10/8/2021: Mrs. Brantner sent a message at 3:45 PM on 10/8/2021 via School Messenger.
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I know it has been a little while since I have called you. I hope my message finds you doing well. We have loved seeing your children back in school and are doing everything we can to keep them here. I wanted to make you aware of two things. First, if your child participates in pool testng, the selection emails were sent earlier today due to the holiday on Monday. Please check your email to see if your child will pool test on Tuesday. Also, there seems to be confusion regarding testing in general. If your child experiences symptoms, we are not allowed to accept rapid tests as proof of COVID. The test must be a molecular PCR test. Luckily, many of those available are saliva based rather than the previous "brain scratch version. If you are struggling to find a location for testing, we are here to help. Please reach out to me, Jean Sharlow or your school nurse and we will take care of you. Thank you all for your support and have a great weekend.
6/8/2021: Mrs. Brantner sent a message at 3:45 PM on 6/8/2021 via School Messenger.
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District to provide the latest update on masks. Some time late yesterday, the New York State Education Department updated mask wearing guidance in our official reopening document. It now states that masks are not required to be worn outside of the school building. They are still requiring that masks be worn inside school buildings and on school busses. We recognize with the heat and the surge of seasonal allergies that students may have some struggles during the last few weeks of school. Please help me by reminding your children to communicate with their teachers if they are struggling. We are trying to walk the delicate line between following the rules we have been given and also affording grace to our students when they need it. It is our hope that we can make it through these last few weeks and that fall will bring a return to a more normal school environment. Until then, thank you for all that you are doing and have a great afternoon.
6/7/2021: Mrs. Brantner sent a message at 4 PM on 6/7/2021 via School Messenger.
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. If your child is scheduled to receive their second vaccine dose here at school this week, this message is for you. Please remember that your child will need the signed form provided by the county health department giving parental consent for the injection. Please also make certain that your child has the copy of the card issued to them at the time of their first vaccine dose. Each child was provided with a blank copy of that form as they left the 1st dose clinic. You should also have a link in your email that could be used to print the form. If you are accompanying your child, come at any time that is convenient between 8:30 and 11. If your child attends DMS, please sign them out and bring them to the high school Large Group Instruction Room. If they are a high school student, there is no need for you to sign them out. If you have any questions, please call or email and we will do our best to assist you. Thank you and have a great afternoon.
6/6/2021: Mrs. Brantner sent a message at 6:45 PM on 6/6/2021 via School Messenger.
Good evening. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I just wanted to update you on the mask wearing situation. It appears that the media responded on Friday to a letter from the State Health Department stating that it was the intention of NY State to change mask wearing policies if the CDC has no other concerns with this action taking place. Since the posting of that surprising newspaper article, we have sought some additional information. We have been told that we are to continue following the same guidance until the CDC responds to NY state and a final decision is made. We were also told that no information would be forthcoming that would impact our current guidelines until at least Monday. So, at the present time, all students and staff will still be required to wear masks at school. I anticipate that we will likely see some additional information this week and I will keep you posted. Until then, have a good evening.
5/14/2021: Mrs. Brantner sent a message at 5 PM on 5/14/2021 via School Messenger.
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. As I previously mentioned, we will be hosting Onondaga County on Thursday, May 20th beginning at 9 AM for a vaccination clinic. Students aged 12 to 15 can register for appointments using a link that you will receive in a letter via your email address. While you will be asked to select an appointment time, we will be calling students when we are ready for them during the time the clinic is operating. If you wish to accompany your child, please send a note to us letting us know the time you will sign them out and accompany them to the high school for the vaccine. You are able to take them any time during the hours of the clinic, from 9AM through 11AM. Beginning at 12:30 we will have our 2nd dose clinic for the students who have already received their first dose at the clinic held a few weeks ago. Whether this is your first or second dose, you must have completed signed paperwork with you in order to receive the vaccine. If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you and have a great weekend.
4/28/2021: Mrs. Brantner sent a message at 4 PM on 4/28/2021 via School Messenger.
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I wanted to remind you that we are hosting a vaccination clinic tomorrow afternoon in the high school LGI for interested and eligible high school students and their parents. While we are prioritizing students first, there may still be slots available if parents need a vaccine. If you registered your child please make sure to print out the paperwork including the consent form and send it, signed, with him or her tomorrow. We must have signed consent for your child to be vaccinated. If you still need to register, there may be availability. Simply check for the link in one of the letters sent to you via email from Mr. Durkee. If you have any questions or concerns please let us know and we will do our best to assist you. Thank you and have a good evening.
4/11/2021: Mrs. Brantner sent a message at 3 PM on 4/11/2021 via School Messenger.
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus school district. I wanted to let you know that we have a COVID case at KCH in one of our kindergarten classrooms. At this point we believe that class will have to be quarantined as the county is going to continue using 6 feet of social distance for the purpose of quarantine while they assess the change to 3 feet and its impact on spread at school. Please keep the class and staff members at KCH in your thoughts. This case should not impact the high school, DMS or any other classes at KCH. Thank you and have a great afternoon.
