Category: Archive
New HS parking loop offers safety, efficiency for students, families, staff
As part of the district’s capital project, work has been completed on a new parking lot and traffic loop at Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School. Located just beyond the tennis and basketball courts, the new lot and loop provide families with a safer and more efficient way to drop off and pick up their students, as well as additional spaces to park.
Traffic guards are helping to guide drivers as they enter and exit the parking loop and are ensuring that students safely use the cross walk.
After entering the campus from Clyde Street, parents/guardians should follow the road to the new parking lot and loop, where they will find a number of spots to park, as well as space line up safely, away from the bus loop, while they wait for their students. The new loop and lot will ease congestion on local roads and at the school, allow bus traffic to flow in and out of campus, and most importantly, increase student, staff and family safety.
Reviews of the new loop have been positive to-date, according to High School Principal Deborah Larrabee. “One parent commented she ‘loved the new parent loop. It was so easy and stress free.’ She said she was in and out with no problem at all!”
High school named a Scholar-Athlete School of Distinction
Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School has been named a School of Distinction by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHAA) for achieving Scholar-Athlete status for all of its varsity teams during the past school year. Fort Plain is one of only 56 high schools in the state to achieve this honor.
The school received a School of Distinction and Scholar-Athlete trophy and certificate from NYSPHAA after the close of the 2019-20 school year. All of the members of Fort Plain’s varsity teams achieved honor roll.
The award recognizes excellence in both athletics and the classroom by members of Fort Plain’s teams who were able to compete before closure in March, including boys and girls basketball, boys and girls bowling, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls cross country, golf, cheerleading, swimming, wrestling and volleyball.
NYSPHAA’s Scholar-Athlete award honors students and teams for excellence in their studies. To be named a Scholar-Athlete team, at least 75 percent of a roster must achieve a grade point average of 90 or above.
From lockers to art gallery
High school lockers may not be in use for student belongings at this time, but they make an awesome gallery for pixel murals by Geoff Snyder’s Experiences in Art Class.
“Each student planned their design on graph paper first,” Mr. Snyder said. “Next, they calculated how many squares they would need and how many colors of each.
“Some of the murals are made up of more than 200 squares. Each student then arranged the squares, line by line, on larger paper for glueing.”
The students’ larger-than-life creations are displayed near the main high school entrance.
Local heroes teach fire safety
Members of the Fort Plain Fire Department visited primary students at Harry Hoag to talk about fire prevention and fire safety. In addition to learning many great safety tips, the students were excited to use the fire hose. Thank you to our local heroes for the visit!
View more photos on the Fort Plain Central Schools Facebook page.
Thank you, Board of Education
In honor of National School Board Appreciation Week, Oct. 19-23, 2020, Fort Plain recognizes the seven dedicated members of our Board of Education for their volunteerism, service and commitment to our schools, our students and their future.
The Fort Plain Board of Education helps guide the district to achieve its mission of providing each student with the opportunity to develop intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically in a safe, orderly and positive environment, and to prepare every student for success beyond graduation.
Keeping ill children home helps keep everyone safe and healthy
Dear Fort Plain Parents and Guardians,
I’d like to thank you for your ongoing support of our efforts to provide a positive environment for all of our children to learn and grow. In view of the incidence of positive COVID-19 cases in surrounding regions, this is a friendly reminder that in order for us to keep everyone safe and healthy, we request your continued due diligence in keeping your children home if they are sick.
The New York State Department of Health has created a Pre-K-12 COVID-19 Toolkit to assist parents and guardians in making decisions when their children are ill. Especially helpful are the toolkit flowcharts for “Can my child go to school today?” and “My child has COVID19 symptoms. When can they go back to school?” These step-by-step guides will walk you through the decision-making process. Images of these guides appear at the end of this letter. In addition to these guides, the full toolkit offers other resources.
I would also like to remind you of our district’s protocol should a positive COVID-19 case be confirmed. In the event of a positive COVID-19 case connected to the Fort Plain Schools community, we will work with the county health department and will issue a notification to families as guided by the health department.
Please note that while notification of a positive case will indicate the school the individual is connected to, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other privacy laws restrict the district from disclosing or confirming any personally identifiable information, and we cannot identify anyone who has tested positive.
The county health department will reach out to all contacts of the individual confirmed to have COVID-19 and advise on the need for quarantine and testing of those exposed.
