Dear Harrison Elementary School Parents and Students,

Let me be one of the first people to wish you a Happy New Year. 2020 has given us all many challenges to face and hopefully we have gotten stronger. I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday break. The rest and relaxation has been welcomed and well deserved by all. As we look to the beginning of second semester we wanted to offer a few reminders to all families. Many of the updates below were shared before winter break & are being sent as a reminder.

Second Semester Updates for All Families:

• School resumes January 4th for all students!
• We are working in close partnership with the Hamilton County Health Department and as a school, we are excited about the progress being made with vaccine distribution.  Our number priority is student and staff safety - each and every day.  As a part of this, it is imperative that you report if your child has COVID-19.  This includes any cases over winter break.  This will allow us to work with your family to ensure that the return dates are accurate, as well as help our school make the best decisions about teaching face-to-face vs. emergency remote.  Our goal is to always keep our students face to face; we believe they learn better this way.  This only works if as a school we are honest with our families, and our families are honest with the district.  If your child is diagnosed with COVID-19, or is quarantined as a result of a close contact, please email Ron Mangus (Ron.Mangus@southwestschools.org) and call the school office at 513-367-4161 and leave a voicemail for Cathy Schutte.  We are monitoring messages to help us make the most informed decision about how we return to school on January 4th.
• The progress on our three new elementary schools is quite phenomenal!  Please visit our website southwestschools.org/facilities to see the weekly blitz messages and photo gallery. 
• Harrison Elementary, Miami Whitewater Elementary, and Crosby Elementary, and are set to open in Fall, 2021.  We are currently raising funds for full rubberized playing surfaces for all three playgrounds.  If you are interested in making a tax-deductible donation, have connections to a business that could make our dream a reality, or would like to hear more about the project please email Mr. Mangus or Mr. John C. Hamstra (john.hamstra@southwestschools.org).  

Face-to-Face Family Updates:

• Transportation letters were sent home earlier in December with all students who will be riding SLSD transportation second semester.  Route information has been published in Final Forms for all families to log in and see over the holiday break, just as we did for 1st semester.  All trip summaries are also posted to the SLSD Transportation website, southwestschools.org/transportation, for parents to view.  There are changes to both bus numbers and times for several students due to overcrowding on some routes and having to add buses to accommodate the number of students returning from the virtual setting.  
• Beginning January 4^th, 2021 many of our 1^st Semester virtual students will be returning Face-to-Face. Many of those students will be walker or car riders. Please review the drop off schedule below for drop off times. Thank you for your flexibility and patience. We totally understand that situations change and that the drop off times listed below might need to be adjusted. If possible, please try to keep to the schedule but know that there is wiggle room for earlier or later times.

• 8:45 – Early drop off (parents getting to work)
• 8:55 – Families with last names of A – F
• 9:00 – Families with last names of G – N
• 9:05 – Families with last names of O - Z
• We will continue our temperature stations into 2^nd semester.  Doors will open at 8:45 AM at the front entrance. Masks are required. If you have a fever or you are ill, please stay home.
• Kindergarten times will remain the same for the second half of the school year.  AM K is from 9:15-12:00 and PM K is from 1:00-3:45.
• Students will be outside for recess as long as the temperature is above 32 degrees and it's not raining or snowing.  Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the winter weather with a heavy coat, hat, and gloves or mittens.  I highly suggest labeling winter gear with your child's name in case anything gets lost in the shuffle.

Virtual Family Updates:

• If your child was virtual first semester and is switching to face-to-face in January, please send their device and charger to school on January 4th.  We will be collecting them in the office.
• The K-5 virtual teaching assignments for Semester 2 are as follows:
• Kindergarten: Allison Williams
• Grade 1: Brenda Olsen
• Grade 2: Stephanie Hale
• Grade 3: Winter Taulbee
• Grade 4: Allison Decker
• Grade 5: Dana Stafford
• Mark your calendar for Jan. 7th.  This is the anticipated date for our virtual parent "Boot Camp".  This session will help you learn the basics of guiding your child as a learning coach, the assignment expectations, and much much more!  We will send out a school messenger update with details closer to the date.

Appreciate the remainder of winter break - we look forward to seeing our kiddos on January 4th, both walking through the doors at school and on our screens learning virtually.  2021 holds lots of hope!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Ron Mangus
Principal