Virtual Town Hall Meeting Follow Up

Dear Families:

Thank you for connecting with us on Wednesday evening for our virtual town hall. Please see below for questions and responses addressed during the event, and a few that were submitted afterward.
Meeting Minutes & Recording

Our Hybrid Model Thus Far
  • We are grateful for your partnership in executing our school safety plan. Faculty are creatively engaging with students every day and families and students are respecting and upholding our safety protocols.
  • We are grateful for the feedback you’ve provided as we make improvements to our plan. Remember, you can also send us feedback via the survey on our "Come Home to Joe" webpage.
  • We are committed to remaining flexible and open to reviewing our current operations.

Continuation of our Hybrid Model
  • Our Hybrid Model will continue until the end of the first semester (mid-January, 2021)
  • However, the schedule rotation will no longer repeat days.
  • Our updated calendar and class rotation resources are available on “Come Home to Joe” website.
  • Please note: the most updated calendar will also be the online version on our website. The online calendar can be found on both our Come Home to Joe page and sjcadets.org/calendar.

Plan Evaluation
  • There are many variables that have informed the decision to continue in the hybrid model.
  • After welcoming the Office of Emergency Management Director for a site visit to evaluate all day to day operations, it was determined by all involved that the hybrid model is the safest way to operate.
  • During the site visit, we discussed the space within the building (including outdoor areas)
  • In our hybrid model, we are able to seat students 6ft away (or more) from one another. This spacing allows us to minimize direct contact, thereby clarifying the process should contact tracing ever be necessary.
II. Covid-19 Reporting

Reporting a Medically-Confirmed, Positive Case
  • We have created a dedicated phone line for anyone who needs to report a medically-confirmed positive case of Covid-19.
  • A case is "medically-confirmed" by a test and professional diagnosis.
  • The phone number is: 203-378-9378, extension 343.
  • All health information is kept confidential.
 
Once a Positive Case is Reported and Confirmed
  • If we have a confirmed positive case, the Trumbull Health Department will be notified immediately and contact tracing will begin.
  • St Joseph High School will follow Trumbull Health Department recommendations regarding quarantine, additional testing, or modifications to the school day.
  • All parents will receive a communication via email should a student or staff member test positive. (If you are not receiving SJHS emails, please reach out to communications@sjcadets.org).
  • If it is recommended that St Joes switch to a virtual model due to a positive case(s) on on campus, that change will be communicated via email, text message, and voicemail.
 
Contact Tracing, Communication, and a Move to Virtual Learning (if needed)
  • Working with the Trumbull Health Department and the Office of Emergency Management, we will begin contact tracing immediately upon a report of a confirmed, positive case of Covid-19 in our school.
  • If a student or staff member has been in direct contact with the person who has tested positive, they will be notified either by phone or email.
  • "Direct Contact" is considered anyone closer than 6 feet away (even with a mask) for a period of 15 minutes or longer.
  • To clarify: All families will receive notice of a medically-confirmed positive case of Covid-19. However, only those with direct contact will receive an additional notification about their exposure to the virus and will be asked to quarantine for 14 days. If you are not contacted about possible exposure due to direct contact, you will not need to stay home or exclude yourself from school activities.
  • The decision to move to virtual learning will be made in collaboration with health professionals.

Attendance
  • If a student elects to learn from home if they are exhibiting symptoms (and out of an abundance of caution) on the day they are scheduled to learn in person, they will be marked absent.
  • The reason the student will be marked absent is both for contact tracing purposes and for school safety (should there be a fire drill, etc).
  • Such an absence will not be counted against the student, as the faculty member will note their participation in class.
  • Please contact your student's College & School Counselor (ext 326) and the attendance line (ext 300) with questions, concerns, or to report an absence.
III. Operational Enhancements
Hallways & Stairwells
  • Focus groups, survey data, guidelines, and our site visit evaluation have informed many operational changes within our first two weeks of school.
  • Student and faculty cooperation has been outstanding. The flexibility of our community to adapt to new protocols in an effort to enhance safety is commendable.
  • Our stairwells have been adapted to ensure equal access and utilization to avoid crowding (especially in our middle stairwell). 
  • Faculty and students are now speaking openly about mask break options. Faculty are supporting students’ need and offering opportunities while students are becoming better self-advocates in regard to their needs.
IV. Campus Updates
Classrooms
  • Just as students are learning new ways to organize their assignments and workflow, faculty are learning how to stand within camera range so that they can engage with the students in person and online.
  • This will be a year of continued learning. However, we are ready to listen. If you are having trouble connecting with your teacher, seeing the board, hearing or engaging. Please reach out to your teacher directly and let them know what you need to be successful.
  • There may come a day when you experience a connectivity issue while learning from home. If this happens, contact your counselor. This way your counselor can assist you in reaching out to each faculty member.
  • We are planning ahead now for the cold weather. On Monday morning, we were quickly reminded that cooler temperatures are coming. Alternate space options both indoor and outdoor are being explored to allow distancing and mask break options in the coming months.

