level in the attached Alternative Learning Plan. Please stay in regular communication with your child(ren)s teacher(s).
Alternative Learning Plan (attached as PDF)
The plan outlines expectations for students, parents, and staff as well as each grade level daily learning goals. IMPORTANT - Primary tools for communication between students/teachers/parents are listed for each grade level in this plan. This plan is subject to change as we continue through the process. Attached to this message as a PDF, this live link will continually to be updated.
Principals will be communicating arrangements to parents for any materials that we need to get to students. Teachers are busy preparing these materials.
Grab and Go Meals
Free meal deliveries for all children 18 and under started Monday, March 23 to all 7 communities. Rural delivery is available if needed. The mid-day deliveries include lunch and breakfast items. If you still need to sign up for meals, call Sandy Creek at 402-726-2412 or fill out this Google Form: bit.ly/covid19lunch.
While we would much prefer to be in school with our students every day, we appreciate the seriousness of this global situation. We are working hard to create flexible plans for students, families and staff in order to continue learning and more importantly continue fostering relationships.
Sincerely,
Julie Otero, Superintendent
ATTACHMENTS:
SCU 5 CoVID Alternate Learning Plan.pdf
Talking-to-Children-About-COVID-19.pdf
tips-social-distancing-quarantine-isolation-031620.pdf
Please review this letter sent out today to parents and students:
Any of our district's children 18 years of age or younger who wish to receive lunch during a school closure are asked to complete the lunch survey found here by 8 AM on Tuesday, March 17th --> SIGN UP HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18TH.
Please note that meals cannot begin until we receive approval from the state. We are hoping to start delivery on Monday, March 23rd.
http://bit.ly/COVID19LunchSurvey
Please note that SCNUSD #5 will be closed beginning Wednesday, March 18th, and will remain closed through Monday, March 30th. There are no academic expectations of our students during this time, with the exception of those taking online CCC classes.
Please stay tuned for future announcements, and let's continue to work together to do our part to avoid spreading this virus!
