Coronavirus (COVID-19) Awareness - Lake Orion Community Schools

LOCS Updates (March 5, 2021)

Dear LOCS Families:

Hopefully your family is doing well and enjoyed the warming temperatures earlier this week.

Our district is progressing towards a more traditional school day and will make a significant step forward on Monday, March 8, when the expanded days begin at the elementary and middle schools, as well as Pine Tree Center.

As Superintendent Ben Kirby shared, many factors play into his decision-making, including the community ThoughtExchange feedback. For those interested in the process, Mr. Kirby’s explanation is available on the LOCS website.

Much of the LOCS staff is preparing for Monday, as the K-8 students extend towards a fuller day of in-person learning. To achieve the best outcome – remaining on this schedule for the final 3 ½ months – everyone in our community will work together to follow the district protocols and procedures.

Faithful completion of the Clear To Go app each morning before riding the bus or arriving at school.
Appropriate and consistent mask wearing and social distancing as much as possible.
Remaining aware to stay home when sick.
Considering the wellbeing of the community when making school-related decisions.

A few reminders for next week:

The updated Transportation information for all bus riders will be shared via the usual email process today (Friday) or Saturday. Please be especially aware of the time changes for your students.

The new school times beginning Monday, March 8 are available on the LOCS website.

We appreciate the teamwork associated with all of our students, staff and families to move forward in this challenging year. Now that we have momentum and can see the sun, finishing the year healthy and strong should remain our priority, especially as the world outside of our school doors continues to open wider.

Thank you,

LOCS Administration

IN-PERSON/REMOTE LEARNING UPDATES

CLEAR TO GO

With the students back for in-person learning, LOCS asks students/families to complete the Clear To Go app every morning prior to the school day.

The same procedure exists as in November:

Students taking the bus will have to show the green badge with their own name from that date prior to boarding.
Students without cell phones being dropped off in the car loop at each school will be expected to show it as they are exiting the car.
Students with their own cell phone (or parents walking up their students) can show it at the front door of the school prior to entering.

A few updates:

Staff and/or students who have an open case in Clear to Go do not need to continue to screen until after the case is closed. While your case is open you will no longer receive notifications to screen.

Please note that if you have traveled outside of the country you will need to quarantine for 7 days. Please make sure you answer yes to that question on the screening. You will then be alerted that you failed and will need to quarantine for 7 days from when you returned from your trip.

The Clear To Go app is an essential component for LOCS to create a safe, healthy environment in our schools each day. By keeping COVID-19 positive cases out of the building, we can prevent spread and keep our schools in person continuously moving forward.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATE

Congratulations to Dragon Virtual teacher Amy Bohm for being awarded Stadium Drive Elementary teacher of the year!

Middle-level Dragon Virtual registration will begin taking place next week. Look for communication from building counselors with a link to the Microsoft Form that will be used for scheduling. The form will include an option to elect Dragon Virtual for 2021-2022. To help with your decision to of Dragon Virtual, please refer to the parent guide and questionnaire below.

Middle School Dragon Virtual Parent Guide

Dragon Virtual "Student Fit" Questionnaire

Current middle-level Dragon Virtual students will adjust their schedules to align with the in-person changes occurring on March 8. Please view the document linked here for more information: March 8 - Return to School Plan, Schedule, and Information. If you or your student have any questions regarding meeting times and dates, please reach out to your teachers.

The Dragon Virtual website is being updated frequently with new information and resources to help parents navigate the decision of Dragon Virtual for the 2021-2022 school year including registration dates, frequently asked questions, and sample schedules. We will continue to develop the site as new information and programming become available.

WEEKLY UPDATES

KINDERGARTEN INFORMATION

Do you have a child entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2021? Do you know any other families with children interested in the LOCS Kindergarten program? The information and registration process are approaching in mid-March and, once it’s available, families will be encouraged to complete their admission on the New Student Enrollment page.

All Kindergarten information can be found at LakeOrionSchools.org/Kindergarten. Each elementary school will host a virtual question and answer session on March 15, 2021 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

LOCS would like to gather names and information about interested Kindergarten families. Please fill out this form to assist us. It is not a registration form, just to let us know of your interest.

EARLY CHILDHOOD INFORMATION/REGISTRATION

The new LOCS Early Childhood Center will open officially next fall.

Registration is open and families can apply currently by completing the form available from the LOCS Early Childhood Department.

Built through the community’s support of the 2018 Bond, construction on the new facility is making great progress. Check out the details and most recent photos.

2021-22 LOCS CALENDARS

LOCS released the 2021-22 calendars for the elementary, middle school and high school levels, along with the Early Childhood program.

Please visit the links and save those calendars for planning purposes.

LOCS shared a summary sheet of important dates across the district for the 2021-22 school year.

INSIDE THE DRAGONS

The latest edition of “Inside the Dragons” debuted with a segments of interest across the levels.

The episode has feature segments on: the new STEM rooms (created as part of the bond construction at Orion Oaks and Carpenter elementary schools) and remote STEM learning, the LOCS schools raising and gathering goods to donate during the holiday season, a look at the elementary Dragon Virtual program, and the induction of the new Board of Education trustees.

BOOK RETURN

The LOCS elementary schools are asking for students to return classroom books and the checked-out library books that may still be floating around their homes.

Restocking the classroom and library books is an important aspect to enhancing the in-person learning within our buildings. If there are any questions about what your student may have checked out, please reach out to the classroom teacher and/or the school media specialist.

PARENT UNIVERSITY/OPPORTUNITIES

LOCS has conducted a number of Parent University sessions during the 2020-21 school year.

The next session will be shared on March 16 for parents of Grades 2-5 students. The topic: “Help your child spell WELL!”

Interested parents who missed the previous sessions can find all of the recordings at LakeOrionSchools.org/ParentUniversity.

On March 11, LOCS Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Heidi Mercer will join Orion Township Public Library librarian Kathleen Kwiatkowski in a virtual discussion of the book Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World by Madeline Levine, PhD. Contact the library to get your copy of the book anytime in February. Find registration and the Zoom information on the OTPL website.

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

There are a few Technology updates.

Please remember that students are required to bring their device to school every day fully charged. Students should bring charging cables if they need them. LOCS only has a very limited number of devices for student use in the case they do not have their personal device.
When transporting the device, students should make sure the device is fully closed and nothing is connected (charging cables, headphones, etc.) prior to placing in backpacks.
It is recommended that students shut down devices at night (not sleep mode), so when they log on at school it is a new connection and the device is not looking for connections to the home network.
As devices return to school, there may be patches and updates that are applied. The LOCS Technology Department makes every attempt to minimize the impact, however some updates may require the device to be restarted when at school to complete the installation.
It is strongly encouraged that student have a set of headphones/earbuds that they can use at school, as directed by the teacher.

For families needing assistance with their devices, please reach out via the methods listed below.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us
Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)
Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us
Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. On Wednesday, the support is available from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

High School students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

One new method of providing additional remote wi-fi access is increased range at the LOCS buildings. Each building now has an extended access point accessible from outside the school building that families can utilize within that range. The locations are listed on the Technology Services page.

FOOD SERVICE

Beginning March 8, elementary and middle school students will be able to enjoy a free hot lunch every day in a socially distanced setting at school. As a result, the grab-and-go lunches will no longer be distributed in the buildings.

Elementary in-person students who registered for the free grab-and-go meals will receive grab and go breakfasts in their class at the end of the school day. Elementary students who wish to take “hot lunch” will order every morning in their classroom as has been past practice.

Middle school in-person students are able to choose a grab-and-go breakfast before school in the cafeteria.

For high school in-person students, they are able to take grab-and-go meals at the end of each school day in the building. A la carte items are available at the snack bar for high school students throughout the day.

The LOCS pick-up meals distribution continues. The meals pick-ups (on Wednesdays in the CERC bus loop from 11 a.m.-12 p.m.) are for the Dragon Virtual students and all families who would like the weekend meal distribution.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

The next LOCS Board of Education meeting will be held March 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the LOCS Administration Building (315 N. Lapeer St.)

After the most recent state health order, the LOCS Board and Administration will be able to meet in person by following the prescribed guidelines.

LOCS will allow in-person public participation, as well as in the virtual setting. Information about virtual participation will be shared on the Board of Education page early next week.

To maintain compliance with the current health order, public seating at the meeting will be limited to 12 people. Please notify julie.olko@lok12.org by noon on March 10 if you are planning to attend in-person to verify space is available.

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St, Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St, Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd, Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd, Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

COVID-19 POSITIVE CASE REPORTING

LOCS is meeting the state requirements for COVID-19 positive case reporting with the chart link off the district website’s front page. As required by the state, the chart lists the school-associated cases – the individuals who were on school property at the time of a potential exposure to others.

COVID-19 OCHD NEWSLETTER

To receive the Oakland County COVID-19 Vaccination Newsletter, register your email address at www.oaklandcountyvaccine.com or text OAKGOV COVID to 468311.

COVID-19 DISTRICT DASHBOARD

As required by the state of Michigan, LOCS posts its school-associated positive cases online within 24 hours of being reported to the district.

On the chart, visitors can sort the items in the category below by clicking at the top of each column.

BOND INFORMATION

The LOCS Bond projects, initiated with the 10-year, $160 million November 2018 community Bond passage, continue to move forward. The Series 1 projects at Carpenter Elementary and Orion Oaks Elementary are nearly complete, as is the secure entrance at Webber Elementary. The Webber Elementary addition and the new Early Childhood Center are scheduled to be open for the start of the 2021-22 school year.

Improved secure entrances and main offices are scheduled for Paint Creek Elementary and Stadium Drive Elementary for Summer 2021.

More information about the Bond projects is available at LOCSBond.org.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Monday, March 8	Elementary, Middle, Pine Tree Center expanded schedules begin
Wednesday, March 10	LOCS Dragon Virtual/In-Person Weekend Meals Distribution (CERC), 11 a.m.-12 p.m. LOCS Board of Education Meeting (Administration Building), 6:30 p.m.
Monday, March 15	Kindergarten Virtual Q and A Sessions (all elementaries), 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 18	Half-Day (Elementary and Middle Schools)
March 29-April 2	Spring Break (No school)

LOCS Updates (February 26, 2021)

Dear LOCS Families:

As the district enters the next phase of our Return to School plan, we appreciate the support and interest of so many of our families. The goal remains to bring students back in person as close to a traditional day as possible when that can be accomplished in a safe manner.

With unique challenges and learning approaches at each level, the plans approved Wednesday by the LOCS Board of Education to begin March 8 reflect those differences with the goal of maintaining consistency moving forward.

Expanding the elementary, middle school and Pine Tree Center days to a full five-days-a-week schedule with nearly a traditional daily schedule will allow those students expanded learning and socialization opportunities in an appropriate setting. Learning Options High School continues with its five-days-a-week schedule as well. These are the plans for the rest of the 2020-21 school year, barring any heath orders which would override local decisions.

To help limit the exposure cases at Lake Orion High School and not disrupt the third quarter learning schedule, LOHS remains in its current in-person hybrid Green and White alternating days schedule. LOCS Superintendent Ben Kirby shared that the decision will be re-evaluated prior to the fourth quarter’s start (April 12).

All of the current school times as well as those beginning March 8 are available on the LOCS website.

We understand the issues for students, families and staff with each change and have attempted to find the most appropriate balance between safety and the circumstances surrounding each.

Seeing our students in their in-person classrooms and learning in the Dragon Virtual program continues to remind us of our focus: to provide the best education for our students.

Stay safe,

LOCS Administration

IN-PERSON/REMOTE LEARNING UPDATES

CLEAR TO GO

With the students back for in-person learning, LOCS asks students/families to complete the Clear To Go app every morning prior to the school day.

The same procedure exists as in November:

Students taking the bus will have to show the green badge with their own name from that date prior to boarding.
Students without cell phones being dropped off in the car loop at each school will be expected to show it as they are exiting the car.
Students with their own cell phone (or parents walking up their students) can show it at the front door of the school prior to entering.

A few updates:

Staff and/or students who have an open case in Clear to Go do not need to continue to screen until after the case is closed. While your case is open you will no longer receive notifications to screen.

Please note that if you have traveled outside of the country you will need to quarantine for 7 days. Please make sure you answer yes to that question on the screening. You will then be alerted that you failed and will need to quarantine for 7 days from when you returned from your trip.

The Clear To Go app is an essential component for LOCS to create a safe, healthy environment in our schools each day. By keeping COVID-19 positive cases out of the building, we can prevent spread and keep our schools in person continuously moving forward.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATE

When the district shifts to the adjusted schedules for in-person learners on March 8, Dragon Virtual students will be minimally affected, if at all.

Elementary DV students will see no changes to their daily schedules.
High School DV students are on Edgenuity and will not be affected.
Middle School DV core area meeting times will be adjusted to align with the in-person changes. The schedule will remain in the new format until the end of the year. Remember, electives on Edgenuity do not have live meetings. The bell schedule will be communicated by building principals and in the Dragon Virtual newsletter.

The Dragon Virtual website is being updated frequently with new information and resources to help parents navigate the decision of Dragon Virtual for the 2021-2022 school year including registration dates, frequently asked questions, and sample schedules. We will continue to develop the site as new information and programming become available.

WEEKLY UPDATES

KINDERGARTEN INFORMATION

Do you have a child entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2021? Do you know any other families with children interested in the LOCS Kindergarten program? The information and registration process are approaching in early March and, once it’s available, families will be encouraged to complete their admission on the New Student Enrollment page.

All Kindergarten information can be found at LakeOrionSchools.org/Kindergarten. Each elementary school will host a virtual question and answer session on March 15, 2021 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

LOCS would like to gather names and information about interested Kindergarten families. Please fill out this form to assist us. It is not a registration form, just to let us know of your interest.

EARLY CHILDHOOD INFORMATION/REGISTRATION

The new LOCS Early Childhood Center will open officially next fall.

With the registration opportunity quickly approaching, interested families can find out more information about the facility and the program at the upcoming information day on March 4, 2021 from 4-7 p.m. at the CERC Building (455 E. Scripps Road, Lake Orion, MI.)

