July 23, 2021
Dear Jaguar Families,
As the new principal of Jellick Elementary, it is with great excitement that I welcome you into the 2021-2022 school year. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve a school with such persevering scholars, an extremely dedicated staff, and a supportive school community. I have been serving Rowland Unified for the last twenty years and have worked with students ranging in age from Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade in a variety of roles, including my last role as Principal of Telesis Academy. I am thrilled to work with our families as a partner in education to ensure your child’s success.
While I know the past 18 months have been unlike any in history, both trying and unnerving, I hope you have been able to enjoy time around family and the beautiful summer weather! This summer I was lucky enough to spend time with my family, head out into the great outdoors and go camping, and even adopted a puppy.
As you’ve seen, information from the state and local agencies changes on a weekly basis due to COVID-19. Rowland Unified School District will be providing instruction in person, returning to as normal as possible. We will continue to temperature screen and require masks in all indoor spaces. I will keep you updated as much as possible through Parent Square, and our school website (www.jellickschool.org). This letter will hopefully provide you with some of the information needed to get you off to a smooth start for the 2021-2022 school year.
OFFICE HOURS AND DATA CONFIRMATION
Please make sure to complete the data confirmation for your child before the first day of school, August 9th. This is especially important for communication and safety reasons as all communication will be provided through Parent Square. Data confirmation will enable you to see your child’s class assignment and receive welcome communication from their teacher(s). You will access this information through AERIES and our school website will have a step by step guide on data confirmation. The office will be open to phone calls and emails Monday through Friday from 7:30-4:00 p.m. if you need assistance.
DEVICE AND MATERIAL DISTRIBUTION
Students in TK and Kinder will receive iPads during the first few weeks of school. Kindergarten students who attended TK must bring last year’s device to exchange for a new iPad. Third grade students will need to bring their iPads to school the first week in order to exchange them for chromebooks in class. All students new to Jellick will also receive the appropriate device for their grade level.
SCHOOL BEGINS LIVE FOR ALL STUDENTS ON MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 2021
Classroom assignments will be posted on AERIES Homelink prior to the first day of school. For the safety of our community, we will not be posting assignments on the fence as we usually do. This is another reason why it is so important to complete your data confirmation. I am hosting a virtual parent meetings on August 5th at 7:00 p.m. via zoom. I invite each of you to join to say hello and ask any remaining questions you may have. Please keep an eye on your parent square and the Jellick website for more information.
In order to maintain the safest environment possible for our children we are working to adjust schedules to stagger common times such as lunch and school entry to facilitate temperature scanning and eating outdoors. These will be published to Parent Square and our school website upon completion.
ABSENCE REPORTING AND REQUESTS FOR HOMEWORK
Please report absences by calling our office or using Parent Square. Remember to include the date of the absence, the student’s name and the reason for the absence in the communication. If you are requesting homework for your child, contact your teacher via Parent Square. Most class and home assignments are posted by staff on See Saw and/or Google Classroom.
SCHOOL BREAKFAST AND LUNCH PROGRAM
Breakfast and lunch will be made available to all students. However there will be no indoor consumption of food. Existing shade structures and additional tent/canopies will be provided for students to eat lunch under.
We realize there are more unknowns than there are knowns this year. Please know we will be communicating often and repeating many communications to help navigate as we move through the year and the ever changing needs. Please feel free to reach out via email, Parent Square and phone with questions. Jellick has an amazing community and I know our Jaguars will continue to be successful as we come back together.
Sincerely,
Johan Schmitz,
Principal