4/8/2021: Mrs. Brantner sent a message at 11 AM on 4/8/2021 via School Messenger.
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I wanted to provide an update on how the district is handling some of the guideline changes as it relates to the use of barriers. As you may recall, the county executive made an announcement prior to Marcellus rolling out our return to school progression allowing districts to reduce social distance to 3 feet as long as separation barriers were used between individuals when seated. He also pledged to pay for barriers if a school district needed the support. Once the CDC announced new guidance allowing there to be 3 feet of social distance between students in schools WITHOUT barriers, we needed to rethink our approach. The district has acquired a quantity of barriers to use throughout our school whenever a classroom structure or activity warrants their use and also when students are eating snacks or meals and unable to maintain at least 6 feet of distance. The requirements for social distance are different when masks are removed and students are consuming food. Many classrooms will be using barriers only during food consumption while others may need to use them on a more extensive basis. At the secondary level, we will likely look for ways for as many students as possible to eat using 6 feet of distance to save on the need for any additional barriers. I have also been asked by some if this means we can remove masks more frequently. The Onondaga County Health Department actually stated in this new reopening guidance that it is their expectation that mask wearing continues as it has been. As I have mentioned a couple of times in my messages, I need everyone to keep reminding students, especially as we tamper with health and safety variables, that they continue to properly wear their masks. We need to be certain that as we make changes we are still able to experience great success with stopping the spread of the virus here at school. I hope this helps clarify our new position. If you have additional questions, please let us know. Until then, have a great day.
4/5/2021: Mrs. Brantner sent a message at 7:30 PM on 4/5/2021 via School Messenger.
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I just wanted to provide a couple of updates. First, anyone who signed up for their child to be tested either tomorrow or Thursday, our testing clinics have been cancelled due to lack of interest. I also wanted to thank our K-6 families for all of their support through this time of transition. We loved welcoming our KCH students the week before spring break and our 4-6th grade students today to 5 days a week. We are also fortunate to have a group of amazing dedicated virtual teachers providing instruction for our students who are still learning from home. We miss you all and will look forward to the time we are ALL back together. As we continue to transition over the next few weeks, I ask that you please speak with your children about proper mask wearing. It is a major component of our transition plan safety as we begin reducing social distance and increasing building and classroom density. Also, in case you missed it, vaccines are open to everyone aged 16 years and older beginning tomorrow in case you want your high school student to take advantage. Looking forward to seeing you all soon. Have a great evening.
3/30/2021: Mrs. Brantner sent a message at 5PM on 3/30/2021 via School Messenger.
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. It has been a long time since I have needed to contact you about a positive COVID case in our community but today that is the purpose for my call. As some of you may know, Onondaga County was willing to allow sports considered to be high risk to proceed if schools complied with safety measures, one being a strong recommendation for testing of athletes. Over the past few days we have been notified of three cases involving athletes from DMS and the high school and one additional case at the high school. As a result, our football team has been quarantined along with one of our modified basketball teams. Due to the nature of track and field, we were able to avoid quarantine for the case associated with that team. As all of these cases were confined to DMS and the high school there is no impact on KCH at all. Due to the timing of the cases, many of the quarantines will end in time for students to return after spring break while others will miss the first 2 or 3 days. We have contacted or left messages for all families involved so if you haven’t received a message or an email you were not impacted. I did a little more emailing of notifications this time as there were so many cases at once it was hard to keep up. I ask that you keep the players and other students subject to quarantine and battling the virus and their families in your thoughts as they go through the isolation and quarantine period. I also wanted to mention that we have partnered with Onondaga County to offer free rapid testing immediately following the April break. Your respective building principal should have sent out information about the dates and times as well as a link for registration for you to use if you wish for your child to be tested. I wish all of you a fantastic rest of the spring break week. I hope you are able to enjoy some time together as a family. Take care and have a good evening.
3/23/2021: Mrs. Brantner sent a message at 5PM on 3/23/2021 via School Messenger.
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We are thrilled to be seeing the first stage of our return to school plan working out so well. A huge thank you to KCH families for your efforts in helping us take great care of our virtual and in person students as we make these changes. First I wanted to remind you all that tomorrow, our A cohort students will come back for a third day in person in grades 4-12. Also, the entire district will function on a one hour delay. Second, I wanted to address the discussion of barriers that we are seeing play out in the news. It is looking like we will be able to return students with fewer barriers than we originally thought possible. I am seeking confirmation that I will hopefully receive tomorrow but it looks like there will not be a need for barriers separating students at a 3 foot social distance during class but we will be required to use barriers during any times that students would be eating and therefore maskless. This poses some challenges as our schedule and system relies on students across the district eating in classrooms. We will continue to examine how best to accomplish what we need to while minimizing student time behind a barrier. I will continue to update you all as things are resolved. As always, thank you for your continued support and partnership. It means a lot to all of us.
3/16/2021:
Mrs. Brantner shares a letter with updates regarding transportation as the district prepares to welcome students back for in-person learning five days a week. View it here.
