Maeser Updates: 20 November 2020

In This Edition

COVID Update + CHANGE To Schedule For Next Week, Calendar Update, Maeser’s Sterling Scholars, Model U.N. Diplomacy Camp, National Honor Society Food Drive, Science Fair Submissions Due November 30, MS Service Activity, Deadline to Re-Enroll CURRENT Students, NEW Student Lottery Applications Now Open, Semester 1 Finals Schedule, Sports Announcements (Sports/Academic Eligibility, HS Basketball Tryouts), Counseling Announcements (Miss Krystal’s Counseling Corner Podcast, Ms. Sorenson’s Middle School Podcast), Help Us Stay In Touch!

Front Office Hours This Week

Procedures for Front Office Visits

7:30am-4pm Mon-Tues
CLOSED Wed-Fri – Thanksgiving Break

2021-22 Enrollment Dates & Deadlines

Thursday, December 3
DEADLINE to Re-Enroll CURRENT Maeser Students for 2021-22
Re-enrollment fee ($50) payable online through our RevTrak fee payment site
Return re-enrollment forms to the front office

Through 1 February 2021
NEW Student Applications Open for the 2021-22 Enrollment Lottery
Submit applications for NEW students here: Apply for 2021-2022

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

Schedule CHANGE for Thankgiving Week:

Monday, November 23
FLEX Day for A Day Students
Regular Online Classes for B Day Students

Tuesday, November 24
FLEX Day for B Day Students
Regular Online Classes for A Day Students
4-6pm HS Girls Basketball Tryouts
6-8pm HS Boys Basketball Tryouts

Wednesday, November 25
HS Basketball Tryouts Continue:
9-11am HS Girls Basketball Tryouts
11am-1pm HS Boys Basketball Tryouts

Wednesday-Friday, November 25-27
Thanksgiving Break – NO SCHOOL

Monday, November 30
All Science Fair Submissions Due

Wednesday & Thursday, December 2-3
MS Service Activity during lunch

Thursday, December 3
Re-Enrollment Fee & Forms Due (return to Front Office)
Re-Enrollment Fee ($50) Due

Wednesday & Thursday, December 9-10
Review Days

Monday, December 14
A Day: Finals 1-4 periods

Tuesday, December 15
B Day: Finals 1-4 periods

Wednesday, December 16
A Day: Finals 5-8 periods

Thursday, December 17
B Day: Finals 5-8 periods

Friday, December 18
Teacher Workday – Appointments Only

December 21-January 1
Christmas Break – NO SCHOOL

COVID Update + CHANGE To Schedule For Next Week

Due to the recent surge in COVID cases in Utah, we wanted to update you on Maeser’s status and plans moving forward.

Update On Maeser’s COVID Numbers

As of today, we have 13 active cases of COVID-19 (student/faculty) all quarantining at home with an additional 40 pro-actively quarantining due to family exposure. In the event we need to pivot to online learning, we will build in plenty of time to pivot appropriately and then maintain that consistency for the duration of the semester.

According to our data, those students who have tested positive for COVID-19 have not contracted it at school. Rather, they are being exposed out in the community or by family members. At this point, we feel our community is doing a great job of proactively reporting. We DO encourage you to maintain your vigilance and to follow health department guidelines as we move into the holiday season.

Change To Schedule For Thanksgiving Week

We understand that hybrid learning has been a challenge for our students and our teachers, and we’re proud of everyone’s resilience and efforts so far. In order to allow our students an opportunity to catch up on their school work and get any needed help from their teachers, we have made the following adjustments to our school schedule for the week of Thanksgiving:

“A Day” Student Schedule

Monday, November 23: FLEX Day for A Day students (open hours from 8:00am-3:30pm). FLEX days are optional school days for students who want additional help and tutoring from their teachers. Some teachers may be reaching out to invite specific students who need extra help to come at specific times.
Tuesday, November 24: Regular ONLINE day. Students should check Google Classroom as they would on any other online learning day. They may have assignments that they need to complete and turn in.
Wednesday-Friday, November 25-27: NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Break

“B Day” Student Schedule

Monday, November 23: Regular ONLINE day. Students should check Google Classroom as they would on any other online learning day. They may have assignments that they need to complete and turn in.
Tuesday, November 24: FLEX Day for B Day students (open hours from 8:00am-3:30pm). FLEX days are optional school days for students who want additional help and tutoring from their teachers. Some teachers may be reaching out to invite specific students who need extra help to come at specific times.
Wednesday-Friday, November 25-27: NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Break

As an added benefit, this schedule change will give us a chance to clear out our active COVID cases and allow many of our quarantining students to return to in-person learning with their classmates after Thanksgiving Break.

