SMART Southern Columbia Middle School

Classes resume tomorrow for all grades K-12...Day 6

All students will be dismissed at 11:00 A.M. today. Enjoy the Holiday Break!

Reminder: Monday, November 2nd, is an Act 80 Day. There are no classes for students. All Middle School students, grades 5 through 8, will return to in-person learning Tuesday, November 3rd.

Due to road conditions in some of the outlying areas of the District, all SCASD schools will be operating on a 2-hour delay tomorrow; Friday, December 18th.

Following are a few important announcements for all students and parents: All students are reminded to login to Sapphire and record their daily attendance on all virtual learning days. The Trunk or Treat has been postponed to Monday, November 2nd, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Monday, November 2nd, is an Act 80 Day. There are no classes for students. Parents are asked to complete the Community Input Form regarding school mental health and wellness. Please see the NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS area of the District website for more information on these and other announcements. Please click on Load More Posts to see all recent news and announcements, and please check the website often to stay informed.

Due to weather conditions, all schools in the Southern Columbia Area School District will be closed Thursday, December 17.

*UPDATE* - Trunk or Treat has been postponed until Monday November 2nd The SCASD Student Council is sponsoring a Trunk or Treat for families within the Southern Columbia Area School District. It will be held Monday, November 2, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the District parking lots. Masks are required for all participants.

Trick-or-Treat Schedule from the News Item today Zerbe Township, 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Ralpho Township, 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Mount Carmel Borough, 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday.... Mount Carmel Township, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Shamokin, 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. East Cameron Township, 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Coal Township, 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Kulpmont Borough, 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Trunk-or-treat Drive-thru trunk-or-treat, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Kemp Memorial Stadium to Shamokin Area Elementary School circle. East Cameron Township Fire Co., 6 to 8 p.m., Saturday. Grace Chapel, 126 Airport Road, Shamokin, 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31. Outdoor event. Public invited. See more

Due to the forecast for a major winter storm, all schools will be dismissing at 12:00 P.M. today.

Take a minute to like this picture and help our Pre-K Counts classroom win the door decorating contest!

Students that are SOCO Live may also participate in the Holiday Theme Days To do so, they can change their Microsoft Teams profile picture to show the theme for each day. How to change the profile picture:... -Open Teams app or web page - go to settings -click on Profile -on the picture they currently have or their initials (it’s a circle) there will be an edit option. As a reminder the flyer is posted below.

COVID-19 Positive Case Announcement 10-27-2020 The Southern Columbia Area School District received notice of a second positive COVID-19 case of a staff member who works in the Middle School Building. The staff member was last in school on Friday, October 23. Our health professionals and administration have been working with the Department of Health to determine individuals to quarantine. All students and staff who needed to be quarantined have been notified. Due to the la...rge number of staff needing to quarantine we will be moving to a Virtual Learning Model for grades Five through Eight (58) effective tomorrow, Wednesday October 28th through the remainder of this week. All other grade levels will continue with In-person Learning. We will continue working with the Department of Health to make sure the District is following all protocols. Again, only grades Five through Eight (5-8) will be moving to a virtual Learning model effective immediately, all other grades will continue with In-person learning. We apologize for the short notice and for any inconvenience this may cause our families. We will be updating our school community as more information becomes available. If you have any questions, please contact one of the building offices.

The Southern Columbia Area School District received notice four positive COVID-19 cases. Two from the high school and two from the middle school. The one middle school student was last in school on Friday, December 4th, the other middle school student and the two high school students were last in school prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Our health professionals and administration are working with the Department of Health and it is determined that no student or staff member ...was identified as a close contact. These students were all tested or symptomatic beyond the 48-hour contact window. There was no transmission at the school, and no one will need to quarantine at this time. No change in Learning Model will occur. At this moment we are planning for in-person learning to resume on Monday, December 14th We will continue to communicate and work with Department of Health and Pennsylvania Department of Education on school district guidance. Parents, please notify the school when a student or a member of the household has tested positive for COVID 19, is being tested for COVID 19, or develops COVID 19 symptoms. This is needed to begin contact tracing and helps guide decisions on delivery models. If you have any questions, please contact one of the building offices during school hours.

