Gallman Elementary School

🐊Attention Parents and Families🐊 In case you missed tonight’s phone call, here’s all the information. 🐊 For our ESOL students, WIDA testing will continue this week.   🐊There is no school for students on Friday, February 12th. It’s a professional development day for teachers.  🐊There will be no school next Monday, February 15th for students either because it’s Presidents’ Day.    🐊Parents, PLEASE DO NOT send sick students to school. If they complain of headache, sore throat, fever, or any other Covid-19 symptoms, they need to stay home. If you send them to school, they complain of symptoms, you will have to pick them up and they’ll not be able to return until they have a negative Covid-19 test or the doctors sends a note indicating that it is something else beside Covid-19. We’re trying to keep everyone safe.   🐊Parents, please make sure that any change in transportation is done in writing—a note written in their agenda is fine or a piece of notebook paper. We cannot change transportation over the phone. This is to keep our kids safe and to ensure only those who are supposed to pick them up, have them.   🐊Please be sure that your child comes to school daily with a clean mask. Masks should be washed and cleaned like all other laundry items.   🐊Parents, please be sure your child’s device is charged each day before they come to school. Students must have their device with them at school EVERY DAY.   🐊Thank you for all that you do. We could never do this alone. Our Gallman Gator family is continuing to learn and grow together. We hope you have a chomp, chomp, chomp Gatoriffic week!  

Today is World Read Aloud Day! Join us in celebrating it virtually! Enjoy a read aloud by Mr. Dukes - www.bitly.com/GES_WRAD Visit https://www.litworld.org/virtualreadalouds for more read alouds by famous people like Oprah Winfrey, Angela Bassett, and more!

🐊Attention Parents and Families🐊 In case you missed tonight’s phone call, here’s all the information. 🐊 For our ESOL students, WIDA testing will continue this week.  🐊This is School Counseling Week. This is a time to celebrate our school counselor, Ms. Johnson, and let her know how much she is appreciated.  🐊Parents, PLEASE DO NOT send sick students to school. If they complain of headache, sore throat, fever, or any other Covid-19 symptoms, they need to stay home. If you send them to school and they complain of symptoms, you will have to pick them up and they’ll not be able to return until they have a negative Covid-19 test or the doctors sends a note indicating that it is something else beside Covid-19. We’re trying to keep everyone safe.  🐊Parents, please make sure that any change in transportation is done in writing—a note written in their agenda is fine or a piece of notebook paper. We cannot change transportation over the phone. This is to keep our kids safe and to ensure only those who are supposed to pick them up, have them.  🐊Please be sure that your child comes to school daily with a clean mask. Masks should be washed and cleaned like all other laundry items.  🐊Parents, please be sure your child’s device is charged each day before they come to school. Students must have their device with them at school EVERY DAY.  🐊We have a virtual Title One Stakeholders meeting Wednesday at 3:30. If you are interested in attending, please call the school for the information to be a part of it.  🐊Thank you for all that you do each and every day to support your children and our teachers so that we can teach them and they can learn. It’s been a difficult year. We could never do this alone. Our Gallman Gator family is continuing to learn and grow together. We hope you have a chomp, chomp, chomp Gatoriffic week! 

Did you know?? Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands offers full-day care for Teacher Workdays and Wednesdays as well as after-school care! They are located at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer and are available from 7:00am - 6:30pm for Teacher Workdays and Wednesdays. See the flyer below for more information and how to contact them!

The Shriner’s Hospital has put together a series of 3 very brief videos with beneficial information for parents, focusing on pediatric obesity prevention and reinforcing healthy orthopedic habits. Part 1 provides helpful tips and guidelines for pediatric nutrition and sleep, part 2 helps parents ensure their child has an ergonomic workspace and part 3 demonstrates simple at-home exercises to break up the day. Virtual School Series: Part 1: Nutrition (2 min 57 sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBTcMI5r-5c Part 2: Ergonomic Workspace (3 min 27 sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqwUe86CSLA Part 3: At home exercises (2 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qajovOsp7XM

See the information below about joining the Girl Scouts for FREE in January!