Families can apply currently by completing the form available from the LOCS Early Childhood department.

Built through the community’s support of the 2018 Bond, construction on the new facility is making great progress. Check out the details and most recent photos.

INSIDE THE DRAGONS

The latest edition of “Inside the Dragons” debuted with a segments of interest across the levels.

The episode has feature segments on: the new STEM rooms (created as part of the bond construction at Orion Oaks and Carpenter elementary schools) and remote STEM learning, the LOCS schools raising and gathering goods to donate during the holiday season, a look at the elementary Dragon Virtual program, and the induction of the new Board of Education trustees.

BOOK RETURN

The LOCS elementary schools are asking for students to return classroom books and the checked-out library books that may still be floating around their homes.

Restocking the classroom and library books is an important aspect to enhancing the in-person learning within our buildings. If there are any questions about what your student may have checked out, please reach out to the classroom teacher and/or the school media specialist.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

In February, Black History Month, Lake Orion Community Schools Diversity and Equity Coordinator Michelle Cureton has provided opportunities for students and the community to participate in the education and experience.

Check out the events, programs, celebrations and educational materials on the LOCS website.

SNOW DAYS

LOCS snow days will follow the traditional path as with previous years, canceling the school day for all students, in-person/remote, and in Dragon Virtual. Snow days will not alter the days that hybrid students are scheduled to attend in-person.

More information is available on the LOCS Snow Days page.

PARENT UNIVERSITY/OPPORTUNITIES

LOCS has conducted a number of Parent University sessions during the 2020-21 school year.

The most recent Parent University session was released on Tuesday, February 23 for families of second and third grade students. “Quick Tips for Supporting 2nd and 3rd Graders as They Make the Comprehension Leap into Longer Books” is available for parents.

Interested parents who missed the previous sessions can find all of the recordings at LakeOrionSchools.org/ParentUniversity.

On March 11, LOCS Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Heidi Mercer will join Orion Township Public Library librarian Kathleen Kwiatkowski in a virtual discussion of the book Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World by Madeline Levine, PhD. Contact the library to get your copy of the book anytime in February. Find registration and the Zoom information on the OTPL website.

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

There are a few Technology updates.

Please remember that students are required to bring their device to school every day fully charged. Students should bring charging cables if they need them. LOCS only has a very limited number of devices for student use in the case they do not have their personal device.
When transporting the device, students should make sure the device is fully closed and nothing is connected (charging cables, headphones, etc.) prior to placing in backpacks.
It is recommended that students shut down devices at night (not sleep mode), so when they log on at school it is a new connection and the device is not looking for connections to the home network.
As devices return to school, there may be patches and updates that are applied. The LOCS Technology Department makes every attempt to minimize the impact, however some updates may require the device to be restarted when at school to complete the installation.
It is strongly encouraged that student have a set of headphones/earbuds that they can use at school, as directed by the teacher.

For families needing assistance with their devices, please reach out via the methods listed below.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us
Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)
Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us
Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. On Wednesday, the support is available from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

High School students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

One new method of providing additional remote wi-fi access is increased range at the LOCS buildings. Each building now has an extended access point accessible from outside the school building that families can utilize within that range. The locations are listed on the Technology Services page.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION

Beginning March 8, elementary and middle school students will be able to enjoy a free hot lunch every day in a socially distanced setting at school. As a result, the grab-and-go lunches will no longer be distributed in the buildings.

Elementary in-person students who registered for the free grab-and-go meals will receive grab and go breakfasts in their class at the end of the school day. Elementary students who wish to take “hot lunch” will order every morning in their classroom as the has been past practice.

Middle school in-person students are able to choose a grab-and-go breakfast before school in the cafeteria.

For high school in-person students, they are able to take grab-and-go meals at the end of each school day in the building. Ala carte items are available at the snack bar for high school students throughout the day.

The LOCS pick-up meals distribution continues. The meals pick-ups (on Wednesdays in the CERC bus loop from 11 a.m.-12 p.m.) are for the Dragon Virtual students and all families who would like the weekend meal distribution.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

The LOCS Board of Education’s most recent meeting was held on February 24, 2021 and is available to watch on the LOCS YouTube channel. The first half of the meeting was held in a workshop format. The business portion of the meeting, including Mr. Kirby’s explanation and rationale for the updated schedule, began just after the 3-hour mark of the meeting for those interested in that section.

The next Board of Education meeting will be held March 10 at 6:30 p.m., also in a virtual setting, as directed by state order.

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St, Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St, Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd, Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd, Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

COVID-19 POSITIVE CASE REPORTING

LOCS is meeting the state requirements for COVID-19 positive case reporting with the chart link off the district website’s front page. As required by the state, the chart lists the school-associated cases – the individuals who were on school property at the time of a potential exposure to others.

COVID-19 OCHD NEWSLETTER

To receive the Oakland County COVID-19 Vaccination Newsletter, register your email address at www.oaklandcountyvaccine.com or text OAKGOV COVID to 468311.

COVID-19 DISTRICT DASHBOARD

As required by the state of Michigan, LOCS posts its school-associated positive cases online within 24 hours of being reported to the district.

On the chart, visitors can sort the items in the category below by clicking at the top of each column.

BOND INFORMATION

The LOCS Bond projects, initiated with the 10-year, $160 million November 2018 community Bond passage, continue to move forward. The Series 1 projects at Carpenter Elementary and Orion Oaks Elementary are nearly complete, as is the secure entrance at Webber Elementary. The Webber Elementary addition and the new Early Childhood Center are scheduled to be open for the start of the 2021-22 school year.

Improved secure entrances and main offices are scheduled for Paint Creek Elementary and Stadium Drive Elementary for Summer 2021.

More information about the Bond projects is available at LOCSBond.org.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Wednesday, March 4	LOCS Dragon Virtual/In-Person Weekend Meals Distribution (CERC), 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Early Childhood Information Night (CERC), 4-7 p.m.
March 8	Elementary, Middle, Pine Tree Center expanded schedules begin
March 15	Kindergarten Virtual Q and A Sessions (all elementaries), 6:30-7:30 p.m.
March 18	Half-Day (Elementary and Middle Schools)
March 29-April 2	Spring Break (No school)

LOCS Updates (February 19, 2021)

Dear LOCS Families:

At the end of this shorter week, we wanted to thank the LOCS community for the outstanding response and feedback in last week’s ThoughtExchange.

The engagement was significant, especially for the first time using the tool, and the interaction will help Superintendent Ben Kirby make the appropriate decisions for the district’s next steps.

Next Wednesday, February 24, Mr. Kirby will present the updated COVID-19 learning plan to the LOCS Board of Education. As he shares during each Board meeting report, his updated plan will be based on a variety of information, including his conversations with health professionals, the positive case counts and exposure levels within our schools, the COVID-19 case count information within the Orion community, and the student and staff feedback from the ThoughtExchange interactions.

After the Board of Education meeting, LOCS will share with the community any changes to the school plans.

Stay safe,

LOCS Administration

IN-PERSON/REMOTE LEARNING UPDATES

CLEAR TO GO

With the students back for in-person learning, LOCS asks students/families to complete the Clear To Go app every morning prior to the school day.

The same procedure exists as in November:

Students taking the bus will have to show the green badge with their own name from that date prior to boarding.
Students without cell phones being dropped off in the car loop at each school will be expected to show it as they are exiting the car.
Students with their own cell phone (or parents walking up their students) can show it at the front door of the school prior to entering.

A few updates:

Staff and/or students who have an open case in Clear to Go do not need to continue to screen until after the case is closed. While your case is open you will no longer receive notifications to screen.

Please note that if you have traveled outside of the country you will need to quarantine for 7 days. Please make sure you answer yes to that question on the screening. You will then be alerted that you failed and will need to quarantine for 7 days from when you returned from your trip.

The Clear To Go app is an essential component for LOCS to create a safe, healthy environment in our schools each day. By keeping COVID-19 positive cases out of the building, we can prevent spread and keep our schools in person continuously moving forward.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATE

Details for the 2021-2022 Dragon Virtual program were shared with the LOCS Board of Education on February 10. After hearing the feedback from students, parents, and staff, it was announced there will be some subtle changes at the elementary and middle levels for the 2021-22 school year. Dragon Virtual at LOHS will have broad changes which will include live instruction multiple times a week with LOCS teachers. Please see the documents below for more detailed information regarding the individual programs for next year. The Special Education information is listed within each level’s presentation.

The elementary enrollment process for Dragon Virtual will be shared in the coming months. Middle level and LOHS enrollment for Dragon Virtual will take place during the normal scheduling processes for each respective level. Parents will not need to register on a standalone registration form. Information regarding middle level DV registration will be shared very soon.

For more information on the LOHS Dragon Virtual registration process, please refer to the following link: LOHS Scheduling - Lake Orion Community Schools (lakeorionschools.org)

WEEKLY UPDATES

KINDERGARTEN INFORMATION

Do you have a child entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2021? Do you know any other families with children interested in the LOCS Kindergarten program? The information and registration process are approaching and all information can be found at LakeOrionSchools.org/Kindergarten.

Each elementary school will host a virtual information night on March 15, 2021 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Beginning in March, most of the information can be completed on the New Student Enrollment page.

LOCS would like to gather names and information about interested Kindergarten families. Please fill out this form to assist us. It is not a registration form, just to let us know of your interest.

EARLY CHILDHOOD INFORMATION/REGISTRATION

The new LOCS Early Childhood Center will open officially next fall.

With the registration opportunity quickly approaching, interested families can find out more information about the facility and the program at the upcoming information day on March 4, 2021 from 4-7 p.m. at the CERC Building (455 E. Scripps Road, Lake Orion, MI.)

Families can apply currently by completing the form available from the LOCS Early Childhood department.

Built through the community’s support of the 2018 Bond, construction on the new facility is making great progress. Check out the details and most recent photos.

INSIDE THE DRAGONS

The latest edition of “Inside the Dragons” debuted with a segments of interest across the levels.

The episode has feature segments on: the new STEM rooms (created as part of the bond construction at Orion Oaks and Carpenter elementary schools) and remote STEM learning, the LOCS schools raising and gathering goods to donate during the holiday season, a look at the elementary Dragon Virtual program, and the induction of the new Board of Education trustees.

BOOK RETURN

The LOCS elementary schools are asking for students to return classroom books and the checked-out library books that may still be floating around their homes.

Restocking the classroom and library books is an important aspect to enhancing the in-person learning within our buildings. If there are any questions about what your student may have checked out, please reach out to the classroom teacher and/or the school media specialist.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

In February, Black History Month, Lake Orion Community Schools Diversity and Equity Coordinator Michelle Cureton has provided opportunities for students and the community to participate in the education and experience.

Check out the events, programs, celebrations and educational materials on the LOCS website.

SNOW DAYS

LOCS snow days will follow the traditional path as with previous years, canceling the school day for all students, in-person/remote, and in Dragon Virtual. Snow days will not alter the days that hybrid students are scheduled to attend in-person.

More information is available on the LOCS Snow Days page.

PARENT UNIVERSITY/OPPORTUNITIES

LOCS has conducted a number of Parent University sessions during the 2020-21 school year.

The next Parent University session will be released on Tuesday, February 23 for families of second and third grade students. The topic: “Quick Tips for Supporting 2nd and 3rd Graders as They Make the Comprehension Leap into Longer Books”.

Interested parents who missed the previous sessions can find all of the recordings at LakeOrionSchools.org/ParentUniversity.

On Wednesday, February 24, Oakland Schools will host a special program with author Mark C. Perna, presenting “Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations” from 6-7 p.m. The virtual event is open to all Oakland County parents of K-12 students to help motivate children and encourage their passion for learning. The Zoom details: Zoom ID: 848 7826 2795; Passcode: 277383

On March 11, LOCS Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Heidi Mercer will join Orion Township Public Library librarian Kathleen Kwiatkowski in a virtual discussion of the book Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World by Madeline Levine, PhD. Contact the library to get your copy of the book anytime in February. Find registration and the Zoom information on the OTPL website.

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

We appreciate your patience during this unprecedented time and want you to know we are working hard to ensure your technology concerns and requests are being handled quickly and effectively.

One new method of providing additional remote wi-fi access is increased range at the LOCS buildings. Each building now has an extended access point accessible from outside the school building that families can utilize within that range. The locations are listed on the Technology Services page.

For families needing assistance with their devices, please reach out via the methods listed below.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us
Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)
Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us
Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. On Wednesday, the support is available from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
High School students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION (MID-WINTER BREAK REGISTRATION)

With LOCS back with in-person learning, the usual LOCS pick-up meals distribution continues. The meals pick-ups on Wednesdays in the CERC bus loop from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. are for the Dragon Virtual students and secondary-level families who would like the weekend distribution.

Elementary in-person students who registered for the free grab-and-go meals will receive them in their class at the end of the school day. For middle and high school in-person students, they are able to take a grab-and-go meal at the end of each school day in the building.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

The LOCS Board of Education’s next meeting will be in a workshop format, beginning at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, February 24, 2021.

The business portion of the meeting will be available to view at 6 p.m. through ONTV at https://orionontv.org/live-stream/. The entire meeting can be viewed and public comments will be accepted through Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88440926430 (Passcode: 635502).

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St, Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St, Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd, Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd, Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

COVID-19 POSITIVE CASE REPORTING

LOCS is meeting the state requirements for COVID-19 positive case reporting with the chart link off the district website’s front page. As required by the state, the chart lists the school-associated cases – the individuals who were on school property at the time of a potential exposure to others.

COVID-19 OCHD NEWSLETTER

To receive the Oakland County COVID-19 Vaccination Newsletter, register your email address at www.oaklandcountyvaccine.com or text OAKGOV COVID to 468311.

COVID-19 DISTRICT DASHBOARD

As required by the state of Michigan, LOCS posts its school-associated positive cases online within 24 hours of being reported to the district.

On the chart, visitors can sort the items in the category below by clicking at the top of each column.