I’d also like to note that to keep the Fort Plain community informed, we regularly post important updates and resources related to COVID-19 on our district website’s School Reopening/COVID-19 Updates webpage.
In closing, I’d like to say that as always, we trust our parents and guardians will continue to use your best judgment when making decisions about keeping children home from school. I appreciate your understanding and thank you again for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
John Bishop
Superintendent of Schools
Important notice: Cross Country photos Tuesday, Oct. 13
All cross country team members should report, wearing their uniforms, to the Canajoharie track on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 3:30 p.m. for team and individual photos.
Oct. 7: COVID-19 reporting update
Notifying Our School Community of Positive Cases
In the event of a positive COVID-19 case in the Fort Plain Schools community, we will work with the county health department and will issue an email notification to all employees, and to families via ParentSquare and Remind. We will also post the information on our website.
Notification of a positive case will indicate the school the individual is connected to. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other privacy laws restrict the district from disclosing or confirming any personally identifiable information, and we cannot identify anyone who has tested positive.
The county health department will reach out to all contacts of an individual confirmed to have COVID-19 and advise on the need to quarantine and arrange testing for those exposed.
COVID-19 Report Card
All schools in New York state, including Fort Plain, are required to submit a daily report to the state of any confirmed cases of COVID-19 linked to a school. The COVID-19 Report Card is available to the public on the New York State Department of Health website and also via a link on this webpage, and it includes daily case statistics from schools throughout the state.
The Fort Plain Central School District is required to report not only confirmed positive COVID cases connected to the school, but working with the county department of health, report instances where a person connected to the school district has shown symptoms of the coronavirus for at least 48 hours, but has not been tested or has not received a conclusive alternative diagnosis within that time. The department of health will determine the need to notify, quarantine and contact trace.
In addition, the state dashboard includes a number that is an estimate of “Lab Reported Positives based on Residential Address” as part of its school COVID Report Card. This estimate may differ from the number of cases that are directly related to the school district, and may include students who reside within the district, but do not attend Fort Plain schools. Individual school data on the dashboard is listed separately below this estimated number.
On Sept. 30, 2020, the New York State Department of Health released a Pre-K to Gr 12 COVID-19 Toolkit containing updated guidance related to student and staff attendance for those who are symptomatic or test positive for COVID-19. Under the revised guidance, the time frame for exposure to the virus, or exhibiting symptoms of the virus, has been decreased from 14 days to 10 days. “Close contact” has been defined to mean only those who have been designated as contacts by the local health department.
Regarding diagnosis, a note from a health care provider indicating a negative test result may be accepted in lieu of a copy of the test itself. However, a note from a health care provider that does not indicate a clear, confirmed alternative diagnosis for symptoms is not acceptable for return to school.
Oct. 7: Return to school protocols reminder
As you know, everyone who enters our school buildings is being asked to screen for possible COVID-19 symptoms. Those who are ill are asked to stay home. We wanted to clarify what needs to happen before students and staff can return to school after falling ill or showing COVID-19 symptoms.
If a student or employee has shown symptoms of the coronavirus, one of the following must take place before that person can return to school:
The person’s health care provider provides a conclusive diagnosis of something other than COVID-19;
The person tests negative for COVID-19; or
The person is released from isolation by the Department of Health.
Students and employees will be asked to provide documentation from a health care provider of an alternative diagnosis, or a negative COVID test result.
The district will work with the county department of health in instances where a person connected to the school district has shown symptoms of the coronavirus for at least 48 hours, but has not been tested or has not received a conclusive alternative diagnosis within that time. The department of health will determine the need for notification, quarantine and contact tracing.
While these protocols may present challenges for some families, please be aware that they are not simply school or district policy: Only the department of health has the power to release individuals from isolation, which would then allow them to return to the school.
All families receive free school meals and NY EBT cards
All students enrolled in the Fort Plain Central School District, regardless of family income, receive free breakfast and lunch during the school year because the district is part of the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Lunch Program.
New York State is sending EBT cards to all Fort Plain Central School District families as part of the CEP program, and all families are receiving the EBT benefits, regardless of whether they usually receive EBT or SNAP benefits. The EBT card can be used at the grocery store. The card comes with instructions to set up a PIN and then can be swiped at the store, the same as a debit or credit card.
For more information please check out the Frequently Asked Questions for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) Food Benefits .