3/12/2021:
District releases parent Q&A for expansion of in-person learning. View it here.
Approximately three weeks ago, Marcellus families were asked to complete a survey providing us with information about the possibility of expanding the in person learning opportunities in the district. Part of that survey was a section where respondents could write in a question. We have pulled the questions that were submitted and provided responses for each. Here is our first Parent Question and Answer Document related to this upcoming change in our learning models.
3/9/2021:
Mrs. Brantner shares a letter detailing the outline of a plan for returning students to school in person for five days per week. View it here.
3/5/2021:
School Messenger Message 3/5/2021 at 12:00 PM:
Many of you heard the news announced at yesterday afternoon's press conference held at 3:00 where Onondaga County officials shared a policy proposal for schools to consider changing social distance guidelines from 6 feet to 3 feet BUT barriers are required to separate students in a variety of situations. Many school districts have been planning for this possibility but there is more planning yet to be done. There are still many details to work out with transportation, scheduling and staffing etc. and each school building and grade level presents different challenges. While it may seem simple on the surface to expand in person learning, our systems and schedules were built on a hybrid or virtual model that now requires some redesigning. In addition, procuring barriers poses a challenge that we are currently sorting out. Even though the county executive stated that the county will procure and pay for the barriers, it is uncertain how quickly they will arrive on site. Rest assured, our team met again first thing this morning to review information from the county and begin to discuss implications. We also began to formulate possible timelines etc. It is a bit premature to share some of those details but I believe we will have a more solid plan and timeline during the first part of next week. We recognize the challenges that you have all faced during the course of this pandemic. We humbly ask for your continued partnership and patience as we develop a plan to welcome more students back to our district. If you have not filled out the survey posted earlier in the week, now would be a great time to complete that detail as it will help us greatly in our planning. We will be communicating additional details in the very near future. Until then, have a great Friday.
2/26/2021:
School Messenger to District Families on 2/26/2021
Hello.This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I know that I committed to put out a video by the end of Tuesday and I have long missed that deadline. It was my hope that I would have a bit more information than I do now. So, my apologies that you have been waiting for something. I am sure you all have been watching the news kicking around the notion of changing social distance from 6 feet to 3 feet. There is continued speculation regarding who bears the responsibility to do so. I had been given information that a decision could be imminent which caused me to reach out in the first place. I wanted people to be prepared in the event that the announcement was actually made. I still believe at some point in the not too distant future, there will be a change made to social distance requirements that will allow us to bring students back. I am not sure when that will occur but I can assure you that the district is preparing. In speaking with some of you, you have made reference to what some other school districts are doing. I wish that we were able to bring students back full time and still adhere to the 6 foot guidelines but we have neither the space nor the staff to do so. For now, my apologies again for not getting information to you more quickly. Living in the unknown is incredibly challenging. While I wish I had more definitive information on timelines, I can again reassure you that the district has been preparing for the ability to move ahead with bringing more students back so that when changes to social distance rules occur we will be in a better position. Thank you for hanging in there with us during such an unusual time. I know this has been incredibly frustrating. Have a great weekend.
2/22/2021:
School Messenger Message from Mrs. Brantner 6:00 PM 2/21/2021:
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I hope that your family was able to spend some time together while students were on February break. While the snow keeps coming, the sun is hotter and brighter, a sure sign that spring is near! I wanted to touch on a few quick things. First, if your family made the decision to travel over the break to a state that is not contiguous to NY, please make sure that your family quarantines until you have received negative results from a COVID 19 test. Please reach out to us and we can help you if you have questions. It will also help us to know so that we can support your children while they are quarantined. In addition, I wanted to let you know that it is my intention to begin working with county officials to reduce the social distance required in schools to a level that will allow for students to return to school five days a week. It is the requirement to maintain 6 feet of social distance that is standing in the way of increasing the time students are in school. We feel confident in making this request because, as a school community, we have been very successful with the measures we have employed to promote safety for students and staff up to this point. I will be putting out a video in the next 48 hours providing additional updates so please watch for that on the website and social media. Thank you again for working with us over the past several months. We appreciate it more than you know. Have a great evening.
1/31/2021:
School messenger Message re: High Risk Athletics sent 1/31/21:
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I wanted to give a quick update on Athletics at the high school. The county provided school districts with guidance late Thursday. We have worked diligently to develop the required plans necessary in order to initiate high risk sports such as basketball and wrestling (hockey - combined w/ other schools) as safely as possible. One of the required steps that must be completed prior to beginning any type of practice, is seeking approval from the board of education. They will be meeting tomorrow, Monday, February 1st at 7 AM to consider this approval. In the event that they approve the initiation of these sports, we believe we will be able to initiate practices on Tuesday but students participating in ice hockey, as they are combined programs with other school districts, may begin on Monday. As there are details that you may wish to know more about, Mr. Free and I will post a video tomorrow to fill you in. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us.
