Reminders & Upcoming Events Sept. 3, 2020 Welcome Back!
All-Academy Reminders
New Magnus Health Forms Due Sept. 8 A new Permission to Treat form has been added to your child's Magnus Heath account that must be completed by Tuesday morning, Sept. 8, before your child returns to school next week. Please log into the Veracross Parent Portal to access your Magnus Health Account. See the Sept. 3 email for more information.
2020-2021 S-Book Directory in Veracross The S-Book, SSA's family directory, can be found in the Veracross Portals in both online and PDF formats. Simply log in to Veracross and click the blue S-Book Directory button or the link in the top menu. You'll see three tabs at the top for Student, Household and Faculty & Staff directories, all of which can be searched by first or last name. On each tab under General Directories, you'll find Academy-wide directories, while under Browse Categories you'll find directories by campus or grade level. The Households tab also features a "Nearby Student Households" link which shows you SSA households within 10 miles of your home – great for planning carpools! To download a PDF of any directory, simply choose the directory you want (e.g. All Students, Junior School, Eighth Grade, etc.), and click "Download Directory (PDF)" at the top right of the page. The S-Book is also available on the Shady Side iOS app. Tap Account at the top right of the app home screen to make sure you are signed in with your Veracross portal credentials and "Remember Me" is turned on. Then from the home screen tap Menu > Directory. The app directory has slightly different directory options for Faculty & Staff, Student and Parent, and can only be searched by name.
Reminder: The Parent Portal Has Moved! Shady Side Academy migrated to a new database system called Veracross for the 2020-2021 school year. As part of this shift, we launched a new Parent Portal in Veracross, replacing the Parent Portal previously hosted on our website. The new Veracross Parent Portal gives you password-protected access to your VC Pay student billing account, schedules and report cards, the S-Book directory, Academy handbooks and (soon) Canvas teacher pages. Contact the Help Desk if you have trouble logging in to the Veracross Parent Portal. Please note that much of the information that was behind the old parent portal has been moved to this public Parents webpage.
Safety App Troubleshooting
Choose Mobile App For Lunch Orders A Choosi account has been set up for every SSA student. Orders must be placed via the Choosi website or mobile app by Wednesday at 9 p.m. for the following week's lunches. Download the instructional PDF. Browse the PDF menus on the Lunch Menus page before ordering. We know some of you may have experienced issues with preordering lunches via Choosi. Look for an email later today or early tomorrow with more information to place your child's lunch orders. Thank you for your patience!
Reopening Plan Acknowledgement Form If you have not yet completed the Reopening Plan Acknowledgement Form for your family, please log into the Veracross Parent Portal to do so. The form was due Aug. 31. Review the Reopening Plan here.
Canvas Teacher Pages & Notifications Some parents may have begun receiving email notifications from their child's teacher sent through Canvas, our new PK-12 Learning Management System (a.k.a. teacher pages). Students are being introduced to the Canvas system this week, and parents will learn more about Canvas and gain access to their children's Canvas teacher pages soon. Stay tuned for an email next week! Upcoming Academy Events
Sept. 7 - ACADEMY CLOSED, Labor Day
Sept. 8 - "Permission to Treat" Magnus Health Form Due
Sept. 28 - ACADEMY CLOSED, Yom Kippur
Country Day School Reminders Hopes and Dreams Conferences, Sept. 10 Hopes and Dreams conferences are about finding the heart of your child. Please take this opportunity to brag a bit, share past experiences and inform your child's teacher about any concerns you have. We want to know what you think is most important for your child to learn and grow. Please know that teachers want to be in true partnership with families. The more fully you communicate, the better we will be able to work as a team. Parents will receive an email from their child's teacher to schedule a Zoom conference time. Fifth Grade Homeroom Parent Volunteers Needed We are still looking for one or two fifth grade homeroom parents for this school year. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Contact Judy Earl or Erica Gasper for more information or to sign up. Upcoming CDS Events
Sept. 4 - Grades PK, 1, 2 and 5 First Full Day
Sept. 10 - NO CLASSES, Hopes and Dreams Conferences via Zoom
Junior School Reminders
Arrival & Dismissal Procedures Please read the new arrival and dismissal procedures for this school year. The staggered drop-off times will be our protocol for the entire year. If you have multiple students, utilize the drop-off time for the oldest child:
Transportation Form Due Please complete the Daily Transportation Form if you have not already. If your child's mode of transportation changes during the year, notify the office immediately.
