• We are looking forward to welcoming you back to campus on October 5th. For everyone’s safety, here are some key pieces of information for you to review. You may wish to save this email for future reference as it is lengthy. We have had recent changes in our arrival/dismissal times and procedures in order to space out student groups. I’ve also included information regarding health requirements, computers, free meal service, and cohorting. Remember a safe school day begins at home!

    Teacher Changes

    We have had many teacher changes due to the number of students enrolled in Florence Virtual Academy (FVA). A good number of our teachers needed to switch over to be FVA teachers for 2nd quarter. 

    • K-4th grade: Parents whose student will have a new teacher were emailed last week and a letter was mailed to them to provide information on this change. You can confirm your child’s teacher by checking in ParentVUE. (For K-4 questions, email Mr. Bock at jbock@fusdaz.org)
    • 5th-8th grade students: ALL of our 5th-8th grade students have a new schedule with a change of at least 2 teachers, if not more. Please log in to ParentVUE and StudentVUE to see their new schedule. We are saving trees and are not printing hard copy schedules for all students because of the ease of access in StudentVUE and ParentVUE. (For 5th-8th grade schedule questions, please email Mr. Hernandez at hhernandez@fusdaz.org)
    • As part of our mitigation plan, all students (even middle school) will stay in cohorts throughout the day, including their electives. If you see electives that your child didn’t request, that is why. Due to cohorting, we can’t switch electives by request at this time. We will switch classes each quarter so all students have the opportunity to take a series of classes they enjoy. The only district-approved cohorting exemption is for specialty classes like Student Council and AVID (grades 7-8).

    Masks

    Masks are required for all students, all grades, and all staff members on all buses and all school campuses in our district. This is a non-negotiable component of our district’s dress code. Students need to arrive at school already wearing their clean face mask, correctly fitted around their nose and chin. Please have an extra mask in a baggie just in case. Younger students in grades K-4 may keep their back-up mask (in a baggie) in their desks. Older students in grades 5-8 will keep their back-up masks in their backpacks. We have a few extras for emergencies, but each student must have their own masks. Masks are not required while eating/drinking or during recess/PE. Students will have mask breaks when they are able to physically distance. 

    Safety on the Bus

    Students are expected to wear masks and practice safe physical distancing at bus stops. Students will have assigned seats. When the bus arrives at school, students should stay seated and follow directions from the bus driver on unloading from front to back. In the afternoon, students must continue to wear their mask until they exit the bus and are physically distanced from other students on the walk home.

    Water Bottle Stations

    As a precaution, our drinking fountains have all been disabled on all FUSD campuses. Our district along with our PTA have purchased and installed 4 water bottle stations which are located in key areas on campus. (Thank you Skyline PTA!) Students need to bring their own water bottle DAILY and will have the opportunity to refill it throughout the day. Please be sure you send a clean, refillable water bottle daily. We do not have other water options on our campus due to the unique design of our handwashing stations.

    Health Check

    All students must undergo a daily home health assessment before heading to school. All parents/guardians agreed to this when signing the risk waiver for in-person schooling. Students should stay home if they exhibit any concerning symptoms (may be mild to severe). For additional information on this topic, please contact the school nurse.

    School Health Office

    Our school nurse is Linda Hernandez. Her number is 480-888-7520 ext 4809 and her email is LHernandez@fusdaz.org. On our Staff List page by her name, Mrs. Hernandez has linked a site she made including many resources for parents. It answers many commonly asked questions regarding student health, immunizations, and much more.

    This year, due to current circumstances, we have some changes regarding what types of medications our school nurse and health aid can administer. School health staff will NOT be able to dispense aspirin, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or Cough Drops due to the risk of masking symptoms associated with COVID-19. They can dispense medications by prescription only. As always, students may not carry any medications with them on school grounds. This includes cough drops.

    Any students showing COVID-like symptoms will be isolated and sent home. They need to be picked up within one hour. Specific requirements for return will be explained by the school health office staff.

    Visitors Restricted & Office Appointments

    No parents/guardians or visitors are permitted inside the building, except for the immediate safety and well-being of students, as per district policy. Essential visitors will be required to sign an agreement, wear face masks, follow all safety protocols, and will be restricted in their access to campus as a whole.

