PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE___________________________________

8/4/20

Destin Elementary Family,

Thank you for a tremendous year at DES! I am extremely proud of all of our students and families for showing such tremendous growth this school year. It has been difficult at times and finishing the year in a "New Normal" certainly was not anticipated! What I am most proud of is our students perseverance through these challenging times and their preparedness leading up to the Online Adventure! Parents, guardians, and ALL school staff were included in this journey and the continued support of your students and this school is appreciated more than you know! With all of that said, again I say THANK YOU for all of the roles each and every one of you played in making Destin Elementary School the high performing educational institution it is today! We will continue to work hard this summer to ensure our next journey is as successful as our current one!

Please see each section below for some important updates.

REGISTRATION

Superintendent Marcus Chambers announced the opening of a new OCSD Registration Portal for the 2020-2021 school year beginning Monday, May 18th. Through the portal, parents can complete most of the registration process online from home. The Registration Portal can be found at the District’s website in the Parents/Students section, or by clicking this REGISTRATION LINK. For a the complete press release on the registration portal, please Click Here. The School District has used paper registration packets in the past, but the Superintendent made the call to move in this direction in order to support families. The registration process requires families to select a school of enrollment based on their address. The School Site Locator helps parents find their zoned school. Parents will still need to eventually come to the school to provide signatures and other required documents including address verification, but the portal will allow them to complete most of the registration process offsite. Students who currently attend an Okaloosa County school are automatically enrolled for next school year and do not need to register through this portal. For more information, please call the school.

ORIENTATION

This year's Meet the Teacher Orientation will be a Kindergarten and New Student Orienation. Due to our the current situation, we will be limiting this years Meet the Teacher event to Kindergarten and New Students ONLY. Returning Students will be contacted by this years teacher prior to the start of school and be provided with specific classroom information at that time. Please click here to see the full details for the event on Thursday, August 27th!

SUMMER BRIDGE ACTIVITIES INFORMATION

The end of this school year provided a very different ending than all of us have become accustomed to. Because of this, the Curriculum Department at the district office has provided access to Summer Bridge Activities. We encourage all students to complete the provided activities prior to returning to school in August! Please CLICK HERE to access the Summer Bridge Activities for your students! Materials are accessible for grades KG-8th grade.

RETURNING IN AUGUST

Please read below a message from Superintendent Marcus Chambers:

FOR SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE VERSIONS OF THIS LETTER PLEASE CLICK HERE

Dear Parent,

The 2020-2021 school year is fast approaching and we are taking steps to create a safe school environment for your child. You are receiving this letter because your child is enrolled in one of our schools for the upcoming year, and we want to provide you with additional information about how Okaloosa Schools will operate in the COVID-19 environment this fall. We would also like to inform you about the options for your child that are available through the District. Reopening plans remain fluid, and new guidance from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) and health officials may lead to adjustments.

Monday, August 31st is the first day of the 2020-2021 school year, and school will be in session in all of our buildings. The following options are available for your child:

OPTION 1-Traditional School: Your child attends school in the school building with health and safety precautions in place (see below for additional information). Since your child is already enrolled in school, you do not need to take any action to choose this option.
OPTION 2-mySchool Online: This option is designed for families who would like to maintain their connection to their enrolled school but do not yet feel comfortable sending their child back to the school building in August. Students selecting this option must remain online until the end of a semester. The format will be similar in concept to what occurred online this spring but with several adjustments (see the table below).
- Instructions for signing up for mySchool Online are at the bottom of this letter.
- In order to ensure proper teacher staffing and scheduling, we ask that parents make this selection by AUG. 1 (Updated deadline).
- Enrollment is for a minimum of one 9 weeks and strongly suggested to complete the semester.
- Device and internet access are required (will be provided for those who qualify for Free/Reduced Meals).

Keep in mind that our situation remains fluid, and we are prepared to make necessary adjustments should the need arise. We thank the Department of Health for their continued guidance during this process.

A few of the health and safety enhancements that will be occurring at your school include:

Screening at school: Wellness screening of students and staff will occur in the morning at school through the use of signage, verbal questions, visual assessment, and temperature checks. The District has secured a supply of touchless thermometers that will be deployed to all schools.
Masks: The District has secured a mask for every student and staff member. At this time, masks are strongly recommended where social distancing cannot be maintained.
Classroom space: Schools are examining classroom space, removing unneeded items, and changing layouts where possible to promote social distancing. Schools may make use of media centers, auditoriums, and other areas to create more space for classroom instruction.
Classroom supplies: There will be less sharing of classroom supplies and those that are shared will be cleaned after each use. Desks will be cleaned throughout the day.
Cafeterias: Your school is developing plans to reduce the number of students eating in the cafeteria at one time. Media centers, auditoriums, outdoor spaces, and other school areas will be used as feasible. "Grab and Go" meals are also being considered.
Large gatherings: We will limit large gatherings such as pep rallies and assemblies during the school day. Schools will reduce student traffic in the hallways and at lockers, where feasible.
School buses: Hand sanitizer will be presented to students when they get on the bus in the morning and afternoon. All frequently touched surfaces will be disinfected and all bus seats will be sanitized after each use. Students will wear masks while riding the school bus due to the inability to social distance.

Changing Expectations for mySchool Online - OPTION 2

*Online Learning that occurred during the 4th quarter last year*	*mySchool Online 2020-2021*
Compassion and Grace in all facets of the process	Continued compassion and grace but with higher expectations and accountability for students
Students were only required to complete quizzes and tests	Students will be required to complete all assignments, quizzes and tests
Students were allowed to take quizzes and tests up to 10 times each	Opportunities to take quizzes and tests will be limited like they are in the traditional classroom
Expectations for student pacing were not formalized	Daily expectations for student work
Very flexible expectations for contact with teacher	Regularly scheduled times for contact with teacher
Students were able to finish the year in their enrolled courses	Certain courses and electives may not be available
The program lasted for nine weeks	Students remain enrolled through a semester
K-5 Curriculum platform - Odysseyware	K-5 Curriculum platform - Accelerate
6-12 Curriculum platform - Edgenuity	6-12 Curriculum platform - Edgenuity

If you would like to select mySchool Online for 2020-2021

Log in to Parent Portal at www.okaloosaschools.com under the Parents/Students link.
Your child's student ID is required for login.
The PIN is the last four digits of the student ID.
Complete the information requested and submit. Your child's school will contact you to verify your request.
If you have more than one student, you will need to log in and complete the process for each child.
Please contact your school if you need assistance. Please make your selection by AUG. 1st.

****REMINDER: If your child will be attending the brick and mortar school in August, no action is needed.****

Respectfully,

Marcus D. Chambers
Superintendent of Okaloosa County Schools

FOR SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE VERSIONS OF THIS LETTER PLEASE CLICK HERE

We hope that you and your family are doing well, staying safe, and healthy. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to support your family!

Joe Jannazo