1/28/2021:
SchoolMessenger Message sent on 1/28/2021 at 4:15 PM Re: COVID Positive Case at DMS:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We were informed last evening that one of our DMS students has tested positive for COVID 19. As a result, our 7th graders connected virtually today so that we had a chance to complete the contact tracing process and identify all those believed to be in close contact with this individual. We believe that 39 students and 6 staff members will be quarantined. We have already contacted all families that would be impacted. If you were not contacted earlier today you have no need for concern. At this time we will need to continue 7th grade as fully virtual through Monday, February 1st. In person instruction will resume on Tuesday February 2nd for 7th graders in the A cohort. No other grade levels or buildings will be impacted at this time. To be clear, all high school, KCH and DMS students in grades 4, 5, 6 and 8 will remain in person at this time. I ask that you keep DMS staff and affected families in your thoughts. Thanks and have a great rest of your evening.
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School Messenger Message regarding JV and Varsity High Risk Sports sent 1/28/2021,11AM:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I wanted to provide you with an update on Varsity and JV Basketball, Wrestling and Hockey. After a preliminary meeting with County officials, it appears that we may be given the green light to proceed. That being said, we have yet to receive the guidance from our county health department and expect it at some point later today. Once we do, we will have a better understanding of the parameters along with our ability to comply with them. In the interest of being proactive, we have opened the family ID weblink for families to begin to register athletes for potential participation. Understand that the system is quite busy right now and running a bit slow. We will continue to update you as we digest the county guidance once it is received. Expect another message tomorrow. Until then, thank you for your support and have a great afternoon.
1/18/2021:
SchoolMessenger message from 1/18/2021 at 5:30 PM:
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. Our weekend was full of positive COVID cases and quarantines. To give you an update, we have four new positive cases, 2 in the high school and 2 in the middle school. Those cases have resulted in the quarantine of 68 students and 11 staff members. Thankfully those infected are doing fine. As always I ask that you keep them and those required to quarantine in your thoughts. The cases have led to a need for us to be fully virtual in the 7th and 8th grades only tomorrow, Tuesday January 19th. We are hopeful this will be a one day issue and are working to get coverage as we speak. We will be sure to update everyone tomorrow. All other grade levels and buildings will run in person instruction as normal. Please remember that the A cohort attends Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Next week, the A cohort will be on Monday and tuesday as well but the B Cohort will attend on Wednesday the 27th and Thursday the 28th with Friday being the virtual day that week across the district. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out. Have a great rest of your evening.
1/10/2021:
Phone call to parents on 1/10/2021:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We have spent the better part of the day working on some new cases of COVID 19 in our school community. Unfortunately, we will need a little more time to sort out details and contact those who will be subject to quarantine. As a result, we will need to have the high school only switch to fully remote instruction tomorrow. KCH and DMS will not be affected and in person instruction will go on as normal. All high school students will remain home and connect with their teachers through virtual means. Those attending full time programs outside of the district will still attend those programs but those in half day BOCES programs will not attend tomorrow. It is our hope that we can get through the cases and be back to in person instruction on Tuesday. We will send a more comprehensive update tomorrow. Thank you for your flexibility and support and have a good evening.
1/7/2020:
Phone call to parents on 1/7/2021:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner Calling from the Marcellus School District. I just wanted to update all of you on a recent positive COVID 19 case. We received word today that one of our KCH students tested positive for COVID 19. We have concluded all parts of the contact tracing process and have informed all staff members and families that need to follow quarantine orders based on directives provided by the Onondaga County Health Department. As a result of this case, 3 staff members and 7 students from KCH Elementary School will be under quarantine. We are grateful that we will be able to continue with in person schooling under the hybrid model at KCH at this time. Please remember the importance of reinforcing to your children the necessity of taking the precautions that protect them and others from the spread of COVID 19 such as wearing masks properly, maintaining social distance whenever possible and keeping hands clean and sanitized. Thank you to everyone for your support. Please keep KCH affected staff and families in your thoughts and have a great evening.
12/18/2020:
SchoolMessenger Message sent 3:30 on 12/18/2020:
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I wanted to let you know that it is with a heavy heart that we have come to the point where we must add 4th grade as well as 7th and 8th grades to our list of grade levels that will transition effective immediately to fully remote instruction until after the holiday break. With this addition, grades 4-12 are now fully virtual. It has been my position from the beginning that we do our best to offer in person learning opportunities for students if we can accomplish that with sufficient staff and in a safe and responsible manner. At this time, we are still able to do so for students in our KCH building. In the event that we are notified of additional COVID cases requiring quarantine, or struggle to properly staff the building, we will reconsider our position. Building principals and teachers will be connecting with your children for their instruction on Monday and Tuesday. Also, I wanted you to be aware that we have two additional COVID cases in the district. Both are staff members, one in the high school and one in the transportation department. From both cases, due to timing of symptom onset and testing, only one student must quarantine. We appreciate your support and will continue to keep you in our thoughts in the weeks ahead. Have a great weekend.
