2022 is here and is full of hope and promise!  Tuesday morning will be good for the soul, for us to get back into a routine working with your children and build healthy habits as we learn & grow together.  We hope everyone enjoyed 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, the teachers and staff at Miami Whitewater Elementary want to offer several reminders to all families:

• Winter weather is here!  Please make sure your child has a heavy winter coat, hat, and gloves or mittens at school each day.  The children go outdoors for recess if the "feels like" temperature is above freezing.  We do not have supervision for students to stay inside if they are not prepared for the chilly weather.  Students also have to wait at the bus stop in the cold temperatures.  If your child is in need of a winter coat, please call the office and we'll check our supply!  If your child is a car rider, he or she may not be dropped off before 8:40am.  We do not have staff and teachers ready to supervise students earlier and don't want our students to wait out in the cold until the doors open at 8:40.
• There is a winter storm possible for late this week in the extended forecast.  As a reminder, if we are on a 2-hour delay or close school due to inclement weather - please listen and watch for Southwest Local School District on the news and in social media.  Follow us on twitter @SLSDMWE and @SouthwestLocal, and on Facebook & Instagram (slsdmwe) for the fastest closure updates.  We will also continue to use the School Messenger system for automated calls and emails.  That's how you are receiving this email.  If you have friends who are not receiving updates and emails, have them check Final Forms to make sure we have the correct email addresses and phone numbers.
• Our third graders took the English Language Arts OST Assessment in October, 2021.  The Ohio Department of Education shared that printed family score reports are due to our district office on January 24, 2022.  Our third grade teachers, Title I Reading Specialists, Intervention Specialists, Instructional Coach, and administrators will be meeting to analyze the data and provide interventions and enrichment opportunities for our third graders based on fall OST results. 
• All students in grades 1-5 will be taking the NWEA MAP winter benchmark assessments in both Reading and Math the week of January 10th.  Teachers will share your child's MAP RIT scores and fall-to-winter growth reports at our upcoming February conferences.
• Student and staff safety and wellness is our #1 priority as a school district.  As a part of this, it is imperative that you contact Nurse Simpson and Mrs. Neckel at school if any COVID + cases or exposures have impacted your family over winter break.  Keeping us informed will allow us to work with your family to ensure that the return dates are accurate.  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 us as a school.  If your child is diagnosed with COVID, or is quarantined as a result of a close contact, please email Nurse Simpson & Mrs. Neckel directly at barb.simpson@southwestschools.org and mia.neckel@southwestschools.org or call us at 513-367-5577.  The school office will be open tomorrow morning by 7:00am.  Reach out for updated guidance before sending your child to school in the morning!
• Your child’s health is of the utmost importance. The Southwest Local School District, in cooperation with Hamilton County Public Health, is working to provide a low-risk environment for our students and staff while continuing to offer excellent face-to-face educational opportunities. Over winter break, six teachers/staff members and one student have tested positive for COVID-19.  There were no close contacts identified at school since we were closed for winter break.  Due to federal privacy laws, we are not permitted to provide the names of the individuals who tested positive, or the names of those students or staff who may need to quarantine.  If your student was affected, you would have already been contacted by Nurse Simpson or Mrs. Neckel.
• The Southwest Local School District will also continue our plan to shift to required masking when we get a spike in numbers for a given class, grade or school, then entire district, if necessary and when internal spread is happening. We will then move transition to remote learning if we are unable to staff our schools properly.  Discuss this possibility at home and have a plan in order to prepare in advance, IF we would ever have to go this route.  
• Here are the steps we need you to take to protect our school community:
•  Please monitor your student for symptoms of COVID-19, which may include cough, shortness of breath, new smell disorder, or new taste disorder.  Other symptoms include fever (measured or subjective), shivering with chills, body aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, congestion or runny nose.
• If your child develops symptoms consistent with COVID-19, please keep your child at home and consult with your physician regarding next steps.
• It is imperative that we all remain vigilant in monitoring for symptoms and continue to practice good hand-hygiene and wear 3-ply paper masks, ensuring that masks cover both the mouth and nose.  At this time, masks are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED at Miami Whitewater Elementary.  It is also important that all families / staff conduct daily health checks PRIOR to leaving for school.  If you are sick or exhibiting any of the aforementioned symptoms, please stay home.  If a household member is being tested, siblings should stay home until the test result comes back, in an effort to err on the side of caution and help to further reduce possible spread.  It is important to note that the COVID precautions need to be practiced during activities held away from school, just as they are in school – this includes social gatherings, youth groups, youth sports, traveling, etc. We will continue to utilize the WEEKLY DATA UPDATE to communicate our district COVID data (cases / quarantines).

UPCOMING DATES:

January 4 - School resumes

January 10-14 - NWEA MAP Winter Benchmark Assessments

January 11 - PTO meeting in the cafeteria (6:30pm)

January 15 - Purpose Workshop (see attached Purpose parent letter )

January 17 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No school

January 20 - Lightning Squad club meeting

February 7-11 - National School Counselor's Week - THANKS, Mrs. Gieringer!!!

February 8 - Parent-Teacher Conference night

February 10 - Parent-Teacher Conference night

February 14 - Valentine's Day parties (we've asked Duke Energy to keep the power on this time...)

February 18 - No School - conference release day

February 21 - President's Day - no school