Hopes and Dreams Conferences, Sept. 10
Parents' Association Open Parent Discussion, Sept 14
Uniform Store Update While the Parents' Association is thinking through a safe, socially-distanced way to host a back-to-school uniform sale, they have embraced a "personal shopper" approach to our uniform store for families who need it in the meantime. If you are interested in utilizing this option, contact Penny Butler or Jonathan Brown.
Upcoming JS Events
Sept. 4 - Grades 1, 3 and 5 First Full Day
Sept. 10 - NO CLASSES, Hopes and Dreams Conferences via Zoom
Sept. 14 - PA Open Parent Discussion via Zoom, 7 p.m.
Sept. 16 - Coffee With the Head and Parents' Association via Zoom, 9:30 a.m.
Middle School Reminders
Updated Calendar An updated MS Calendar of Events is now available.
Dismissal Procedures Reminder
Updated Face Mask Policy Face masks with patterns or prints are now acceptable. However, the restriction about no letters, words or slogans of any kind remains firm. We look forward to seeing your fun and appropriate face masks! Upcoming MS Events
Sept. 4 - Grades 6 and 8 First Full Day, School Photos
Sept. 16 - 8th Grade Parents Meeting via Zoom, 7 p.m.
Sept. 23 - 6th Grade Parents Meeting via Zoom, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 - NO CLASSES, Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences via Zoom
Sept. 30 - 7th Grade Parents Meeting via Zoom, 7 p.m.
Senior School Reminders
Screening Tent Hours The health screening tents are open from 7:30-8:30 a.m. each school day. Students arriving before 7:30 a.m. may wait in the large tent on the quad or another socially distant outdoor space. Students arriving after 8:30 must report to the Health Center to be screened before attending their first class of the day.
Parents Association Survey Responses Due Sept. 8 The Senior School Parents Association is collecting input on safe, socially-distant community events, volunteer opportunities and more. Please complete the online Fall Kick-off Survey by Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Term 1 or Yearlong Blue Add/Drop Deadline, Sept. 9 If a student would like to add or drop a Term 1 or yearlong Blue class, they must initiate the process by the end of the day Wednesday, Sept. 9. Students can see Claire Logsdon or Sarah Casey in the Academic Office for more information about the add/drop process.
Virtual Senior Parent College Night, Sept. 9 Please join the College Counseling staff on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m., via Zoom as we kick off your student's senior year and their college application process. Parents should have received the Zoom link in an email from Kelsey Williams. We will provide you with detailed information about what to expect in the upcoming months as your student applies to college.
PCIS College Counseling Offices Present Webinar Wednesdays The SSA College Counseling Office, along with other independent schools and the Pittsburgh Consortium of Independent Schools (PCIS), are hosting webinars on Wednesdays in September for juniors, seniors and their families. The sessions will cover topics and questions related to the changing college landscape during the time of COVID-19. Advance registration is required.
Face Mask Policy Updates Face masks with patterns are prints are now permitted, but without words or obvious branding (except the school-issued SSA logo masks). Whether inside or outside, masks should be worn at all times on campus, except when eating or deliberately socially distancing from others outside. Upcoming SS Events
Sept. 4 - Grades 10 and 11 First Full Day
Sept. 8 - Convocation, 9:50 a.m., FORMAL DRESS
Sept. 9 - Virtual Senior Parent College Night, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 - Picture Day
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