Dear Bryant Community, 

Reflecting on this school year, we are inspired by the resilience and caring of our community.  We are grateful for each and every one of you for supporting the wellbeing of our students and speaking up on their behalf.  And, we are filled with hope as we and the school district plan for the return to full time in-person learning in the fall.

First, we’d like to recognize our students who have been engaged all year in learning, helping and growing both at school and at home. We want to thank the parents, grandparents, siblings and other caregivers and extended family who supported students’ learning. Your commitment is an awesome inspiration.

Thank you to the Bryant teachers, staff and administration for reimagining remote and in-person hybrid learning throughout the year.  We are so grateful for your leadership, resilience and dedication.

Thank you to the many donors who have supported our fundraising programs, including the Annual campaign and the Hunger Intervention programs. We’re especially appreciative of your generous support of local schools in need via the September supplies campaign and the spring Hunger Prevention program. The Hunger Intervention Program (HIP) continued throughout the year. And the Families in Need (FIN) program at Bryant continued to receive generous support from the community via the annual PTSA budget. Thank you to the leaders of each of these vital fundraising and support programs.

Bryant has a long tradition of amazing volunteerism and community leadership. We want to recognize our PTSA board, committee chairs and leaders, and especially our individual volunteers. You create the rich community that we cherish. This year our Community Engagement co-chairs reimagined events for Bryant, relying on outdoor and online formats.  Parents and staff came together to form a Technology committee to support online learners.  We also saw the expansion of the Equity Committee in the Bryant PTSA to further inclusion and belonging for all families at Bryant by recognizing and celebrating our community’s diversity and addressing the needs of those furthest from educational justice. Our Advocacy chairs strengthened our connections to our elected state, city and district representatives to enable advocacy on many important issues faced in this extraordinary year. All of this wouldn’t be possible without our communications platform and team, including Facebook, the Weekly and BryantSchool.org. Thank you to the leaders and volunteers in these Equity, Advocacy, Community Engagement and Communications roles.

As PTSA, our mission is to unite our community to support the wellbeing of every student at Bryant.  Next year, we will be especially focused on one of our primary objectives: that every member of our community feels welcome and engaged at Bryant. We look forward to reconnecting with you at in-person events and volunteer programs, when it is safe to do so. Until then, please enjoy a fun and restorative summer.  We’ll see you for an exciting return to Bryant in the fall!

2020-2021 Bryant PTSA Board

An online version of the recent PTSA presentation, welcoming and encouraging participants in Bryant’s PTSA has been posted here: https://www.bryantschool.org/bryant-elementary-ptsa-membership-guide-spring-2021/

Check it out!

We’ve created a new web page with lots of details about the new hybrid in-person model.  Please Click Here to see all the details.

Common Hybrid Learning Questions + Answers 

(Combined information from Principal Marshall and the Principals’ Q&A session on March 31st) 

What are the start and end times for each session? 

The morning session will be from 8:00 AM – 10:45 AM and the afternoon session will be from 11:45 AM – 2:30 PM. We encourage families to walk, bike or park further out and walk students to the campus. 

When is the daily electronic health attestation due? 

For any student attending in-person learning in either morning (A) or afternoon (B) cohort, please fill out the electronic health attestation by 7:00 AM daily.  You can do this from a computer or mobile phone.  SPS will email links to each family.  The attestation form is also available here: https://seattlepsb2s.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1MJ02N2Lv2lT5P0?Q_CHL 

How will arrival and dismissal work? 