BOND INFORMATION

The LOCS Bond projects, initiated with the 10-year, $160 million November 2018 community Bond passage, continue to move forward. The Series 1 projects at Carpenter Elementary and Orion Oaks Elementary are nearly complete, as is the secure entrance at Webber Elementary. The Webber Elementary addition and the new Early Childhood Center are scheduled to be open for the start of the 2021-22 school year.

Improved secure entrances and main offices are scheduled for Paint Creek Elementary and Stadium Drive Elementary for Summer 2021.

More information about the Bond projects is available at LOCSBond.org.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Tuesday, February 23	Parent University (Grades 2-3) “Quick Tips for Supporting 2nd and 3rd Graders as They Make the Comprehension Leap into Longer Books”
Wednesday, February 24	LOCS Dragon Virtual/In-Person Weekend Meals Distribution (CERC), 11 a.m.-12 p.m. LOCS Board of Education Workshop Meeting (virtual), 3-8 p.m.
March 4	Early Childhood Information Night (CERC), 4-7 p.m.
March 15	Kindergarten Information Nights (all elementaries), 6:30-7:30 p.m.
March 29-April 2	Spring Break (No school)

LOCS Updates (February 12, 2021)

Dear LOCS Families:

After four weeks of in-person learning, we are pleased to see how well our students and staff have embraced the classroom environment.

As Superintendent Ben Kirby shared with the LOCS Board of Education on Wednesday, all signs continue to move in a positive direction.

Earlier this week, we shared a new survey tool with our community and staff members, seeking feedback about the next step in our in-person learning process. We encourage all families to enter the ThoughtExchange survey and continue to rate and respond through next Tuesday, February 16. Click here to participate.

The information and ratings shared by the community, as well as those shared in a separate ThoughtExchange completed by the LOCS staff members, will join the items mentioned in Mr. Kirby’s Wednesday presentation to determine the next steps in the in-person procedures.

The state of Michigan requires each Board of Education to recertify the COVID-19 academic plan each month and the LOCS Board will do so at the February 24 meeting, where Mr. Kirby will share his proposal.

In the meantime, please remember there is no school on Monday or Tuesday as the LOCS students and staff enjoy this long weekend Mid-Winter Break.

We look forward to seeing all those familiar faces back on Wednesday, February 17.

Stay safe and thank you for your support and feedback,

LOCS Administration

IN-PERSON/REMOTE LEARNING UPDATES

CLEAR TO GO

With the students back for in-person learning, LOCS asks students/families to complete the Clear To Go app every morning prior to the school day.

The same procedure exists as in November:

Students taking the bus will have to show the green badge with their own name from that date prior to boarding.
Students without cell phones being dropped off in the car loop at each school will be expected to show it as they are exiting the car.
Students with their own cell phone (or parents walking up their students) can show it at the front door of the school prior to entering.

A few updates:

Staff and/or students who have an open case in Clear to Go do not need to continue to screen until after the case is closed. While your case is open you will no longer receive notifications to screen.

Please note that if you have traveled outside of the country you will need to quarantine for 7 days. Please make sure you answer yes to that question on the screening. You will then be alerted that you failed and will need to quarantine for 7 days from when you returned from your trip.

The Clear To Go app is an essential component for LOCS to create a safe, healthy environment in our schools each day. By keeping COVID-19 positive cases out of the building, we can prevent spread and keep our schools in person continuously moving forward.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATE

On Wednesday night, details for the 2021-2022 Dragon Virtual program were shared with the LOCS Board of Education. After hearing the feedback from students, parents, and staff, it was announced there will be some subtle changes at the elementary and middle levels for the 2021-22 school year. Dragon Virtual at LOHS will have broad changes which will include live instruction multiple times a week with LOCS teachers. Please see the documents below for more detailed information regarding the individual programs for next year. The Special Education information is listed within each level’s presentation.

Elementary DV 21-22

Middle Level DV 21-22

LOHS DV 21-22

Learning Options DV 21-22

The elementary enrollment process for Dragon Virtual will be shared in the coming months. Middle level and LOHS enrollment for Dragon Virtual will take place during the normal scheduling processes for each respective level. Parents will not need to register on a standalone registration form. Information regarding middle level DV registration will be shared very soon.

For more information on the LOHS Dragon Virtual registration process, please refer to the following link: LOHS Scheduling - Lake Orion Community Schools (lakeorionschools.org)

WEEKLY UPDATES

INSIDE THE DRAGONS

The latest edition of “Inside the Dragons” debuted this week with a segments of interest across the levels.

The episode has feature segments on: the new STEM rooms (created as part of the bond construction at Orion Oaks and Carpenter elementary schools) and remote STEM learning, the LOCS schools raising and gathering goods to donate during the holiday season, a look at the elementary Dragon Virtual program, and the induction of the new Board of Education trustees.

BOOK RETURN

The LOCS elementary schools are asking for students to return classroom books and the checked-out library books that may still be floating around their homes.

Restocking the classroom and library books is an important aspect to enhancing the in-person learning within our buildings. If there are any questions about what your student may have checked out, please reach out to the classroom teacher and/or the school media specialist.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

In February, Black History Month, Lake Orion Community Schools Diversity and Equity Coordinator Michelle Cureton has provided opportunities for students and the community to participate in the education and experience.

Check out the events, programs, celebrations and educational materials on the LOCS website.

SNOW DAYS

LOCS snow days will follow the traditional path as with previous years, canceling the school day for all students, in-person/remote, and in Dragon Virtual. Snow days will not alter the days that hybrid students are scheduled to attend in-person.

More information is available on the LOCS Snow Days page.

PARENT UNIVERSITY/OPPORTUNITIES

LOCS has conducted a number of Parent University sessions during the 2020-21 school year.

On February 9, LOCS released the latest session, for parents of Grades 6-12 students. The topic: “Don't Panic: Resources for Proofreading Your Student's Writing.”

It is now available on the LOCS YouTube site.

Interested parents who missed the previous sessions can find all of the recordings at LakeOrionSchools.org/ParentUniversity.

On February 24, Oakland Schools will host a special program with author Mark C. Perna, presenting “Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations” from 6-7 p.m. The virtual event is open to all Oakland County parents of K-12 students to help motivate children and encourage their passion for learning. The Zoom details: Zoom ID: 848 7826 2795; Passcode: 277383

On March 11, LOCS Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Heidi Mercer will join Orion Township Public Library librarian Kathleen Kwiatkowski in a virtual discussion of the book Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World by Madeline Levine, PhD. Contact the library to get your copy of the book anytime in February. Find registration and the Zoom information on the OTPL website.

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

We appreciate your patience during this unprecedented time and want you to know we are working hard to ensure your technology concerns and requests are being handled quickly and effectively.

One new method of providing additional remote wi-fi access is increased range at the LOCS buildings. Each building now has an extended access point accessible from outside the school building that families can utilize within that range. The locations are listed on the Technology Services page.

For families needing assistance with their devices, please reach out via the methods listed below.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us
Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)
Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us
Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. On Wednesday, the support is available from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
High School students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION

With LOCS back with in-person learning, the usual LOCS pick-up meals distribution continues. The meals pick-ups on Wednesdays in the CERC bus loop from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. are for the Dragon Virtual students and secondary-level families who would like the weekend distribution.

Elementary in-person students who registered for the free grab-and-go meals will receive them in their class at the end of the school day. For middle and high school in-person students, they are able to take a grab-and-go meal at the end of each school day in the building.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

The LOCS Board of Education continues to meet at 6:30 p.m., primarily on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. The meetings occur in a virtual setting, as required by the current health order.

The most recent meeting was held this week on Wednesday, February 10, 2021, featuring presentations about student achievement data and the future of the Dragon Virtual program.

The meetings are broadcast at LakeOrionSchools.org/BoardMeeting and the public can offer a comment. Specific information regarding public participation is available in the days prior to the meeting at LakeOrionSchools.org/board-of-education.

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St, Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St, Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd, Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd, Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

COVID-19 POSITIVE CASE REPORTING

LOCS is meeting the state requirements for COVID-19 positive case reporting with the chart link off the district website’s front page. As required by the state, the chart lists the school-associated cases – the individuals who were on school property at the time of a potential exposure to others.

On the chart, visitors can sort the items in the category below by clicking at the top of each column.

COVID-19 OCHD NEWSLETTER

To receive the Oakland County COVID-19 Vaccination Newsletter, register your email address at www.oaklandcountyvaccine.com or text OAKGOV COVID to 468311.

BOND INFORMATION

The LOCS Bond projects, initiated with the 10-year, $160 million November 2018 community Bond passage, continue to move forward. The Series 1 projects at Carpenter Elementary and Orion Oaks Elementary are nearly complete, as is the secure entrance at Webber Elementary. The Webber Elementary addition and the new Early Childhood Center are scheduled to be open for the start of the 2021-22 school year.

Improved secure entrances and main offices are scheduled for Paint Creek Elementary and Stadium Drive Elementary for Summer 2021.

More information about the Bond projects is available at LOCSBond.org.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Monday-Tuesday, February 15-16	Mid-Winter Break (No School)
Wednesday, February 17	LOCS Dragon Virtual/In-Person Weekend Meals Distribution (CERC), 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
March 4	Early Childhood Information Night (CERC), 4-7 p.m.
March 15	Kindergarten Information Nights (all elementaries), 6:30-7:30 p.m.
March 23	Kindergarten Registration (all elementaries), 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; 2-6:30 p.m.

LOCS Updates (February 5, 2021)

Dear LOCS Families:

Hopefully all of your students enjoyed their safe, relaxing end to the week without class. As we have shared previously, these decisions are made with the safety of students and staff members in mind, primarily based on the safe travel to and from school.

Early in February, LOCS Superintendent Ben Kirby continues to assess the COVID-19 data in our community and especially in our school community now that our students are back for in-person learning. We continue to be encouraged by the decrease in the community positive cases and, despite a few positive cases in our schools, the mitigation strategies are limiting those who need to quarantine due to exposure. Our plans have allowed us to provide consistent schedules for all students and avoid the operational challenges that we faced in November.

As long as the case counts and operational interruptions remain low, we can continue to look towards the next steps in the process. The ultimate goal is to return our in-person students to full, five-days-a-week classes when it is safe to do so. While we are not at that point currently, the evaluation continues. We will seek community input in the near future, reaching out with a link for online feedback.

Stay safe in the cold and thank you for your support,

LOCS Administration

IN-PERSON LEARNING UPDATES

CLEAR TO GO

With the students back for in-person learning, LOCS asks students/families to complete the Clear To Go app every morning prior to the school day.

The same procedure exists as in November:

Students taking the bus will have to show the green badge with their own name from that date prior to boarding.
Students without cell phones being dropped off in the car loop at each school will be expected to show it as they are exiting the car.
Students with their own cell phone (or parents walking up their students) can show it at the front door of the school prior to entering.

A few updates:

Staff and/or students who have an open case in Clear to Go do not need to continue to screen until after the case is closed. While your case is open, you will no longer receive notifications to screen.

Please note that, if you have traveled outside of the United States, you will need to quarantine for 7 days. Please make sure you answer yes to that question on the screening. You will then be alerted that you failed and will need to quarantine for 7 days from when you returned from your trip.

The Clear To Go app is an essential component for LOCS to create a safe, healthy environment in our schools each day. By keeping COVID-19 positive cases out of the building, we can prevent spread and keep our schools in person continuously moving forward.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATES

As Dragon Virtual moves forward in the second semester, DV coordinator Nick Coccia and individual teachers will be sharing information with families outlining important reminders when it is necessary.

A few for this week:

Dragon Virtual courses on Edgenuity for LOHS and electives at the middle level have been underway for two weeks now. Please be sure your student has accessed their courses and is making progress.
In the event of a snow day, Edgenuity courses will pause until class resumes. Students will not be required to make any progress on Edgenuity courses in the event of a snow day. Live sessions at the elementary and middle level will, of course, be cancelled on snow days as well.

The Dragon Virtual program will continue as an option for LOCS students in the 2021-22 school year and information about each level’s details will be shared by LOCS throughout February.

WEEKLY UPDATES

BOOK RETURN

The LOCS elementary schools are asking for students to return classroom books and the checked-out library books that may still be floating around their homes.

Restocking the classroom and library books is an important aspect to enhancing the in-person learning within our buildings. If there are any questions about what your student may have checked out, please reach out to the classroom teacher and/or the school media specialist.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

In February, Black History Month, Lake Orion Community Schools Diversity and Equity Coordinator Michelle Cureton has provided opportunities for students and the community to participate in the education and experience.

Check out the events, programs, celebrations and educational materials on the LOCS website.

SNOW DAYS

LOCS snow days will follow the traditional path as with previous years, canceling the school day for all students, in-person/remote, and in Dragon Virtual. Snow days will not alter the days that hybrid students are scheduled to attend in-person.

More information is available on the LOCS Snow Days page.

PARENT UNIVERSITY/OPPORTUNITIES

LOCS has held a number of Parent University sessions during the 2020-21 school year.

On February 9, LOCS will hold the next session, for parents of Grades 6-12 students. The topic: “Don't Panic: Resources for Proofreading Your Student's Writing.”

Interested parents who missed the previous sessions can find all of the recordings at LakeOrionSchools.org/ParentUniversity.

On February 24, Oakland Schools will host a special program with author Mark C. Perna, presenting “Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations” from 6-7 p.m. The virtual event is open to all Oakland County parents of K-12 students to help motivate children and encourage their passion for learning. The Zoom details: Zoom ID: 848 7826 2795; Passcode: 277383

On March 11, LOCS Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Heidi Mercer will join Orion Township Public Library librarian Kathleen Kwiatkowski in a virtual discussion of the book Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World by Madeline Levine, PhD. Contact the library to get your copy of the book anytime in February. Find registration and the Zoom information on the OTPL website.

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

We appreciate your patience during this unprecedented time and want you to know we are working hard to ensure your technology concerns and requests are being handled quickly and effectively.

One new method of providing additional remote wi-fi access is increased range at the LOCS buildings. Each building now has an extended access point accessible from outside the school building that families can utilize within that range. The locations are listed on the Technology Services page.

