Rebuilding RCS - Holiday Gatherings And Travel

November 19, 2020

Good Afternoon RCS Parents/Guardians,

With Alameda County moving back to the Purple Tier due to the dramatic increase of COVID-19 cases, the health and safety of everyone on campus must be our top priority. We need your help and cooperation in this endeavor, especially during the holiday season.

Although there is an updated, shelter-in-place order November 17, 2020 Health Officer Order No. 20-15 [Revised], RCS is still able to operate as an “open” school in Alameda County.

Rather than transitioning everyone back into our Phase One Virtual Learning, as I wrote in my email last week, RCS is asking for families to either follow the Alameda County Public Health Department's Recommendations for Staying Safe from COVID-19 During The Holidays or to attend school on Zoom through December 11. This is the safest way for RCS to continue operating at Phase Two Small Classroom Cohorts and allowing for students to continue to receive live instruction.

To help ensure the safety of the RCS cohorts, on November 30, 2020, two additional questions will be asked on the Students Daily Health Check-In:

1) Did your family follow the Alameda County Public Health Department's 'Recommendations for Staying Safe from COVID-19 During The Holidays' with SAFE (outside is safer, physically distanced, wearing face coverings, washing hands, serving shared food safely, and avoiding singing/chanting/shouting), SMALL (no more then 3 households), SHORT (no more than 2 hours), and STABLE gatherings (not participating in multiple gatherings)? If you answer “Yes,” come to school. If you answer “No,” then you'll need to do school on Zoom through December 11, 2020. Please contact your campus office if you have any questions.

2) If your family travelled outside the Bay Area, did your family follow the Alameda County Public Health Department's 'Recommendations for Staying Safe from COVID-19 During The Holidays' by taking the following precautions to reduce risk: wearing a face covering, physically distancing, if possible ventilating your space, washing/sanitizing hands often, avoiding touching eyes/nose/mouth, avoiding contact with anyone who is sick, and avoiding contact with frequently touched surfaces? If your answer is "I did not travel" or "Yes, I followed these precautions," come to school. If your answer is "No," then you'll need to do school on Zoom through December 11, 2020. Please contact your campus office if you have any questions.

For additional information regarding gatherings, households, and/or travel please read the updated, shelter-in-place order November 17, 2020 Health Officer Order No. 20-15 [Revised], pages 4-5, Item #6 and #7.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation. We are all in this together! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.

In Christ,

Al Hearne II, PhD

Superintendent

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 #GodsPurpose