Anser Charter School Flight Plan 

January 13th, 2021

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Welcome to the Anser Flight Plan. If you have Anser related submissions, please email them to Maua Romano at mromano@ansercharterschool.org by Monday 4:00 PM for inclusion in that week's Flight Plan.

 
Anser Website

 

 

Communications Regarding School Preparation for increased Covid Rates:

On Wednesday the Anser Board of Directors and Anser’s Co-Directors sent out communications regarding the school’s preparations to endure a spike in cases due to the Omicron variant. Those communications are linked below. We ask parents to please carefully read these letters, in order to be informed about what the school’s leadership anticipates may be challenges, and the work that is being done to face these challenges.

 

Letter from the Anser Board

Letter from the Directors 

 
 
 

Important Dates to Remember

 

January 13th Early Release @ 1:45pm

January 14th No School 

January 17th No School MLK Day

Board Meeting Tuesday January 18th 6:00pm

 

Anser Covid Update

 

 

Anser Specific Covid Data:

 

This Week’s Data:

 

Week of 1/10-  1/16 as of today: Number of confirmed cases in students or staff: 15

Week of 1/10 - 1/16 as of today:  Number of students or staff in quarantine*: 84

Staffing limitations due to Covid and/or quarantine:  Significant

 

Last Week’s Data:

Week of 1/3-1/9 as of today: Number of confirmed cases in students or staff: 3

Week of 1/3- 1/9 as of today: Number of staff/students in quarantine: 29

Staffing limitations due to Covid and/or quarantine:  Minimal 

 


*Please remember that a student or staff person could be in quarantine for any number of reasons, including cold and allergy symptoms, while awaiting testing. Do not assume that a student or staff member who is absent or in quarantine should be interpreted as a “potential or probable” Covid case.
 
Wider Community Data

Cases of Covid in Ada county decreased to 406.6cases per /100,000, up from 301.71/100,000) last week.

 

Anser’s weekly cases are included in the Anser Covid Tracker on the website which is  Linked here.

 

A rapid increase in Covid cases is beginning in Idaho.  If parents or children in your family are not yet fully vaccinated, or need a Covid booster, resources are linked below. High levels of immunization, proper masking and social distancing continue to be our best tools to keep people safe and to keep school operating in person five days per week.

 

For more information or to find a vaccine provider click here.

 

Beginning Monday January 17th Walgreens is accepting patients for 4th Dose Vaccines for Immunocompromised folks! If it has been 5 months since your shot you can make an appointment online at https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid/19/landing

 

 

 

 
 

Link to Responsive Return Plan
 
 

Important Communications for Families

 

A Message from the Board 

 

Thank you to families who have been attending the office hour opportunities with the CRT+ and school directors since they began in late Fall 2021. We appreciate the opportunity to communicate and discuss topics related to school operations and needs related to the pandemic. Last night’s office hours focused on the rapid pace of the Omicron variant spread and how our community is addressing protocols in real-time. This will mean there may be more frequent notices and communication coming your way to keep you updated along the way!

 

Friendly reminder this week that theAnser Responsive Return Planis available for review regarding all Covid protocols. We have also sent direct communication from the board as well as school leadership regarding on-going updates during this Omicron spike. 

 

As a reminder, the Anser Board of Directors is asking our Anser community to: 

  1. Take a moment to thank your teachers and leadership for leading the way to help us operationalize the continued effort to stay in-person, together, 5 days a week.
  2. Continue to mask up! Please make sure your child is wearing an approved mask that FITS THEIR FACE appropriately. If you have questions or needs regarding masks, please contact the front office at 208-426-9840.
  3. Enroll your child inprevalence testing. You will receive a handout coming home with your child and we ask you to please consider this opportunity for your child to be a part of this process. All you have to do is sign it and send it back to school with your child!
  4. Strongly consider having your child vaccinated. Learn more, or find a vaccination site here.
  5. Continue to follow protocols daily as outlined in theResponsive Return Plan, pages 4-10. 

 

As always, we are here to support you. If you have questions regarding our governance practices, our pandemic response efforts, or anything else related to the Anser community you may contact our Board President, Caitlyn Scales. Her contact information is: caitlyn@upthescales.com or 630-207-5607.

