Thursday Flyer 12.3.2020

Thursday Flyer 12.3.2020

REMINDER: PICTURE DAY next Monday and Tuesday

COVID-19 Update

We have had (2) additional COVID-19 positive tests since our last update. Both were students that became symptomatic during Thanksgiving Break and were tested during the break. Neither student has been at school this week, thus they were not a ‘contact’ for anyone.

As you’ve seen in the news, COVID-19 cases are spiking statewide. Probability says we’re going to be dealing with more cases. I want to thank all MMCA families and staff for continuing to follow our COVID-19 protocols and procedures (available at this link). Again, if we have ‘on-site’ COVID-19 cases, we will follow the protocols listed in that link.

As you’ve also probably seen in recent news, the Governor is contemplating regional ‘lockdowns’ similar to last March. At least as of this week, if the Governor institutes ‘lockdowns’, the difference from March is that he will keep schools ‘open’, as thus far schools have not shown themselves to be drivers of community spread of COVID.

Semi-related, with the Governor delaying the release of the ‘youth sports’ guidance, the CIF has delayed the start of high school athletics until at least January. Since our junior high athletic league (Sierra Foothill M.S. League) has a CIF affiliation, the league is delaying the start of youth sports until after the guidance has been released and CIF says athletic competitions may resume. Thus, boys’ basketball tryouts (which would have otherwise been next week) have been postponed.

Picture Days Next Monday and Tuesday!

LIfetouch will be on campus taking student photos on Monday, December 7th and Tuesday, December 8th. See flyer below for pre-ordering instructions. There will not be group photos taken this year due to Covid; the class photo will be a composite of each student’s individual picture printed on one sheet.

Monday’s schedule will be starting at 11:00am with 4th grade, 8th grade, 1st grade, 3rd grade, the PM group of 6th grade and all of our Edgenuity-based Distance Learners. Edgenuity students should come to the MPR at 11:45am.

Tuesday’s schedule will be starting at 8:30am with Children’s House, followed by Kindergartens, 2nd grade, AM group of 6th grade, 5th grade, and 7th grade.

School uniforms are required for school pictures.

Annual Parent Income Survey Being Sent Electronically within the next week

With California’s “Local Control Funding Formula” for California public schools, parent income levels are one of the components of the formula. Every year, all California public schools are required to collect ANONYMOUS parent income information from their families. Additionally, a number of opportunities exist to apply for grant funding that will benefit the children of the Maria Montessori Charter Academy. All students being eligible for free school lunches since last March regardless of family income level would be one example of an opportunity. Many of these opportunities are based on the income levels of our families. Please be assured that this information is considered highly confidential. It is very important that we collect surveys for every M.M.C.A. student. We will be following up with families until we have collected a survey from every family. This year, we will be sending our income surveys electronically to individual email addresses.

Board of Directors Elections Coming Soon

Each year MMCA seeks parents interested in taking an active role in the governance of the school by serving as a MMCA Board member. A Board member serves a two-year term which fulfills their family’s annual 40-hour volunteer requirement.

The Board of Directors defines the mission of the school and clarifies its philosophy. In conjunction with the Executive Director, the Board establishes the financial, educational, and operational goals of MMCA and ensures that they are achieved annually. The Board may be involved in facility planning, review and approval of legal documents, annual operating budgets, and staffing decisions.

The Application and candidate information packet for the upcoming election is available at this link. If you have any questions about possibly becoming a Board Member, please feel free to contact Board President Chris Ward at cgward1974@gmail.com or Mr. Boothby at brent@mmcharter.org. The deadline for submitting applications will be Friday, 12/4/20.

Parent Communications

If you ever think that you’ve missed communication from the school, whether a Flyer, a parent note, etc., we post all of our all-school communications on our ‘Announcements’ Blog on our website, available at this link: https://www.mmcharter.org/announcements

Flat Mustang Winter Adventure

Flat Stanley’s friend, Flat Mustang, is here to have some holiday fun with your Mustang! Print and color the Flat Mustang below (or create your own Flat Mustang if you prefer) and take Flat Mustang on a Winter Adventure! Submit your best photo of your Mustang with the Flat Mustang to the yearbook along with a brief writeup (1-3 sentences) from your Mustang about their adventure. Email submissions to mmcayb@gmail.com by January 15, 2021. Make sure to note your Mustang’s name and classroom in your submission. (jpegs only, no compressed files)