Dear Ivymount Families
I hope you have been able to enjoy the restorative sunshine of the weekend. As we enter the final week of February, I want to thank everyone for the many ways in which you have honored our dual themes of the month - IvyCares and Black History Month.
Our staff has found numerous ways to build these concepts into our programming, and our students have produced thoughtful and beautiful work. See below for some examples.
As we get ready to enter our phased return to in-person instruction starting March 1, we ask that all families begin to plan prior to their return. See important information below about testing, travel and school transportation.
The CDC updated guidelines on February 16 - Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Mitigation. The updated New Indicators and Thresholds for community transmission risk now include only 4 categories and focus on the past 7 days. Transmission risk levels for total New Cases per 100K per person in the past 7 days: low risk 0-9; moderate risk 10-49; substantial risk 50-99; high risk ≥100 and Percentage of Positive Tests in the past 7 days: low risk <5%; moderate risk 5-7.9%; substantial 8-9.9%; high ≥10.
The application and utility of the CDC indicators and thresholds are completely linked to how we as a community follow mitigation strategies. The community transmission risk remains an important factor to guide our decisions on the degree to which we modify our current operations while implementing layered mitigation (i.e. class size, frequency of required PCR testing, transitions in the community). We will continue to monitor public health data as well as our own community data. We have been pleased that the public health rates continued to decrease dramatically.
-
Risk Level based on Total New Case (for 2/11 to 2/17) MC 111, PG 154.4, FFX 189.1, and DC 132.6. All jurisdictions remain within the high-risk category. However, rates continued to trend significantly downward in all jurisdictions but FFX this week.
-
State and County Rates New Cases per 100K (2/11 to 2/17) MD 17.8 and MC 15.9. Rates continued to trend downward for the fifth week in a row.
-
Percent Test Positivity ( 2/17) MD 4.3%, MC 3.9%,PG 5.6%, FFX 6.3%, DC 3.1%. MD, MC, and DC are at low risk. PG and FFX are at moderate risk. Rates decreased significantly across all jurisdictions.
Finally, a reminder once again to mark two professional days on your calendar, which have been added for staff to prepare during our phased return. There will be no school on March 5 and April 26.
Sincerely,
Susan Holt
Executive Director
|
|
Upcoming Events
Friday, March 5
Professional Day
No School for Students
Saturday, March 6
Outreach Educational Programs Begin
Monday, March 8
PTA Parent/Caregiver Hangout
March 29 - April 5
Spring Break
|
|
|
Return to Campus Planning |
|
Testing
Prior to students returning to campus, students are asked to have a PCR COVID Test within the previous 7 days of their return, with a negative result. Montgomery County (MC) provides free testing. This is offered on site at Ivymount on Thursdays 10 am to 5 pm. Click MC Testing Information for other testing times and locations. We will accept PCR tests through a healthcare provider or private sites as well. Rapid Antigen tests are not accepted at this time. Our Health Screening Team is available to work with individuals to overcome individual challenges or accommodations to this policy. We reserve the right to request universal testing at any time.
Travel Policy
Please review our travel policy, which encompasses the current Maryland Governor's Emergency Order for travel and the current CDC Guidelines for international and air travel. Families should notify the Ivymount Health Screening Team if they plan to travel out of state domestically or internationally (travel to VA and DC is exempt) and should remain home and get a PCR test upon return based on the timelines established below. We will work with families to establish an appropriate timeframe for remote participation in work or school before returning to campus.
-
Before travel, families should send an email to studentcovidreport@ivymount.org.
-
Students who travel internationally or out-of-state by air or public transportation should get a PCR test 3-5 days after travel AND remain home for a full 7 days regardless of the test results. If negative tests results are not submitted, you must remain home for 10 days after travel.
-
Students who travel domestically in their own vehicle should get a PCR test upon return home and remain home until test results are received. If negative tests results are not submitted, you must remain home for 10 days after travel.
|
|
Transportation
See information about testing and travel on page 9 of the Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Plan found on the Return to Campus Plan page of our website. We will continue to update this plan as guidance changes.
We continue to work in partnership with staff, families, and local school systems (LSSs) to plan for the return to classrooms. Contact studentservices@ivymount.org if you have questions about your student's transportation schedule.
If you have not already, please make sure to provide your Program Director with your address verification. This information is needed for us to finalize transportation requests.
Please note: If you have notified us that you are transporting your student and you would like to change your request, we will need 30 days to request transportation from most LSSs. They are expected to provide additional information in the coming days about schedules, mask requirements, and other safety measures. Here is information we have sourced so far:
|
|
Mental Health
Practical Strategies
Michael Stromberg, of the Ivymount Mental Health team, led a presentation last Wednesday focused on helping parents to prepare students for returning to in-person learning and self-care strategies to compassionately manage the ongoing stressors of the pandemic. Among his top recommendations:
- Begin with small adjustments that will lead to structured routines around wake-up, meal times, after-school activities, and bedtime that work for in-person and distance learning days
- Address sleep problems by ruling out physical causes, creating a night-time routine that includes calming activities and sensory considerations
- Begin to reduce screen time, starting with discussing its benefits and responsible use with students; then fostering non-screen time activities and interests
- Review new school policies and procedures to help students understand how school will look and feel different.
- Address student's concerns about returning to school with empathy and accurate information
- Continue to practice self-care and self-compassion
Click Here to watch a video of the presentation with more details and recommendations.
|
|
Thank you to staff, parents, and students who came out to the Autism program's Valentine's drive-through parade, featuring a range of posters created by staff to show students how they care about them.
Also, a big shout-out to MAP third-grade and fourth-grade students who participated in a Valentine's Day outreach project in which they sent virtual Valentine's cards to patients at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
It was another way for students to reflect on the feelings of others and to show support for those who are separated from their families.
|
|
Throughout February, Ivymount programs are celebrating Black History Month. Students in the MAP LMS social justice class have been learning about characteristics of identity and diversity. Students read short stories about young people and then wrote their own short stories celebrating unique identities of all people, in a project called, We Need Diverse Books. The idea for this project came from information gathered from the non-profit organization We Need Diverse Books, which advocates changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects the lives of all young people.
In their short stories, students were asked to include a characteristic of identity (e.g., race, gender, ability), and a social justice theme discussed in class (e.g., identity, diversity, empathy, respect).
|
|
Registration Open for Outreach Spring Educational Programs |
|
Could your child benefit from instruction in
how to make friends and maintain friendships over time?
|
|
In Secrets of Friendship, students are taught the key "secrets" to making and maintaining a friendship. After determining who is a friend, students participate in engaging learning opportunities to explore how to make and maintain the friendship over time.
The curriculum focuses on both explicit and non-explicit social skills that are required to make and maintain positive relationships. Based on the current circumstances, special emphasis will be placed on navigating friendships in a virtual environment.
|
|
There's still time to help guide what next year's IvyMoves month will look and feel like. The Physical Education team is seeking your feedback on the month to ensure we are meeting your needs and to help with planning for the next event! Click the button below to take the survey, and thank you for your support and participation! |
|
From Ivymount to Our Amazing PTA
As part of our IvyCares month series of appreciations to our many stakeholders, we would like to thank you, Ivymount PTA, for the many ways you make Ivymount staff feel appreciated.
|
|
|
|
Ivymount
School & Programs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
