Kirby Public Schools

Our first day of school is tomorrow!! We wanted to send out a few last minute reminders for parents and students: - All bus riders, regardless of age, will be required to wear a face covering. - When social distancing cannot be obtained, students will also we required to wear a face covering. - If you have a chromebook device from last spring, please bring it with you! We can't wait to see everyone tomorrow!!!

Due to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, Kirby School District will be implementing an Early Release schedule for parents who wish to pick up their elementary students before regular dismissal at 4:10. There will still be a regular dismissal beginning at 4:10 pm for bus riders and car riders for those students that did not leave during the early release. If there is an older sibling of a student during the early release in elementary or high school, they will be allowed to leave when that student is being picked up during the early release time. Please contact elementary or high school office if so. Please follow Early Release map and times. Parents will not be allowed to pick up their child(ren) in the offices. Please make sign and post on passenger window to inform us who your child(ren) are so we can bring them out to you. K-2nd students can be picked up at 3:20 pm 3rd-4th students can be picked up at 3:30 pm 5th-6th students can be picked up at 3:40 pm High School student drivers will leave during normal dismissal time at 4:10 pm.

The Kirby School District is pleased to announce the district will participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) during the 2020 - 2021 school year providing meals, regardless of eligibility category, at NO CHARGE for all students within Kirby Elementary and Kirby High Schools. What does this mean for you and your children attending the school(s) identified above? All enrolled students of Kirby School District are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast, lunch and snack at school at no charge to your household each day of the 2020-2021 school year. No further action is required of you. Your child(ren) will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit a meal application.

Important Information: The road behind the high school/agriculture building is a privately owned driveway. Please do not use the road as an exit/entrance off of Hwy.84 or drive around the school to access Hwy.84. Also, the trash bin at Kirby School District is for school purposes only. Please do not but personal trash in our bin. Our Ready for Learning (RfL) plan is now available to view on our school district website under the COVID-19 tab. This is where you will find pertinent information that will constitute our day-to-day operations for Kirby School District such as bus procedures, screening, visitors, various learning plans, food service, etc. Please look it over to know what will be expected from our students, staff, and parents/guardians, and community members.

In an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus within our staff and student body we are asking all parents/guardians, of students who will be in attendance on-site, and all employees to notify our designated Point of Contact immediately when the following occurs: Someone in the household has tested positive for COVID-19. Someone in the household has been identified as a Close Contact to a positive case of COVID-19 and is requiring quarantine and/or recommended to be tested for COVID-19. Student attending on-site and employees who are being tested for COVID-19. If symptomatic, student/staff should remain in quarantine pending results of their COVID-19 test. Please call Kirby school nurse/POC Alissa Kelley at 870-223-2711, 7 days a week between the hours of 6 am to 9 pm, or email information to alissa.kelley@kirbytrojans.net. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Together we can help keep our Kirby School District family safe, healthy and ready to learn during this unique time. I promise you that everyone at Kirby school is doing and will continue to do our part to keep students healthy and safe to continue learning on site. Please do not hesitate to call me or text if you have any questions. I can’t wait to see all the students on Monday.

