A message from our Food Service Department
Starting January 5th, the Child Nutrition Dept. will follow the bus route schedule for Grab N Go Meals. Meals are free to all children 18 yrs. and younger, and free to all students 21 yrs. and younger enrolled in the Prosser School District. Two days of meals will be available for pick-up on Tuesdays & meals for 3 days of meals will be available for pick-up on Thursdays at Keene-Riverview Elementary & Housel Middle School. Pick-up times are from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.
Please contact the Child Nutrition Dept. @ 509-786-2848 or the Bus Garage @ 509-786-2630 with any questions. Thank you for the support! This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Updated Tutoring Locations and Protocols
Dear Parents/Guardians:
The tutoring program will resume beginning January 19th. Please be advised of locations for tutoring. All secondary students grades 6-12 will attend tutoring at Housel Middle School in the South Gym, all elementary students will attend tutoring at Heights Elementary in the Gym. All sessions will be Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Masks must still be worn at all locations.
Before attending tutoring, we will require the attestation to be filled out on Skyward each day that your student attends tutoring. Directions on how to fill out the attestation are located on our website. If you have any questions please feel free to call our office at 509-786-2881.
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy
A message from our Superintendent
Dear Prosser Parents,
It is the purpose of this communication to update you on our work to reopen our schools. In earlier communications, we surveyed parents about their level of interest in having their students return to school in a hybrid model. This survey indicated that before many of our parents made a decision, they needed more information about the model. This information ranged from how many days students would attend school onsite, to the health and safety precautions taken by staff and students to mitigate risk for each individual. In the past weeks, we have worked to develop our plans in order to allow for a smooth transition to hybrid learning.
In order to accommodate onsite learning and provide a sanitized environment, the Prosser School District will provide an AA/BB schedule. This means that one group of learners will attend classes in person on Monday and Tuesday, with Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday being devoted to virtual learning. The other group scheduled will attend classes in person on Thursday and Friday, with Wednesday, Monday, and Tuesday devoted to virtual learning. On Wednesday of each week, each building will undergo a deep clean, on these days there will be some small group interventions allowed at each building. In the next few days, you can expect to see communication from your student’s building principal. If it is your desire to have your student included in hybrid learning, please let the building know through that avenue. However, if it is your desire to have your student continue in a virtual learning format, we will also accommodate that request. It is our hope that we be able to work through this planning process quickly and thoroughly. It is also our hope that in preparation for this transition, you work with us on developing schedules that fit your household, prepping your child for the educational environments that look and feel different, and engaging in self-screening efforts in the morning.
As we move forward, please let your building administrator know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Matt Ellis
A message from our Superintendent
PSD Parents;
I want to update you on some of the progress that we have made toward reopening and to reiterate some guidance and information that will inform our decisions moving forward. As you recall, our anticipated return to onsite schooling was set for the beginning of the second trimester, December 8th. We have been working toward that date, but we would be remiss if we did not inform you of current conditions facing the district and our community.
Our current efforts in moving toward a full hybrid model include:
•Providing in-person tutoring
•Providing virtual schooling, technology, and hotspots to nearly all students
•Providing specialty services to qualifying students
•Providing athletic practice/activities
•Providing additional supplemental supports for students and parents
New guidance and data have been presented to all school districts and the citizens of Washington that will impact our ability to return to in-person instruction. The guidance and data conflict with our efforts to quickly reopen.
To provide as much transparency as possible, I will touch on each of the considerations briefly:
•On Thursday, November 12th, Governor Inslee asked residents to stay home during Thanksgiving. This included asking residents to voluntarily quarantine for two weeks if they travel out-of-state or have guests from out-of-state.
•On Sunday, November 15th, Governor Inslee rolled back many of the approved Phase 2 activities that communities and business were engaged in.
•On November 24th, Governor Inslee addressed Washington about the exponential growth in transmission of CoVid-19 and its increasing burden on our hospitals and medical staffs.
•The WIAA Executive Board voted to amend the current season schedule for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, opting to delay the start of WIAA Season 2 to February 1st and to shorten each WIAA Season to seven weeks.
•The Benton-Franklin Health District offered amended communication to school districts imploring us to pause reopening measures at the secondary (grades 6-12) level.