COVID-19 Positive Case Announcement October 26, 2020 The Southern Columbia Area School District received notice of one positive COVID-19 case of a staff member who works in both buildings. The staff member was last in school on Friday, October 23. Our health professionals and administration are working with the Department of Health and it is determined that no student needs to quarantine at this time. There are some staff members quarantining. According to the Department of... Health and Pennsylvania Department of Education guidance, school is to remain open. We will continue working with the Department of Health to make sure the District is following all protocols. We are grateful to our faculty, staff, and students for their diligence and focus on following our Health and Safety Plan. We appreciate the support of the Department of Health and its detailed guidance. We as a District are doing well in preventing the spread of COVID 19. The School District’s ability to offer in-person instruction is dependent upon the continued responsible behavior of our school community. The three major items that continue to protect us as a school district are wearing face-covering, social distancing to the greatest extent possible and following proper hygiene procedures. We also feel strongly that staying home when sick, and the school isolating/removing anyone with symptoms helps the school community stay healthy. We continue to encourage parents and/or guardians to follow through daily with the symptom monitor checklist/screener that may be found on our District web-site at www.scasd.us In these challenging and unprecedented times, it is reassuring to see our students daily, diligently adhering to the safety plans. We look forward to our continued work with our faculty, staff, students, and community to provide as safe and as effective learning environment as possible. If you have any questions, please contact one of the building offices.

Southern Columbia Area School District will move back to a Full In-Person Learning Model starting Monday, 12/14. SoCo Live through virtual means is encouraged for high school students. We understand that some parents will want their child to stay virtual. We encourage those parents to engage often with their child’s teacher(s) to ensure the child’s success. Please understand that the county’s transmission rate is still Substantial. Knowing that, any school could go fully... virtual with little notice with an increase in positive cases. The District will continue to follow PDE and PA DoH guidance along with safely monitoring case numbers in our school community. The School District’s ability to offer in-person instruction is dependent upon the continued responsible behavior of our school community. Please wear face-covering, practice social distancing to the greatest extent possible, follow proper hygiene procedures, always monitor for symptoms, and stay home when you are sick Extra- Curricular activities may resume on Thursday, December 10th after school hours. If there are any questions, please call one of the school offices during school hours.

FOOD FOR FRIENDS FOOD BANK 1st & 3rd Thursdays of the Month The Food for Friends Food Bank will hold regular food give-away times on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. They are located at the rear of Catawissa First United Methodist Church at 228 South Street, Catawissa. They serve residents of the Southern Columbia Area School District.

Early Dismissal Friday, October 16, 2020 All students in Kindergarten through 12th grade will be dismissed at 12:50 PM on Friday, October 16, 2020. The early dismissal will give our teachers some much needed time for planning and preparation. At this time, all other days are full in-person learning days for those who choose that option, according to the revised 2020-2021 School Year Calendar. Please click HERE to view the revised Calendar.

All Grades K-12 will be in a Virtual Learning Model December 7th through 11th. Lunches will be available for students this week and served between 11am and 12:30 pm at the entrance to the Middle School. Please sign up on our website under Departments then under Food Services.

Due to the increase in number of cases over the weekend effecting our schools, The Southern Columbia Area School District will operate with a Full Virtual Learning Model for the week starting Monday, 12/7 through Friday, 12/11. No students will be in the buildings for learning on those days. We understand what hardships this could cause for our families, but the decision was made following PDE and PA DoH guidance along with need to safely monitor case numbers in our school community. All staff, not on quarantine, should report to deliver virtual instruction. If there are any questions, please call one of the school offices during school hours.

**Correction to the schedule for the week 12/7 through 12/11** The Southern Columbia Area School District will continue to operate with the following learning models form Monday, December 7th through Thursday, December 10th: Kindergarten through sixth grade will be full in-person learning.... Seventh grade through twelfth grade will be full virtual learning. **Friday December 11th will be a Virtual Day for all students in the district**. This day is to give teachers time for planning and preparation for upcoming instruction. Parents are highly encouraged to keep children home on December 11 for virtual instruction. If childcare is a necessity, parents may have their child attend school on December 11th. Parent sending their child to school on Friday, 12/11 should notify their child’s building office. If there are any questions, please call one of the school offices during school hours.

Learning Model Update December 4, 2020 Due to the level of community transmission staying in the substantial range for the FOURTH week, The Southern Columbia Area School District will continue to operate with the following learning models form Monday, December 7th through Friday, December 11th: Kindergarten through sixth grade will be full in-person learning.... Seventh grade through twelfth grade will be full virtual learning. If there are any questions, please call one of the school offices during school hours.

