Hello Chartiers Valley Families,
I was so pleased to see so many familiar and new faces on campus for our orientation events this past week. Throughout the summer, the District has worked to carefully plan and prepare for a successful school year.
Knowing that the past 18 months have been stressful on students and families, we have increased our mental health support programs districtwide. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about these services, please contact your school counselors.
Additionally, the District maintains an intensive focus on curriculum and instruction updates as well as student academic progress. We are very proud of our course offerings and services and look forward to providing opportunities for our students to progress academically, socially, and emotionally this year.
The District will continue the health and safety measures from last school year in order to further mitigate the potential spread of illness in our schools. We are increasing outside airflow whenever possible, reducing class sizes to assist in spacing, and of course, encouraging personal hygiene and handwashing.
As the Allegheny County Health Department, PA Department of Education, and Centers for Disease Control recommend, the District strongly encourages students to wear masks during the school day. I have been greatly impressed already with the number of students and parents who helped us with this request during orientation events this week.
As new information and guidance continue to be made available to school leaders, this flow chart created by the Allegheny County Health Department may be helpful in understanding COVID-19 contact tracing and quarantine processes for K-12 schools. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Head Nurse Michelle Opferman, or me.
As we look forward to our first day of school Monday, August 23, here are a few reminders:
- Please make sure to have bus information and schedules handy.
- If your child will be riding the bus, remember to have them wear a mask (per federal mandate). Arrive at the bus stop 5-10 minutes early in the morning and afternoon; pick-up and drop-off times may vary during the first few days of school.
- If you will be transporting your student(s), please provide yourself some extra time for drop-off and pick-up in the first few days as we all get used to these procedures.
- As you travel through the community, please keep our kids safe and exercise caution around school buses and in school zones.
We look forward to having our students back in person and are ready to learn and grow with them. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
Have a wonderful weekend! I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.
Sincerely,
Johannah M. Vanatta, Ed.D.
Superintendent
