MNPS Survey on In-Person vs. Virtual

Please complete this district survey regarding your preference for in-person vs. virtual learning once city-wide health metrics allow a safe return to school facilities. Note: This is not your final decision and MNPS is no longer requiring a commitment for the entire semester at this time. The survey will gauge parent preferences and provide schools with preliminary results for planning purposes. 

https://www.research.net/r/MNPSpreferencesurvey

Tips & Tools from MNPS for Virtual Learning Preparation

For information on virtual school platforms/apps and acceptable devices: https://www.mnps.org/digitaltools
For information on preparing for virtual learning: https://www.mnps.org/blog/2020/7/24/preparing-for-virtual-learning
Upcoming District wide virtual meetings to help parents get ready for virtual school: https://www.mnps.org/district-calendar
Is all your contact information up to date with MNPS? Do you have access to the Family Portal where you can view you students grades and more? https://www.mnps.org/familyportal

Sylvan Park Elementary Master Schedule for All Grade Levels

To help parents plan their day during virtual learning, the school has released the Master Schedule for all grade levels. All classes within the grade level will follow the same schedule, which officially begins the week of August 10th. Teachers will communicate any face-to-face instructions for the week of August 4th directly with families.

Download the Master Schedule here.

Virtual Q & A with Ms. Goetz

Did you miss the Virtual Q&A with MS. Goetz? Want to review the information discussed? Watch the recorded meeting below.

District 9 School Board Election on August 6th

Did you know there is a school board race on August 6th? There is no primary, this is it. It is non-partisan. The two candidates for District 9 (West Nashville, including Sylvan Park) are:

Russelle Ann Bradbury

Abigail Tylor

Please click their names to check out their websites or read candidate answers to a recent National Public Education Foundation survey here.

Update: Deadline Extended to Receive Financial Assistance

The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) and the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) announced this month that Tennessee families are now eligible to receive financial support for their children’s nutritional needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This support is provided through the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program. The application period has been extended to July 13, 2020 at 4:30 pm. 

Under the new P-EBT program, families of children who receive free or reduced meals at school or attend a Community Eligibility Provision school may receive financial assistance to replace school meals during the months of March, April and May due to COVID-19 school closures. The program will provide parents with $5.70 per child for each day that child qualifies for P-EBT.

“Families across our state depend on the meals their children receive at school and many were not prepared to immediately replace those meals when schools shut down for COVID-19,” said TDHS Commissioner Danielle W. Barnes. “The P-EBT program brings economic support to ensure children receive the nutrition they need. Helping families through this emergency is how we continue building a thriving Tennessee.”

Parents who already receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits currently, do not need to apply. The funds began arriving on the EBT card they already use beginning June 12. Parents who do not receive SNAP benefits, but whose children do qualify for free or reduced school meals, will need to apply for P- EBT online here beginning June 15.

Individuals who need assistance completing their P-EBT application or have general questions about the program are encouraged to call the TDHS hotline at 1-833-496-0661 and select option 3. Qualifying families will receive P-EBT support in two installments, one for meals in March and April initially, and then one additional disbursement later next month for May meals.

“During the COVID-19 school closures, we saw an incredible, herculean effort to keep providing meal services to students and families,” said TDOE Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “This additional relief from P-EBT will be helpful during this time of uncertainty for families and it is important to make sure every eligible family knows about the program.”

Throughout the COVID-19 school closures, many districts and schools across Tennessee used innovative ways to continue delivering meals to students and families, such as “grab and go” options, drive-throughs, or bus delivery, and on average provided 1.5 million meals a week to families regardless of a student’s enrollment. Many emergency sites are continuing to provide student meals and receiving these meals does not disqualify a family from the P-EBT program.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to approve states for Pandemic EBT (P-EBT). Approved state agencies may operate P-EBT when a school is closed for at least five consecutive days during a public health emergency designation when the school would otherwise be in session. Tennessee is among the more than 40 states that have received P-EBT approval.

Learn more about the Tennessee Department of Human Services at www.tn.gov/humanservices.