🐊Attention Parents and Families🐊 In case you missed tonight’s phone call, here’s all the information. 🐊Attention parents of Gator 4 bus riders-The bus will be late being picked up in the morning. Mrs. Tyneisha will most likely be out all week and other drivers who are unfamiliar with her route are driving her students to school. Again, the bus will likely be late. 🐊For our ESOL students, WIDA testing will begin this week.  🐊Parents, PLEASE DO NOT send sick students to school. If they complain of headache, sore throat, fever, or any other Covid-19 symptoms, they need to stay home. If you send them to school, they complain of symptoms, you will have to pick them up and they’ll not be able to return until they have a negative Covid-19 test, or the doctor sends a note indicating that it is something else besides Covid-19. We’re trying to keep everyone safe.  🐊Parent-Teacher conferences will begin on Thursday, January 28. These are scheduled appointments from 3:15-6:45. Some may not have felt the need to conference with your child’s teacher, but if you do, please contact them to set up your appointment. Conferences will also be on Friday, January 29 from 7:45-11:00.  🐊All conferences are virtual or by phone. You WILL NOT come to the school. 🐊Students do not come to school on Friday, January 29.  🐊Parents, please make sure that any change in transportation is made in writing—a note written in their agenda is fine or a piece of notebook paper. We cannot change transportation over the phone. This is to keep our kids safe and to ensure only those who are supposed to pick them up, have them.  🐊Please be sure that your child comes to school daily with a clean mask. Masks should be washed and cleaned like all other laundry items.  🐊Parents, please be sure your child’s device is charged each day before they come to school. Students must have their device with them at school EVERY DAY.  🐊We have a virtual SIC (School Improvement Council) Meeting Monday at 5:00. If you are interested in attending, please call the school for the information to be a part of it.  🐊Thank you for all that you do each and every day to support your children and our teachers so that we can teach them, and they can learn. It’s been a difficult year. We could never do this alone. Our Gallman Gator family is continuing to learn and grow together. We hope you have a chomp, chomp, chomp Gatoriffic week! 

The School District of Newberry County will no longer send non-close contact letters to parents informing them that a case of COVID-19 was identified in our schools. We will continue to inform parents if their child has been identified as a close contact (within 6 feet for 15 or more cumulative minutes). Please be reminded that you can access information regarding COVID-19 activity in our district on the COVID-19 Dashboard located on the District’s webpage. The School District of Newberry County continues to remind parents to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms each morning prior to coming to school. If your child displays any of the following symptoms, tests positive, or is identified as a household contact or close contact, please complete the COVID-19 questionnaire located on your child’s school website and a school nurse will follow up with you. COVID-19 Symptoms: o Any one of these with or without fever:  New or worsening cough  Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing  Loss of taste or smell o OR two (2) of the following:  Sore throat  Muscle Aches  Chills  Fatigue  Headache  Congestion or runny nose  Diarrhea  Nausea or vomiting It is important that we all maintain heightened awareness as it pertains to monitoring for symptoms, maintaining social distancing and wearing masks as any of us can be around a positive case in any situation in our lives and not know it. Thank you for your continued support of our school district. If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Fran (803-321-2655) or Tricia Ulch, School Nurse Coordinator (803-321-2620).

🐊Attention Parents and Families🐊 In case you missed tonight's phone call, here's all the information! 🐊No School Tomorrow- There is no school on Monday, January 18th due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. 🐊Please be sure that if students are feeling well, they are attending school every day. If they are absent, please send in an excuse. Students are only allowed 7 parental excuses for the school year. 🐊Tardy Bell at 7:45- Please be sure students are at school by 7:45 am each day. Coming in late is disruptive to your child's learning. 🐊Continue to Self-Screen for COVID-19 Symptoms- Please continue to self-screen your children BEFORE coming to school each day. If they have been a close contact to a positive case within the past 14 days or are shoring symptoms as outlined in the Parent Toolkit, please do not send your child to school and notify the school nurse using the form - https://bit.ly/COVID19_GES 🐊Reporting COVID-19 Exposure and Cases- If your child has tested positive, is a close contact, or a household contact, please notify the nurse by using the form https://bit.ly/COVID19_GES Someone will follow up with you on Tuesday, January 19th. Each positive case has to be investigated by viewing cameras, measuring, etc. and that cannot be done on weekends or holidays. 🐊Charge Devices Daily!- PLEASE charge your child's device (laptop or iPad) each night and send it to school fully charged. Also, please make sure your child has their charger with them as well, just in case it is needed. 🐊Parents, we want to remind you that students should NOT be picked up after 2:00pm. It is disruptive to the learning environment. 🐊Transportation Changes- ALL transportation changes must be made in writing or in-person by a parent. There will be NO transportation changes made over the telephone. This is for the safety of all our students. 🐊Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do to support our school! We hope you have a chomp, chomp, chomp Gatoriffic week!

