Eppler Junior High School

Dear Eppler Chieftain Families,

The Eppler staff is looking forward to welcoming back our students on Tuesday, January 19, 2021! We are excited to see our students in person again and are committed to providing a safe and active learning environment.

All junior high school students who are currently enrolled in the remote/in-person option are scheduled to return to classrooms the week of Tuesday, January 19, 2021. Students enrolled in the UCS Virtual Academy will continue their on-line instruction for the remainder of the school year.

As we prepare for this transition, below are answers to some questions that you may have regarding this return to in-person instruction.


Schedule

Students enrolled in the remote/in-person learning model will use the cohort schedule that was shared with you earlier this school year. This schedule reduces the interaction of students. I have included the schedule at the bottom of this letter.


Safety Protocols

As a school and district, the health and safety of our students and staff remains the top priority. We need to work together to make sure that we can meet our goal of a return on January 19, 2021, and continue moving forward with increased face-to-face learning. Parents need to follow these safety protocols each morning and, if your child is experiencing any of these symptoms, please keep them at home. In the event that someone who attends our school is diagnosed with COVID-19 and attended class, we are required to quarantine those students and teachers in their classrooms into a remote setting. Working together, we can keep our students in the classroom and avoid any interruptions.

We will also continue using the protocols that are important to keeping everyone safe, including encouraging frequent hand washing, the use of hand sanitizer, reducing close interactions, and wearing of face coverings. These protocols are all detailed in the updated parent handbook that is now on the district website.


Extra-Curricular Activities

Presently our extra-curricular activities remain paused.  As these activities become available for student participation, the staff club sponsors, and athletic coaches will communicate to the student body when information meetings will be scheduled.


Health Plans and Immunizations 

Health Plans need to be updated every year. All forms are on the UCS website and can be accessed at this link.  If your child has a health plan that needs to be updated, please contact Ms. Bihary in the Eppler Counseling Office.  Students should also have an updated transportation form with a health plan as well.  In addition, all immunizations should be up to date per the Macomb County Health Department. 


Transportation 

For families that are eligible for transportation services, times and routes are available at this link. We also encourage you to review this video

with your children, detailing the important safety procedures that students must follow while riding the bus.

Food Service

Breakfast and lunch are available for our students during their in-person learning sessions. For days they are at home for remote learning, meals are available at the remote pickup locations during the designated times. More information on remote locations is available at this link.




The entire Eppler staff and I are very excited and truly look forward to welcoming your students back to school, and the opportunity to resume working with them in our cohort face-to-face learning environment. As always, please let me know of any questions or concerns you may have.

Be well, my friends!

Respectfully,

Jerry Pantano
Principal