 

We are now sending home chromebooks nightly!

 

Covid cases and the number of students quarantining within the school have risen to the point that we are s ending Chromebooks home with students nightly as a precaution beginning today. This does not mean instruction is moving to be remote! This also does not mean if a child is home due to quarantining that they will have access to remote learning. This is a precautionary move!

Chromebooks are assigned to each individual student and ready for deployment. 2nd thru 8th-grade students will need to bring their Chromebooks back to school each school day.

 

Please do not remove any stickers or identifying information from the chromebook. 

 

Information Needed from Families 

 

During the pandemic, meals have been free for all families and a Free and Reduced Meals application has not been available. This creates a challenge for Anser because our  Title 1, and a portion of the Special Education funding based is on the number of students that qualify for free or reduced price meals. We are asking ALL families to please fill out the Income Survey linked here. The survey does not ask for specific income information, but rather for parents to certify a range of income. No personally identifiable information will be shared.  Please help us get all of the funding that Anser is entitled to in order to provide the most comprehensive supports to our students, by filling this survey right away.

 

 

Rental Assistance Funds Available 

 

If you or someone you know is in need of rental assistance due to the impact of the pandemic, you can learn more here:

Flyer 1

Flyer 2

 

 

 
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Anser is Hiring! 

 

The school has open positions for Classroom Assistants, Lunch staff and we are hoping to hire additional Substitutes. Having additional staff as we face Omicron would be a tremendous help and support as we try to continue 5 day a week in-person learning.  If you or anyone you know would be interested in learning more about any of these positions, Please contact Heather Dennis at hdennis@ansercharterschool.org

 

 

Anser Elementary Specials Update 

 

PE /Adventure - Tanya Rush 

PE/ Adventure is going strong. We have been outside the whole year playing, exploring whatever we can find, looking at nature, and having fun. We started the year off with bike safety and riding the greenbelt. We have 90% of students riding bikes now. K-5 students have become quite the walkers and have explored the neighborhood and greenbelt. We have seen several blue herons, red-tailed hawks, and a bald eagle. Grades 2-5 will be doing some wheel action after break with our new longboards and other things that roll besides bikes. K-1 will continue walking further and faster while learning how to be street smart and aware of their surroundings. We will also be playing cooperative games that are enjoyable for everyone. 

 

Visual Arts- Anne Moore 

Art classes kicked off the school year in the studio getting to know materials, learning the routines and working to create a portfolio with our own unique flair on the cover! Art has since moved onto a cart travelling currently to each classroom with projects focused on drawing. These projects are the baseline for all of our auction work this year. Every year students contribute their beautiful work to one collaborative piece per crew that will be auctioned off in the Spring to help raise funds for our school community. Keep an eye out in February for these projects to be unveiled! The students have worked so hard to produce their best work for this effort and are proud to give back to their school. I am so proud of them! 

 

SEL - Sarah Wilson 

Social Emotional Learning classes this fall focused on developing skills for learning and emotion management. For more specific information about what K-6 students have been up to during my time with them, including ways you can support your child’s social emotional learning, click on the grade level links below. 

Kindergarten 1st Grade Grades 2/3 Grades 4/5 Grade 6 

 

STEM - Captain Richard Incorvia 

Avast. Winter STEM ended with a number of exciting activities and explosions. Having finished some dangerous, sea-based activities in the classrooms, we commandeered the Art Studio. The Kindergarten and first grade faced some tough engineering and design challenges in the studio. Second and third graders built wood cars and safely learned to use hammers and saws. Fourth and fifth graders explored light and waves by making pinhole cameras. The sixth graders exploded various chemical reactions! After break, we will be back to programming and also starting some 3D design projects on TinkerCAD.

 

 

Recommitment Forms: Required for All Enrolled Students

 

Parents/guardians are required to complete and return a recommitment form  by January 21st, indicating their intent to continue their child's enrollment at Anser. Students currently enrolled at Anser automatically qualify for readmission for the next academic year. Click  here to complete the form online.

