South Central Elementary School, through its penny war fundraiser, raised $7,262.70 for Riley Hospital for Children!

The penny war fundraiser was sponsored by Junior Council members and was held during the month of February. South Central Elementary (and the Corporation) will now be designated as a "Red Wagon School/Corporation" for their fundraising efforts! Additionally, a Red Riley Wagon with a customized South Central license plate will be used at Riley Hospital as transportation for many patients.

Dear Parent/Guardian,

The purpose of this letter is to provide the most up-to-date information pertaining to COVID-19 protocols as it relates to school bus transportation. On Friday, February 25, the CDC released guidance that removes the facemask requirement on school buses. Specifically, the updated guidance stated the following:

Effective February 25, 2022, CDC is exercising its enforcement discretion to not require that people wear masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs. CDC is making this change to align with updated guidance that no longer recommends universal indoor mask-wearing in K-12 and early education settings in areas with a low or medium COVID-19 Community Level.

The full text of the CDC's recommendations can be found here: CDC Travel Mask Guidance

Therefore, effective Tuesday, March 1, 2022, South Central will no longer require masks on school buses. We appreciate everyone's support as we work through the updated protocols. With the removal of several protocols recently, please remember that we need everyone's assistance to continue to operate South Central as safely as possible. If your child feels ill, please have them stay home. If you are an individual that tests positive for COVID-19, you are still required to quarantine for 5 days and must wear a mask upon returning on days 6-10 in school and on the bus.

We will continue to provide updates if further recommendations change. Thank you for your continued support and for choosing South Central for your child's education.

Sincerely,

Dr. Theodore Stevens, Superintendent

Dear Parent/Guardian,

The purpose of this letter is to provide the most up-to-date information pertaining to COVID-19 protocols and quarantine requirements for students/staff at South Central. As you may know, the Indiana State Department of Health is recommending that schools no longer contact trace. Please find the two pages of the presentation that specifically speak to that point as well as the full informational packet from the IDOH at the following link: Indiana K-12 Guidance for Isolation and Quarantine

Therefore, effective Tuesday, February 22, 2022, South Central will no longer contact trace student or staff positive cases. South Central will remain a mask optional environment with the exception of school buses where the federal requirement is still active. As a reminder, if you feel ill, please stay home. If you are an individual that tests positive for COVID-19, you are still required to quarantine for 5 days and must wear a mask upon returning on days 6-10. Please note that your student will not be provided with a certified absence unless they receive a positive test result from a physician or COVID testing site (home tests will not be accepted for certified absences). 

The South Central Elementary Junior Council will be sponsoring a penny war fundraiser between grade levels to help benefit Riley Hospital for Children. The fundraiser will take place from February 9th to February 25th with prizes for the most money raised by grade level and for reaching the school goal. Details on this fun way to raise money can be found in the attached flyer.

South Central Elementary School will hold kindergarten roundup for the 2022-2023 school year on Monday, February 21st from 9:00am-2:00pm and on Thursday, March 3rd from 3:30pm-6:00pm.

Children who turn five by August 1, 2022 are eligible to sign up. Children who turn five by October 1, 2022 may still sign up and parents/guardians will be given a recommendation of enrollment by the kindergarten staff based on their screening. 

Please bring the child's birth certificate.

Support the South Central Elementary Junior Council by donating gently worn/new winter attire. From January 10th to January 28th, the Junior Council will be collecting winter coats, snow boots, hats, gloves, scarves, and tennis shoes to help those in need during the colder weather. Thank you for your support!

Dear Parent/Guardian,

The purpose of this letter is to provide the most up-to-date information pertaining to positive case protocols and quarantine requirements for students/staff at South Central. Please carefully review the Indiana State Department of Health guidance using the following link: Indiana K-12 Guidance for Isolation and Quarantine

As a reminder, as of this letter, South Central will continue to make the wearing of masks optional for all individuals. Though masks are optional at South Central, there are a few caveats - primarily when students return from a close contact quarantine or from a positive test. The newest requirements from the CDC, which have been adopted by the Indiana State Department of Health now recommend a 5 day quarantine period for close contacts and positive COVID cases. Asymptomatic individuals may now return to school if they wear a mask on days 6-10. Additionally, please note that masks will still be required while utilizing school bus transportation as this is a Federal Requirement.

In closing, we know that positive cases are currently increasing. Please remember, if you or someone in your home feels ill, please stay home. South Central will continue to work with our students and staff to social distance, but it is important to note that close contact in a mask optional environment is still defined as being within 6 feet of a known positive individual for 15 minutes in a 24 hour period. We certainly feel that the latest recommendations are getting us closer to normalcy, but we'll certainly need everyone's assistance to continue to operate South Central as safely as possible. Thank you for your continued support and for choosing South Central for your child's education.

Sincerely,

Dr. Theodore Stevens, Superintendent