Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are writing to inform you of a change in our school learning plan. Over the past few weeks, we have seen a dramatic decrease in COVID-19 activity in our city and our very cautious Mayor, Latoya Cantrell, has upgraded us to a modified Phase 3. Moreover, we had a successful vaccine roll-out for our staff.
With vaccinations under our belt and the positive shift in health threat, we are increasing in-person learning opportunities for our students with a return to school on Wednesdays. A return to a 5-day in-person schedule for elementary school students - when health conditions allow - is also strongly recommended by French authorities. Therefore, starting Wednesday, April 14th, our students Pre-K4 through grade 5 will be back to a five-day-per-week in-person schedule. The Middle and High school schedule will remain unchanged for the moment. Virtual students will maintain their 5-days a week remote instructional option.
As we transition our students back, we will continue to ensure meticulous implementation of our health protocols and Covid-related precautions: wearing masks, implementing temperature checks as students enter the building, washing hands, sanitizing and disinfecting, etc. Students will continue to remain in static pods and practice social distancing to the greatest extent possible.
As we do this, and in order for us to have a successful ending to the school year, I am asking for your support by not sending your child/ren to school with a fever or cold-like symptoms. Your cooperation is truly vital to a stable instructional environment. We do not want to quarantine students especially as LEAP testing is upon us. It is very important for us to have LEAP assessment results for our students so that, this summer, we can work on adapting instructional plans according to data.
As a reminder:
- Stay home when you are sick;
- Wash hands often with soap for at least 20 seconds;
- Cover coughs and sneezes and properly dispose of tissues;
- Limit close contact with people who are sick;
- Practice social distancing;
- Wear a face covering while in school;
Professional development and team collaboration is still a vital part of our school life and part of Wednesday will still be dedicated to professional development. The Johnson Campus will dismiss students at 1:45 pm and the Patton Campus to 2:05 pm. Please make arrangements for pick up. For bus riders, a Wednesday bus schedule will be released. Before and after care is still unavailable.
Finally, we want to emphasize the importance of mental health and social-emotional learning (SEL) for our students. We encourage you to reach out to the school if you or your family need help: this year has been hard on all of us! Taking care of the emotional needs of our children (and of our own!) is as important as any academic subject that is taught in school, and we want to see our kids happy as they learn.
We thank you, immensely, for the resilience and flexibility demonstrated throughout the year as we walked through a number of major schedule shifts. We remain positive and optimistic that the next school year will bring much stability and a return to normal, even though it will certainly be a new normal with so many lessons learned. We hope this communication comes to you and to your children as welcome news.
As always, thank you for your support!
The Leadership Team