    The school’s front office is open by appointment only. We can only have one parent/guardian in the front office at a time. This is expected to cause longer wait times so please plan ahead. Please call 480-888-7520 to make an appointment to speak with the nurse, complete registration paperwork, submit documents, or talk with any school staff member. All IEP meetings and teacher-parent meetings will continue to be held virtually. (For late arrivals and early check-outs, see that section below.)

    Arrival & Morning Drop-Off

    Please do not park in the parking lot unless you have an appointment in the front office or have a kindergarten student. All student drop-off is via the curbside drop-off line. 

    • Skyline Ranch staff will report for morning duty by 8:20 AM and welcome students to campus. Please do not allow students to exit your vehicle until staff has arrived and unlocked the front doors (by 8:20 AM). There is very limited space and we do not want students to congregate in front of the building. 
    • Please make sure your child is ready with their mask, water bottle, and backpack in place so the drop-off process is as fast as possible. 
    • Grades 1-8 enter through the main entrance to the school building. (All bus riders enter through the back entrances.) Hand sanitizer pumps are stationed on campus near entry/exit routes and students will be encouraged to use them.
    • All students will report directly to their classrooms and there is no morning recess (very similar to our rainy day arrival process). Older siblings may assist younger siblings to class until they know the route independently. Due to visitor restrictions, no parents may walk students to class. (See section on kindergarten for the exceptions.)
    • Students may pick up their sack breakfast from the cafeteria line (one-way route) but they will eat in their classrooms, not in the cafeteria. 
    • The bell rings at 8:35 AM daily for class to begin. 

    Kindergarten Arrival

    • Parents of kindergarten students are granted a parking exception and may park in the parking lot so they can walk their student to the kindergarten NORTH playground gate. The north gate is at the end of the playground with the artificial grass, closest to the front office. 
    • Parents may not enter the building or classrooms, but you may walk your child up the sidewalk, onto the playground (through the NORTH kinder playground gate), and up to the classroom’s exterior door. Doors are clearly labeled with teacher names and room numbers.
    • If you have supplies, this is a great time to hand them off to the kindergarten teacher. 
    • We’ll have additional staff there to help in the mornings.
    • Once kinder students are more comfortable with the arrival process, you may choose to drop them curbside and watch them walk up the short sidewalk to the north playground gate.

    Dismissal & Afternoon Pick-up

    To spread out groups of students, we are dismissing in a staggered time pattern. Please do not arrive too early as it will needlessly delay the dismissal of all our students. Please arrive as close to the scheduled time for your student as possible. Students who are parent pick-up or walkers/bike-riders will be released from 3:10-3:30 depending on grade level. Bus riders will be dismissed a little bit later once buses have arrived.

    • Please do not park in our parking lot during dismissal (after 3:00 PM). Students walking across the pick-up lane causes an issue with traffic flow and restricts the range of our student supervision. We need parents/guardians/drivers to stay in their vehicles curbside in line. Thank you for your patience and support as we tweak our dismissal process to fit the unique needs of 2020.
    • If you need to enter the front office, make an appointment in advance and then you may use the parking lot.
    • SIBLINGS: Older siblings will not be dismissed early to meet up with younger siblings. The dismissal times do not change for sibling match-ups. Younger siblings will stay with their teacher in the outdoor waiting area until the older sibling is released and meets them.
    • Kinder & 1st grade: dismissed at 3:10 at the SOUTH gates of the kinder playground. Parents must park along San Tan Hills drive and walk up to the gate to get their child. It’s a very short distance, but you still must walk up. Teachers will not release students or walk students out to the car/sidewalk. (K-1 Early Release Days: dismissal 12:55)
    • 2nd & 3rd grade: dismissed at 3:15 near the bike racks and will stay near their teachers. Please stay in your vehicle and the students will walk to you when they see your car. (2nd-3rd Early Release Days: dismissal 1:00 PM)
    • 4th & 5th grade: dismissed at 3:20 near the front entrance of the school. Please stay in your vehicle and the students will walk to you. (4th-5th Early Release Days: dismissal 1:05 PM)
    • 6th-8th grade: dismissed at 3:25 near the front entrance of the school. Please stay in your vehicle and the students will walk to you. (6th-8th Early Release Days: dismissal 1:10 PM)
    • LATE PICK-UPS: unlike in years past, we cannot have students wait in the front office when someone is late to pick them up. Please be on time as much as possible because we do not have the facility or staff to supervise late pick-ups after school. If you will be late for some unplanned reason, please call our office so we can pull staff from a different location to supervise your child.
    • Remember we have Before & After School Care on campus to make your life a little easier (see the Right at Schools section).

