The MCPK Insider 10-23-2020

Dear MCPK Community,

It is with great relief that we announce that the Pre-K will be OPEN for regular in-person learning on Monday, October 26^th. We are even happier to say that our entire staff has remained symptom free since the potential contact on Monday, October 12^th.

Most importantly, the staff member who tested positive is now free of symptoms and feeling well. She will be tested 10 days after her initial COVID test, which will be tomorrow 10/24. Before she returns to work after the full 14 day quarantine, she will go through the Department of Health and MCPK’s Health Screening protocol with Nurse Melissa.

All MCPK staff have been have been tested this past week and we have received all but one result (delayed due to lab issues). Teachers, and all staff members with any possible connection to the case, were tested with the PCR test and they were all tested at least a week after the possible contact. Every staff member will have a negative test result before returning to school.

As we mentioned earlier in the week, a group of 8 staff members were in a CPR group with the staff member who tested positive for COVID two days later. This group of 8 were considered "casual" contacts to the COVID case as they were all in the same large room with doors and windows open, socially distanced and masked at all times. The training was conducted to comply with all COVID related safety guidelines. It was done one by one and not in groups like normal CPR training. Staff did "pretend" breathing, never took off their masks and wore gloves to touch the practice mannequin.

This has been a difficult week for all of us—staff, students and parents. It was a reminder of why we have taken so many precautions to keep our community safe and how important it is to be vigilant. For most of us, it was also a reminder of how important it is for kids need to be in school!

I am really proud of all of us. I am proud of our talented, flexible teachers who switched to remote teaching on a dime and did it so well. I am proud of our administrators who define the words teamwork and dedication. I am proud of our kids, who jumped in with enthusiasm and smiles. And as a working mom, I am so proud of how well our families handled this week—the gracious acceptance of an inconvenient change, the constructive input and the concern and care for our staff. MCPK is truly the best example of an educational community I have ever encountered.

As a staff, we have spent this week learning from the experience and figuring out how to implement even more rigorous health and safety practices. Your feedback really helped us reflect and grow. We are so excited to welcome our students back and face whatever challenges come as a community. We are confident and ready to move forward.

Please reach out if you have any concerns about returning to school on Monday. We are here to support you and provide any information you may need to feel comfortable.

Looking forward to Monday morning…

Ms. Amy

P.S. I hope you received the Class Dojo message earlier today. Having an instant notification system is one of the important lessons learned this week. If you did not get an email or instant message on your phone, please reach out to your teaching team.

DROP OFF REMINDERS

Here is what you can do as parents and caregivers at Drop Off to help keep our staff and students safe during this pandemic:

Make sure that parents and children over the age of 2 are wearing masks before staff members open the car door.

Once staff member completes the Health Screening, unbuckle your child, and help them out of the car. Assist them in putting on coats and backpacks. Staff members will not have physical interaction with students or their belongings unless absolutely necessary. As the weather gets colder, it will be difficult for children to manage all of their belongings independently.

If you do walk up, please do not linger once your child has completed the health screen and found their spot. We want to limit the number of additional adults in proximity to students.

COMMUNITY NEWS & EVENTS

MCPK Harvest Celebration

Friday, October 30th

MCPK will celebrate all things fall throughout the school day. Children will visit pumpkin patches (in their specified outdoor spaces), do fall arts & crafts, enjoy literature about the season and have classroom celebrations. We will even be sending home a bag of books courtesy of Scholastic Book Clubs.

Reminders: Festive Fallwear is okay, but NO HALLOWEEN COSTUMES PLEASE!

MFEE ShowUp Montclair

The Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence (MFEE) supports our public schools and has awarded grants to MCPK! MFEE is bringing back its award-winning Showdown Montclair talent battle on November 7th. ShowUP features local hidden talent gems, success stories from Montclair schools -- and even some familiar, super-talented Montclair Public School staff members! Check out this highlight reel that gives you a peek at what ShowUP is all about. Funds raised will support MFEE and its new Arts Open Hearts Fund which fuels innovative arts programs that nurture students’ social and emotional health.

One of MCPK's former staff members, Stephanie Mautone, will be performing with her twin, Dane, and we’d love to show them our support. Dane and Stephanie were on John Legend’s Team on The VOICE, and they’ve prepared a special performance for ShowUP! Get your tickets and support them here: givebutter.com/showupmontclair/Stephanie-Dane