Talawanda High School E-News - November 6, 2020

COVID-19 TRAVEL ADVISORY & SELF QUARANTINING

We understand that families may be traveling during the holiday season.  The Ohio Health Department & the Butler County Health Department recommend that people self quarantine for 14 days upon returning from a state that is listed as a hotspot for Covid-19.  A hotspot is a state that is reporting positive Covid-19 rates of 15% or higher.  Please see the link to the map, as the states listed can change.

Travel Advisory States from ODH

Important Reminder for All TSD Parents:

Talawanda School District needs your partnership in keeping our students, staff, and families safe during the pandemic we are experiencing.  It's critical that parents do a wellness check on each child every day before school.  If your child exhibits any symptoms for COVID-19, please keep your child home from school.  See the checklist below.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of reported symptoms – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms can include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

TSD is working on additional ways to report your child's illness/absence  to school.  Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

If your child is sent home from school for a suspected case or symptoms of COVID we ask that you do not return to school until your child meets the criteria below. 

• If your child is sick and does not get tested for COVID-19, your child must stay at home for 10 days or as directed by the health department. Please call your doctor for further evaluation. *Please note that COVID testing or negative test results are not required to return to school. However, if your child is ill and not tested, he/she must stay home for at least 10 days unless a doctor’s note stating an alternate diagnosis or note showing a negative test result is provided. 
• If your child was tested and found to be positive for COVID, your child may return to school as directed by the Butler County Health Department, (which is usually 10 days after the date of their positive test). A negative test result is not required to return to school after isolating for 10 days. Students must also be fever free for 72 hours, without fever reducing medication, and have an improvement of their symptoms before returning to school. 
• If your child has a COVID-19 test that is negative, he/she may return to school after getting the negative results and when he/she has been fever free for 72 hours (without fever reducing medicine) and when symptoms have improved for 72 hours. A note showing negative test results is required before returning to school. 
• If your child visits a healthcare provider and gets a diagnosis other than COVID-19 he/she can return once they have met the criteria to return, based on the diagnosis. Again, they must be fever free, without fever reducing medication for 72 hours. Please show this letter to your medical provider since Talawanda requires a doctor’s note stating the alternate diagnosis before your child can return to school.

**Additionally, any siblings must begin to quarantine when they arrive home from school today. They may return to school if your doctor provides an alternative diagnosis or you receive a negative COVID-19 test result.** 

Reminders:

• Congratulations to all our Honor Roll students! Click here to see the complete list.

• There is still time to register for TorchPrep courses leading up to the December 12th tests! We have in-person & virtual trainings for the December test! Click here for more info.

• Picture day is coming! It will be Monday 11/16 for our face to face learners and 11/18 for our online learners. Online learners should look for an email with more information. 

• From Madison Wetzel our Success Liaison- Little Free Pantries now at all TSD schools!  We have installed Little Free Pantries in front of ALL of the school buildings, a place where people in need can find FREE school supplies, hygiene items, and non-perishable food items. The Pantry at the High School is to the left of the main building entrance and is accessible to students and families 24/7. The pantries are stocked with donations from the community which can be dropped off at the building. Families can access ANY of the five pantries at the school buildings. 

• Attention Remote Learners & Community Members who use Kramer Elementary for the TSD Food Program: Beginning Monday, cars may enter the Kramer property at 2:15.  You will enter the bus loop and then drive toward the gym/delivery entrance. Staff members will be present to distribute food. Vehicles will drive in on the right side and exit on the right side.

• A group conducted over WebEx by the high school's clinical psychology intern in conjunction with the counseling office is being offered to increase high schoolers’ connection and engagement with their peers for those who have chosen to continue school online. Other things the group may focus on include: problem solving difficulties related to online school, and learning coping skills for anxiety related to Covid-19. Please contact Teresa Peter (petert@talawanda.org) if your teen is interested.

• The THS Daily News is back and operational!  Please visit thsdailynews.talawanda.org to view the daily news show our students in Broadcast Journalism work so hard to produce every day!

• We are once again planning for Mock Interviews for our juniors enrolled in our College & Career Readiness (CCR) course.  Due to the pandemic, we will be holding these interviews via zoom.  The interviews will still be one to one.  The interviews will happen the week of November 16th this fall.  We are looking for volunteers to hold 15 - 20 minute interviews with the students for the experience of speaking about themselves in an interview.  Would you be available and willing to help at any of these times?

Dates: Monday 11/16, Tuesday 11/17, Thursday 11/19 and Friday 11/20

Times:  7:45 - 8:30, 11:30 - 1:00, 1:15 - 2:00

• Setting Stone will hold its first virtual Coffee House of the school year on Friday, November 6th at 7:30 p.m. Follow Setting Stone on Instagram (@settingstonemag) for the virtual event!

• PUSH has funding for furnace and water heater repairs or replacements. Grants are available to low-income, homeowners in the Talawanda School District for critical and emergency home repairs. Call Jeanne or Sabrina at 513-523-8100 for more information.

• The Ohio Department of Education is inviting parents of children with an IEP or who receives special services to fill out a short survey. The survey can be found here.

• Veterans: In the past you have attended the Talawanda HS Veterans Day Breakfast, this year due to the circumstances we are not able to hold the breakfast at THS.  The Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) wanted to still recognize our Veterans.  We have purchased signs for your front yard, and FCCLA members will be putting them up the week before Veterans Day.  It is a small token of our appreciation.  We hope to be back at THS next year with a great breakfast and assembly.  If you know of any other Veterans in the Talawanda School District please pass this on or fill one out for them.  

• We need your help with the yearbook! Upload your pictures for the 20-21 yearbook. We want to see what online school looks like! All photos will be approved before inclusion in the yearbook. https://images.jostens.com/415713950

• Talawanda-Butler Tech FCCLA Talawanda Spirit Wear Sale:  Items will make great gifts for the holidays! 

https://gotchacoveredcustomts.com/shop/ols/categories/2020-thsfccla-fall-spirit-wear-fundraiser

• FFA Fruit Sales begin Oct. 8th and run through Nov. 11th.

• What’s for lunch? Find out here!

• Find out what’s going on in the community here!

THS Calendar of Events- 11/8/20 to 11/14/20

Sunday, November 8th

6 – 8 pm Fermata Nowhere Rehearsal, 608 and outside

Monday, November 9th

3 – 4:30 pm Fermata Nowhere Rehearsal, 608 and outside

3:30 – 4:15 pm Setting Stone Meeting, Virtual

7 – 9 pm Mock Trial, Virtual

Tuesday, November 10th

4:30 – 5:15 pm Talawanda Tribune, Virtual

7 – 8:30 pm Academic Challenge Practice, Virtual

Wednesday, November 11th

No school for THS and TMS students

Veterans Day

9 – 10 am Wednesday Food Distribution, Main Entrance

10 – 11am FFA meeting, Virtual

11 am – 12 pm Talawanda Hope Club, Virtual

2 – 3 pm Project Green, Virtual

4 – 5:30 pm Mock Trial, Virtual

7 – 8:30 pm Band Boosters

Thursday, November 12th

7 – 8:30 pm Academic Challenge Practice, Virtual

Friday, November 13th

3 – 4:30 pm Fermata Nowhere Rehearsal, 608 and outside

7:30 – 8:30 pm Setting Stone Coffee House, Virtual

Saturday, November 14th

9 am – 3 pm Practice ACT, Cafeteria