For families needing assistance with their devices, please reach out via the methods listed below.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us
Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)
Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us
Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. On Wednesday, the support is available from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
High school students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION (MID-WINTER BREAK REGISTRATION)

With Mid-Winter Break approaching on February 15-16, the Food Service Department is offering a free two-day meals bundle for interested students.

The meals pickup would take place on Monday, February 15 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. in the CERC bus loop.

Interested families should complete this registration form prior to the end of February 10 so LOCS staff can prepare the meals. If you are ordering for multiple students, please complete multiple registrations.

With LOCS back with in-person learning, the usual LOCS pick-up meals distribution continues. The meals pick-ups occur on Wednesdays in the CERC bus loop from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. and are for the Dragon Virtual students and secondary-level families who would like the weekend distribution.

Elementary in-person students who registered for the free grab-and-go meals will receive them in their class at the end of the school day. For middle and high school in-person students, they are able to take a grab-and-go meal at the end of each school day in the building.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

The LOCS Board of Education continues to meet at 6:30 p.m., primarily on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. The meetings occur in a virtual setting, as required by the current health order, with the next meeting being held on Wednesday, February 10, 2021.

The meetings are broadcast at LakeOrionSchools.org/BoardMeeting and the public can offer a comment. Specific information regarding public participation is available in the days prior to the meeting at LakeOrionSchools.org/board-of-education.

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St, Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St, Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd, Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd, Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

COVID-19 POSITIVE CASE REPORTING

LOCS is meeting the state requirements for COVID-19 positive case reporting with the chart link off the district website’s front page. As required by the state, the chart lists the school-associated cases – the individuals who were on school property at the time of a potential exposure to others.

BOND INFORMATION

The LOCS Bond projects, initiated with the 10-year, $160 million November 2018 community Bond passage, continue to move forward. The Series 1 projects at Carpenter Elementary and Orion Oaks Elementary are nearly complete, as is the secure entrance at Webber Elementary. The Webber Elementary addition and the new Early Childhood Center are scheduled to be open for the start of the 2021-22 school year.

Improved secure entrances and main offices are scheduled for Paint Creek Elementary and Stadium Drive Elementary for Summer 2021.

More information about the Bond projects is available at LOCSBond.org.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Tuesday, February 9	Parent University. Topic -- "Don't Panic: Resources for Proofreading Your Student's Writing'
Wednesday, February 10	LOCS Dragon Virtual/In-Person Weekend Meals Distribution (CERC), 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 p.m. (Virtual)
February 15-16	Mid-Winter Break (No School)
March 4	Early Childhood Information Night (CERC), 4-7 p.m.
March 15	Kindergarten Information Nights (all elementaries), 6:30-7:30 p.m.
March 23	Kindergarten Registration (all elementaries), 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; 2-6:30 p.m.

LOCS Updates (January 29, 2021)

Dear LOCS Families:

One week into second semester and our schools remain active and our students are engaged and participating. We appreciate the support of all families as we continue to work towards a safe and effective in-person school environment.

LOCS Superintendent Ben Kirby provided his bi-weekly COVID-19 update to the LOCS Board of Education at the January 27 meeting, explaining the evaluation tools he is using to determine the school environment at each subsequent step forward.

Please continue to have your students complete the Clear To Go app every day and follow the district protocols for mask-wearing and social distancing.

Thank you,

LOCS Administration

IN-PERSON/REMOTE LEARNING UPDATES

CLEAR TO GO

With the students returning, LOCS will be asking students/families to complete the Clear To Go app every morning prior to the school day.

The same procedure exists as in November:

· Students taking the bus will have to show the green badge with their own name from that date prior to boarding.

· Students without cell phones being dropped off in the car loop at each school will be expected to show it as they are exiting the car.

· Students with their own cell phone (or parents walking up their students) can show it at the front door of the school prior to entering.

For those who don’t recall the processes from November, they were shared in a video earlier this year.

The Clear To Go app is an essential component for LOCS to create a safe, healthy environment in our schools each day. By keeping COVID-19 positive cases out of the building, we can prevent spread and keep our schools in person continuously moving forward.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATE

As Dragon Virtual enters the second semester, DV coordinator Nick Coccia and individual teachers will be sharing information with families outlining important reminders when it is necessary.

The Dragon Virtual program will continue as an option for LOCS students in the 2021-22 school year and information about each level’s details will be shared by LOCS throughout February.

WEEKLY UPDATES

ELEMENTARY REPORT CARDS

Due to the movement of some of our students in October, LOCS administrators were required to make some changes to the student report cards before sending them out to ensure they are accurate. Elementary report cards are scheduled to be sent out via email on Tuesday, February 2 at 4 p.m. We apologize for the delay.

SNOW DAYS

LOCS snow days will follow the traditional path as with previous years, canceling the school day for all students, in-person/remote, and in Dragon Virtual. Snow days will not alter the days that hybrid students are scheduled to attend in-person.

More information is available on the LOCS Snow Days page.

PARENT UNIVERSITY/BOOK DISCUSSION

LOCS has held a number of Parent University sessions during the 2020-21 school year. The next session will be held February 9 for parents of Grades 6-12 students. The topic: “Don't Panic: Resources for Proofreading Your Student's Writing.”

Interested parents who missed the previous sessions can find all of the recordings at LakeOrionSchools.org/ParentUniversity.

On March 11, LOCS Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Heidi Mercer will join Orion Township Public Library librarian Kathleen Kwiatkowski in a virtual discussion of the book Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World by Madeline Levine, PhD. Contact the library to get your copy of the book anytime in February. Find registration and the Zoom information on the OTPL website.

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

We appreciate your patience during this unprecedented time and want you to know we are working hard to ensure your technology concerns and requests are being handled quickly and effectively.

One new method of providing additional remote wi-fi access is increased range at the LOCS buildings. Each building now has an extended access point accessible from outside that families can utilize within that range. The locations are listed on the Technology Services page.

For families needing assistance with their devices, please reach out via the methods listed below.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

· Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us

· Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)

· Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us

· Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. On Wednesday, the support is available from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

· High School students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION

With LOCS back with in-person learning, the LOCS pick-up meals distribution has evolved.

The meals pick-ups on Wednesdays in the CERC bus loop from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. are for the Dragon Virtual students and secondary-level families who would like the weekend distribution.

Elementary in-person students who registered for the free grab-and-go meals will receive them in their class at the end of the school day. If a family did not register and is still interested, they should contact LOCS Food Service director Monica Kaplan (monica.kaplan@lok12.org) with the student’s name, school and teacher’s name.

For middle and high school in-person students, they are able to take a grab-and-go meal at the end of each school day in the building.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

The LOCS Board of Education continues to meet at 6:30 p.m. primarily on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. The meetings occur in a virtual setting, as required by the current health order, with the next meeting being held on Wednesday, February 10, 2021. The meetings are broadcast at LakeOrionSchools.org/BoardMeeting and the public can offer a comment. Information regarding public participation is available at LakeOrionSchools.org/board-of-education.

The most recent meeting, from this past Wednesday, January 27, is available on the LOCS YouTube channel.

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St, Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St, Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd, Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd, Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

COVID-19 POSITIVE CASE REPORTING

LOCS is meeting the state requirements for COVID-19 positive case reporting with the chart link off the district website’s front page. As required by the state, the chart lists the school-associated cases – the individuals who were on school property at the time of a potential exposure to others.

BOND INFORMATION

The LOCS Bond projects, initiated with the 10-year, $160 million November 2018 community Bond passage, continue to move forward. The Series 1 projects at Carpenter Elementary and Orion Oaks Elementary are nearly complete, as is the secure entrance at Webber Elementary. The Webber Elementary addition and the new Early Childhood Center are scheduled to be open for the start of the 2021-22 school year.

Improved secure entrances and main offices are scheduled for Paint Creek Elementary and Stadium Drive Elementary for Summer 2021.

More information about the Bond projects is available at LOCSBond.org.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Wednesday, February 3	LOCS Dragon Virtual/In-Person Weekend Meals Distribution (CERC), 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
February 9	Parent University. Topic -- "Don't Panic: Resources for Proofreading Your Student's Writing'
February 10	Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 p.m. (Virtual)
February 15-16	Mid-Winter Break (No School)
March 4	Early Childhood Information Night (CERC), 4-7 p.m.
March 15	Kindergarten Information Nights (all elementaries), 6:30-7:30 p.m.
March 23	Kindergarten Registration (all elementaries), 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; 2-6:30 p.m.

LOCS Updates (January 22, 2021)

January 22, 2021

Dear LOCS Families:

What a wonderful finish to the first semester in LOCS. Bringing students back into our buildings this week has energized the learning and allowed everyone to rebuild their connections.

While the updated elementary schedule and the hybrid format at the middle and high schools has created some adjustments, it’s encouraging to see how students, staff and parents have embraced this week.

As we continue to watch the COVID-19 data information in and out of our school environment, we are observing consistent patterns. As students and staff follow our protocols – especially the mask-wearing and Clear To Go submissions each morning – we are all moving closer toward a more familiar school environment.

Thank you,

LOCS Administration

IN-PERSON/REMOTE LEARNING UPDATES

CLEAR TO GO

With the students returning, LOCS will be asking students/families to complete the Clear To Go app every morning prior to the school day.

The same procedure exists as in November:

Students taking the bus will have to show the green badge with their own name from that date prior to boarding.
Students without cell phones being dropped off in the car loop at each school will be expected to show it as they are exiting the car.
Students with their own cell phone (or parents walking up their students) can show it at the front door of the school prior to entering.

For those who don’t recall the processes from November, they were shared in a video earlier this year.

The Clear To Go app is an essential component for LOCS to create a safe, healthy environment in our schools each day. By keeping COVID-19 positive cases out of the building, we can prevent spread and keep our schools in person continuously moving forward.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATE

As Dragon Virtual enters the second semester, DV coordinator Nick Coccia will be sharing a detailed email with families outlining important reminders.

A few points to remember:

Elementary

The last date for second semester K-5 MATH book pickup at Stadium Drive is Wednesday, January 27 from 4 to 7 p.m. An appointment is not needed. Just come through the open door at the front of the building.

Middle School

Dragon Virtual students will continue to meet daily in their core content areas. The meeting times have been adjusted on teams to reflect the new, daily time schedule which is below. Electives continue to be independent and will not have live meetings.

1st Hour

7:30-8:17 a.m.

2nd Hour

8:17-9:04 a.m.

3rd Hour

9:04-9:51 a.m.

4th Hour

9:51-10:38 a.m.

5th Hour

10:38-11:25 a.m.

6th Hour

11:25 a.m.- 12:15 p.m.

Secondary (Grades 6-12)

New courses are being added for Term 3 and will continue to be populated in student accounts. Full schedules will be ready by Monday morning. Students can technically start early, but please be considerate of the mentors as they finalize their Term 2 courses before emailing with questions about the new term content.

WEEKLY UPDATES

PARENT UNIVERSITY

LOCS has held a number of Parent University sessions during the 2020-21 school year, including this past week’s “Ten Tips for Helping Your Child Develop Academic Vocabulary”

Interested parents who missed the sessions can find all of the recordings at LakeOrionSchools.org/ParentUniversity.

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

We appreciate your patience during this unprecedented time of online learning and want you to know we are working hard to ensure your technology concerns and requests are being handled quickly and effectively.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us
Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)
Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us
Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. On Wednesday, the support is available from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
High School students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION

With LOCS back in the in-person learning environment, the pick-up meals distribution has evolved.

The meals pick-ups on Wednesdays in the CERC bus loop from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. are for the Dragon Virtual students and secondary-level families who would like the weekend distribution.

Elementary in-person students who registered for the free grab-and-go meals will receive them in their class at the end of the school day. If a family did not register and is still interested, they should contact LOCS Food Service director Monica Kaplan (monica.kaplan@lok12.org) with the student’s name, school and teacher’s name.

For middle and high school in-person students, they will be able to take a grab-and-go meal at the end of each school day in the building.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

The LOCS Board of Education continues to meet at 6:30 p.m. every other Wednesday in a virtual setting with the next meeting being held on Wednesday, January 27, 2021. The meetings are broadcast at LakeOrionSchools.org/BoardMeeting and the public can offer a comment. Information regarding public participation is available at LakeOrionSchools.org/board-of-education.

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St, Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St, Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd, Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd, Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Monday, January 25	Start of Second Semester
Wednesday, January 27	LOCS Dragon Virtual/In-Person Weekend Meals Distribution (CERC), 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

LOCS Updates (January 15, 2021)

January 15, 2021

Dear LOCS Families:

Hopefully your students had a great week continuing to embrace their learning.

Next week will be a significant shift for most LOCS students.

On Monday, January 18, there will be no school for any students as LOCS observes the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Resources for students to participate in the day’s voluntary activities are available at LakeOrionSchools.org/MLKDay.

Beginning Tuesday, January 19, LOCS students will return to in-person learning.

All elementary students will return Tuesday on the new daily schedule. Middle school and high school students will begin their hybrid schedule with alternating days. Please check the messages from your student’s principal for which day your student will attend.

The plans shared in December are proceeding at each level and are available on our Frequently Asked Questions page. The COVID-19 protocols remain posted on our website and have been updated.

Our staff members are excited to have the students back in the buildings and, as we conclude the first semester next week, we are confident the new COVID-19 protocols will keep our students attending in person.

Thank you,

LOCS Administration

IN-PERSON/REMOTE LEARNING UPDATES

CLEAR TO GO

With the students returning, LOCS will be asking students/families to complete the Clear To Go app every morning prior to the school day.

The same procedure exists as in November:

Students taking the bus will have to show the green badge with their own name from that date prior to boarding.
Students without cell phones being dropped off in the car loop at each school will be expected to show it as they are exiting the car.
Students with their own cell phone (or parents walking up their students) can show it at the front door of the school prior to entering.

For those who don’t recall the processes from November, they were shared in a video earlier this year: https://youtu.be/HYonRvwdnWw?t=35.

The Clear To Go app is an essential component for LOCS to create a safe, healthy environment in our schools each day. By keeping COVID-19 positive cases out of the building, we can prevent spread and keep our schools in person continuously moving forward.

TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION

The LOCS Transportation Department shared the revised bus pick-up and drop-off times with families today, Friday, January 15.

