Price's Write

Good Evening SCS Families. This is Ms. Price with your weekly message for the week of October 11, 2021. 

Our PTSA is forming a Food Pantry Committee and we are seeking parents who are willing to serve on this committee. If you have a passion about food insecurity, please consider serving. This is a project that we have been working on for several years for our community and we’d like to grow our efforts. First meeting is October 19 at 6:30 p.m. Please email president@thescsptsa.com or visit the SCS PTSA website and use the Contact button. 

Calling all middle school parents!!! We are in search of a middle school parent to serve as the representative for the School Improvement Team. Meetings are monthly. If you would like more information or would like to volunteer, please contact Ms. Barnes. 

Durham Public Schools, in partnership with MAKO Medical, will begin providing weekly COVID-19 testing at school to help identify possible COVID-19 infections among students even if they’re not showing any symptoms. Research has shown such testing can reduce the spread by 50%, especially in large settings such as schools. 

The testing is a simple swab of the nose and not the test that tickles the brain. This is the same test families can administer from home or at local testing sites. 

This is a voluntary testing process, so a parent or guardian must register their student to participate. The link to register is included in the email version of this message, posted on our website and my blog. A hard copy letter will be sent home with your student when we return from break. All testing information and results will remain confidential. 

I encourage our families to register their students for this free opportunity. Together, we can keep our students safe, in their classrooms, and prevent community spread. 

Register your student today with this link: https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=tf-dur-688-students

When we return to school, we will begin eating outside as circumstances allow. We are currently waiting for furniture to arrive. 

If you would like your child to eat outside using a mat or blanket, please plan to send this to school. We also have developed a plan to ensure that when students are inside, they are 6 feet apart from each other during lunches. Please continue to talk with your children about the importance of social distancing and appropriate mask wearing at all times. Notify the main office or me directly if your child tests positive so that we can take the appropriate next steps to ensure the safety of our community. 

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson. However, it was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. In 1988,  it was enacted into law on August 17.

In addition to several in-school activities for students throughout the month, SCS will hold two virtual events to invite you to participate as part of our community. Look for the Zoom links in the Canvas Global Announcements and in the email version of this message. 

Virtual 2nd Virtual Annual Spanish Spelling Bee (7th year): 

Date:  10/21/2021

Time: 5:30 to 7:00 p.m 

This is an annual contest where students in a school system are in a Spanish 1 class. The teacher can choose the way to select the students and prepare them to participate in the Bee. Through the last five years, we have developed a great collaboration with the Hispanic Heritage Organization/ Mi Libro Hispano and I have added the history and moments of the competition. You can find more details in Spanish at the following interview link: https://milibrohispano.org/spanish-spelling-bee-aprendamos-espanol/

This year, the contest will also offer a live cultural presentation (by Zoom) with music and folkloric dances by professionals Latin representatives. 

The special guests are:

Takiri: a Latin family sharing values and rhythms. Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, director of Takiri Folclor Latino. They dance rhythms from Latin America, especially from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru, including Cumbia, Bambuco, Mapalé, Merecumbé, Plena among others.

 Aztecs Dance: Danza Azteca is a living, evolving, cultural tradition using the artistic, spiritual, and traditions of the pre-Colombian Aztecs. It’s an all-compassing way of life and is a form of ancestor worship, and a way of communicating with the future. Other musicians who are part of the community will also perform. 

Virtual Zumba

October 12, 7:00 — 8:00 p.m. 

Want to order a 2021-22 SCS Yearbook? 

Visit https://strawbridge.fotomerchanthv.com/search/YB110739

• $40.00 until January 14, 2022
• $45.00 from January 15, 2022, to April 29, 2022 (FINAL ordering date)
• Want to personalize your yearbook with your name?  Add an additional $10.00 to your order
• View the yearbook flyer for visual steps.

This month is Disability Awareness Month, Blindness Awareness Month and Bullying Prevention Month. Teachers have been provided resources to share with students for Disability Awareness Month. For Bullying Prevention Month, students will complete an activity during lunch on October 18 and we are asking all of our community to wear orange on Wednesday, October 20 to show support for bullying prevention. Listen for the daily announcements to raise awareness. 

CACRAO (College Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers)  will host a virtual college fair on October 11th & 12th.  This is an amazing opportunity to explore the abundance of post-secondary opportunities available to you.  The link for registration is on Mrs. Settle’s website.

The annual SCS college fair will be held on Thursday 10/14.  All high school students are invited to attend.  We will have 13 colleges and universities participating as well as recruiters from the Army and Marines and staff from The Emily K Center’s Game Plan: College program.  You must get a pass from Mrs. Settle and passes are limited to adhere to COVID safety protocols.  

Use this link to access the Transportation page, “Here Comes The Bus” Tracking APP. Families can use this app to track their child’s bus. We will also continue to post alerts on Facebook and Twitter when buses leave campus late. 

DPS -Here Comes The Bus Page – https://www.dpsnc.net/page/202

Have a great evening from everyone at SCS where we practice the 4C’s–Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, and Community.