    Late Arrivals & Early Checkouts

    • If your child arrives late (after 8:35 AM), you need to park in the lot and sign them in via the front office. We can only have one family in the office at a time so plan to wait in line just outside the front office doors until there is space for the next person to enter. Due to the small size of our office, this will take some time so please plan ahead. (We understand that the first few days our drop-off line may be sluggish and may extend beyond 8:35. We have some wiggle room that first day or two only depending on the drop-off backup.)
    • If you need to checkout your child early, please call the office 10 minutes in advance so we can contact the classroom. (This will serve as making your office appointment.) We will do our best to have your child waiting in the front office area when you arrive. (The front office number is 480-888-7520.) Our office staff is small and we do not have student helpers so please plan ahead on the extra 15 minutes this process will take this year.
    • Due to the early, staggered dismissal times this year, we are not able to reach teachers for early checkouts after 3:00 (K-3rd) or after 3:15 (4th-8th grades).

    Cohorting & Mitigation Measures

    In order to keep our students safe, each group will stay with their cohort throughout the day. At recess, only one class will be on the playground at a time. Breakfast and lunch will be eaten in the classroom with the same classmates they are with all day. In middle school, students are cohorted throughout the day including the elective block. Students will travel in a clockwise direction in the 5-8 grade halls and schedules were done to facilitate this direction of movement. In the K-4 halls, students will travel with their classmates at designated times throughout the day and the schedule is created to minimize any cross traffic. Again, as we work to keep students together in cohorts or by classes, safety and social distancing is our goal.  

    Meal Service

    Due to a grant, the district is able to provide free breakfast and lunch service for all students through Quarter 2 (ending December 11, 2020). Breakfast is available for pick-up in the cafeteria each morning following the one-way traffic pattern marked on the floor. Students will eat breakfast in their classrooms. 

    Lunch will be delivered to classrooms, and students will eat in their classrooms with their class/cohort. Students may choose the free lunch or bring their own each day. The lunch comes with a choice of white or chocolate milk.

    School Supplies

    While students are on campus, they must have their own supplies so as to not contaminate anything. Teachers will not be able to share “community” supplies like in years past. Please send pencils, pens, erasers, crayons/colored pencils, paper, and any other items they will need. Our goal is to keep things as clean and sanitized as possible. Required items for grades 6-8 include a laptop, fully charged each day. Any curriculum manipulatives that are required will be labeled in a set for only one student, or it will be items that can be fully cleaned each evening before another student comes into contact with them. 

    Computers & Fees

    All K-5 computers need to be returned on October 5th and please remember the charger too. Without the charger, we have to assess fees.

    Students in grades 6-8 keep their computers all year and a $50 fee is required. If you paid a partial fee for Quarter 1, please go online to complete the payment. All fees and payments can be made online at https//az-florenceunified.intouchreceipting.com

    Athletics

    Our first season is Soccer, tryouts beginning Monday, Oct 5th. Athletes are to meet with coaching staff in the locker room immediately after school. All athletes must have a physical on file. (Last year’s is valid this year). If your child plans to try-out, please get the physical done and register at www.registermyathlete.com and upload your documents if you have not already done so. Athletes must have their own water bottles (gallon size is recommended). Once tryouts are concluded, Mr. Hernandez, Athletic Director & Assistant Principal, will have a parent meeting to discuss further information including limited seating, reservation tickets, and mask requirements for spectators. If you have any questions regarding athletics for this school year, please contact Mr. Hernandez at hhernandez@fusdadz.org. 

    Right at School (Before & After School Care)

    We have before and after school care on our campus! On our school’s main page (fusdaz.com/SR) scroll down toward the bottom and look for the “Right at School” section. One of our kindergarten teachers is our school’s coordinator for RAS and the staff members are also all district employees. Their cleaning and sanitization protocols are very rigorous and masks are also required for staff and students in the RAS programs.

    See You SOON!

    We are looking forward to getting back on campus with our students. Our number one priority is keeping our students and staff healthy by putting into place these new mitigation measures. Thank you all so much for your trust in us here at Skyline Ranch. We know that things will not be perfect upon our return; it’s the nature of this current situation with many moving and constantly changing parts. Please notify us of your concerns, and we will do all we can to improve. Have a great rest of Fall Break.