Green Holly Elementary School PTA

School Superintendent: Virus Spread Means Masks Likely Upon Return for St. Mary's Students

By Guy Leonard
Staff Writer

Many school systems, including in neighboring Calvert County, have decided to enact masking mandates for students and staff returning to school in the fall; St. Mary’s public schools have not done so officially but the system’s leader warns if trends continue the wearing of masks can be expected.
“What we’re coordinating with the health department is the threshold response,” said Superintendent Dr. J. Scott Smith in an interview with The County Times. “We’re not just making some decision; we have to follow the data.”
The data shows that the new case rate per 100,000 residents is well over 100, according to the county’s health department.
Past guidance from the state on what constituted high transmission rates of COVID-19 showed that 100 or above cases per 100,000 residents met that threshold.
“For the whole summer in St. Mary’s we've been in the moderate range for the whole county (between 10 to 49 cases per 100,000),” Smith said. “The school system hasn’t been impacted that much.”
But the swift rise in recent weeks of infections could change all that, he said.
“Right now, St. Mary’s County is really high,” Smith said. “The wearing of masks would be driven by the rate of community transmission, as it should always be.”
On July 29 Smith sent a letter to parents explaining that for the last two weeks of summer school masks would be required for the unvaccinated students attending class.
Adult staff and high school students who have been vaccinated, however, will not be required to wear masks indoors for the remainder of the summer session.
The change in policy was made at the behest of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the local health department’s top official, Dr. Meena Brewster.
Brewster will join Smith next week at the Aug. 11 school board meeting to discuss the system’s reopening plan that must be submitted to the state by Aug. 13.
Smith said he did not expect the trend in rising COVID-19 infections to abate anytime soon.
“If we stay in the range [of infection rate] we’re in we would be following the same protocol [as for summer school,]” Smith said.
“If the community is in a high transmission level, we all need to do our part.”
Despite the strong possibility of some kind of local masking requirement for schools, Smith said the return to classes on Aug. 30 would be mostly a return to normal.
“The one thing that will happen is everybody will come back to school,” Smith said. “That means classes five days a week, extracurricular activities, and full athletics.”
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Each year we ask all families to update your contact information on the Emergency Information Form and complete the Federal Impact Aid Program Survey form. Due to COVID-19 concerns this school year, the St. Mary’s County Public Schools System is combining both forms and asking families to submit their information online via a digital format. Parents and guardians, please take the time to access and complete the combined form online, which can be located in the Home Access Center (HAC), where directions to access the online form are provided in HAC for your convenience once logged in.

Regarding the Impact Aid Program Survey form, for each family who attends, St. Mary's County Public Schools is entitled to receive funds from the federal government for the operation of schools. The funding is based on an accurate count of students whose parents or guardians work on federal property. All of the information collected is strictly confidential and used only for the stated purpose. The Impact Aid grant application provides information on the numbers and locations of federally-connected students attending our schools.

If you are unable to complete the online form, you can contact your school to request a paper copy OR you can print the survey. We ask that printed survey forms be returned to your student’s school as soon as possible.

SURVEY RETURN OPTIONS:

Complete/submit online using your Home Access Center (HAC) account following the instructions provided.

Return a paper form to school via one of the following ways:

Fax (contact your school for their fax number or visit their website)
Email (contact your school for their Impact Aid email address)
Mail (contact your school for their mailing address or visit their website)
Thank you. E

Don't forget about our virtual dance party this afternoon!

1:00 - PreK 3, PreK 4, Kindergarten, 1st

2:00 - 2nd, 3rd, SAIL

3:00 - 4th & 5th

The holiday shopping season is upon us and there maybe a few on your list that you seem to never know what to buy for. Try sending some delicious Florida citrus.

Please support our fundraising effort by offering a healthy and delicious product to family, friends and co-workers. Orders will be shipped directly to any address in the continental U.S.! You won’t have the hassle of coming to the school to pick anything up or distribute it to your friends.
Important Dates:
Start Date: 11/14/2020 End Date: 11/30/2020
Share the link below with family and friends, including those out of town.
• Secure, online payments are accepted by check, credit card, or debit card.
• Flat rate shipping! $6.95 per box, regardless of box size or weight.
• Two great delivery options: Prior to Thanksgiving or Early December
• Orders are 100% guaranteed and ship directly to the supporter’s doorstep.
Please note: No deliveries will be made to the school.
• Any questions, please contact: (Karen Dziadosz-Evans - [email protected])
Send the message and link below via email, text and social media, to allow friends and family to purchase products online during the sale dates above.
All funds will be used to purchase supplies for the classroom & our students.

Green Holly Elementary School Help support our organization by participating in our annual fruit sale! We have partnered with Florida Indian River Groves to provide you with the freshest fruit available. Your fruit will be harvested the very same day it's shipped to us, ensuring that you receive fruit that is hours off of the tr...

Starting Saturday, November 14th, we are selling hand-picked Indian River fruit through online sales. Please support our fundraising effort by offering a healthy and delicious product to family, friends and co-workers. Orders will be shipped directly to any address in the continental U.S.! You won’t have the hassle of coming to the school to pick anything up or distribute it to your friends.

Important Dates:

Start Date: 11/14/2020 End Date: 11/30/2020

Share the link below with family and friends, including those out of town.

• Secure, online payments are accepted by check, credit card, or debit card.

• Flat rate shipping! $6.95 per box, regardless of box size or weight.

• Two great delivery options: Prior to Thanksgiving or Early December

• Orders are 100% guaranteed and ship directly to the supporter’s doorstep.

Please note: No deliveries will be made to the school.

• Any questions, please contact: (Karen Dziadosz-Evans - [email protected])

Send the message and link below via email, text and social media, to allow friends and family to purchase products online during the sale dates above.

All funds will be used to purchase supplies for the classroom & our students

Green Holly Elementary School Help support our organization by participating in our annual fruit sale! We have partnered with Florida Indian River Groves to provide you with the freshest fruit available. Your fruit will be harvested the very same day it's shipped to us, ensuring that you receive fruit that is hours off of the tr...

Looking forward to welcoming back our Pre-K and Kindergarten A Day kiddos tomorrow! 🐊❤️

Special Board of Education meeting going on right now on the SMCPS you tube channel.

St. Mary's County Public Schools Board of Education Meeting 9/9/20 The Board of Education of St. Mary’s County will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, September 30, with executive session beginning at 8:00 a.m., followed b...

SMCPS STUDENT TECH/LOGIN HELP RESOURCES
Students have several places they can go for TECH help.

1. SMCPS Student/Parent Schoology Site: https://sites.google.com/smcps.org/smcps-schoology/home

2. SMCPS Website: Scroll down to Technology Assistance. https://www.smcps.org/dci/online

3. Reach IT help via phone: Information Technology Help Desk (301) 475-2138 during school hours or by EMAIL: [email protected]

SMCPS - online Students in St. Mary's County Public Schools have access to online instructional resources aligned to the content and instructional program. Each student's login gives them access to resources that match their grade level and content. Many resources

Latest Gator News

Green Holly Gator News Hello Gators! Hi Green Holly Families!We are excited to get our school year started, however we wish we could be face to face! SMCPS is...

Here is the student log on information for. It has directions for all grades K-12 students.

SMCPS - Student Logins As a school system we are focused on student achievement and assuring that our students meet rigorous standards. All children can and will learn.

Today’s BOE meeting is streaming live on the SMCPS YouTube Channel.

St. Mary's County Public Schools Board of Education Meeting 8/12/20 For more information & documentation check out BoardDocs: http://bit.ly/smcpsboarddocs.