Monday, September 28 is a Teacher In-Service Day and schools will be closed. School will be back in session on Tuesday, September 29. 

Review our district calendar of events here.

Struggling with anxiety or overwhelming emotions due to COVID-19? Call Persevere Pennsylvania’s Support & Referral Helpline at 1-855-284-2494 or TTY: 724-631-5600. 

The helpline is available 24/7 to listen & refer to community resources to help you with your needs. These services are FREE & CONFIDENTIAL. Download an informational flyer here.

Due to the unique learning environment this school year, our teachers, students, and families asked the district to discuss a change to the weighted percentages for summative and formative assessments. Based on this feedback, we are moving to a 50/50 split for the 2020-21 school year. 

Traditionally, summative assessments comprise 70% of a secondary student’s grade and 60% of an elementary student’s grade. We understand that this is a concern. It places a higher emphasis on summative assessments when students and teachers are working so hard on formative learning during this time. Please note that formative homework can account for up to 15% at the secondary and 20% at the elementary level. Teachers will be making the necessary adjustment in their gradebooks.

This document provides our current Grading and Reporting Guidelines and Procedures.

In addition to changing the weighted percentages for this school year, our district team will also be working to revise assessments. The goal of these revisions is to ensure that our assessments are virtual-friendly and provided in multiple formats for students to demonstrate what they know, understand, and can do in each subject area.

The Hempfield Food Service Department is pleased to announce that starting this week all Hempfield Students enrolled in HAVEN, virtual learning, and in-person learning programs will be eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch through December 31, 2020. 

Questions and Answers Regarding the Free Meal Extension:

Are all meals free as they were in the spring?
Yes, all meals are free. Food Services will use the electronic POS at each school to track meals for accounting purposes, but no student will be charged for a meal.

Does the extension of free meals also cover snacks and extras?
No, the extension of free meals only provides one breakfast and one lunch at no charge.  If a student wishes to purchase extras or snacks i.e., ice cream, they must have to have funds in his/her account.  

How do HAVEN & virtual learners order meals?
Read more about our school lunch program for HAVEN and virtual learners here.

How do I put money in my child’s account for snacks/extras?
Deposits can still be made on meal accounts by sending a check with the student’s name and student PIN to:

ATTN: Food Service Department
200 Church Street
Landisville, PA 17538

Checks should be made payable to Hempfield Cafeteria Account.

We highly recommend families use the online My School Bucks Program to prepay for snacks/extras at www.myschoolbucks.com 

Normally, I have to complete a meal benefits application for my child to receive free meals.  I have not completed the application as of yet, do I still need to complete an application for the 2020-2021 SY?
Yes, you still need to complete a meal benefits application because the extension only runs through December 31, 2020t.  If your child qualified for free benefits during the 2019-2020 school year, those benefits will carry over into the 2020-2021 school year for 30 business days. Those previous year benefits will expire on October 8, 2020.

Normally, I have to complete a meal benefits application for my child to receive reduced meals.  I have not completed that application as of yet, do I still need to complete an application for the 2020-2021 SY? 
Yes, you still need to complete a meal benefits application because the extension only runs through December 31, 2020. .If your child qualified for reduced benefits during the 2019-2020 school year, those benefits will carry over into the 2020-2021 school year for 30 business days. Those previous year benefits will expire on October 8, 2020.

Hempfield families can now enroll in the Power Packs Project. There is no cost for families to participate. 

Every Thursday, participating families will receive a pack containing a recipe for a hot dinner and the main ingredients to make that meal over the weekend. Power Packs also includes other food staples like cereal, peanut butter and soup along with helpful tips on a variety of subjects. Distribution begins on Thursday, September 17.

The Power Packs Project is designed to help families stretch their grocery money, prepare low cost meals for their families over the weekend, and have children fed well and ready to learn and thrive for the upcoming week.

Click here to complete the Power Packs enrollment form in English and/or in Spanish. If you have limited internet access please request a printed copy of the enrollment form from the secretaries at your school building.

Families who enroll must also complete a Self-Declaration of Need form, required by the PA Department of Agriculture. You may still enroll even if you do not meet the criteria on the form. This form is available at all four pick up locations, listed below. 

Pick Up Locations

Please complete the application process before attempting to pick up a Power Packs.

• Hempfield United Methodist Church - 3050 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17601
• Mountville Church of the Brethren - 60 Clay Street, Mountville, PA 17554
• Arbor Park Community Center - 2886 Terry Lane, Lancaster, PA 17603
• East Petersburg Area Civic Center - 6020 Lemon Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520

 

Thank you to our school PTO for sponsoring this program for our school families! If you have questions, contact: hempfieldpowerpacks20@gmail.com.

 

Hempfield families can now enroll in the Power Packs Project. There is no cost for families to participate. 

Every Thursday, participating families will receive a pack containing a recipe for a hot dinner and the main ingredients to make that meal over the weekend. Power Packs also includes other food staples like cereal, peanut butter and soup along with helpful tips on a variety of subjects. Distribution begins on Thursday, September 17.

The Power Packs Project is designed to help families stretch their grocery money, prepare low cost meals for their families over the weekend, and have children fed well and ready to learn and thrive for the upcoming week.

Click here to complete the Power Packs enrollment form in English and/or in Spanish. If you have limited internet access please request a printed copy of the enrollment form from the secretaries at your school building.

Families who enroll must also complete a Self-Declaration of Need form, required by the PA Department of Agriculture. You may still enroll even if you do not meet the criteria on the form. This form is available at all four pick up locations, listed below. 