We understand there are many uncertainties during this time and some of you may be feeling apprehensive about the return of students to school. It is natural to feel apprehensive when facing a challenge like this. We want to reassure you that we are following all guidelines and taking steps as outlined in our Ready for Learning plan. While we are taking the needed steps to provide a safe environment for our students and staff, we are also realistic and know that because everyone is susceptible, more than likely after school begins there will be students and staff members within Kirby School District testing positive for Covid-19. This message is intended to inform the community of the procedure in the event of a positive case of Covid-19 within Kirby School District. The district has a Point of Contact that will be notified when a student or staff member has tested positive for Covid-19 or is being tested for Covid-19. Alissa Kelley is the point of contact for Kirby School District. If a student or staff member tests positive or is awaiting the results of a test, contact Alissa Kelley at (870)223-2711 between the hours of 6 a.m.-9 p.m. any day of the week (including weekends). In the event that our district Point of Contact is notified of a student or staff member testing positive for Covid-19, the district Point of Contact will notify the AR Department of Health and determine a list of probable close contacts within the schools. The district Point of Contact is not a contract tracer so any contact tracing outside of the schools will be done by the Arkansas Department of Health. Probable close contacts are individuals that have likely been within 6 feet for 15 cumulative minutes or longer, within a 24 hour period, to a person who has tested positive for Covid-19 during the infectious period. The probable close contacts will first be notified by the district that he/she is a probable close contact of someone that has tested positive for Covid-19 and will be told to quarantine for 14 days. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) will then contact probable close contacts for further guidance and directions. Due to HIPAA/FERPA requirements, the ADH, the point of contact or any other employee of Kirby School District may NOT disclose the name of the student or staff member that tested positive. Again, if you are notified of being a probable close contact you will only be informed that you came in probable close contact with someone that tested positive, but you will not be told the name of the individual that tested positive. The district will continue working in conjunction with the Arkansas Department of Health and will assess and determine the appropriate level of response for onsite learning. We can also use your help prior to the start of school. Practice mask wearing and proper hand washing with your student. This school year will be challenging, but working together, we can provide a safe and secure environment. We look forward to seeing our students back on campus. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your student’s principal or the statewide Ready for School Resource Call Center at 1-833-353-6050.

Cheer tryouts will be September 5th at 10:00am. We will have three mandatory practices on September 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Practices will be after school from 4:20-5:30. Practices will be held in the Safe Room and the tryouts will be held in the gym. You can sign up in the elementary or high school office when school starts. If you signed up at the end of school last year then you do not have to sign up again. If you have questions you can email me at sloane.mcmahan@kirbytrojans.net.

Kirby School would like to say thank you to Lori Wozniak and Modern Woodman of America for their donation of lanyards and name tags for Elementary students. These lanyards can attach to the students mask so when they are allowed to take them off, it will prevent them from falling on the floor and/or getting lost.

Kirby School District received a $9000 grant from the Olds Foundation for the campus food bank. We would like to thank the Olds Foundation for their generosity and their continued support for our program.

If you are planning on taking a college class this fall, I MUST have your paperwork by Thursday evening. Classes start Monday, August 17. The log in instructions are here:

If you have signed your child up for Kirby Virtual Academy, but are considering sending them to traditional on-site classes, please contact your building administrator by Thursday, August 13th! And remember, everyone enrolled in Kirby Virtual Academy is required to attend the orientation on either Wednesday, Aug 12 or Thursday, Aug 13th from 6-7pm! Elementary-Dolores Cowart High School-Jason Burns

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

KINDERGARTEN CAMP!!!!

Now accepting applications!!

7-12 Grade Registration: Come fill out your paperwork for the year, pick up your schedule, sign concurrent paperwork, and/or register for classes on any of the following days: Monday, Aug. 10 8-2:00 Tuesday, Aug. 11 8-2:00 Wednesday, Aug. 12 8-2:00 Open House - will be announced at a later date

Kirby PTCO will be purchasing all K-6th school supplies needed for the 20-21 school year EXCEPT: *earbuds or headphones *reusable water bottle *backpack Please check with your child’s teacher before purchasing earbuds or headphones. Some teachers already have them and others may have a preference.

7-12 graders, please check your school email to fill out your Google form to register for classes! If you have questions, email brandi.tolleson@kirbytrojans.net.

Due to 1 positive COVID-19 test among staff, the district offices will be closed the week of July 24th - July 31st. We will reopen when appropriate. All people who were in contact have been notified.

New student registration for High School and Elementary will be held on Tuesday, July 28th from 8-2 and on Thursday, July 30th from 2-7.

We started mailing out our 2020-2021 Re-Entry pamphlets today detailing our plans for the upcoming school year. We will be offering 2 options: On-Site Learning and Virtual Learning through our Kirby Virtual Academy. Below is a link for more information regarding the Kirby Virtual Academy. Please make sure you read the information provided on the site before completing the application form. If you choose this option, applications will need to be completed by July 28th. We will be posting more information regarding our on-site learning plan in the coming days to our social media and web sites. Please remember that we are adhering to the CDC, ADH and ADE guidelines, so plans may change as needed. Info on our Kirby Virtual Academy can be found at www.kirbytrojans.net/kirbyvirtualacademy