April PCS Update

Emergency Order Message

Spring Q&A for PCS Families

Learn more at www.pcsb.org/fsafaq

Please check the Blanton Calendar to view the testing schedule.

Department of Education Emergency Order 02

School Tours/Visits

This is the time of year that parents and families are making academic decisions about their students’ enrollment.  To that end, the following guidelines are provided to allow for families to visit and learn about our schools and programs.

PCS encourages all parents/guardians who wish to tour schools in person for the purpose of enrollment and program considerations to contact schools to schedule a visit.  Prospective enrolling students may participate in the tour experience.  All schools are expected to provide access to their campus for perspective families.

The following guidelines are in place for tours:

• Visitors will be required to adhere to Pinellas County Schools’ health and wellness protocols including the wearing of face coverings and  social distancing guidelines.
• School tours may be conducted in groups of no more than 10 individuals.

Blanton Elementary tours will be at 10:00am on the following dates:

Friday, April 16^th

Friday, April 30^th

Monday, May 10^th

Monday, May 24^th

Please call the school office at 727-547-7820 to make a reservation.

Face-to-face Summer Bridge programs will be offered this summer! Summer Bridge provides engaging activities to prepare students for maximum success when the next school year begins.

June 21st through July 15th

Register now for elementary and middle school programs at https://reservation.pcsb.org

OR

Call Blanton Elementary's front office for more information. (727) 547-7820

 Summer Bridge helps students succeed:

WHAT MEAL OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR PINELLAS COUNTY CHILDREN?

1. Children in Pinellas County 18 years & younger are eligible for 7 days’ worth of breakfast, lunch, dinner meals, & 5 days’ worth of snacks, FREE Distribution on Thursdays at 17 school locations.
*Child does not need to be enrolled in Pinellas County Schools or be present for pickup
*No ID required for pickup
*Meals are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis
*More information, including locations, visit pcsb.org/food

 Meal Distribution Information

2. Meals on Wheels for Kids! Please see flyer attached for more information including registration and contact information. www.MOW4kids.com

Meals on Wheels for Kids Flyer

Blanton's honorees for the 2020-2021 school year are:

Izairis Turcios

Aurora Perez-Dutra

Emilio Jose Misle-Ruh

Violeta Cardona Orozco

NEW COVID-19 COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS EFFECTIVE FEB. 21

As you may know, the district maintains a dashboard on our website that lists all positive cases in our schools at www.pcsb.org/covid19cases. That dashboard is updated each work day and is searchable by location and date.

Additionally, in an effort to keep everyone overly-informed, principals have been sending out schoolwide messages every time a positive case is confirmed in their school.  In many cases this is leading to families receiving multiple calls and emails per week and is causing confusion and message fatigue. We recognize that sending too many messages reduces their effectiveness. We have been asked to simplify the process to ensure families only receive the most essential communications, so we will be updating our protocols moving forward.

Beginning February 21, we will do the following:

• Notify by phone and email any student or staff member who is identified as a direct contact and must quarantine.
• Update the district’s COVID Public Dashboard every weekday at noon with cases confirmed the previous day.
• Add a link to the district’s COVID Dashboard (www.pcsb.org/covid19cases) to the homepage of every school’s website.

Beginning February 21, if you do not receive a call, then your student has not been deemed a close contact of a positive case and should attend school normally.  If at any time you would like additional information about the number of cases at your student’s school, or the safety protocols being followed, we encourage you to submit a question on the Dashboard webpage or reach out to Principal Roth.

As always, we ask everyone to monitor themselves for any sign of illness. If we all do our part, we can continue to keep our school family healthy and safe.

Thank you.

All Pro Dads is back this year with a virtual twist!

This is a program offered through Family First, a nonprofit organization, and sponsored by PTA. With the help of All Pro Dads, we hope to engage our fathers to be involved and help guide their children to a life of leadership and success.

Next event: Thursday, March 11th

Topic: Coming soon...

Parents can decide which learning option they want for their child!

Students can attend school in person or virtually via MyPCS Online.

Here at Blanton, you can call the school office between 8am and 3pm to request a learning option change.

Changes will be handled as quickly as possible.

You will be notified when your child can return to brick and mortar class.

Blanton Elementary & Bus Bulletin

Parents,

If your child rides a bus to school each day, you can keep updated on any issues by signing up for Bus Bulletin. Bus Bulletin will notify you by text, phone call or email if:

• A bus is late.
• A route has changed.
• There has been an accident.

If your child rides a bus, please take advantage of this free service. Sign-up by going to http://busbulletin.com/parents/

The bus bulletin link can also be found on the district website. Just click on the Transportation button.

Ensure that you have the correct contact information on file to stay informed about what’s occurring at your child’s school and in the district. Parents and guardians can receive phone calls, as well as opt in for emails and text messages. 

Get updated at pcsb.org/contactinfo.

Please be aware that we are asking anyone that visits our campus during our visitor check in process.

Have you experienced any of these symptoms, not associated with previously diagnosed conditions, in the past 72 hours?

Feve greater than 100.4/chills

Cough/short of breath

New loss of taste or smell

Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea

Multiple symptoms

Parents! Reporting your child's absence is easier than ever with the "Report Student Absence" feature!

Please click the link below to send an email to the school.

Include the Student’s Name, Date of Birth, Grade, Homeroom Teacher (if known), Date Absent and Reason.

If applicable, please attach any documentation to support the absence.

When complete, click the send button.