OWL Labs Cameras
  • The Owl Labs camera are now in place and will be fully operational by next week!
  • Our faculty training seminars will take place this week so that we are well versed on the many features not available in the classroom.

Lunch
  • Students have three location options for lunch: the gym, the cold café or hot café.
  • Last week, we heard from our students that the desk arrangements posed some barriers to communication in the Cold Cafe. The desks have now been reconfigured according to safe distance guidelines, and are more conducive to group conversation.
  • The lunch schedule has been shortened by one minute in order to accommodate classroom time.
  • We are also moving to a cashless payment system, for lunch and bookstore purchases.
  • Student IDs are being developed this week. Each ID will be developed with compatibility codes for our new cashless system.
  • However, we are building the network and database concurrently. Therefore, the cashless payment option will be available the first week of November.
  • More information regarding this cashless service and app download will be available in the coming weeks.

After-School
  • After school, students can utilize the courtyard and Media Center as they wait for rides or for practice to begin
  • Clubs are now meeting! Take an opportunity to meet new students, learn a new skill or add to your list of hobbies.
  • Clubs will meet both in person and online (just like class). For a list of clubs, please visit the Campus Life tab on the website or visit our virtual clubs fair at sjcadets.org/clubsfair
  • We continue to monitor and instruct our student in regard to safety protocols as they leave the building to head home for the day. However, we ask for your assistance. Please remind your children that they may not remove their mask in close proximity others, even if they are outside.
V. Athletics
Locker Rooms
  • As a reminder to student athletes, access to locker rooms starts at 7:20am.

Fan Attendance Policy
  • On Friday, we will send out another email, specifically detailing our fan policy.
  • A lanyard system has been implemented for two parents for each home game (Freshmen, JV, Varsity).
  • Each parent will be given an ID and be required to undergo a temperature check.
  • Records of attendees will be kept for contact tracing.
  • Lanyards are not to be given to anyone other than the athlete's parents/guardians.
  • Visiting teams will also go through a temperature check with our CNA.

Sanitization
  • As the season begins, our sanitization schedule has been revised to ensure that the restrooms, locker rooms, gym, and wellness center are properly disinfected after every use.
VI. Forward Progress
Community Events
  • While we continue to learn within a Hybrid model, we are also committed to maintaining the SJ experience.
  • We are exploring opportunities for progress while maintaining safety as our priority. This means that we are not simply canceling events and traditions that do not fit within guidelines. We are creatively problem solving around building capacity limitations and social distancing to allow students to maintain their SJ experience.
  • For example: this year’s Bible mass looked different, the freshman dance turned into the freshman mixer, the freshman retreat will also look different, but this does not mean we are not going to continue to provide events that make our community unique.

Come Home to Joe Webpage
  • Please continue to check the “Come Home to Joe” Website and SJ calendar for updates and opportunities.
  • Additionally, we are determined to enhance our curriculum and activities to address the emotional wellbeing or our students and faculty as we continue to approach the challenges of the pandemic with perseverance and positivity.
Contacts to Note
Mr Tim Nash
School & College Counseling
tnash@sjcadets.org
Mr Kevin Butler
Asst. Principal of Athletics
kbutler@sjcadets.org
Ms Dorothy Miller
School Nurse
dmiller@sjcadets.org
Mr Matthew Kavulich
Dean of Students
mkavulich@sjcadets.org
Mr Scott Clough
Asst. Principal of Academics
sclough@sjcadets.org
St Joseph High School | Trumbull, CT | 203-378-9378 | communications@sjcadets.org