COVID-19 Positive Case Announcement 12-01-2020 The Southern Columbia Area School District received notice of one positive COVID-19 case of a staff member whose main work area is in the elementary building. The staff member was last in school on Tuesday 11/24. Our health professionals and administration are working with the Department of Health and it is determined that no one was identified as a close contact at this time. Kindergarten through 6th grade will continue this... week with in-person learning while grades 7-12 will remain with virtual instruction. We will continue working with the Department of Health and the Department of Education to make sure the District is following all protocols. We as a District are doing well in preventing the spread of COVID 19 inside the schools. The School District’s ability to offer in-person instruction is dependent upon the continued responsible behavior of our school community. Please wear face-covering, practice social distancing to the greatest extent possible, follow proper hygiene procedures, always monitor for symptoms, and stay home when you are sick. If you have any questions, please contact one of the building offices during school hours.

Learning Model Change November 29, 2020 Due to the level of community transmission staying in the substantial range for the third week, The Southern Columbia Area School District will operate with the following learning models from Tuesday, December 1st through Friday, December 4th: Kindergarten through sixth grade will be full in-person learning.... Seventh grade through twelfth grade will be full virtual learning. If there are any questions, please call one of the school offices during school hours.

With a 42-14 victory over Wilmington Area, our Football team wins the PIAA Class AA Championship! Congratulations!

With a 2-1 win over Greensburg Central Catholic, our Girls Soccer team wins the PIAA Class A Championship! Congratulations!

BEST OF LUCK TO THE PLAYERS AND COACHES ON THEIR QUEST FOR GOLD!

Congratulations to our Girls Soccer team on their impressive 9-0 win over Conwell-Egan this evening, earning them a trip to the State Championship game in Hershey on Friday, November 20th at 11:00 AM. In order to allow students and staff to attend the game and support the team, there will be no school on Friday, November 20th. The make-up day will be Friday, February 12th.

It's book fair time!! Check out the virtual book fair between November 9th and November 22nd! https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/boo/cptoolkit/homepage.do

The Southern Columbia Area School District received notice of a positive COVID-19 case of a substitute staff member who worked in the Elementary and Middle School Building. The staff member was last in school on Thursday, October 29. Our health professionals and administration are working with the Department of Health and it is determined that no student or staff member was identified as a close contact. No one will need to quarantine at this time. At this time no change i...n Learning Model will occur. We will remain with in-person learning. We will continue to communicate and work with Department of Health and Pennsylvania Department of Education on school district guidance. We are grateful to our faculty, staff, and students for their diligence and focus on following our Health and Safety Plan. We as a District are doing well in preventing the spread of COVID 19 inside the schools. The School District’s ability to offer in-person instruction is dependent upon the continued responsible behavior of our school community. Please wear face-covering, practice social distancing to the greatest extent possible, following proper hygiene procedures and stay home when you are sick. If you have any questions, please contact one of the building offices during school hours.

COVID-19 Positive Case Announcement November 2, 2020 The Southern Columbia Area School District received notice of one positive COVID-19 case of a staff member who works in Elementary Building. The staff member was last in school on Friday, October 30. Our health professionals and administration are working with the Department of Health and it is determined that no student of staff member was identified as a close contact. No one will need quarantine at this time Accordi...ng to the Department of Health and Pennsylvania Department of Education guidance, school is to remain open. We will continue working with the Department of Health to make sure the District is following all protocols. We are grateful to our faculty, staff, and students for their diligence and focus on following our Health and Safety Plan. We appreciate the support of the Department of Health and its detailed guidance. We as a District are doing well in preventing the spread of COVID 19. The School District’s ability to offer in-person instruction is dependent upon the continued responsible behavior of our school community. The three major items that continue to protect us as a school district are wearing face-covering, social distancing to the greatest extent possible and following proper hygiene procedures. We also feel strongly that staying home when sick, and the school isolating/removing anyone with symptoms helps the school community stay healthy. We continue to encourage parents and/or guardians to follow through daily with the symptom monitor checklist/screener that may be found on our District website at www.scasd.us In these challenging and unprecedented times, it is reassuring to see our students daily, diligently adhering to the safety plans. We look forward to our continued work with our faculty, staff, students, and community to provide as safe and as effective learning environment as possible. If you have any questions, please contact one of the building offices during school hours.