The information is also available on the Bus Stop locator website.

If you have not received your student's route, beginning Saturday you may reach out the Transportation Department by calling (248) 391-5455 or email Transportation@lok12.org.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATE

While the daily process will change dramatically for the in-person students beginning on Tuesday, the Dragon Virtual students should expect to follow the same general daily plan for the rest of the 2020-21 school year.

DV students at the elementary level will see no changes to their daily schedule but will have a half-day on January 22 for teacher records with no asynchronous learning in the afternoon.
Middle level DV students will follow the new daily time schedule but continue to meet every day. The new elective courses begin on January 25.
High school DV students will continue in Edgenuity as normal with their new courses starting on January 25.

Secondary-level DV students choosing to return to in-person learning will do so on Monday, January 25. DV students returning to in-person learning will finish out the term in DV, complete any virtual classes through Edgenuity, and (at the middle level) continue to meet with their core hours daily for their live sessions during the week of January 19-22.

WEEKLY UPDATES

PARENT UNIVERSITY

There will be one Parent University event next week, on Tuesday, January 19 at 6:30 p.m. for parents of students in grades K-8.

The topic: “Ten Tips for Helping Your Child Develop Academic Vocabulary”

Those parents interested in attending the live session can join on Zoom at the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2193362249?pwd=enR1Tm5ibUJkalJlQ2pjSWdQTS9kUT09

Meeting ID: 219 336 2249; Passcode: dimeo

If a parent is interested but misses the session, a recording will be posted when available at LakeOrionSchools.org/ParentUniversity.

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

We appreciate your patience during this unprecedented time of online learning and want you to know we are working hard to ensure your technology concerns and requests are being handled quickly and effectively.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us
Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)
Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us
Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. On Wednesday, the support is available from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
High School students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION

With in-person learning resuming on January 19, the LOCS pick-up meals distribution will be evolving.

Beginning on January 20, the pick-ups will be held only on Wednesdays in the CERC bus loop from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. for the Dragon Virtual students.

The elementary in-person students who registered for the free grab-and-go meals will receive them in their class at the end of the school day. If a family did not register and is still interested, they should contact LOCS Food Service director Monica Kaplan (monica.kaplan@lok12.org) with the student’s name, school and teacher’s name.

For middle and high school in-person students, they will be able to take a grab-and-go meal at the end of each school day in the building.

Parents interested in the weekend meals must pick up the bundles each Wednesday between 11 a.m.-12 p.m. from the CERC bus loop.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY CONTEST

All LOCS students will not have classes on Monday in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

LOCS will offer a number of MLK Day resources and opportunities for students to recognize the day and learn about Dr. King’s legacy.

Please visit LakeOrionSchools.org/MLKDay for details and resources.

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St, Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St, Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd, Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd, Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Monday, January 18

No School – Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

Tuesday, January 19

Return to In-Person Learning

Parent University (Grades K-8): “Ten Tips for Helping Your Child Develop Academic Vocabulary”

Wednesday, January 20

LOCS Dragon Virtual/In-Person Weekend Meals Distribution (CERC), 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

LOCS Updates (January 8, 2021)

January 8, 2021

Dear LOCS Families:

It was great for our staff to see the students this week, even online, after two weeks away from classes. Hopefully, all of the LOCS families had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday break.

As our district and community move forward in the COVID-19 environment, Superintendent Ben Kirby continues to meet with Oakland County Health Division personnel, medical professionals, and the experts to assess the virus’s spread and potential impact on our district.

The COVID-19 case totals of all residents within our school district boundaries are significantly lower, so that is an encouraging sign as we continue to move toward our January 19 return to in-person learning. The table below represents the current cases and the number of cases per 10,000 reported by the Oakland County Health Division. This data is one metric that we observe that provides optimism as we move forward.

Period	Current Cases	Per 10,000
11/12/20-11/25/20	405	114.4
11/26/20-12/9/20	444	107.5
12/3/20-12/16/20	317	76.7
12/10/20-12/26/20	177	42.9
12/17/20-12/30/20	119	28.8
12/24/20-1/6/21	138	33.4

The plans shared in December are proceeding at each level and are available on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

We are asking families to complete a few steps leading up to the return to in-person learning, outlined below in the weekly updates.

We also would like to acknowledge that this week has presented developments nationally that may have created questions among your children. If you would like resources to help support a conversation about current events, please reach out to your child’s school counselors or Family School Coordinator for assistance.

Thank you,

LOCS Administration

IN-PERSON/REMOTE LEARNING UPDATES

ELEMENTARY MEALS OPT-IN

The LOCS Food Service Department is asking all elementary students interested in receiving the grab-and-go meals during in-person learning to complete the opt-in form before the end of Sunday, January 10. Registering for the free meals allows the Food Service staff time to plan and prepare the distribution at each school.

A separate form should be filled out for each student, who will receive meal bundles for 7 days over the course of a week.

Pine Tree Center students will receive a communication about meals from the school.

CLEAR TO GO

Although in-person classes do not begin until January 19, LOCS is asking all in-person students to complete the Clear To Go screening process each day next week (January 11-15). By letting us know every day of your student’s COVID-19 positive or exposure status, it will assist in our planning as we prepare to have students return to the building the following week.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATE

All middle school and high school Dragon Virtual families were expected to complete second semester registration form, whether the student is remaining in Dragon Virtual or returning to in-person learning.

If a currently enrolled Dragon Virtual family missed the application window this week, please email dragonvirtual@lok12.org for information on how to submit your registration.

WEEKLY UPDATES

PARENT UNIVERSITY

The Parent University program is returning next week with two sessions, each from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on the Zoom platform.

The first, on Tuesday, January 12, for parents of students in Grades 6-12: “Building a Culture of Literacy at Home.”

The Zoom info:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87377901308?pwd=UFRkdkJuaXU4cVdUUTU5cDNGcnRsZz09

Meeting ID: 873 7790 1308; Passcode: 6ZUEJy

The second session will be held on Thursday, January 14, for parents of students in Grades K-2: "Help my Child Won’t Write! Strategies to Support Reluctant Writers"

The Zoom info: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7115188256?pwd=bjRmN3ErNngvSGhKNktFRmNRdEpvdz09

Meeting ID: 711 518 8256; Passcode: Bruce

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

We appreciate your patience during this unprecedented time of online learning and want you to know we are working hard to ensure your technology concerns and requests are being handled quickly and effectively.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us
Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)
Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us
Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
High School students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION

With in-person learning resuming on January 19, the LOCS pick-up meals distribution will be evolving.

Pick-ups for all students remain this coming week at CERC and Waldon from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., with the planned three meal kits available at Monday’s pick-up.

Due to the transition, Wednesday’s pick-up will feature five meal kits for in-person students and seven for the Dragon Virtual students.

Beginning on January 20 (there will be no pickup on January 18), the pick-ups will be held only in the CERC bus loop from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. for the Dragon Virtual students.

The elementary in-person students will receive their grab-and-go meals as outlined earlier in this message.

For middle and high school in-person students, they will be able to take a grab-and-go meal at the end of each school day. Parents interested in the weekend meals must pick up the bundles each Wednesday between 11 a.m.-12 p.m. from the CERC bus loop.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY CONTESTS

LOCS students in all grades will have the opportunity to connect with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by participating in separate contests in short essay, poetry, multimedia and artwork, as well as Service Learning opportunities.

Please note the deadlines associated with the submissions.

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St, Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St, Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd, Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd, Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Monday, January 11	LOCS Meals Distribution (CERC and Waldon), 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Tuesday, January 12	Parent University (Grades 6-12): “Building a Culture of Literacy at Home.”
Wednesday, January 13	LOCS Meals Distribution (CERC and Waldon), 11 a.m.-1 p.m. LOCS Board of Education Meeting (Virtual), 6 p.m.
Thursday, January 14	Parent University (Grades K-2): "Help my Child Won’t Write! Strategies to Support Reluctant Writers"
Monday, January 18	No School – Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Tuesday, January 19	Return to In-Person Learning

LOCS Updates (December 18, 2020)

December 18, 2020

LOCS Families-

On the final day of school in 2020, we wanted to thank all of our students, families and staff members.

Since the middle of March, this year has shown us we can adapt to any situation and the support of the LOCS community has reminded what a special connection we all share every day. We’ve had many changes and continue to thrive.

As a reminder, the Holiday Break will begin Monday, December 21 and last through Friday, January 1. The LOCS Administration offices will be closed during portions of the break, so please email communications@lok12.org if it is an urgent matter.

Our students and staff will resume remote/virtual learning on Monday, January 4, 2021.

Stay well,

LOCS Administration

We just have a few updates today:

REMOTE LEARNING UPDATE

The LOCS students and staff will remain in a remote setting until Tuesday, January 19, 2021. The LOCS Administration continues to monitor the landscape and the COVID-19 situation and shared details about the plans in an email to families on Thursday.

This past week featured many interesting remote lessons across the district, shared on LakeOrionSchools.org. Please check out the wonderful guidance and connection the teachers are providing in the remote setting.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATE

Dragon Virtual Middle School and High School families were contacted this week via email regarding the steps to follow for the second semester Dragon Virtual registration. Please reach out to DragonVirtual@lok12.org if your family did not receive the communication.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY CONTEST

LOCS students in all grades will have the opportunity to connect with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by participating in the short essay, poetry, multimedia and artwork contests, as well as the Service Learning opportunities. Please note the deadlines associated with the submissions.

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St., Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St., Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd., Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd., Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION

The LOCS student pick-up meals will have one distribution during the Holiday Break, on Wednesday, December 23, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the CERC Building and Waldon Middle School, in each bus loop. Seven days of meals will be provided.

CALENDAR

December 21-January 1	No School – Holiday Break
Wednesday, December 23	Meals Distribution, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Waldon Middle School, CERC Building)
Monday, January 4	School (remote/virtual) resumes

In-person learning plans beginning January 19 (December 17, 2020)

December 17, 2020

Dear LOCS Families-

Just two weeks ago, we shared the date, January 19, 2021, that we plan to return students to in-person learning.

As we approach winter break, we would like to share with you more details about those plans.

The plans were created with the goal of maintaining a safe, healthy environment and keeping students and staff in schools, with a consistent learning environment for the rest of the 2020-21 school year.

Based on the lessons learned from the November in-person period, where the significant amount of student and staff quarantines forced us back to remote learning, the LOCS Administration is working hard to limit the potential exposure within schools.

To accomplish this, we will follow a few basic tenets across all buildings:

Breakfast and lunch will be provided on a “grab-and-go” basis to limit periods without masks while at school. This will take place at all levels.
We will limit students and staff from potential exposure at the elementary level with fewer staff members interacting with multiple classes. At the secondary level, we will move forward in a hybrid setting to reduce the class sizes and number of students in the building each day.

The plans for each LOCS level/program, which include bus transportation available for all in-person students:

Elementary School (shortened in-person/afternoon remote schedule)
- Morning
  - The early start schools (Stadium Drive, Paint Creek, Webber) will attend in person from 8:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
  - The late start schools (Carpenter, Orion Oaks, Blanche Sims) will attend in person from 9 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
  - Students will be provided a grab-and-go lunch for that day and breakfast for the next day upon the midday dismissal
- Afternoon (remote)
  - Specials courses and social-emotional lessons will be provided asynchronously (independent)
  - Each Special Education student’s schedules will be determined by the IEP team and/or their Contingency Learning Plan
  - Before/after care will be available (SACC), beginning January 19 with an additional charge for the afternoon session, due to the increased time period; Registration must be completed through the Early Childhood office.
Middle School (hybrid schedule)
- 7:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. - all classes
- Green days (M/W/F) and White days (T/TH) in person week 1
- White days (M/W/F) and Green days (T/TH) in person week 2
- Asynchronous (independent) activities on alternate days
- Students will be provided a grab-and-go lunch for that day and breakfast for the next day upon the midday dismissal
- Each Special Education student’s schedules will be determined by the IEP team and/or their Contingency Learning Plan
Lake Orion High School (hybrid schedule)
- 9:40 a.m. – 2:35 p.m.
- Same schedule as previous, Green and White days
- Asynchronous (independent) activities on alternate days
- Students will be provided a grab-and-go lunch for that day and breakfast for the next day upon dismissal
- Each Special Education student’s schedules will be determined by the IEP team and/or their Contingency Learning Plan
Learning Options High School (late-start schedule)
- 9:40 a.m. – 2:35 p.m. five days a week
- Students will be provided a grab-and-go lunch for that day and breakfast for the next day upon dismissal
- Each Special Education student’s schedules will be determined by the IEP team and/or their Contingency Learning Plan
Pine Tree Center (early dismissal schedule)
- 8:45 – 1:45 p.m. five days a week
Early Childhood
- Pre-K/childcare programs, Early Childhood Special Education will return in person as normal on January 19.

The goal of the LOCS Administration is to return all students to in-person learning, five days a week, when it is appropriate. We will continue to assess the health and safety issues that this pandemic has created while assessing our ability to provide continuous operations for in-person learning. We wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season.

Thank you for your patience, collaboration and understanding,

Ben Kirby

LOCS Superintendent

LOCS Updates (December 11, 2020)

December 11, 2020

LOCS Families-

With just a week to go before winter break, we want to thank you, the parents, for your patience and helping your students navigate all the challenges in and out of the classroom.

We are here to educate and enrich our students, providing them with the best environment possible, no matter the circumstances.

But we also understand the impact these changes are having on families, trying to juggle so many situations in and out of their control, related to school and related to an evolving world.

Please reach out to our staff if we can be of any assistance or help guide you to resources that can help your students or your family during this holiday season. Our counseling staff are available and can be reached through each school, with the contact information listed on the Remote Counseling page.

We continue to listen to the feedback from families, students and staff and appreciate the thoughts. The administration is examining the Grades K-8 in-person schedules to maximize the continuous instructional time that our students will receive upon return to the school buildings. Providing the safest and most consistent in-person learning environment remains our priority.

Thank you for your understanding during this unusual period and your support of your student’s education.

