DECEMBER 2020
View current and past e-Communicators by visiting www.seamanschools.org/eCommunicator.
Important Dates
December 24-January 1: No School - Winter Break
January 4: School Resumes
Community Conversation
Last summer, Seaman School District began organizing a community event around eliminating racism and social injustice. The event was scheduled to take place on July 23, 2020. After the pandemic hit and the school year was disrupted, the event was postponed.
The district is excited to announce the new date for the Community Conversation event. At this event, the district hopes to have an interactive virtual discussion with the USD 345 school community on December 7 from 7:00-8:00 pm. This event will be live streamed and available via the district’s
YouTube channel. There will also be an opportunity for viewers to submit questions, comments, and stories.
The one-hour event will be led by Nathan McAlister and Frank Henderson. Mr. Henderson, a Seaman community member for the last 32 years, has been leading USD 345 for 13 years as a school board member. Mr. Henderson has held national offices for the National School Board Association and has been actively involved in many equity initiatives and conversations around the nation. Mr. McAlister is a social studies teacher at Seaman High School, dedicated to helping students understand history through research and engaging educational opportunities.
This Community Conversation is organized by a committee of parents, students, administrators, and other professionals. The event will cover the district’s history, where we are now, and where we want to be, as we strive for an inclusive and equitable school community.
The purpose of this meeting is not to determine whether the Seaman School District should be renamed.
Updated 2020-21 Calendars
At-a-glance calendars have been updated to reflect the latest changes in learning environments. Calendars are also accessible on the
district website.
2020-21 SHS Calendar (Revised 11/20/20)
2020-21 SMS Calendar (Revised 11/20/20)
2020-21 Updated Elementary Calendar for Full On-Site Transition
Inclement Weather School Closures
How will you know when school is canceled or a late start will be implemented due to inclement weather?
- Media channels are contacted to relay information to the public
- Websites are updated with a pop-up notification
- SchoolMessenger (mass messaging service) messages are sent to families & staff. These messages will be sent in all formats to ensure all parties receive the message (email, text, and voice).
- Social media pages will be updated to reflect our status
Please be sure your contact information is up-to-date. You can make changes by contacting your school office.
KSHSAA Update
The KSHSAA Board of Directors voted in favor to begin the winter activity competition season December 1 and continue through December 22 before taking a winter moratorium for practice and competition (no practice and no competition) beginning December 23 through January 3. Practice may begin on January 4 and competition may resume on January 8. This action was taken for high schools and middle schools.
Other approved action include:
- no spectators will be permitted for high school and middle school contests, December 1 through January 28, 2021.
- requirement for all participants (including but not limited to athletes, coaches, officials, spectators, support staff and all others attending/participating in school activities) to wear a face covering in the manner it is intended to be worn while at the event venue and for the duration of the event. The only exception is provided for athletes during the time they are competing and for officials during active play.
- basketball may have a maximum of 20 games, exclusive of the postseason.
- swimming and diving may have a maximum of 10 competitions, exclusive of the state meet.
- boys and girls wrestling may have a maximum of 18 events and no more than 30 competitions points, exclusive of the postseason.
- bowling may have a maximum of 10 competitions, exclusive of the postseason.
Weekly COVID Report/Impact
This district report includes detailed information on the impact of COVID in the Seaman School District. This can be accessed from any school website and is updated every Monday with data from the week prior.
Click here to view the report.
Bus Transportation Notice
As you all know, the district had solicited parent assistance for transportation so we could continue our mitigation efforts on bus rides which includes one rider per seat (with the exception of family units and daycare). Since then, we have seen an increase in the number of bus riders registered.
With the increased number of students currently registered for busing and the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic, we anticipate the future need of either running double routes (greatly impacting pick-up and drop times for certain families) or putting more than one student per seat regardless of family and daycare cohorting which would increase the possibility of COVID spread and quarantines. Masks will still be required for riders.
If you have signed up for transportation but find yourself able to transport your child(ren), please call the transportation office at 785-286-8440 to be removed from routing. Reducing riders will allow us to continue our one child per seat safety measure.
Thank you for your help in keeping our students and staff safe while we continue our mitigation efforts the best we can. The safety of our students, staff, and community remain our top priority as we continue the school year.