12/16/2020:
SchoolMessenger message re: 6th grade COVID 19 Case sent on 12/16/20 at 2:50 PM:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We were informed yesterday, Tuesday December 15th, that one of our DMS staff members has tested positive for COVID 19. We were able to complete our internal contact tracing procedures this morning and identify all those believed to be in close contact with this individual. That information will be sent to the county health department. We believe that 30 students and six staff members will be quarantined. We have already contacted all families that would be impacted and have either spoken to them directly or left messages. If you were not contacted you have no need for concern. This case is largely the reason for needing 6th grade to remain virtual through the holiday break. If there are any updates that we need to provide, we will do so via school messenger and will also post information to the website on our COVID 19 page. Please continue to keep our 6th grade staff, students and affected families in your thoughts. Thanks and have a great afternoon.
12/15/2020:
Message sent via SchoolMessenger at 7PM on 12/15/20 with Updates:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I wanted to update you on what has happened in the district today. We worked two positive COVID cases at the high school, one student and one staff member. We have made contact with all affected families either by leaving a message asking for a return call, or speaking directly to someone. Over 60 students and 6 staff members at the high school were impacted. Therefore, if you have not been contacted there is no need for concern. Please know that we could have cases again tomorrow of course. In addition, I was notified of a positive case in 6th grade this morning. I will be focusing on that case first thing tomorrow and will make calls to families as soon as the tracing is complete. As a result of the numerous quarantines of staff and students, we have decided that we need 5th grade, 6th grade, and the high school building grades 9-12 to switch to full virtual learning for the remainder of the time before our December break. All students attending BOCES programs either part time or full time will still attend those programs in person. We have tried very hard to avoid this situation but can no longer hold on. We apologize for any inconvenience this creates for your families. We will do our very best to give your children the best possible virtual experience over the course of the next week. You are all in our thoughts as we navigate this challenging time. I am certain that I will have more updates for you before the week is over. Until then, have a great evening.
12/14/2020:
Phone call to families:
Hello, this is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. Today has been a bit challenging as we have been working through multiple cases of COVID 19 reported to us from families. These cases, and resulting staff quarantines and other factors, necesitate that both the high school, meaning grades 9-12, and also our entire 6th grade switch to remote learning for tomorrow, Tuesday December 15th. High School students can expect to log in to their classes at the usual time according to the schedule they follow on their in person days. 6th graders will receive information from their teachers as to how the day will look. All students who attend BOCES programs either half day or full day, will still be transported as usual to their programs. We continue to believe strongly in the importance of offering opportunities for students to attend school in person. While me may reach a point where that won't be possible, for now, we will continue to do our best to make it happen. I will keep you posted as things evolve. You will hear from us again tomorrow with an update. Until then you are all our thoughts as we know what a stressful time this is. Thank you and have a good evening.
Message to families via School Messenger
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We were informed late yesterday, Sunday December 13th, that one of our DMS students has tested positive for COVID 19. We were able to complete our internal contact tracing procedures this morning and identify all those believed to be in close contact with this individual. That information will be sent to the county health department. We believe that 13 students and one staff member will be quarantined. We have already contacted all families that would be impacted. If you were not contacted you have no need for concern. At this time we believe that DMS will remain open as normal. 5th grade students will be able to return to school beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, 12/15. If there are any updates that we need to provide, we will do so via school messenger and will also post information to the website on our COVID 19 page. Also, while I intended to post a video to the website and social meeting just answering some questions that have recently been popping up by the end of last week, my plans were derailed. Please look for it this week instead! Please continue to keep DMS staff and affected families in your thoughts. Thanks and have a great afternoon.
12/13/2020:
Message to families on 12/13/2020 re: 5th and 6th graders gong virtual for Monday, December 14, 2020:
Good evening. This is Mrs. Brantner Calling from the Marcellus School District. Unfortunately we have come to a point where we do not have enough 5th and 6th grade staff in order to have in person schooling for those two grade levels tomorrow, Monday, December 14, 2020. While at this time we believe that we may be able to resume in person instruction on Tuesday, we will provide you with an update tomorrow. Again, this only affects students in grades 5 and 6. All 5th and 6th grade students will connect with their teachers remotely tomorrow. Fortunately, grades 4, 7, 8 as well as the KCH and High school buildings will report as normal for their in person day for the A cohort. We apologize for the late notice and the inconvenience it may cause. We appreciate your support and understanding. Thank you and have a good evening.
12/7/2020:
This message was sent on 12/7/2020 via School Messenger:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We were informed this morning, Monday December 7th, that one of our high school students has tested positive for COVID 19. We were able to complete our internal contact tracing procedures and identify all those believed to be in close contact with this individual during the school day. That information was sent to the county health department and at this time we are awaiting their official word on quarantine requirements for those close contacts. We believe that 36 students and two staff members will be quarantined. We have already contacted all families that would be impacted. If you were not contacted earlier today you have no need for concern. At this time we believe that the HS will remain open as normal. If there are any updates that we need to provide, we will do so via school messenger and will also post information to the website on our COVID 19 page. In addition, I also wanted to inform you that we had 1 positive staff member when testing was completed today by the county. Fortunately, there were no additional students or staff members needing to quarantine as a result. We also had the exciting arrival of our mustang statue today and it is now placed at the front entrance of the high school. If you need to get out for a drive come and check it out! Please keep HS staff and affected families in your thoughts. Thanks and have a great evening.