Stay well,

LOCS Administration

REMOTE LEARNING UPDATES

The LOCS students and staff will remain in a remote setting until Tuesday, January 19, 2021. The LOCS Administration continues to monitor the landscape and the COVID-19 situation.

REMOTE LEARNING PLANS FOR ALL GRADES/PROGRAMS

· ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Elementary students will remain in Zoom classes, using Seesaw for their lessons and work. Classroom teachers will provide more specifics. Students will follow the in-person schedules of their buildings on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, in the remote setting.

o Times -- Stadium Drive, Paint Creek, Webber from 8:35 a.m.-3 p.m.

o Times -- Carpenter, Orion Oaks, Blanche Sims from 9:10 a.m.-3:35 p.m.

o Wednesday – Every Wednesday will be a half-day for students.

§ Wednesday morning (8:35-11:35 a.m. for early start schools and 9:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m. for late start schools) will feature synchronous (live teaching) in the core subjects.

§ Wednesday afternoon will not have any live learning for students, but electives/specials will be available as recordings.

· MIDDLE SCHOOL: Middle school students will return to using Microsoft Teams to meet with classes for daily live lessons and assignments/feedback. Students will continue their class times from in-person learning, beginning with 1st or 4th hour. There will be no STAR class.

o The daily schedule will follow the in-person times: 8:27 a.m.-2:10 p.m. Office hours will be provided from 2:15-3:05 p.m. each day.

· HIGH SCHOOL (LOHS and Learning Options): High school students will return to using Microsoft Teams to meet with classes for daily live lessons and assignments/feedback. The daily schedule will follow the in-person times: 9:40 a.m.-2:35 p.m. All students will attend remote sessions daily, Monday through Friday (no Green/White teams). Student support/Office hours will be provided 8-8:45 a.m. daily.

· SPECIAL EDUCATION/PINE TREE CENTER: Special Education programming from early childhood to post-secondary will be remote, as outlined in the student’s IEP and/or contingency learning plans.

· EARLY CHILDHOOD: The Early Childhood programs have shifted into the remote setting.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATE

Dragon Virtual Middle School and High School families will be contacted next week via email regarding the steps to follow for the second semester Dragon Virtual registration. More information about dates will be available at that time.

WEEKLY UPDATES

SNOW DAYS

LOCS will make a great effort to call snow days as early as possible when a significant weather event is approaching (and the district is scheduled for in-person classes that day). The district understands the challenges a late snow day call creates for families and will make every effort to avoid that, if possible.

But there are circumstances when a decision must be made in the morning of a school day and, with safety as the top priority, those situations may arise. The goal every day is to have students in school, safely traveling to and from the buildings. There will be no remote learning on in-person snow days.

While in the remote setting, Lake Orion Community Schools will not have traditional snow days, as those are a function of LOCS Transportation and the hinderance of safe travel to and from school for our buses. Students will have their usual online class schedule even on inclement weather days, as all students and staff members have the ability to conduct classes remotely.

CONTINUED COVID-19-TEST COMMUNICATION

Thank you to all families who have kept LOCS schools informed when students have been exposed to someone being tested for COVID-19. Please continue to keep school principals informed of any exposures, testing, and COVID-19 test results as that will help prepare us for when we return to in-person learning. You can call or email your student’s school principal with the details.

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St, Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St, Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd, Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd, Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

PARENT UNIVERSITY

The Lake Orion Community Schools Parent University program is back for 2020-21 in a virtual format for the entire school year. The program is an opportunity for parents to understand concepts to support their child’s learning. The school year will feature sessions for different grades, depending on the topic. Zoom links will be shared in the week learning up to the session. Each session will be recorded and posted on the Parent University page within 48 hours following the event and are posted on the LOCS YouTube page.

The program will have one opportunity for all LOCS families (Grades DK-12) next week: “Teaching Kids Cultural Competency” on December 15.

The session will run from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

To attend this event, please, click on the below Zoom link below just before 6:30 p.m.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3845613729?pwd=Sy9SaEFub2hjT08yd1UzQzR3bmNyUT09

Meeting ID: 384 561 3729

Passcode: dragons

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

We appreciate your patience during this unprecedented time of online learning and want you to know we are working hard to ensure your technology concerns and requests are being handled quickly and effectively.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

· Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us

· Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)

· Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us

· Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

· High School students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

TECHNOLOGY FILTERING

LOCS recognizes that remote learning presents unique challenges for our families with distractions. The district is making adjustments on the network to improve our filtering technology to help support families. Families do not need to take any action on the district-issued devices.

The adjustments will only be applied to district-issued devices. We are working with staff to identify frequently used sites to be allowed for student learning. Unfortunately, installing applications or software on district-issued devices is not allowed.

More information, including websites and links to help filtering, are available on the LOCS Technology page.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION

Following guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture, LOCS has expanded the food distribution program and will continue to offer food at no charge to all school-age children until the end of the 2020-21 school year or until funding runs out.

The pick-up meals distributions are held on Monday and Wednesdays, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the CERC Building and Waldon Middle School, in each bus loop. In the period now through January 13, LOCS will provide seven days of meals each week, shown on the calendar available on the LOCS Food Service page. The Blessings in a Backpack Lake Orion group will be providing weekend bags of food during LOCS food distribution on Wednesdays while the district is in a remote setting.

If you are a family receiving SNAP, there are additional benefits to receive.

NEW/GENTLY USED BOOK DRIVE

LOCS will be collecting books of all sorts for our students. The books will be collected, quarantined, sorted and redistributed to classrooms. Books that don’t fit with our classrooms will be shared elsewhere.

The drop-off will take place on December 14 from 3 -7 p.m. at Pine Tree Center (590 Pine Tree Rd.)

Families can pull up and pop their trunk for staff to remove them or place the books curbside for our staff to pick up.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger.

If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to your student's building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Monday, December 14	Meals Distribution, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Waldon Middle School, CERC Building) Book donation, Pine Tree Center, 3-7 p.m.
Tuesday, December 15	Parent University (DK-12) – Teaching Kids Cultural Competency
Wednesday, December 16	Meals Distribution, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Waldon Middle School, CERC Building) Board of Education Meeting (virtual)
December 21-January 1	No School – Holiday Break

LOCS Updates (December 4, 2020)

December 4, 2020

LOCS Families-

Each school year, this period between Thanksgiving break and the Winter Break is a challenge for students to remain focused. Obviously, this year there are even more distractions.

Yet, in the remote setting, our teachers have seen engagement and interest from the students as most are adapting well to the remote classes.

As we shared earlier this week, the decision to keep our students in the remote setting until January 19, 2021 stemmed from multiple factors and discussions with professionals and experts in the medical, public health and education fields. While we understand this shift creates challenges for some families, the ability to have enough staff in the building (due to quarantine numbers) as well as students’ and staff’s health and safety were the driving issues, with the goal of limiting the spread of COVID-19 within our school community.

Creating consistency for students in the remote setting should enhance their learning as following each break. Reducing the transitions between remote and in-person should benefit all students.

If your student is challenged academically in the remote setting, please reach out to the teacher or school administration for support. If they are affected beyond the academic environment, each school has social-emotional remote resources available.

Thank you for your understanding during this unusual period.

Stay well,

LOCS Administration

REMOTE LEARNING UPDATES

The LOCS students and staff will remain in a remote setting until Tuesday, January 19, 2021. The LOCS Administration continues to monitor the landscape and the COVID-19 situation.

REMOTE LEARNING PLANS FOR ALL GRADES/PROGRAMS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Elementary students will remain in Zoom classes, using Seesaw for their lessons and work. Classroom teachers will provide more specifics. Students will follow the in-person schedules of their buildings on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, in the remote setting.
- Times -- Stadium Drive, Paint Creek, Webber from 8:35 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Times -- Carpenter, Orion Oaks, Blanche Sims from 9:10 a.m.-3:35 p.m.
- Wednesday – Every Wednesday will be a half-day for students.
  - Wednesday morning (8:35-11:35 a.m. for early start schools and 9:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m. for late start schools) will feature synchronous (live teaching) in the core subjects.
  - Wednesday afternoon will not have any live learning for students, but electives/specials will be available as recordings.
MIDDLE SCHOOL: Middle school students will return to using Microsoft Teams to meet with classes for daily live lessons and assignments/feedback. Students will continue their class times from in-person learning, beginning with 1st or 4th hour. There will be no STAR class.
- The daily schedule will follow the in-person times: 8:27 a.m.-2:10 p.m. Office hours will be provided from 2:15-3:05 p.m. each day.
HIGH SCHOOL (LOHS and Learning Options): High school students will return to using Microsoft Teams to meet with classes for daily live lessons and assignments/feedback. The daily schedule will follow the in-person times: 9:40 a.m.-2:35 p.m. All students will attend remote sessions daily, Monday through Friday (no Green/White teams). Student support/Office hours will be provided 8-8:45 a.m. daily.
SPECIAL EDUCATION/PINE TREE CENTER: Special Education programming from early childhood to post-secondary will be remote, as outlined in the student’s IEP and/or contingency learning plans.
EARLY CHILDHOOD: The Early Childhood programs have shifted into the remote setting.

WEEKLY UPDATES

COVID-19-TEST COMMUNICATION

Thank you to all families who have kept LOCS schools informed when students have been exposed to someone being tested for COVID-19. Please continue to keep school principals informed of any exposures, testing, and COVID-19 test results as that will help prepare us for when we return to in-person learning. You can call or email your student’s school principal with the details.

COVID TESTING RESOURCES

Oakland County has adjusted its drive-through COVID-19 testing locations to provide shelter from the winter weather.

The new testing locations will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows:

Mondays: Old Holly Fire Station, 313 S. Broad St, Holly

Tuesdays: Rochester Fire Station, 277 E. Second St, Rochester

Wednesdays: Southfield City Hall Employee Parking Deck, 26000 Evergreen Rd, Southfield

Thursdays: Pontiac Fire Station, 348 South Blvd, Pontiac

According to the Oakland County Health Division, COVID-19 tests are available for anyone age 4 years and over. Children age 17 years and under must have COVID-19 symptoms and be a resident of or attend school in Oakland County to be tested. There is no charge for tests and no prescription is needed; however, appointments are required. Please call Nurse on Call at 1-800-848-5533 to make an appointment.

PARENT UNIVERSITY

The Lake Orion Community Schools Parent University program is back for 2020-21 in a virtual format for the entire school year. The program is an opportunity for parents to understand concepts to support their child’s learning. The school year will feature sessions for different grades, depending on the topic. Zoom links will be shared in the week learning up to the session. Each session will be recorded and posted on the Parent University page within 48 hours following the event and are posted on the LOCS YouTube page.

The program will have two opportunities for families next week Reluctant Readers for grades 6-12 on December 8 and Early Literacy Support is for grades DK-1 on December 9.

The sessions will run from 6:30-7:30 p.m. each night.

To attend this event, please, click on the below Zoom link below just before 6:30 p.m. each night.

Reluctant Reader session (December 8):

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6222390340?pwd=SzdTa0g3V0sxQkdycFZ3aEpDV2puZz09

Zoom Meeting ID: 622 239 0340

Passcode: 6ZUEJy

Early Literacy Support session (December 9):

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88173960662?pwd=T0hPWkdZWlJlNzNvaWpmTkhKWUp4QT09

Zoom Meeting ID: 881 7396 0662

Passcode: LO

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

We appreciate your patience during this unprecedented time of online learning and want you to know we are working hard to ensure your technology concerns and requests are being handled quickly and effectively.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us
Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)
Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us
Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
High School students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

TECHNOLOGY FILTERING

LOCS recognizes that remote learning presents unique challenges for our families with distractions. The district is making adjustments on the network to improve our filtering technology to help support families. Families do not need to take any action on the district-issued devices.

The adjustments will only be applied to district-issued devices. We are working with staff to identify frequently used sites to be allowed for student learning. Unfortunately, installing applications or software on district-issued devices is not allowed.

More information, including websites and links to help filtering, are available on the LOCS Technology page.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES

Parent/Teacher Conferences will still occur during the first semester. The elementary school conferences are scheduled for next week, December 8 and December 10. The conferences will be conducted online and communications with specifics will come from the student’s school.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION

Following guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture, LOCS has expanded the food distribution program and will continue to offer food at no charge to all school-age children until the end of the 2020-21 school year or until funding runs out.

The pick-up meals distributions are held on Monday and Wednesdays, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the CERC Building and Waldon Middle School, in each bus loop. In the period now through January 13, LOCS will provide seven days of meals each week, shown on the calendar available on the LOCS Food Service page. The Blessings in a Backpack Lake Orion group will be providing weekend bags of food during LOCS food distribution on Wednesdays while the district is in a remote setting.

If you are a family receiving SNAP, there are additional benefits to receive.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Monday, December 7	Meals Distribution, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Waldon Middle School, CERC Building)
Tuesday, December 8	Parent University (6-12), 6:30-7:30 p.m. – Reluctant Reader? Books to Get Your Student Reading Again
Wednesday, December 9	Meals Distribution, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Waldon Middle School, CERC Building) Parent University (DK-1), 6:30-7:30 p.m. – Early Literacy Support – Using materials in your home to create fun and engaging tools to support your young reader and writer
December 8, 10	Elementary School Parent/Teacher Conferences (Virtual)
December 15	Parent University (K-12) – Teaching Kids Cultural Competency
December 16	Board of Education Meeting (virtual)
December 21-January 1	No School – Holiday Break

Remote Learning Extension (December 1, 2020)

December 1, 2020

Dear LOCS Families-

Hopefully you and your students had a nice Thanksgiving break, enjoying family and relaxation.

The LOCS administration continues to observe the viability of in-person learning and, with the planned remote learning scheduled to conclude December 8, I wanted to provide an update on the LOCS status moving forward.

Given the continuing rise in COVID-19 case counts in Oakland County and especially within Orion and our school district boundaries, this is not the appropriate time to bring students and staff members back into the school buildings.

