The month of May is flying by and students & teachers are engaged in distance learning.  Please encourage your children to complete Brain Bag #3 before May 22 and finish the school year strong!  Boxes will be lined up along the exterior gym wall for you to drop Brain Bag #3 off on May 22nd between 8:00am-2:00pm.  Student personal belongings can be picked up Monday-Friday next week.  If you have not accessed the online sign up, please click this link to reserve a time: https://signup.com/go/gtsKuDg  

In an effort to keep everyone as healthy as possible, we will be following the process below to distribute each child's personal belongings.  We really didn't have advance warning and time to have students gather jackets, lunchboxes, art projects, school supply boxes, and consumable workbooks before closing.  ParaProfessionals and teachers have collected student belongings, bagged everything, and labeled with name tags.  If you have reached out to your child's teacher with specific items you may be missing (ex. glasses), that item is listed on your child's bag tag and we already made every effort to find it in cubbies, desks, and throughout the classroom.  Parents and children will not be permitted in the building, hallways, and classrooms to search for missing items the week of May 18th.  Every student has a bag in the gym ready for us to distribute next week - see for yourself by clicking here: Personal Belonging organization video !!

1. Each grade level has a designated pick-up day (if you have more than one child attending WVE, please request the younger siblings' personal belongings when signing up online, list their name on the sign up, and we'll have them ready earlier in the week to save you from making multiple trips).  Teachers from each grade level will be out front (standing far apart) on the designated days below to wave to students while they wait in vehicles.

• May 18 - Fifth Grade
• May 19 - Fourth Grade
• May 20 - Third Grade
• May 21 - Second Grade
• May 22 - Kindergarten & First Grade

2. Please sign up online for a time that is convenient for you if you have not done so already:   https://signup.com/go/gtsKuDg  Note that we have evening pick-up hours on Monday & Wednesday (4:00-8:00PM) next week to accommodate for parents who are working during the day.  Note the student's name and homeroom teacher when you sign up online.  That will help us group bags by pick-up time and day in the gym for easy retrieval by our staff.

3. When you arrive at your designated time, pull up in the carpool lane by the mailbox (not bus lane) and a teacher or staff member will come to your vehicle.  The teacher will call into the building using a walkie-talkie and your child’s personal belonging bag will be delivered to your vehicle.  All family members must stay in the vehicle at all times to help us keep a safe physical distance.  Feel free to wave & say goodbye from the comfort of your car!  We will have a special banner hanging out front for our 5th grade students to wish them well as they transition to the Jr. School next year.  Please feel free to come back in the evening, on a weekend day, or the week of May 25th to take pictures in front of the banner if you wish.  We simply cannot have people getting out of vehicles to take pictures next week during personal belonging pick-up for safety reasons & in an effort to keep the line of traffic moving.

4. We understand that some personal belonging pick-up days are occurring before Brain Bag #3 is due and that's OK.  Just because you're picking up personal belongings, the learning is not supposed to stop. The school year is not over!  We're gathering your personal items so you can continue to learn from home and have the resources and school supplies you need. 

5. Library books can be returned any day between 8:00-2:00 Monday through Friday.  There will be a blue bin out front for you to toss them in.  If your child is missing a library book, Mrs. Crosley added a slip to your child's Brain Bag #3.  

Food distribution will be Monday, May 18th and Friday, May 22nd in the side lot.  Next week is the final week that SLSD cafeteria staff will be distributing breakfast bags and lunches for the school year.  If your family is in need of food over the summer, please call the office and we'll connect you with a local food pantry or church.

Many questions are circulating about what the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year will look like for students, teachers, and staff members at Whitewater Valley Elementary.  The Southwest Local School district continues to monitor all communication and guidelines coming from Gov. DeWine's office, the Ohio Department of Health, Center for Disease Control, and Hamilton County Public Health Department.  We are working on several plans for the 2020-21 school year and will keep our communication accurate and consistent.  Updates will be posted on our website at www.southwestschools.org/wellness as they become available.  Ultimately, the safety of our students, teachers, and staff members is our #1 priority.

Goodbyes can be difficult for children to handle.  Please reassure your children that picking up their personal belongings and waving to their teachers next week is not the end.  Learning is ongoing and we'll be waving next week to remind you that we'll miss you until we meet again!