COVID 19 Positive Case HS Parent Letter December 7, 2020
12/6/2020:
This message to DMS families on 12/4/2020 via School Messenger:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We were informed late yesterday that one of our high school students has tested positive for COVID 19. We were able to complete our internal contact tracing procedures and identify all those believed to be in close contact with this individual. That information was sent to the county health department and at this time we are awaiting their official word on quarantine requirements for those close contacts. We believe that 34 students and two staff members will be quarantined. We have already contacted all families that would be impacted. If you were not contacted earlier today you have no need for concern. At this time we believe that the HS will remain open as normal. If there are any updates that we need to provide, we will do so via school messenger and will also post information to the website on our COVID 19 page. In addition, I wanted to let you know that we are offering testing tomorrow (Monday, December 7th) in conjunction with Onondaga County for any staff members wishing to get tested. Please keep HS staff and affected families in your thoughts. Thanks and have a great evening.
COVD 19 Positive Case DMS Parent Letter December 6, 2020
12/4/2020:
This message to DMS Families on 12/4/2020 via School Messenger:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We were informed late yesterday that one of our DMS students has tested positive for COVID 19. We were able to complete our internal contact tracing procedures and identify all those believed to be in close contact with this individual. That information was sent to the county health department and at this time we are awaiting their official word on quarantine requirements for those close contacts. We believe that 17 students and one staff member will be quarantined. We have already contacted all families that would be impacted. If you were not contacted earlier today you have no need for concern. At this time we believe that DMS will remain open as normal. If there are any updates that we need to provide, we will do so via school messenger and will also post information to the website on our COVID 19 page. Please keep DMS staff and affected families in your thoughts. Thanks and have a great rest of your weekend.
This message to KCH and DMS Families on 12/4/2020 via School Messenger:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We were informed late yesterday that one of our DMS students has tested positive for COVID 19. We were able to complete our internal contact tracing procedures and identify all those believed to be in close contact with this individual. That information was sent to the county health department and at this time we are awaiting their official word on quarantine requirements for those close contacts. We believe that 17 students and one staff member will be quarantined. We have already contacted all families that would be impacted. I am calling you for courtesy purposes only so that we are certain all of our Marcellus families have the correct information on the status of any COVID cases that pop up in our schools. This situation should not impact in person instruction in the district. Please keep DMS staff and affected families in your thoughts. Thanks and have a great weekend.
COVD 19 Positive Case DMS Parent Letter December 4, 2020
11/24/2020:
SchoolMessenger Message sent at 5:30 PM on 11/27/2020 re: Positive COVID Case at the High School:
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner Calling from the Marcellus School District. I hope that you all were able to enjoy your Thanksgiving day yesterday. I am calling to let you know that I was informed earlier today of another positive COVID 19 case in our high school. I have already made contact with all staff members and families of students who are considered to be in close contact with the infected individual. At this point I do not believe there will be any disruption to the instructional schedule of any of our school buildings. In the event that anything changes after confirming details with the Onondaga County Health Department, I will call again to provide an update. Please keep all those impacted by COVID 19 in your thoughts. Thank you again for all of your support and have a nice weekend.
11/24/2020:
School Messenger Message sent 11/24/2020 at 11AM re: COVID 19 case in the district:
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. The purpose for my call today is twofold. First, I wanted to let you know that we have received word of another positive COVID 19 case in our school community. The infected person did not have any close contacts with students or instructional staff and therefore, there will be no change for anyone in terms of our instructional schedule. At this point, all contact tracing has been complete and anyone who will likely be subject to quarantine has been notified. The second reason for my call has to do with Thanksgiving. As I reflect on all that I am grateful for, I can't help but think of all of you. I appreciate the support you have provided to the entire school staff and the trust you've placed in us as we work hard to educate, inspire and protect your precious children. May this Thanksgiving be full of joy and relaxation. Thank you again for everything and have a great holiday.
11/8/2020:
This message to KCH Families at 4:30 on 11/8/2020 via School Messenger:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I just wanted to reach out to let you know that we completed all of the necessary contact tracing for our KCH case from Friday November 6th and all families of close contacts have been notified. In the end it will require the quarantine of 7 staff members and 17 students. We have found substitute coverage though and will be able to remain open. In addition I was contacted today about a second unrelated case. It was a staff member and fortunately there were no student contacts. We appreciate all of your support. Please keep those infected and those needing to quarantine in your thoughts. We will be back in school as normal tomorrow. Have a great rest of your Sunday.
This message was sent to DMS and HS families at 4:30 on 11/8/2020 via School Messenger:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I just wanted to reach out to all of our DMS and high school families to let you know that we completed all of the necessary contact tracing for our KCH case from Friday November 6th and all families of close contacts have been notified. In the end it will require the quarantine of 7 KCH staff members and 17 KCH students. In addition, I was contacted today about a second unrelated case. It was a KCH staff member and fortunately there were no student contacts. We appreciate all of your support. Please keep those infected and those needing to quarantine in your thoughts. Have a great rest of your Sunday.
