All elementary schools must continue to comply with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment guidelines for quarantining. It is important to note that the guidelines have been revised. Key changes are listed below.
- Individuals quarantine for 10 days versus 14 days.
- Students can choose to get a COVID test on or after the fifth day of exposure. If students receive a negative test and they are symptom free they can return to extra curricular activities after day seven.
- Families can share negative test results with the principal or school nurse (not the classroom teacher) . At that time Gold Rush will communicate if we are able to have students return on the eighth day (versus the tenth day). There are several factors that will play into that decision, including our ability to staff the classroom and provide instruction virtually and in-person simultaneously. This will be done on a case by case basis. Please plan on virtual learning for ten days.
The school will continue to inform you via email of positive COVID cases at Gold Rush. You will receive additional communication if your child was in close contact with an individual who tests positive or is demonstrating significant COVID symptoms. If you have more than one child at Gold Rush, you will recall District communication does not clearly specify which child is directly impacted. The school will send a third email clarifying the affected classroom/grade level and your child's remote learning plan.
We will continue to send student devices home daily. A copy of your child’s current quarantine schedule will be in his/her technology folder. Please note that some grade levels made minor revisions to their schedules after implementing them in December.
We will also provide materials and instruction for individual students that the school identifies as needing to quarantine. This applies to individual students who are healthy, but cannot be at school because they were in close contact with someone who tested positive. Students in this position at kindergarten through second grade will see weekly assignments in their Google classroom. Students in third through fifth grade will be able to join live reading, writing and math mini lessons via Google Meets. Unfortunately we are only able to provide this support for students who the school identifies as needing to quarantine. Our efforts to accommodate families that choose to quarantine proved unmanageable this fall. We also know that students who are sick need time to rest and recover.
As always, we appreciate your cooperation and continued support. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher or the office if you have specific questions or concerns.