🐊Attention Parents and Families 🐊 In case you missed tonight’s phone call, here’s all the information. 🐊 We would like to thank you for making sure students have their masks. They did an excellent job this past week. This is just a reminder to be sure they are wearing a mask and that is fitted over their mouth and nose. Please be sure that they are wearing a clean mask every day. 🐊Also, make sure students bring their device to school fully charged so they are ready for school and their assignments. 🐊Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns. 🐊Thank you for ALL that you have done to ensure our students are prepared and safe. We cannot do this alone! You are genuinely appreciated. We hope you have a chomp, chomp, chomp Gatoriffic week!

Please continue to self-screen students prior to coming to school. If they have been in close contact with a positive case within the past 14 days or are showing symptoms, please do not send your student to school and notify the school nurse by using the link http://bit.ly/COVID19_GES to report a positive case, close contact, or household contact.

Don't forget to charge your child's device tonight and send it to school tomorrow!

Thursday (Jan. 7th) and Friday (Jan. 8th) Changes in instructional placement begin on Thursday, January 7th. All students who will be attending school in the 4-day in-person instructional model will attend school beginning on Thursday, January 7th. This includes all Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 students who are remaining in the face-to-face model AND any virtual students who chose to attend school in the face-to-face model. From Thursday, January 7th forward all face-to-face students will attend school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Wednesdays will remain a virtual eLearning day for all students.

Tomorrow, Wednesday (1/6), is a virtual eLearning day for all students. No students will come to school tomorrow.

Tomorrow, Tuesday (Jan. 5th)- ONLY students in Cohort 2 (Tuesday/Friday) will attend school. All changes will take place on Thursday, Jan. 7th.

🐊Attention GES Parents and Families🐊 In case you missed tonight's phone call, here's the information. 🎆Happy New Year!🎆 We hope all of you enjoyed your Winter Break and that you were able to relax, have fun, and stay safe and healthy. We are excited about school starting back. ❗️❗️Please read very carefully to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding.❗️❗️ 🐊Monday, January 4th- There is NO SCHOOL for students. It is a teacher workday. 🐊Tuesday, January 5th—If you were virtual during first semester, you are still virtual on Tuesday. If you are Cohort 1, a Monday/Thursday student, you DO NOT come to school on Tuesday. If you are Cohort 2, a Tuesday/Friday student, you come to school on Tuesday. 🐊Wednesday, January 6th, is a virtual eLearning day for EVERYONE—no one comes to school. 🐊Thursday, January 7th, is when the changes will take place. ❗️If your child was virtual, and you signed them up to come to school face-to-face, they will come on Thursday and Friday. ❗️Cohort 1 AND Cohort 2 students will attend school on both Thursday and Friday. ❗️From Thursday until you are told otherwise, students will attend school on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. ❗️Wednesday will continue to be a virtual eLearning day for ALL students. ❗️If your child remained virtual, it’s possible that they will have another teacher. This information was sent out prior to us leaving for Winter Break. ❗️If children are dropped off on the wrong day, you will be asked to return to pick them up. ❗️❗️Remember all changes will happen on Thursday, January 7th.❗️❗️ 🐊Thank you for your patience and support as we continue to provide a first class education for our students and to keep them safe. We hope you all have a chomp, chomp, chomp Gatoriffic week!

It's officially Winter Break! Take a look at these reminders to keep your iPads/Laptops safe over the break so they are ready for when we come back to school!

GES Parents and Staff, Need to report a Close Contact, Household Contact or Positive Case of COVID-19? Click here to answer a few questions (Gallman Elementary School COVID-19 Reporting). If you are reporting over a holiday, weekend, or after hours, a school nurse will contact you the next school day for additional information. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdXGUjhlPqIvCFD3VHqy6rnbgNkOtByFF8GsC0TZELzC5CJkg/viewform?usp=send_form

Today is a Half Day for Students! Dismissal is at 11:00 and lunch will NOT be served. We hope everyone has a Wonderful Winter Break!

Tomorrow, Friday, 12/18 is a Half Day for students! School will dismiss at 11:00am and lunch will NOT be served.