As a result of the current circumstances, LOCS students (Early Childhood, DK-12 and Post-Secondary) will remain in remote learning for the next seven weeks, planning to resume in-person learning for students on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

Several factors played a role in this decision:

· DATA: With the positive numbers as high as they are and the positivity rate holding around 13-14%, the multitude of quarantines that we previously faced are likely to continue in the next few weeks. Our school district boundaries COVID-19 data (of all residents and ages who live within our area) increased to 98 positives per 10,000 residents last week. That number has continuously grown over the previous seven weeks. The zip code data (6 areas) that I follow all show a 50-100% increase since we decided to go remote in mid-November. We remain at letter E for our state. The test results' extended timing remains a concern as we are experiencing well beyond a 48-hour turnaround, creating a concerning situation for contact tracing.

· ACADEMICS: As we seek the consistency in students’ education, keeping students in the remote learning environment through the upcoming weeks will aid that process. Already students have begun the year in remote, re-entered the schools temporarily and then transitioned back to remote. The decision to bring them back on January 19 provides the middle school and high school students a few days of in-person classroom learning prior to their final exams on January 21-22. (Monday, January 18, 2021 will remain a day off for students, honoring the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. LOCS staff will engage in professional development on that day.)

· STAFFING: When LOCS shifted to the remote setting two weeks ago, we shared it was no longer possible to provide the elite LOCS education without enough in-person staff members. The significant number of staff members in quarantine at the time (and currently), plus the lack of available substitutes created the unfortunate situation. As LOCS continues to monitor cases within the staff, even in the remote setting, our administration will prepare for the return to in-person learning when it is appropriate and we can be confident we have enough healthy staff members for the classrooms.

· HOLIDAY BREAKS: With many families interacting beyond their households during the Thanksgiving holiday, the potential COVID-19-positive cases may not emerge well into next week, given the known incubation period of the virus. To potentially introduce the virus into our school community at the point where it could be the most vibrant makes little sense. That is a similar rationale for deciding on a mid-January return, as January 19 would provide more than two weeks from the New Year’s Day holiday.

As the LOCS administration assesses the many circumstances involved in this decision, the goal is to maximize the continuity of our programming. By staying in the remote setting between the breaks, we avoid bringing potentially asymptomatic students and staff together, only to potentially learn during the winter break about positive cases.

We will continue to look at what we’ve experienced to this point, extend the conversations with local health officials and medical professionals, to brainstorm progressive solutions for the January 19 return.

We understand the challenges these decisions have on our families’ lives. But with safety as our top priority and the students’ educational success the center of our mission, this is the most appropriate path forward.

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work through the pandemic,

Ben Kirby

LOCS Superintendent

LOCS Updates (November 20, 2020)

November 20, 2020

LOCS Families-

We would like to thank you for your support during this unusual week.

While we all understood the return to remote could be challenging for students, our staff is impressed with how well they have taken the change in stride and adapted to learning from home again.

As Superintendent Ben Kirby mentioned in Monday’s note to the community, such large decisions affecting so many students are made with great care and consideration, including a number of factors.

LOCS was directed to close the high schools, so that was a decision made by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The primary issue for LOCS shifting to remote at the lower levels (elementary and middle school) was, due to growing numbers of students and staff members in quarantine, we no longer had enough staff members to provide our quality level of education and have an adult presence with the students. As the COVID-19 numbers grew in our community outside of the schools, the virus began affecting the ability to work inside of them.

The adjustments continued today as the LOCS Early Childhood programs also shifted to the remote setting due to significant student and staff quarantines.

Hopefully that will all improve in the coming weeks and we can have all students return on our target date of December 9. The details on the return evaluation process was shared by Mr. Kirby at Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.

That is a decision driven by multiple factors, including the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our community and our evaluation of the potential spread within our schools if we returned. For now, we are hopeful.

A reminder that the LOCS calendars remain the same for the significant dates set forth when it was released last spring. Next week will feature school on just Monday and Tuesday, with Wednesday-Friday off for students to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.

Please make health and safety decisions to benefit our community and help contain the spread of COVID-19, so our students can return in-person when it is safe.

Stay well,

LOCS Administration

REMOTE LEARNING UPDATES

The LOCS students and staff will remain in a remote setting through Tuesday, December 8. The LOCS Administration continues to monitor the landscape and the COVID-19 situation.

REMOTE LEARNING PLANS FOR ALL GRADES/PROGRAMS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Elementary students will remain in Zoom classes, using Seesaw for their lessons and work. Classroom teachers will provide more specifics. Students will follow the in-person schedules of their buildings on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, in the remote setting.
- Times -- Stadium Drive, Paint Creek, Webber from 8:35 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Times -- Carpenter, Orion Oaks, Blanche Sims from 9:10 a.m.-3:35 p.m.
- Wednesday – Every Wednesday will be a half-day for students.
  - Wednesday morning (8:35-11:35 a.m. for early start schools and 9:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m. for late start schools) will feature synchronous (live teaching) in the core subjects.
  - Wednesday afternoon will not have any live learning for students, but electives/specials will be available as recordings.
MIDDLE SCHOOL: Middle school students will return to using Microsoft Teams to meet with classes for daily live lessons and assignments/feedback. Students will continue their class times from in-person learning, beginning with 1st or 4th hour. There will be no STAR class.
- The daily schedule will follow the in-person times: 8:27 a.m.-2:10 p.m. Office hours will be provided from 2:15-3:05 p.m. each day.
HIGH SCHOOL (LOHS and Learning Options): High school students will return to using Microsoft Teams to meet with classes for daily live lessons and assignments/feedback. The daily schedule will follow the in-person times: 9:40 a.m.-2:35 p.m. All students will attend remote sessions daily, Monday through Friday (no Green/White teams). Student support/Office hours will be provided 8-8:45 a.m. daily.
SPECIAL EDUCATION/PINE TREE CENTER: Special Education programming from early childhood to post-secondary will be remote, as outlined in the student’s IEP and/or contingency learning plans.
EARLY CHILDHOOD: The Early Childhood programs have shifted into the remote setting, as shared today, November 20. More information will be shared by the Early Childhood staff.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATES

Elementary DV

Our elementary DV students are doing an outstanding job! Here are just a couple of notes.

Pictures will be rescheduled when a picture day can be safely implemented. Communication regarding the reschedule will be communicated to DV families at a later time.
Conferences will be held via Zoom on December 8 and 10 from 4-8 p.m. each evening. Your teacher will reach out with opportunities to sign up for time slots.
Wednesday half days will continue through the end of the school year. This is just a rearrangement of instructional minutes to open up time for staff to meet with small groups or individuals, provide feedback to students and families, analyze assessment data, and engage in professional development.

Secondary DV

We are off to a great start! For both levels, courses on Edgenuity follow the school calendar. Therefore, no activities are scheduled over the holiday break but students are welcome to continue working.

Middle Level
- Remember, core hours include live lessons following the alternating schedule.
- Elective classes are through Edgenuity and involve NO live sessions.
- Students should have logged in and started their electives by now.
- Family Portal information has been communicated. If you have not received a family portal code, please contact Dragon Virtual program coordinator Nick Coccia.
High School
- A full course load of Edgenuity classes will mirror the amount of time an in person student would spend at school and working on homework.
- Tests require unlocks to begin. Our staff have been great about checking reviews and unlocks frequently but please be patient if unlocks are coming outside of school hours.

Questions? Please reach out to dragonvirtual@lok12.org.

WEEKLY UPDATES

CONTINUED COVID-19-TEST COMMUNICATION

Thank you to all families who have kept LOCS schools informed when students have been exposed to someone who is being tested for COVID-19. Please continue to keep school principals informed of any exposures, testing, and COVID-19 test results as that will help prepare us for when we return to in-person learning. You can call or email your student’s school principal with the details.

With the goal of returning in-person on December 9 it will be important to stay on top of the quarantine list during this remote learning time so we know who will safely be able to return to school.

PARENT UNIVERSITY

The Lake Orion Community Schools Parent University program is back for 2020-21 in a virtual format for the entire school year. The program is an opportunity for parents to understand concepts to support their child’s learning. The school year will feature sessions for different grades, depending on the topic. Zoom links will be shared in the week learning up to the session. Each session will be recorded and posted on the Parent University page within 48 hours following the event.

The program will have one opportunity for families next week, on Monday, November 23 for Grades K-8.

The session will run from 6:30-7:30 p.m. is titled "More than Just Pressing Play. Ways Kindle Can Make a Difference in Your Child’s Life."

To attend this event, please, click on the below Zoom link below just before 6:30 p.m. on November 23, 2020:

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2193362249?pwd=enR1Tm5ibUJkalJlQ2pjSWdQTS9kUT09

Meeting ID: 219 336 2249

Passcode: dimeo

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

We appreciate your patience during this unprecedented time of online learning and want you to know we are working hard to ensure your technology concerns and requests are being handled quickly and effectively.

Ways to Enter Service Tickets

Customer Portal/LiveChat: servicedesk.oakland.k12.mi.us

Phone: 248-209-2060 (also listed on district device labels)
Email: servicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us
Curbside tech support is available by appointment which is set up through the ticketing system. Curbside support is located at the CERC building, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
High School students are permitted to contact the Service Desk for technology support requests.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES

Parent/Teacher Conferences will still occur during the first semester, though the dates have changed. The middle school conferences will occur on December 1 and December 3 while the elementary school conferences are now scheduled for December 8 and December 10. The conferences will be conducted online and communications with specifics will be come from the student’s school.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION

Following guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture, LOCS has expanded the food distribution program and will continue to offer food at no charge to all school-age children until the end of the 2020-21 school year or until funding runs out.

The pick-up meals distributions are held on Monday and Wednesdays, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the CERC Building and Waldon Middle School, in each bus loop. Each distribution will provide enough weekday meals to last until the next distribution. Information is available on the LOCS Food Service page. The Blessings in a Backpack Lake Orion group will be providing weekend bags of food during LOCS food distribution on Wednesdays while we are in a remote setting.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, this week there will be only one distribution, on Monday, providing meals for the five days of the week. Blessings in a Backpack will be available on Monday next week.

If you are a family receiving SNAP, there are additional benefits to receive.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Monday, November 23	Meals Distribution, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (CERC and Waldon Middle School) Parent University (K-8) – More than Just Pressing Play. Ways Kindle Can Make a Difference in Your Child’s Life, 6:30 p.m.
November 25-27	No School – Thanksgiving Break
December 1, 3	Middle School Parent/Teacher Conferences (Virtual)
December 2	Parent University (K-12) – Mindfulness in Everyday Life for Adults and Youth
December 8, 10	Elementary School Parent/Teacher Conferences (Virtual)
December 8	Parent University (6-12) – Reluctant Reader? Books to Get Your Student Reading Again
December 9	Parent University (DK-1) – Early Literacy Support – Using materials in your home to create un and engaging tools to support your young reader and writer
December 15	Parent University (K-12) – Teaching Kids Cultural Competency
December 16	Board of Education Meeting, 7 p.m.
December 21-January 1	No School – Holiday Break

Remote details, announcement (Nov. 16, 2020)

After Message (Remote learning details)

November 16, 2020

Dear LOCS Families:

Earlier today, we announced that LOCS will close its school buildings to in-person learning beginning Tuesday and shift to remote learning for students.

The increase in COVID-19 positive cases and students and staff in quarantine creates an inconsistent learning environment for many of our students. With positive test results now taking up to 3-5 days, it is becoming more challenging to determine positive cases and quarantine situations in an adequate time period.

Returning to the remote format will hopefully prevent the spread of COVID-19 and provide our students with increased consistency.

This morning, LOCS had 62 staff members and 310 students in quarantine, along with 14 full classrooms across the district in quarantine, due to at least one positive test. Beginning today, the entire Stadium Drive Elementary school was closed, due to a large increase in students and staff placed in quarantine over the weekend.

While we have successfully put several safety practices in place, public health officials support that moving to remote learning at this time is the best way to protect our students and staff.

All in-person classrooms will return to the remote model, similar to the learning process followed from the start of the 2020-21 school year. All schools (except Stadium Drive, which already began this process today) will follow the plans below.

Tuesday, November 17:

All Dragon Virtual elementary and high school students will continue with classes as scheduled. Dragon Virtual middle school students will have asynchronous (independent) work from their core class teachers.
All remote (formerly in-person) students will do asynchronous (independent) work provided by teachers.

Wednesday, November 18-Tuesday, December 8

REMOTE LEARNING BEGINS FOR ALL GRADES

DRAGON VIRTUAL: Continues as previously scheduled for middle level and high school. Elementary Dragon Virtual will follow the elementary schedule below.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Elementary students will return to Zoom classes, using Seesaw for their lessons and work. Classroom teachers will provide more specifics. Students will follow the in-person schedules of their buildings on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, in the remote setting.
- Times -- Stadium Drive, Paint Creek, Webber from 8:35 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Times -- Carpenter, Orion Oaks, Blanche Sims from 9:10 a.m.-3:35 p.m.
- Wednesday – Every Wednesday will be a half-day for students.
  - Wednesday morning (8:35-11:35 a.m. for early start schools and 9:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m. for late start schools) will feature synchronous (live teaching) in the core subjects.
  - Wednesday afternoon will not have any live learning for students, but electives/specials will be available as recordings.

MIDDLE SCHOOL: Middle school students will return to using Microsoft Teams to meet with classes for daily live lessons and assignments/feedback. Students will continue their class times from in-person learning, beginning with 1st or 4th hour. There will be no STAR class.
- The 4th through 6th hours will meet on Wednesday, November 18.
- The daily schedule will follow the in-person times: 8:27 a.m.-2:10 p.m. Office hours will be provided from 2:15-3:05 p.m. each day.

HIGH SCHOOL (LOHS and Learning Options): High school students will return to using Microsoft Teams to meet with classes for daily live lessons and assignments/feedback. The daily schedule will follow the in-person times: 9:40 a.m.-2:35 p.m. All students will attend remote sessions daily, Monday through Friday (no Green/White teams). Student support/Office hours will be provided 8-8:45 a.m. daily.

SPECIAL EDUCATION/PINE TREE CENTER: Special Education programming from early childhood to post-secondary will be remote, as outlined in the student’s IEP and/or contingency learning plans.