As always, if your student develops any symptoms, please keep them home and call/email the front office so we can excuse their absences with the appropriate attendance codes.

We will continue to keep you posted as things evolve.

Sincerely,

Maeser Administration

FAQs

Does my student have to come to school on their FLEX day?
No. FLEX days are designed for students who need additional help to be able to come and meet with their teachers.

Do I need to excuse my student’s absence on their FLEX day?
No. FLEX days are only for students who need additional help to be able to come and meet with their teachers. Attendance will not be taken on FLEX day.

Are uniforms required on FLEX days?
Yes. Regular Maeser uniforms (including masks) must be worn on campus. Full Dress Uniforms are not required on FLEX days.

What do I do if my student develops symptoms of COVID?
Contact testutah.comfor information about how to handle your student’s symptoms. If your student has symptoms, please keep them home and email the Attendance Office at attendance@maeserprep.org to excuse their absences. Please refer to our COVID Information for Parents Info Sheet for more details.

What is Maeser’s protocol for handling students who test positive for COVID?
When we are notified by the Utah County Department of Health (or a proactive parent) that a student was at school while contagious, then we go to each class that student was in and look at the seating chart. Any student who was within a 6′ radius during the class for at least 15 minutes is considered to have been “exposed” and needs to be quarantined. We send an email, phone call, and text message to those students.

Per the Health Department’s instructions, potentially exposed students need to quarantine for 14 calendar days from the date of exposure and should be tested. If students are able to get tested following notification and the test results are negative, they may return to the classroom immediately if they have no symptoms. For privacy reasons we can’t disclose the names of any COVID positive students.

Calendar Update

We have updated our 2020-21 academic calendar to reflect the correct date for the 11th grade ACT in March. The ACT will take place on Tuesday, March 9 for all juniors; seniors will participate in college prep activities. Only juniors and seniors will be allowed on campus on March 9.

Maeser’s Sterling Scholars

This year’s winners of the Maeser Sterling Scholars are:
Science: Devyn Giles
English: Marie Hua
Math: Tamma Bahr
Social Science: Jenna Norris
World Languages: Tori Nielson
Computer Tech: Corban Villa
Skilled/Technical Sciences: Kylie Hansen
Family and Consumer Sciences: Mia Bradshaw
Business and Marketing: Emma Mecham
Speech/Theatre Arts/Forensics: Josh Beckham
Vocal Performance: Georgia Johnson
Visual Arts: Kylie Chase
Instrumental Music: Rachel Gundersen
Dance: Katelyn Lawson

Model U.N. Diplomacy Camp

Thank you parents of Model United Nations Delegates for supporting your students. Seven students participated in BYUMUN Diplomacy Camp on Saturday. Five of those were participating for the first time. They earned a total of 13 awards. Congratulations to Jenna Norris, Stella Ottoso, Hanson Lin, Scout Jones, and Kyle Jensen. The next MUN opportunity is through the University of Utah on 6 Feb. 2021.

National Honor Society Food Drive November 9-24

National Honor Society is hosting a Thanksgiving food drive for a local food pantry! Please bring any canned and non-perishable food items and leave them in the boxes in the main hallway. The food drive runs from November 9th through the 24th. Help out local families in need!

Science Fair Submissions Due Monday, November 30, 2020

Because of this unusual year, we will be doing the school science fair differently. We will not be holding a live, in person fair. If you would like to sign up to be evaluated to move forward to the district science fair, fill out this form: 2020 District Science Fair Sign Up

We will then have your teacher fill out a recommendation for you to move on and we will contact you about the district fair individually. Questions? Contact Mrs Hansen: angie.hansen@maeserprep.org

MS Service Activity: December 2 & 3

The middle school student council is sponsoring a service activity for all students in 7th and 8th grades during lunch on Wednesday and Thursday, December 2nd and 3rd! Middle school students: you are invited to join your student council in the cafeteria during lunch on your assigned in-person day to write thank you notes as Christmas presents for our teachers! Hot chocolate, paper, and writing utensils will be provided. We’d love for every teacher to get a thank you note.