11/6/2020:
Letter to KCH Parents November 6, 2020
School Messenger Message sent to KCH Families on 11/6/2020 at 2:30 PM:
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I just wanted to update all of our KCH families on our recent positive COVID 19 Case. We have made contact with all families of students considered to be in close contact with the infected individual. Therefore, if you haven’t received a call, there is no need for concern at this time. We anticipate that school will resume as normal for our A cohort students on Monday. If anything changes we will surely contact you over the weekend. Once the process is finalized, I will send a follow up call with any additional details. Thank you all for your support and have a great weekend
Message to DMS and the HS families re: Positive COVID 19 Case at KCH on 11/6/2020:
Good morning. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We received word at 7 AM that we have another positive COVID 19 case at KCH elementary School. As a result we made the decision to be fully remote for KCH students today rather than have our B cohort attend in person so that we can complete the contact tracing process. We will be contacting any impacted families later today. This message is just to make certain that our district families have the correct information. DMS and the high school will not be impacted at this time. Thank you and have a great weekend.
Message to KCH Families re: Positive COVID 19 Case at KCH on 11/6/2020:
Good morning. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We received word at 7 AM that we have another positive COVID 19 case at KCH elementary School. Unfortunately, As a result we made the decision to be fully remote for KCH students today rather than have our B cohort attend in person so that we can complete the contact tracing process. We will be contacting any impacted families later today. Students at the Y program will need to be picked up by 8:30 AM as they do not run all day long. Again, there will be no in person students attending KCH today. We apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you and have a great weekend.
10/23/2020:
High School Letter Home to Families
10/18/2020:
This is the Schoolmessenger message that went out to families at 11:15 on October 18:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. I just wanted to update all of you on our recent positive COVID 19 case. We have concluded all parts of the contact tracing process and have informed all KCH staff members and families that need to follow quarantine orders based on directives provided by the Onondaga County Health Department. As a result of this case, eight staff members and 13 students from KCH Elementary School will be under quarantine. We are grateful that we will be able to continue with in person schooling under the hybrid model at KCH at this time. Please remember the importance of reinforcing to your children the necessity of taking the precautions that protect them and others from the spread of COVID 19 such as wearing masks properly, maintaining social distance whenever possible and keeping hands clean and sanitized. Thank you to everyone for your support and have a great rest of your weekend.
Letter Home to Parents
10/17/2020:
The following messages were sent Saturday AM, October 17th to inform district families of a positive COVID 19 case at KCH Elementary School:
For KCH:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We were informed late yesterday that one of our KCH students has tested positive for COVID 19. We were able to complete our internal contact tracing procedures and identify all those believed to be in close contact with this individual. That information was sent to the county health department and at this time we are awaiting their official word on quarantine requirements for those close contacts. We have already contacted all families that would be impacted. If you were not contacted yesterday you have no need for concern. At this time we believe that KCH will remain open as normal. If there are any updates that we need to provide, we will do so via school messenger and will also post information to the website. Please keep KCH staff and affected families in your thoughts. Thanks and have a great weekend.
Letter to KCH Families
For the rest of the district:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. We were informed late yesterday that one of our KCH students has tested positive for COVID 19. We were able to complete our internal contact tracing procedures and identify all those believed to be in close contact with this individual. That information was sent to the county health department and at this time we are awaiting their official word on quarantine requirements for those close contacts. We have already contacted all families that would be impacted. I am calling you for courtesy purposes only so that we are certain all of our Marcellus families have the correct information on the status of any COVID cases that pop up in our schools. This situation will in no way impact either DMS or the high school. Please keep KCH staff and affected families in your thoughts. Thanks and have a great weekend.
10/16/2020:
COVID-19 Family Update Letter
10/13/2020:
This message was sent to all district families on October 13th at 4:30 PM:
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. With Monday being a holiday, we arranged our schedule to eliminate the typical virtual Wednesday for all students so that our A cohort students would be able to have a 2nd in person day this week. Therefore, just as a reminder, tomorrow, Wednesday, October 14th, is an in person day for all members of the A cohort. Thursday and Friday, as usual, will be in person days for the B cohort. In addition, I wanted to thank everyone for their support during our first positive COVID case in the district. It was certainly a challenge. Just as an FYI, I neglected to post the final message sent as a robocall to the district COVID 19 webpage on our website in case someone missed the call. If you did, you can now check it out on the COVID 19 page. Thanks everyone and have a great evening.
10/13/2020:
Marcellus Families: Our apologies for not posting the content of the last SchoolMessenger call made on 10/6 once the contact tracing calls had been completed by the district. We recognize that if you missed the call this would have helped close the loop on this challenging situation. See below for the content of that message.:
Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner from the Marcellus School District with an update about our COVID 19 positive case. At this time we have made all of the phone calls to families of students who will need to quarantine. If you haven't received a phone call and spoken to someone or a phone message on your phone you will not need to quarantine your children. As tomorrow is a virtual day for everyone, classes will resume in person at Marcellus Senior High School on Thursday for students in the B cohort. We know that this has been a stressful experience for everyone but we appreciate all of your support as we worked with the county to navigate this process. Thank you and have a good afternoon.