•School systems in our region have chosen to close or delay reopening.
•Locally, we have observed an increase in exposures and cases within our region, community, and district.
It is uncertain how this information will impact our decision-making or how circumstances may change in the next few days. We will continue to work through the details of bringing students back and will aim to do so as soon as it is safely possible. For more information, please review our COVID-19 page, where there is information from Benton-Franklin Health District, a drafted timeline, a transitional model to hybrid learning, and our reopening plan.
Please stay safe this holiday season. We want nothing more than to see our classrooms return to the vibrant, happy places of learning they once were. We all need to count on each other to make this happen.
Matt Ellis
It's more than a Meal Application
Our meal application affects many areas. PSD asks that ALL families complete our meal applications to ensure continued funding to support ALL students in our district. For more information, please see the attached flyer.
Meal Application Flyer
Important Message from the Assistant Superintendent:
Dear parents/guardians,
The Prosser School District is excited to offer free meal delivery services to our students who do not reside within walking distance of our schools. Students within walking distance will be able to pick up meals at Housel Middle School, Keene Riverview Elementary and Prosser High School from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Monday – Friday on school days.
In order for the district to provide meals for students, parents must complete a 'Consent for Home Delivery' form. Meals will be delivered to your bus stop starting Tuesday, September 8th. Delivery will be at your normal bus pick-up time with an “air honk” from the bus driver to let you know they’ve arrived (please allow some time as this is a new process and timing might not be perfect).
If you are able to print this form and have it completed, you can give it to the bus driver when they arrive with meals. If you are unable to print, there will be extra copies available on the buses for parents to complete when meals arrive the first day. If parents are unavailable on the first day of meal delivery, the driver will leave a copy for completion and pick it up on the next delivery date.
After this Tuesday and Thursday delivery, meals will be delivered every Tuesday with Tuesday and Wednesday meals, and delivered again on Thursday for Thursday, Friday and Monday meals. This will be the setup until we are able to establish our regular rotation.
We hope to see you all at meal delivery!
Deanna Flores
Assistant Superintendent
June 15, 2020
Dear Families,
Because COVID-19 closed our schools, your children may be eligible for food assistance, called Pandemic EBT (P-EBT): Emergency School Meals Program.
P-EBT provides families with funds to make up for the cost of meals while school was
closed. This benefit is for Washington children in grades k-12 who receive free or reducedÂprice school meals. These benefits will be on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card which is used like a debit card to buy groceries.
If your family has lost income since schools closed, you may be eligible for free or reducedÂprice school meals. You can find out if you are eligible and how to apply by calling Child Nutrition at (509) 786-2848 or go online to www.prosserschools.org.
Every eligible child may receive up to a maximum of $399 of P-EBT. Immigration status does not matter for P-EBT - it is not Basic Food and will not count in a public charge test. P-EBT is intended to replace meals missed while schools closed due to COVID-19. Children are allowed to get free meals from school and community sites and get P-EBT at the same time - they are separate programs.
If your family does not receive Basic Food, you must apply for P-EBT if you want to receive the funds. The application will be open by June 30. There are two ways to apply:
• Go to: www.WashingtonConnection.org, or
• Call DSHS at 877-501-2233
See the attached flyer for more information about P-EBT.
We want to make sure all of our students stay healthy and grow strong.
Sincerely,
Matt Ellis
Superintendent
P-EBT Emergency School Meals Program Flyer
P-EBT Emergency School Meals Program Flyer (Spanish)
Pay increase for Substitute Teachers
Starting March 1st, 2020 the rate of pay for substitute teachers will be raised $10 per day. Taking the pay from $125 per day to $135 per day. If you are interested in applying to be a substitute teacher please contact Kim Bolt at 509-786-3323.
Important Construction Message:
"Students - Construction of the site for the new high school has begun, fences surround the site, AND THIS AREA IS OFF LIMITS TO STUDENTS AND ADULTS. For your safety, please do not enter inside any of the fencing at any time of day. All foot traffic should occur on the sidewalks available along Paterson, Alexander, and Highland. The parking lot to the Softball and Soccer fields, along with some parking at the stadium, remain available for those after school activities at this time. Please be respectful of the work, boundaries, and efforts. Thank You!"