The following is a message from Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School Principal, William Rivers. Please note that this communication is also available in the following languages:
As we prepare to welcome an additional 236 in-person learners back to our building (for a total of 376 on-site) for the fourth quarter, which begins April 26, there are some important scheduling and COVID-19 safety measures I’d like to share to make this transition as smooth and as safe as possible.
Most importantly, everyone at Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School is incredibly excited to welcome more students back to campus, and we are working hard to ensure the return to in-person instruction, for those who opt for it, will be a positive experience.
Assigned days
- Students in grades 7-8 who opted for in-person/hybrid instruction and whose last names begin with A-L will attend Monday-Wednesday for the first five weeks of the fourth quarter. Last names beginning with M-Z will attend Thursday and Friday for the first five weeks of the fourth quarter.
- Beginning May 26, A-L will attend Monday and Tuesday and M-Z will attend Wednesday-Friday.
Bell schedule, transportation and building entry
- The in-person school day for grades 7-8 will run from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. CDTA tripper service will be scheduled to arrive at school between 7:46-7:50 a.m. and depart school between 3:08-3:11 p.m. Please stay tuned to all district communication channels for more information about specific schedules.
- The grade 6 in-person school day remains the same and there will be no changes to the current CDTA tripper service for sixth-graders.
- Students will be kept 6 feet apart while waiting to enter the building through the main door, where they will be greeted by our staff for routine security checks and temperature checks. Once through that process, students will wait in the foyer, spaced 6 feet apart, until 8:01 a.m. At that time, they will be directed to their classrooms as outlined below:
- Grade 7 utilizes C stairwell to the second floor
- Grade 8 utilizes B stairwell to the third floor
COVID-19 safety
- Please remember to complete the daily health screener for your student each day before they come to school. If your student is sick and will be out, please call and let us know
- All students, faculty and staff are mandated to wear masks at all times – except when eating lunch and breakfast
- Social distancing guidelines of 6 feet remain in place
- Sign-in/sign-out procedures are mandated for all spaces, including bathrooms, for contact tracing
- Hand sanitizing stations are readily available and there will be frequent breaks for handwashing
- Grades 7-8 students will transition to classes throughout the day
- Grade 6 students will remain in current cohorts
- Students should follow the social distancing stickers in the hallways to ensure 6 feet of social distancing remains in place during transitions; lockers will not be available
- Students will be expected to wipe down their desk each period as they enter the classroom. The school will provide wipes for students to use for this purpose
Meals
- Grab-and-go breakfast will be provided during first period
- Grade 6 and self-contained classroom lunches will remain unchanged
- Grades 7-8 will be provided school lunch (or they may bring from home) in the cafeteria at the times outlined below:
- Grade 7: 11:59 a.m. – 12:42 p.m. (period 6)
- Grade 8: 11:13 – 11:56 a.m. (period 5)
- All social distancing expectations will be in place and students will have the option, weather permitting, to eat lunch outside.
Academic schedules
- When our grades 7-8 hybrid students are learning remotely, teachers will be live-streaming instruction from the classroom
- Remote schedules will not change
- In-person schedules will not change unless there is a need to balance out classes to adequately support social distancing for on-site students based on enrollment. If there is a schedule change, you will be notified by your child’s counselor via email.
- All schedules can be accessed in schooltool and hard copies will be provided to students upon entry on their first day.
What to bring to school
- As stated above, students are required to wear a mask. If they do not bring one from home, we will provide one
- A book bag or backpack
- Fully charged Chromebook and charger
- Ear buds or headphones
- Clear water bottle
- ID and lanyard (we will provide these on our students’ first day back)
- Pens/pencils
- We understand many students have and regularly use cell phones to remain in contact with family. Thus, students may bring cell phones. However:
- Cell phones should not be visible at any point during the school day. Students may use the main office to take or receive phone calls
- Students may only use cell phones if the teachers allow, as part of their lesson.
- If inappropriate cell phone use is observed, we will follow progressive discipline, up to and including requiring a parent or guardian to come to school to pick up the phone
What not to bring to school
- Big, heavy backpacks
- Please keep current textbooks at home. If necessary, teachers will assign new ones in class
- Any objects outlined in the code of conduct as a weapon including: pepper spray or other noxious spray (such as mace), pocket knife, blade, other knives, brass knuckles, or items that could be considered as explosives (fireworks, firecrackers, smoke bombs, flares, etc.). Sometimes students have utility knives or ornamental items on key-chains or lanyards. These are considered a weapon and these items should not be brought on school property. Please know that every weapon found on a student on school property, or at a school function, is subject to Student Code of Conduct discipline.
- Possession of a weapon is considered a Level 4 Student Code of Conduct violation resulting in a five-day principal's suspension and request for a superintendent's hearing to extend the suspension for up to a full year. The exception to this is a firearm violation, which is a suspension of no less than one calendar year by state law.
Virtual orientation for students and families April 22
Access the recorded virtual event here.
We are looking forward to seeing more of our students in-person when the fourth quarter begins Monday, April 26! We are all in this together, and a successful fourth quarter will require the collaboration of students, families, staff and faculty – both remote and on-site.
I am proud of all that we’ve already accomplished during this challenging year and confident that the next 10 weeks will make me even more proud.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out (wrivers@albany.k12.ny.us).
