Greetings WCCS Families,
The 2021-2022 school year is finally here, and I am so excited to see what God has in store for us this year. Our theme verse for the year is Romans 10:17 that says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." We look forward to opening the Word of God with our students this year praying that God will bring some to faith for the first time while strengthening the faith of others who already have that personal relationship with Him.
We are also excited to be able to return again to in-person learning. It was just a year ago that we kicked off the school year in person unsure of the impact of Covid-19 on our school year. As we look back, we see God's protection and provision even though we had administrators, teachers, staff, and students who missed days of school due to infection or contact tracing. Despite our mask and extra sanitation efforts, affected families identified both in school and out of school transmission. Even some who were ultra-careful regarding masks and social distance, did get sick. We are also mindful that some members of our community got very sick. And now, we head into a new school year with a new variant that has us again starting the year unsure of the impact of Covid-19.
With this in mind, it is my sincere hope and prayer that our entire school community would continue to LOVE GOD AND OTHERS (our theme from 20-21) as we consider the following ways to minimize spread of this virus:
Be specifically cognizant of potential infection outside of school:
As we look back to last year, most of our positive tests came from the home. We already know of those in the WCCS community who are currently in isolation or quarantine from recent infections - and we haven't even started school yet. It may be inconvenient, but families may have to consider limiting interactions outside of school if we all want to remain in face-to-face learning this year.
Stay home when sick:
As I am sure all have heard, the symptoms of the delta variant mimic the common cold. Historically, in schools, students and teachers come to school when "just a little under the weather" and the result is a bug that runs through the class. We all need to choose more sick days this year to prevent extended absences in our school community.
Honor the isolation expectations if tested positive:
Those who test positive should isolate for a minimum of 10 days (with day 0 as the day of first symptom or positive test if asymptomatic). One must also be at least 24 hours free of fever without fever-reducing medications. While it may be obvious, this timeframe covers the likely period that someone may infect others. So, if one who tested positive returns too early, they are more likely to infect others. Again, we need to honor this timeframe for the good of all.
Honor the quarantine expectations if close contact:
This is a tough one because one may not be sick at all but is still being asked to stay away for many days. That's exactly right. But, unless this is honored, we are potentially spreading Covid-19 to all around (in school and outside of school). So, here are the guidelines:
- IF vaccinated or tested positive in last 90 days, then only quarantine if symptomatic.
- IF not vaccinated or tested positive in last 90 days
- Return to school on day 8 (day 0 was last contact) if you are symptom-free and received a negative test on or after day 5.
- Return to school on day 11 (day 0 was last contact) if you are symptom-free and do not test.
Choose to mask-up when reasonable and in close contact with others indoors
This is also a tough one because it has become such a political hot button. However, all have seen the "strong recommendation" that those in schools wear masks when indoors. Therefore, I reiterate this strong recommendation. Some believe that we should require masks for all to prevent potential spread. To be honest, I would love to require all of the above. I don’t think that is reasonable. We can't mandate what happens outside of school. We can't be in the homes each morning when parents are deciding whether or not the symptom is enough to keep child home. We can't come behind and confirm when a symptom first arrived or when someone was in close contact - especially outside of school. And, while we could require masks at school, it would likely look similar to last year where most students were without masks for significant portions of the day due to social distance. So, instead of a man-made mandate, I am asking those in close contact with others indoors to mask-up when reasonable in an intentional effort to Love God and Others.
IF we do ALL of the above, then I believe we will see more in-person learning this year! Thank you ahead of time for joining the WCCS community in continuing to Love God and Others this school year and beyond!
Note - Knowing that the quarantine and isolation expectations can be confusing, I am providing a graphic below of the CDC webpage that specifically addresses these details.
Scott Dillon
Head of School