 

Any student who chooses not to re-enroll or who does not submit a recommitment form by the deadline will lose his/her spot.  They are always welcome to re-apply later as part of the regular lottery process.

 

If you have children not currently enrolled at Anser and are interested in attending next year (such as incoming Kindergartners), complete one lottery form per student via our website   https:// ansercharterschool.schoolmint. net/

 

Survey for Kindergarten Students

 

Dear Anser Kindergarten Families,

 

Last year, Anser and many other charters in Idaho received a grant from the John & Kathryn Albertson Foundation for all-day Kindergarten. In the prior years to this grant, we only had half-day Kindergarten for all enrolled Kinders and offered a fee-based afternoon program to some. Now we can provide the same morning and afternoon programs for all students enrolled!!

 

Part of receiving the grant is to survey parents regarding their child's social/emotional and educational experiences with a full-day Kindergarten program.

 

We are grateful for a partnership with JKAF as we navigate this challenging moment to ensure equitable education for all students.

 

Thank you for participating in this quick survey! Have a wonderful holiday season!

 

In Crew,

 

Michelle


 
Announcing our Classroom Coordinator Team! 
 
Thank you to these wonderful parents who have volunteered their time and energy to support Anser families, especially our newer families and also our amazing crew leaders. 
 
Kindergarten:
  • JJ - Amy Holmes and Hannah Newbill
  • Morgan - Erik Moncada
1st grade:
  • Jess - Darcy Maupin
  • Marissa - Erin Vranas and Mary Ann Barber
2/3:
  • Jessie - Stacey Nolan
  • Laura - Natalie Keffer
  • Kelly - Angie Wood and Shelly Henrickson
  • Julie - Amy Holmes
4/5: 
  • Nancy - Stacey Nolan
  • Nicole - Emily Nielsen
  • Katie - Alissa Lauer
  • Heather K - Jillian Schults
6th grade:
  • Kylie - Christi Phillips
  • Alex - Eddy Udry
Junior High:
  • Becky - Mishi Stirling
  • Sarah - Denise Ruhoff and Tina Ascencio
  • Pete - Sarah Clayton
  • Heather B - Tenneal Lujan
  • Abby - Julia Wood
 
Feel free to reach out to your classroom coordinators for support as needed. We are all here to help you with questions and concerns as we move through this school year. You can expect to get an introduction letter from your classroom coordinators with their contact information within the next week. You can also reach out to Stacey Nolan at staceymnolan@gmail.com with any concerns or questions too! 
 
 

 

The Anser Lottery is Now Open!

Did you know Anser is the first school in the state to run a weighted lottery?  Your friends and family members might benefit from this new opportunity! Learn more about how a weighted lottery works, and see the positive impact it is already having on our school community in this article about Anser!

 

Part of Anser’s expansion planning has included working hard to reach into and enroll students from communities that have historically faced barriers to charter school enrollment. We’ve lengthened our lottery application period, have attended many local events to inform people about the school, partnered with Head Start and the Agency for New Americans and the Boys and Girls Club and are planning more events before our lottery is held in February. We need help from our Anser families to get the word out to their friends and families about the opportunities expansion brings to so many families in the Garden City/Boise community. You can help us out by  sharing our social media posts, or forwarding the flight plan info about upcoming opportunities for families to learn more about Anser.

 

1.      We have two Anser Information Nights planned at the school on December 2nd and February 3rd . You can send folks this link to learn more! 

2.      We are offering limited group size enrollment tours! You can find out more here. 

3.      People can apply for next year now! This next year will be a great opportunity for folks to get in as we expand! Share this link to apply! 

 

 

 

 
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Looking for Fast Covid Test Results? 

Boise State has testing  available to students and the turn around on results is often same day! They are offering both PCR and Rapid testing so you can get answers about your child’s illness! Anser is still offering PCR saliva testing, but the turnaround is 36-48 hours for results.

 

 
 
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Lunch Calendar

Reminder that lunch and breakfast are free to all students this year! However, you may add money to their student account though Infinite Campus if they would like to purchase a la cart items such as extra milk, or PBJ. 

 
 
 
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