COVID-19 Positive Case Announcement The Southern Columbia Area School District received notice of one positive COVID-19 case of a staff member who works in the elementary school. The staff member was last in school on Friday, September 25th. Our health professionals and administration are working with the Department of Health and it is determined that no student or staff member needs to quarantine. This is due to the fact the positive staff member was not in contact with... anyone at the school forty-eight hours prior to the onset of symptoms. According to the Department of Health and Pennsylvania Department of Education guidance, school is to remain open. We will continue working with the Department of Health to make sure the District is following all protocols. We are grateful to our faculty, staff, and students for their diligence and focus on following our Health and Safety Plan throughout our first weeks of school. We appreciate the support of the Department of Health and its detailed guidance. The three major items that continue to protect us as a school community are wearing face-covering, social distancing to the greatest extent possible and following proper hygiene procedures. We also feel strongly that staying home when sick, and the school isolating/removing anyone with symptoms helps the school community stay healthy. We continue to encourage parents and/or guardians to follow through daily with the symptom monitor checklist/screener that may be found on our District web-site at www.scasd.us In these challenging and unprecedented times, it is reassuring to see our students daily, diligently adhering to the safety plans. We look forward to our continued work with our faculty, staff, students, and community to provide as safe and as effective learning environment as possible. If you have any questions, please contact your building office Monday morning. If you have questions prior to Monday morning, please email Superintendent Becker, at [email protected].

Virtual Day for All Students K-12 Friday, October 2, 2020 Friday, October 2nd, is a Virtual Learning Day for all students in grades K through 12. Students in grades 5 through 12 are reminded to login to the Sapphire Student Portal to record your attendance on the Virtual Learning Day. Parents of students in grades K through 4 are reminded to login to the Sapphire Parent Portal to record your child’s attendance on the Virtual Learning Day. It is imperative that attendance is recorded in Sapphire for all Virtual Learning Days.

The Board of Directors approved the return to a total re-opening of school effective Thursday, September 24th. This will be the exact same learning model used in August for the start of the school year, including the options for SoCo Live and SoCo Cyber. SoCo Live students will again have the option to attend in-person every day, learn virtually on days of their choice, or attend virtually full-time, with the exception of Friday, October 2nd, which will be a virtual learni...ng day for all students. IMPORTANT REMINDER: Students in grades 5 through 12, please remember to login to Sapphire Wednesday, September 23rd, and on Friday, October 2nd, to record your attendance. Parents of students in grades Kindergarten through 4th grade must login to the Sapphire Parent Portal to record their child’s attendance on all virtual learning days. As all of our children attending school in the Traditional Model will be in school this Thursday, Elementary Picture Day will now be done on only one day, Thursday, September 24th. If your child is attending school virtually on Thursday, through SoCo Live or SoCo Cyber, and you would like to have your child’s picture taken, please come to the elementary school office between 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 24th. If you have any questions, please contact the appropriate building office.

Last night the Board approved the return to a Full In-person Learning Model starting on Thursday, September 24 for the district. We will be having a virtual day Friday, October 2. This day will be very much like our Wednesdays during the Hybrid days, where virtual learning is required.

According to the Department of Health, Columbia County continues to remain in the Substantial tier of community transmission. Because of this designation, Sout...hern Columbia will continue to operate in a Hybrid learning model through Friday, September 25th. Although this may not be the choice of many, the county in which the district resides is still in the substantial threshold. Again, the state recommends schools in the substantial threshold to be fully virtual. The District is staying Hybrid, one layer less aggressive than the recommended level due to the fact our local numbers are low, and at the time of this email, there are no known cases of students or staff within the district. All protocols of the Southern Columbia Phased Reopening Health and Safety Plan will continue to be implemented. We will continue the evaluation of the Hybrid plan. We acknowledge that anything short of a Full in-person learning model for all our students creates hardships for our students, families, and the community. We thank parents for their understanding and cooperation during these difficult times.

LIVE STREAM: Southern Columbia Tigers VS. Bloomsburg Panthers. Friday at 7pm. LIVE at Tiger Stadium. Subscribe to our NEW Youtube Channel and join the party. We will also provide the streaming link on Friday before the game.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 16th, is a scheduled 2-hour delay, data evaluation day on the 2020-2021 School Year Calendar. It is also a day that all students are learning virtually from home under the Hybrid Learning Model. While all staff will report at their regulare time tomorrow, elmentary students will actually begin their day at 9:00 a.m. The earlier start for the elementary students will allow the teachers extra time in the afternoon for planning future lessons and activities. Students in grades 5 through 12 will begin their day at 10:00 a.m., as originally scheduled.

Breakfast and Lunch Menu

http://www.scasd.us/parent-resources-using-microsoft-teams