Remote Meal Pick-Up Dates
Meals may be requested for five days for a student in any grade level registered in Family Choice Remote Learning and remote students in grades 7-12. Lunches will be available for pick up at Seaman Middle School (5530 NW Topeka Blvd.) from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Email registrations are sent weekly. Please register prior to the dates below.
Pick up Wednesday, December 9
Pick up Wednesday, December 16
No pick up the week of December 21-25
Pick up Wednesday, December 30
Pick up Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Pick up Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Pick up Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Free Breakfast and Lunch
Students are encouraged to take advantage of FREE breakfast and lunch until the end of school year 2020-21 at Seaman. School meals include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk, and other nutrient dense foods to help keep students ready to learn. Students do not need to be qualified for free or reduced price meals to receive meals at this time at no charge. Free meals are available to every student.
Remote meal pickup registration is completed weekly. There is no charge for remote order meals, but we kindly ask for registration weekly now to help with production numbers. Please look for weekly emails from Candace LeDuc.
Mobile Food Pantry
We have new dates, times, and location for Harvesters thanks to a partnership with IBEW Local Union 226. USD 345 will have the Harvesters Mobile Distribution at IBEW 1620 NW Gage (this is off Lower Silver Lake Road). We will continue having the Mobile Distribution at this location and time on the second Monday of the month. Future dates are as follows.
December 14
January 11
February 8
March 8
April 12
May 10
Shawnee County Health Dept Updates
Please review the following COVID-19 updates from the Shawnee County Health Department.
Face Coverings/Cloth Face Masks
A face covering or cloth face mask is intended to trap droplets that are released when the wearer talks, coughs or sneezes. Asking everyone to wear cloth masks can help reduce the spread of the virus by people who have COVID-19 but don't realize it. Cloth face coverings and masks are easy to find or make, and can also be washed and reused. Masks must fit securely over the mouth and nose, and can be made from common materials, such as sheets made of tightly woven cotton and should include multiple layers of fabric.
Click here to read more.
Close Contact Quarantine Modification in the School Setting – Shawnee County Elementary and Middle Schools ONLY
Close contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 10 minutes starting 2 days before illness onset or, for asymptomatic individuals, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection. The best approach for prevention of COVID-19 transmission continues to be wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing of 6 feet at all times. However, there are instances when a close contact may occur within a school. In those cases, appropriate isolation or quarantine precautions need to be taken. Based on a review of the information from SNCO schools over the past 6 to 8 weeks, we are implementing a close contact follow-up modification for elementary and middle school students, effective Wednesday, Oct. 21st, 2020.
Click here to read more.
Technology Support
Please call the USD 345 Technology Department Help Desk on Monday-Friday between 7:00 am-4:00 pm at 785-286-8483 for help with your district-issued device.
Student Technology Support
Parent Technology Support
COVID-19 Response
If/when the district is notified of a positive COVID-19 patient, the custodial staff will be informed so impacted areas are thoroughly disinfected. If possible, custodial staff will close the area and wait 24 hours or as long as possible prior to disinfecting. However, if that is not possible or school is in session, the cleaning will occur immediately.
Please refer to the following exposure guidelines for information on how the district will respond to COVID-19 positive cases. As you can see, the district will be responsible for contact tracing within our buildings. It is very important to monitor your health on a daily basis and if your student has symptoms, please stay home to protect our school community.
Lunch Menu
Click here to view the K-6 on-site lunch menu. You can also subscribe to calendar feed for quick access as you're planning for your day.
Board Digest
Following each board of education meeting, the Director of Communications recaps the board meeting in the Board Digest.
Click here to review the latest board meeting.
The Seaman USD #345 Board of Education will meet at the Seaman High School, 4850 NW Rochester Rd, in the Band Room on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 PM with the exception of March and April, which will be held on the third Monday, and any regular scheduled meeting may be adjourned to another time and place when necessary.
Regular meetings remaining for the 2020-21 school year:
December 14, 2020
January 11, 2021
February 8, 2021
March 15, 2021
April 19, 2021
May 10, 2021
June 14, 2021
July 12, 2021
Parents and other community members frequently request help in knowing the best way to communicate with the school. The communication guideline chart below will serve as a helpful resource. By contacting the following people in the prescribed order, questions will be answered more efficiently and effectively.
Click here to view the Concern Chain of Command.