Pick Up Locations

Please complete the application process before attempting to pick up a Power Packs.

• Hempfield United Methodist Church - 3050 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17601
• Mountville Church of the Brethren - 60 Clay Street, Mountville, PA 17554
• Arbor Park Community Center - 2886 Terry Lane, Lancaster, PA 17603
• East Petersburg Area Civic Center - 6020 Lemon Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520

 

Thank you to our school PTO for sponsoring this program for our school families! If you have questions, contact: hempfieldpowerpacks20@gmail.com.

 

Two health forms will be coming to your home from your student’s home building: Student Health Form& LGH Epic Form.

Student Health Form

This is an Individual form that is pre-populated with your student’s name and student ID#. Parents/Guardians are asked to please complete the information, sign the bottom of the form, and return completed forms to the building school nurse. In person learners will be sent home with a paper consent form. HAVEN & virtual learners, your forms will be distributed by the front office. 

LGH Epic Consent Form

Hempfield School District has entered into an agreement with Penn Medicine/LG Health to allow our school nurses to access health information, such as immunizations and medication orders, for our students. However, in order for the nurses to have "view only" permissions, parents/guardians must grant consent. This consent must be provided in paper format to have signatures on file. These forms are to be returned to the building school nurse. 

In person learners will be sent home with a paper consent form. HAVEN & virtual learners, your forms will be distributed by the front office. 

Other Forms Available Online

Several other Health Services forms are available on the Health Services/Nursing web page linked here: https://www.hempfieldsd.org/health, including the Procedure for Administration of Medication at School and the Allergy Questionnaire.  Please work with your school building nurse if you have any questions or concerns.

Immunization Reminder

Earlier this summer, the PA Department of Health announced a temporary suspension of regulations for required immunizations that school-aged children must obtain prior to enrolling. The deadline for immunizations is now November 2, 2020. Please work with your school building nurse to make sure you have an immunization plan established to meet this deadline for your student. When you complete the above LGH Epic Consent Form, the school nurse will have access to your student’s immunizations.

During this global pandemic, our goal is to share information that respect’s individual privacy but also allows families to react accordingly and make informed decisions.

We understand that members of our community want to know if there are confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in our school buildings. At all times, it is essential that school districts ensure the privacy of students and staff members. If we share school-specific information pertaining to confirmed COVID-19 positive cases, even without names, we are potentially releasing medical information that could be linked to individuals.

As protocols are refined and additional information is shared with schools we will continue to update our new COVID-19 Community Information page linked here and corresponding links within.

Elementary School will have an early dismissal Friday, September 18, 2020. Students will be dismissed at 1:30 p.m.

Kindergarten sessions are as follows:

• AM Session 9:00-10:50 a.m.
• PM Session 11:40 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Classes will be back in session on Monday, September 21, 2020.

See the full district calendar on our website.

This update provides additional information about quarantining and isolating, how to report if your student is symptomatic or has been tested for COVID-19, and how we are reporting positive cases of COVID-19.

Penn Medicine LG Health offers a simple graphic regarding the difference between isolation and quarantine. View the information here. 

In Summary… 

• COVID-19 Patient: Sick and needs to stay home and away from others (in isolation)
• Close Contacts: Healthy but in close contact with a COVID-19 patient; needs to stay home (in quarantine) 
  • “Close contacts” includes anyone who is within 6 feet of the COVID+ individual for 15 or more minutes. This applies whether the individual wears a mask or not.
  • Please review this Guidance for People with COVID-19 and their Close Contacts.
• Contacts of Contacts: Not in close contact with the COVID-19 patient; no reason to isolate or quarantine at this time, unless experiencing symptoms   

What to Do If…

If your child has been tested for COVID-19 and/or you have reason to suspect your student may have COVID-19, please contact your Building Health Room Nurse so we can begin implementing our protocols. 

Reporting

If our district is notified that a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, we are following the Department of Health’s contact tracing protocols. This means that we contact the individuals who are deemed to be close contacts of the COVID-19 positive individual. Again, a close contact is someone who has been within 6 feet for 15 or more minutes. For our students, this means a parent/guardian will also contacted. For our staff members, we have individual conversations.

It is important to note that this notification is provided so individuals can quarantine and monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, as well as take any other necessary precautions deemed appropriate by the individual or their medical provider. Individuals who are not close contacts will not be notified as they do not need to quarantine. We continue to ask our entire school community to be mindful of COVID-19 symptoms and, if they exhibit symptoms, to stay home and contact their primary care physician.

Working in collaboration with the Department of Health and Lancaster County’s contact tracing program, school districts assist with contact tracing, but the DOH and/or Lancaster County’s contact tracing program will conduct additional interviews to determine if there are other close contacts who must quarantine. Those individuals would be contacted by the appropriate medical personnel. 

At all times, it is essential that school districts ensure the privacy of students and staff members. If we share school specific numbers pertaining to COVID-19 positive cases, even without names, we are potentially releasing medical information that could be linked to individuals. If the Department of Health requires school districts to inform the community at-large, we would work with them to follow the appropriate protocols.

In an effort to provide our community with information, we intend to provide and update the following chart each school day by 4:00 p.m.

Today, the district conducted contact tracing and made a report to the Department of Health.

No

 

On Monday, we will release a new “COVID Community” page to house this reporting information and other relevant resources. This will be linked in the HSD Coronavirus Update Center and provide our school community with the latest information about COVID-19 and Hempfield School District.