Dear LNC Elementary School Families,
As reported in our email last night, the LNC Board of Education voted to make several changes at its February meeting:
- K-12 students who are not distance learning return to hybrid learning this Monday, February 8
- Elementary students who are not distance learning transition to plan A beginning with our kindergarten students on February 22
- February 12, March 12 and April 23 are now regular school days, not remote learning or half days
We know our families have questions about the announcement to transition our elementary school to plan A. Some of you are excited and ready with no concerns! Some are not comfortable and may now choose distance learning. Others need more information to make the decision that is right for their family.
No matter which describes your family, please read this email thoroughly and explore the links provided, including the FAQ and the overview of plan A at LNC. On Tuesday, February 16, Principal Holland will host a virtual coffee chat and discuss plan A. You can view the recorded version if you are unable to watch live. As usual, parents will have an opportunity to submit questions to Ms. Holland a few days prior to the coffee chat. You can also ask us a question using this link.
First, it is important to state why the Safe Schools Committee recommended this change and why the board voted for it. The heavy cost our students are paying in learning loss and impacts to social development and emotional and mental health is abundantly clear. Our constant goal since being forced into remote learning nearly 11 months ago has not changed: Return students to school as many days as possible as soon as it is safe to do so.
We feel the time to return our elementary students to school, where we know they learn best, is now, based on the following facts:
- Strength and effectiveness of our health and safety protocols as evidenced by our school transmission data (0 school transmissions)
-
Solid plan A procedures in place (see plan A document)
- Local COVID-19 health metrics are decreasing
- Growing evidence demonstrating that plan A can be successful at schools
- An increasing number of studies supporting elementary-aged children do not become infected, as ill or spread the virus at nearly the same rate as older children and adults
Here is what is most important for families to know about plan A:
- All LNC health and safety protocols, including social distancing to minimize potential exposures, continue, however maintaining 6 feet of social distance is not required
- Students attend school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; no cohorts
- School hours are 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM
To ensure our logistics flow smoothly and our health and safety protocols are solid in this new environment, we will carefully ramp up to plan A following a staggered schedule. Please note that elementary school students begin hybrid learning on February 8 and remain in hybrid learning until they move to plan A following the schedule below:
- Kindergarten - Monday, February 22
- 1st grade - Monday, March 1
- 2nd grade - Monday, March 8
- 3rd/4th grades - Tuesday, March 16
Please note this announcement does not affect our students who are distance learning. Distance learning students will continue to receive instruction from their teachers on Wednesdays. Teachers will continue to be accessible to our distance learning families during office hours (3:15 – 4:00 PM) on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
We understand that based on the new information some of our elementary families whose students are currently in hybrid learning may wish to revisit the distance learning option. If you are interested in this option for your kindergarten, 1st grade or 2nd grade student, please submit this form to choose distance learning by Friday, February 19. If you are interested in this option for your 3rd or 4th grade student, please submit this form to choose distance learning by Friday, March 5. Alternatively, families whose students are distance learning will have the opportunity to opt into plan A at the end of the third quarter (Friday, March 12). More information on this process will be forthcoming.
Thank you for keeping in mind that while this is our intended plan for rollout, we may need to make adjustments based on how things go. As said last month, we do understand that sudden changes in plans cause our families inconvenience and sometimes hardship. That said, we cannot guarantee that we will not need to adjust our plans. We can promise we will continue to make decisions that, above all, protect our students and staff and are informed by facts.
We are keenly aware that some of you view this announcement with excitement and relief and others with dismay and uncertainty. We will continue to offer counsel where we can help and extend support as needed. Thank you for partnering with us through thick and thin as one school community.