• Playground gates will be opened at 10 minutes prior to the session start bell time.  For example, for the 8:00 AM morning cohort (A), gates will open at 7:50 AM.   
• Refer to the traffic pattern guidance on the PTSA website for drop-off locations by car (on 34^th Ave) and by foot (on 33^rd Ave).   
• To avoid major traffic backups, we suggest parking a couple of blocks away and arriving by foot, if you are able. 
• Please display a name sign (letter size, 8.5” x 11”) with the student’s name and teacher name at drop-off and pickup.  The staff at the entrances will see this sign, held by hand or displayed in your car window, and know where to direct your student at drop-off and pickup.   
• At drop-off, students will be called forward from the foot or car line.  If needed, a staff member will walk the student to the gate.  At pick-up, students will be released to parents/caregivers based on the name sign displayed in the car window or held by hand. 
• Families will not be allowed to enter the playground.  Please give them hugs and kisses in the car or at the walk-up line.  Parents and caregivers should remain in their car in the 34^th Ave. drop-off area. 
• If your student is allowed to walk home on their own, please contact their teacher to allow for self-dismissal.  Students may also arrive on their own, preferably with a name card displayed upon arrival. 
• We are expecting that there will be two crossing guards, one on 35^th Ave. and one on 65^th St. 
• Bryant is coordinating the process for transferring students directly between LASER care and in-person learning cohorts. 
• Students will be directed to their classroom lineup on the playground before the first bell time.  Lines will be managed to keep students distanced, and the playground will not be open for playtime prior to school.  Students will remain within their cohort group throughout the in-person learning time, including recess.  Each classroom will wait for the majority of students to be in line before entering the building.  Classrooms will wait as long as is needed for students to be admitted from the gate line-up.  Students will not be marked as tardy due to a long wait at the admission gate.  
• If you need to pick up a student prior to dismissal time, you may buzz the front office from the front door at Bryant. 
• The new process for arrival and dismissal will take some getting used to.  We appreciate everyone’s patience and attention to health precautions, including 6’ distancing and mask-wearing. 

Are attendance processes changing? 

Yes.  If your student will miss in-person or remote learning, please notify the Bryant attendance line to receive an excused absence.  Attendance Line: 206-252-5204 or Attendance Email: bryant.attendance@seattleschools.org 

Will Bryant students receive bus transportation? 

The district is starting from scratch: hiring drivers, conducting background checks, trainings and creating bus routes. They are also prioritizing schools based on their socio-economic needs. Bryant has single digit free and reduced lunch (FRL), so it is unlikely that we get bus transportation. 

What will learning look like for my student? 

Will my child fall behind If we decide to choose the 100% remote model? Students will have a consistent learning experience regardless of whether they come to school for the hybrid model or stay remote. Students will receive in-person or remote model for 2.75 hours and the remainder of the day with be a mix of specialist classes (art, library or PE) and then students will be working independently for the remainder of the school day. 

What if my student needs to take medication while at school? 

Per Nurse Sheila, please complete Authorization for Medications Taken at School form for your student attending Bryant in-person.  Return the form and the medication to Bryant. 

How are desks arranged in the classroom? 

Desks are placed at least 6’ apart and facing in one direction. 

What if a student needs a new mask? 

There will be masks available at school, if a student needs one. 

Will lunch be available at school? 

There will be grab-and-go lunch and breakfast options to take with them. 

Will there be recess? 

Yes, recess times are scheduled for approximately 20 minutes.  Your teacher will provide the daily schedule.  The playground will be marked for cohort sections, and cohorts will rotate sections each week. 

How will restrooms be managed? 

If your student’s classroom does not have a dedicated restroom, their cohort will be assigned to a shared restroom.  Shared restrooms are color coded by cohort.  Two students from the same cohort may be in the restroom at the same time.  There will be markers to indicate how many students are in the restroom.  Handwashing will be done both in the restroom and again in the classroom when returning from the restroom. 

Will Bryant have both morning (A) and afternoon (B) in-person sessions? 

Yes, we estimate that over 90% of Bryant students have opted for in-person/hybrid learning, which requires us to use the A and B model. 

Can we switch to remote or hybrid later in the school year? 

Once you make a decision regarding the learning model that meets your child’s needs, you will remain in the same model through the end of the school year. 

Will I be able to choose between the morning or afternoon session? 

Based on the agreement with our labor partners, we must prioritize the morning sessions for both remote and hybrid first, once the morning classes are filled, we will create afternoon sessions if necessary. Our goal is to ensure that students receiving Special Education, English Language services and siblings at Bryant are prioritized for the Morning group. 

Will my child keep their current teacher? 

Although every effort has been made to keep classes intact, some students will need to be re-assigned to other teachers.  The diagram below indicates teacher assignments for the in-person and remote model. Although your child’s teacher may be teaching in-person sections, some students were moved to other teachers due to health and safety protocols and class size limitations. The teachers will be sending a personal note to their current class and welcoming new students. 

TEACHER ASSIGNMENTS: 

For additional general information about Seattle Public Schools, please refer to the district website.  Here are some helpful links: 

SPS Homepage 

2021 resources & COVID plan 

In Person Learning updates