Deadline to Re-Enroll CURRENT Students For 2021-22: Thursday, December 3

We have started the re-enrollment process for current students who are planning to return to Maeser for Fall 2021. If your student is planning to return, you must pay the $50 re-enrollment deposit and complete, sign and return the required form (sent via email on November 2) to the front office. We prefer that you pay the $50 re-enrollment fee online or by calling the front office. Attach your receipt to your re-enrollment form.

If you do not return your form and pay the fee by Thursday, December 3, 2020 you are indicating that your student is not returning to Maeser for the 2021-22 school year.

If you miss the deadline and need to re-apply for your current student, please submit a New Student Application for the 2021-2022 school year through the Apply link on our website. Your student will be placed in the enrollment lottery held in February 2021.

NEW Student Lottery Applications Are Now OPEN for 2021-22

Lottery applications for NEW students for the 2021-22 school year are NOW OPEN! If you have more than one NEW student applying for Maeser next year, you must submit a separate application for each new student.

REMEMBER: DO NOT submit an online application for your CURRENT Maeser student — online applications are for NEW students only. Re-enrollment must be completed in person in the front office.

To submit an application for a NEW student, click here to complete the Lottery Application. You can also access the lottery application by visiting our website (www.maeserprep.org) and clicking Apply — be sure to choose the correct year (2021-2022).

Semester 1 Finals Schedule

December 9th & 10th: Review days
Normal class days/times

Monday, December 14th: A day – Finals 1-4 periods
1st period – 8:00-9:30am
2nd period – 9:45-11:15am
Lunch – 11:15-11:45am
3rd period – 11:45am-1:15pm
4th period – 1:30-3:00pm

Tuesday, December 15th: B day – Finals 1-4 periods
1st period – 8:00-9:30am
2nd period – 9:45-11:15am
Lunch – 11:15-11:45am
3rd period – 11:45am-1:15pm
4th period – 1:30-3:00pm

Wednesday, December 16th: A day – Finals 5-8 periods
5th period – 8:00-9:30am
6th period – 9:45-11:15am
Lunch – 11:15-11:45am
7th period – 11:45am-1:15pm
8th period – 1:30-3:00pm

Thursday, December 17th: B day – Finals 5-8 periods
5th period – 8:00-9:30am
6th period – 9:45-11:15am
Lunch – 11:15-11:45am
7th period – 11:45am-1:15pm
8th period – 1:30-3:00pm

Friday, December 18th: Teacher Workday
Appointments Only

Sports Announcements

Sports/Academic Eligibility

Eligibility for winter sports/activities will be based on 1st term grades for all grade levels. Students (7th-12th) must earn a 2.7 GPA with no Fs/NGs. In addition, high school students cannot have any Fs/NGs/Incompletes from previous high school terms. If the F/NG/Incomplete is made up by the beginning of the sports season they will be able to participate.

High School Basketball Tryouts

High school basketball tryouts will be held on Tuesday, November 24th and Wednesday, November 25th. Girls tryouts will be from 4-6pm on Tuesday and 9-11am on Wednesday. Boys tryouts will be from 6-8pm on Tuesday and 11-1pm on Wednesday.

Counseling Announcements

Miss Krystal’s Counseling Corner Podcast

THIS WEEK: How gratitude changes you and your brain – plus a scholarship for bowlers! Catch it all in episode 24: Bowling Your Way to Gratitude. Strike!

Students can listen and email Mrs. Anderson a main point from the podcast to be entered into a weekly drawing. Drawings will take place on Mondays or Tuesdays.

Ms. Sorenson’s Middle School Podcast

THIS WEEK: Learn how to use SODAS to help you solve almost any problem. This week’s guest is MZ. Catch it all in this week’s episode of In the Lion’s Den with Ms. Sorenson: SODAS

Also, take on the challenge by Ms. Sorenson as we all get to know each other and get candy in the process!

Help Us Stay In Touch!

Opt In For School Text Messages

Our school utilizes the SchoolMessenger system to deliver text messages to your mobile phone with important information about events, school closings, safety alerts, student fees, and more. We will only use text messaging for urgent and important information.

You can participate in this service by sending a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our school’s short code number, 67587. You can also opt out of text messages at any time by simply replying to one of our messages with “Stop”.

Thank you for helping us keep in contact with your family!

Update Your Contact Information

If any of your contact information has changed – email address, mailing address, phone number – please let us know so we can stay in touch with your family.