10/5/2020 School Messenger Message:
School Messenger Message to HS Families:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus school district to give you an update on the status of the COVID 19 case unfolding in the high school. Unfortunately we are still waiting for the county to complete some of their processes before contact tracing can begin. We have been in contact with them several times today trying to do everything possible to expedite things so that school can reopen. That being said, unfortunately tomorrow we will again need to keep the building closed and instruct our A cohort students virtually. In addition, all half day BOCES students will also need to remain home and JV and V athletic teams will not have practices or scheduled contests. We will continue to update you as things develop. We are hopeful that the process will be completed tomorrow.
School Messenger Message for KCH & DMS:
Hello. This is Mrs. Brantner Calling from the Marcellus School District with an update on the status of the COVID 19 case unfolding at the high school. Unfortunately we are still waiting for the county to complete some of their processes before contact tracing can begin. We have been in contact with them several times today trying to do everything possible to expedite things so that school can reopen for high school students. That being said, students in the A cohort in grades K-8 will still be able to attend school in person tomorrow. We are only sending this message to families at KCH and DMS so that you are aware of the correct information. Also, students participating in modified sports will continue with practice and scheduled contests at this time. We will continue to update you as things develop.
10/5/2020: Letter to Parents from Superintendednt Brantner
10/4/2020 School Messenger Message:
Message to High School Families:
Good evening,
This is Mrs. Brantner Calling from the Marcellus School District. I received word this evening that one of our teachers has tested positive for COVID 19 after experiencing symptoms early yesterday. As the contact tracing process will look back two days, which will include Friday, we will be closing the building tomorrow to allow that to happen and also to avoid causing any additional contacts from occurring. The A Cohort will follow their regular schedule referring to the information that Mr. Durkee emailed to families on Friday. You may also access that letter and schedule for this virtual day on the high school webpage. Please make certain that your children virtually attend all classes as scheduled. We will be in touch some time tomorrow with additional information. If your child was in class with this particular teacher, you will be notified tomorrow as part of the contact tracing process and directions given at that time. Only full day BOCES students will attend BOCES tomorrow. All A and B cohort half day students will remain at home until contact tracing is complete. We will continue to keep you informed of updates as we have them. Just to repeat, there will be no in person classes tomorrow for the A cohort or for half day BOCES students.
Message to DMS and KCH Families:
Good Evening,
This is Mrs. Brantner calling from the Marcellus School District. My apologies for contacting you so late but I wanted to inform you that we received information a short while ago that one of our High School Teachers tested positive for COVD 19. As result, the HIgh School only will be closed tomorrow to complete contact tracing. We will be having regular in person classes for all students in grades K-8 in the A cohort tomorrow as usual. We just wanted to make certain that all district families had the correct information. We will continue to keep everyone apprised of any developments. Also, students participating in modified sports will have any scheduled practices or contests that are scheduled. Have a good evening.
10/1/2020: Hello! This is Mrs. Brantner from the Marcellus School District with an update on this evening's virtual meeting for parents and students in the hybrid model for grades 7-12 who have questions or feedback to share with us. On Tuesday we hosted a similar session for families of K-6 students and had the unfortunate experience of a Zoom Bomber hacking into our session and disrupting it. In order to hopefully prevent this from happening tonight, and to assist me in making sure that YOU all get access to the meeting, I ask that you please change your identification on the device you will use to read your name so that I can be certain that those we are letting in from the virtual waiting room actually belong with us. I will also likely lock everyone on mute forcing participants wishing to speak to request permission to unmute. I will also note that we generally use the chat feature so this should not pose an issue. That will hopefully provide a second layer of protection. As a reminder the session runs from 6-7:15 PM for those in the hybrid model in grades 7-12. The link was shared a couple of weeks ago both on the website and also on social media. Hope to see you there.
The transportation department has just completed runs for the 20-21 school year. Letters are set to be mailed on Friday, September 4th. Those letters will also include information regarding mid day BOCES runs as well as plans to insure that students attending classes for full or partial days in BOCES programs beginning on 9/9 will be transported. In the event that the letter you receive is lacking information that you need for transportation of your children, please contact the transportation department at 673-0211. In addition, the State Education Department issued update guidance allowing hand sanitizer on buses. We are unable to place a dispenser on buses due to some other safety constraints but encourage students, if able , to carry a pocket sized bottle and use it after boarding the bus. In addition, normally we utilize a bus pass process for daily bus changes and try to accommodate as much as we can. At this time, due to requirements to socially distance on buses, we will not be able to accommodate a daily bus change in the regular buses that students may ride. Each run was carefully planned to ensure not to exceed acceptable bus capacity. We do understand that emergencies may arise from time to time. We ask if that occurs that you contact the school building main office and we will do what we can to assist you.
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