EARLY CHILDHOOD: The Early Childhood programs will remain on the in-person schedule with the current safety and health precautions. Pre-K classes may move to remote learning if necessary. The Early Childhood Department will communicate to parents if that situation arises.

Another note:

FOOD DISTRIBUTION: The LOCS Food Service Department will continue to provide meals for students on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m.-12 p.m., during the remote learning period. The distribution will have one more date at Lake Orion High School, this Wednesday, November 18.

Beginning Monday, November 23, the distributions will be held at the CERC Building and Waldon Middle School. There will only be a Monday distribution during the Thanksgiving week, and each student will be given five days of meals. The Monday and Wednesday schedule will resume the following week.

While we are disappointed that we must close our buildings to in-person learning, we are pleased with our students’ progress so far this school year. We are committed to making our remote learning program just as successful. Our teachers will be reaching out to students and parents to provide further details about our next steps.

As a parent or guardian, we know you are eager to find ways to protect your children and family from COVID-19. Please emphasize frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, wearing a face-covering in public, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces at home. Most importantly, keep you and your children home if you are sick.

Thank you for your help in reinforcing good hygiene practices, and for your patience and flexibility. I share your frustration with the impact of COVID-19 on our community and schools. We will evaluate our staffing situation and continue conversations with public health officials to determine when it is safe to reopen the schools for in-person instruction. Until then, be sure to ask your child questions about how his/her remote learning is going and be sure to share any concerns with your child’s teacher.

Stay well,

Ben Kirby

LOCS Superintendent

--------------

Morning Message (Remote announcement)

November 16, 2020

Dear LOCS Families:

As you know, there has been a recent increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in our area and, with an increased number of students and staff in quarantine over the weekend, LOCS can no longer operate in the capacity necessary for in-person learning.

When Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services shared the new epidemic order on Sunday, LOCS was directed, along with the rest of the state, to shut down the high schools beginning Wednesday.

After lengthy examination, LOCS has decided to place all in-person students in Grades DK-12 into remote learning.

On Tuesday, November 17, all students (except Stadium Drive Elementary) will have asynchronous (independent) learning.

Beginning Wednesday, November 18, running tentatively through December 8, all students will be in remote learning with live instruction.

Dragon Virtual students will remain in their current program and schedule.

Special education programming from early childhood to post-secondary will also be remote, as outlined in their IEP and/or contingency learning plans.

The LOCS Administration will continue to monitor the situation in case that time period needs to be adjusted and will update families, if necessary.

More details about the transition will be shared later today.

We regret the inconvenience and disappointment this causes. LOCS is thankful to our students and parents who have embraced the safety measures that allowed us to maintain in-person learning over the past few weeks.

Sincerely,

Ben Kirby

LOCS Superintendent

LOCS Updates (November 13, 2020)

November 13, 2020

LOCS Families-

After months of waiting, Lake Orion Community Schools achieved a wonderful milestone this week, as all of our students who desired in-person learning returned to our school buildings. The first week of middle and high school students was a success as our students adapted well to the health and safety protocols, especially the mask wearing and understood their role in helping keep our school community safe.

The energy in the elementary classrooms continued to flourish in the third week of in-person learning, allowing the class communities to thrive as students continued to interact with their teachers and work in collaboration.

Our Dragon Virtual students have embraced their online classroom teachers and are finding a rhythm as well.

As Superintendent Ben Kirby has shared, the health and safety of our students and staff remains a constant priority. For Mr. Kirby, that involves daily meetings with health professionals, including the Oakland County Health Division, assessing our school data and positive case information. With the OCHD’s support, we continue to believe that our school environment is a safe place for our students and staff as we are following the appropriate mitigation strategies.

Most of the positive cases within our district staff and students have originated at community events, so any assistance to limit those interactions will help reduce the case numbers and keep our students in school. As long as we can maintain our current staffing levels, we will provide our current delivery models for students to attend in-person school.

We also realize the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 virus in our state and community and will make appropriate safety decisions regarding in-person learning when necessary. At times, those may seem sudden, but please understand we are sharing as soon as we have appropriate information about classrooms and the district as circumstances arise.

LOCS remains proud of our school community's support of the safety and health precautions and hopes to move forward with our school year in the same manner.

We appreciate all of our Dragon families making their best efforts in these unusual times.

Sincerely,

LOCS Administration

IN-PERSON LEARNING UPDATES

TRANSPORTATION

Our transportation process has been working well and running smoothly. LOCS just has a few reminders for parents and students: Please have the Clear To Go app ready with the green badge showing as the student approaches the bus, please have their mask already on their face and to remind students that there are assigned seats for a reason, to keep our community safe with contact tracing. Thank you for all of the support in helping the bus operations run smoothly.

MORNING DROP-OFF

LOCS is asking for all parents/guardians to be prepared and show patience at the schools’ morning drop-off at elementaries and following the shared procedures at the middle and high school levels. It is a significant help moving the process along if parents pull forward behind the previous car in the line to prevent a backup. Having the Clear To Go app completed ahead of time by parents at the elementary level and students at the secondary level with the phone ready to display, as well as the student ready to leave the car, will also keep everything smooth.

CLEAR TO GO

As in-person learning begins, families will be required to complete the Clear To Go app each day at home, prior to arriving at school. Students riding the bus must show the Clear To Go app before boarding each day.

On the page linked here, there are images of the screening process, links to download the app on an iPhone or Android device, frequently asked questions, as well as images on how to connect a student’s device.

There is also a how-to video produced by LOCS to assist families in the sign-up process.

The health self-screener confirms that the student does not have COVID-19 symptoms and has not been exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual in the previous 14 days.

The app will allow families to enter the appropriate email address (student or parent) and connect with the system each day prior to arrival.

Upon receiving an email from Clear To Go, parents are asked to enter the system and choose the email preference for their student’s profile.

Please try the app as soon as possible so that if you have issues with the app, the LOCS Administration can assist.

Contact your student’s building administrator if you need assistance.

FREE AND REDUCED PROGRAM

Though all breakfast and lunch meals are free for LOCS students this year, families who need the assistance should still apply for the free and reduced program to qualify for benefits and reductions in other areas of the school programs.

OAKLAND COUNTY CHILD COVID-19 TESTING/HOTLINE

Oakland County is offering COVID-19 drive-thru testing for school-age children from 4-17 years old with symptoms. The testing is available by appointment on weekdays by calling 1-800-848-5533 or emailing noc@oakgov.com.

Oakland County is also offering a free "Safe For School" Hotline (248-551-4242) for families interested in COVID-19 questions (pre-screening, symptoms, need for testing and high-risk situations.) This can be used for parents to determine if it is appropriate for their student to attend school that day if the student is feeling ill. The hotline is available from 5 a.m.-8 a.m. each Monday-Friday through the end of December. There is also a flowchart to determine if it is safe to send your student to school.

DRAGON VIRTUAL UPDATES

The Dragon Virtual middle school and high school programs launched this week to great success. Now that all levels have their students in the Dragon Virtual program, students are able to begin to get comfortable with the learning environment.

Parents/guardians can support their students daily by asking about their assignments and helping keep track of their scheduled sign-on times.

Please be on the lookout for an email from Dragon Virtual with Family Portal activation codes. The Edgenuity Family Portal is where parents can monitor the progress, grades, and individual assignments of their students. Parents can also set their preferences for progress reports that will be emailed to their personal email accounts. Make sure that this communication did not fall into Junk or Clutter folders of your email inbox, as this has been happening frequently with past Edgenuity login communications.

If current Dragon Virtual students missed the email, please reach out to DragonVirtual@lok12.org.

For information about the Dragon Virtual programs, visit LakeOrionSchools.org/DragonVirtual2020 or watch the recordings of the information sessions: High School; Middle School; Elementary School.

Registration for Dragon Virtual closed on October 2 and no more students are being admitted to the program.

WEEKLY UPDATES

PARENT UNIVERSITY

The Lake Orion Community Schools Parent University program is back for 2020-21 in a virtual format for the entire school year. The program is an opportunity for parents to understand concepts to support their child’s learning. The school year will feature sessions for different grades, depending on the topic. Zoom links will be shared in the week learning up to the session. Each session will be recorded and posted on the Parent University page within 48 hours following the event.

The program will have three opportunities for families this week, one each from Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-12.

Monday, Nov. 16, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Grades K-2 --

Mathematical Foundations

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2823588090?pwd=cC82OUlrL2tSeEZzbHBldFVTckZFZz09

Meeting ID: 282 358 8090 Passcode: 0ArR6L

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Grades 6-12 --

Executive Functioning Skills: Help Your Student Be Successful in All Learning Environments

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6222390340?pwd=SzdTa0g3V0sxQkdycFZ3aEpDV2puZz09

Thursday, Nov. 19 – 6:30-7:30 p.m., Grades 3-5 --

Executive Functioning Skills: Help Your Student Be Successful in All Learning Environments

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85271446641?pwd=cFI2T2xOa2MwMXcxc3I1b0lSbGIxQT09

Meeting ID: 852 7144 6641 Passcode: ParentU

INSIDE THE DRAGONS

The LOCS television show, “Inside the Dragons” debuted its October/November episode this past week. Segments include: the elementary students return to in-person learning, the Lake Orion High School staff’s ability to still offer in-person SAT and PSAT testing despite not conducting in-person learning at that time, the LOHS Thespians putting on a fall show, outdoors at Wildwood Amphitheater, and the new playgrounds at Carpenter and Webber elementaries. The show airs on the ONTV Education Channel and is available on YouTube.

TECHNOLOGY/DEVICES

All LOCS in-person students will be utilizing the appropriate device (laptop or iPad) each day for learning, both for in-person learning and the Dragon Virtual program. All in-person students (Grades DK-12) will be transporting the device to and from school each day.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES

Parent/Teacher Conferences will still occur during the first semester, though the dates have changed. The middle school conferences will occur on December 1 and December 3 while the elementary school conferences are now scheduled for December 8 and December 10. The format will be announced at a later date.

MEALS DISTRIBUTION

Following guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture, LOCS has expanded the food distribution program and will continue to offer food at no charge to all school-age children until the end of the 2020-21 school year or until funding runs out. The in-person students will receive the meals at the school buildings each day, while the virtual students can attend the Monday and Wednesday pick-up opportunities.

The pick-up meals distributions are held only at Lake Orion High School, in the bus loop, on Monday and Wednesdays, from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Each distribution will provide enough weekday meals to last until the next distribution. Information is available on the LOCS Food Service page.

COMMUNICATIONS

Lake Orion Community Schools continues to communicate with families via School Messenger. If you believe your family is not receiving messages from the district or from your student’s school administration, please check your family’s email settings to make sure you are subscribed to all messages and, if there is still a problem, please reach out to the building secretary for assistance.

CALENDAR

Monday, November 16	Meals Distribution, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. (Lake Orion High School) Parent University (K-2) – Mathematical Foundations
Tuesday, November 17	Parent University (6-12) – Executive Functioning Skills: Help Your Student Be Successful in All Learning Environments
Wednesday, November 18	Meals Distribution, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. (Lake Orion High School)
Thursday, November 19	LOCS Board of Education Meeting, 6 p.m. (LOCS Administration Building) Parent University (3-5) – Executive Functioning Skills: Help Your Student Be Successful in All Learning Environments
November 23	Parent University (3-5) – More Than Just Pressing Play: Ways a Kindle Can Make a Difference In Your Child's Reading Life
November 25-27	No School – Thanksgiving Break
December 1, 3	Middle School Parent/Teacher Conferences (new dates)
December 2	Parent University (K-12) – Mindfulness in Everyday Life for Adults and Youth
December 8, 10	Elementary School Parent/Teacher Conferences (new dates)
December 8	Parent University (6-12) – Reluctant Reader? Books to Get Your Student Reading Again
December 9	Parent University (DK-1) – Early Literacy Support – Using materials in your home to create un and engaging tools to support your young reader and writer
December 15	Parent University (K-12) – Teaching Kids Cultural Competency
December 21-January 1	No School – Holiday Break

LOCS Updates (November 6, 2020)

November 6, 2020

LOCS Families-

Good afternoon and hopefully your family is doing well.

Today marks the end of the first marking period, meaning we are one quarter of the way through the school year. Though it has been the most unconventional school year any of us can recall, the consistency and passion of our students has reinforced the impact of our community and school district.

The students arrive at school – in-person on online – eager to learn and grow as Dragons and that continues to encourage LOCS staff members at all levels.

While the primary constant is change, our fabulous staff has created the most effective and positive environment for all students. They’ve been proactive despite the uncertainty, adapted when the circumstances have changed and embraced our students (from a distance), to create the best learning environments possible in this time.

As Superintendent Ben Kirby shared earlier this week, the support of our families and community is essential to our students staying in school. The masks, the social distancing, the positive choices while out in the community and in your homes, they all play a role in remaining on our current path.

We look forward to seeing the middle school and high school students in person at our buildings on Monday and launching the Dragon Virtual programs at those levels for the students who selected that option during the late September window.

Sincerely,

LOCS Administration

IN-PERSON LEARNING UPDATES

PHASED START

The LOCS middle schools will begin in a phased start Monday, November 9, with two groups each attending two days earlier in the week and then all students attending Friday and beyond. Information was shared with middle school families and is available on the school websites.

Lake Orion High School will begin in a hybrid setting the week of November 9 with a Green group and a White group. One group will attend three days the first week and the other two days and they will flip the second week. This schedule will continue until the LOCS Administration deems it safe to return all students to the school at one time.

The In-Person Procedures are explained and demonstrated in an LOCS video and available at LakeOrionSchools.org/ReturnToSchool.

TRANSPORTATION

The LOCS Transportation Department shared bus times and stops with middle school and high school families earlier this week. If your family did not receive them, please check your spam/clutter folder first, then reach out to the Transportation Department, if necessary.

MORNING DROP-OFF

LOCS is asking for all parents/guardians to be prepared and show patience at the schools’ morning drop-off. It is a significant help moving the process along if parents pull forward behind the previous car in the line to prevent a backup. Having the Clear To Go app completed, the phone ready to display, as well as the student ready to leave the car, will also keep everything smooth.