Puxico R-8 School District

Dear Parents,

Sky-gazers are in for a treat April 8, 2024, when we will be experiencing a total solar eclipse. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth at just the right moment. Places in the path of totality will experience total

darkness during this eclipse since the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s light for a few minutes, resembling nighttime.

The

National Weather Service is predicting the eclipse to happen during afternoon school hours, and we are excited to share this moment with our students. The district will be providing all students and staff with Solar Eclipse glasses.

For eye safety, we will be advising students NOT to remove glasses while viewing the eclipse. Exposing eyes to the sun’s rays can lead to retinal burns-or solar retinopathy-destroying cells in the eyes, and causing loss of vision, distorted vision, or altered color vision. We are asking for your help to also explain the importance of wearing solar eclipse glasses to your students to keep their eyes safe. At no time should students or participants remove their eclipse glasses and look directly at the sun as it could cause permanent eye damage or other unknown effects. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun. Students who normally wear eyeglasses will need to wear eclipse glasses over their normal eyewear. We want to keep this event safe and educational for our students. We are asking for

your help to also explain the importance of wearing solar eclipse glasses to your students to keep their eyes safe.

For more information on the importance of safety during the Solar Eclipse, please visit either website:

Opt-Out Form:

If you do not wish for your child to participate in the viewing of the solar eclipse, please mark, sign and return the eclipse letter to the school by April 5th. If you opt-out for your child to view the eclipse, he/she will remain in the building in a

supervised area during the viewing time and they will be able to experience the eclipse through a live-stream. These forms will be sent home with students and emailed to our parent contacts. The Junior High and High School buildings will also have these forms available in their office for student/parent pick up.

Fun & Educational:

In addition to the viewing of the eclipse, our teachers have some fun activities planned for the day for our students. Building principals and teachers will be providing more information on those activities.

PreK - 1st Grade:

Our PreK-1st grade students will all view the eclipse through the live-stream, however they will receive eclipse glasses just so we can help them understand the importance of correct eyewear during the eclipse.

Therefore, the opt out form is just for students in grades 2nd - 12th.

Transportation:

With Stoddard County being in the path of totality, we are expected to have a good number of visitors to our area. We hope this doesn't cause any issues with our afternoon bus routes, but please be aware that those routes could potentially run a little behind schedule depending on traffic during that time. To prevent additional congestion, the FEMA pick up lot for car riders will be closed until 2:15. Family members picking up students after school will be given a car pass for that day to display on their dash to allow them access to the parking lot.

If you have any questions please reach out to the building office for your student.

Thank you,

Puxico R-8 School