Thursday, March 10th, 2021, Volume 15 Issue 81
Katie May, Principal
This Sunday, I got my first COVID vaccination! Many of our teachers have recently gotten theirs, too. This is exciting because it is an important step in everyone feeling ready and confident to come back to school in-person.
Families received an update from the district on Tuesday letting them know that preschool and intensive pathway special education services will start in-person for students who selected that option on Monday, March 29 (a bit later than the March 11 date originally planned). This will give more time for teachers to get prepared and to receive important safety trainings before they are teaching students in person. In addition, it does give many of us time to finish the vaccination series.
If you are the parent of a student in preschool, a special education intensive pathway (Focus or Distinct program), kindergarten or 1st grade, you were given the option to choose if you would like your child to come back in-person this spring or stay remote for the rest of the year. We know that people’s feelings about this may change and initially we were able to change your preference at the school level. At this time, changes will need to be appealed through the district enrollment office. Here is the link you may use: https://www.seattleschools.org/admissions/registration/student_assignment/assignment_appeals/in-person_preference_appeals
Staff around the district have been hard at work to get each school building ready for a return to in-person learning. Here’s what new:
Daily attestation will be required for staff and families to fill out each day to let us know that your child is healthy and able to enter the building. We will all receive a reminder each morning to complete the attestation, so students are able to enter their class.
Students will be assigned to a small cohort (15 students or less) that they will stay with throughout the day – for instruction, lunch, and recess.
Handwashing and physical distancing will be taught to all students and monitored throughout the day. We have plenty of hand sanitizer in our building! Students will see markings throughout the building guiding them to staying 6 feet apart.
Masks will be required for all students (with some preschool exceptions based on age). In certain circumstances, additional PPE (face shields, gowns, gloves, etc.) may also be worn.
Cleaning and disinfecting will happen throughout the day. High touch areas (like doorknobs) will be sanitized 3 times per day – as will bathrooms!
Air Flow has been tested to ensure a healthy environment. We may additionally open windows and/or make use of outdoor spaces.
In addition to our regular health room where students are seen for medication, nosebleeds, scrapes, and bruises, we will have a Protected Health Room for students exhibiting any symptoms that could be COVID-related. This will be a space supervised by our school nurse or an administrator apart from other students and staff until a family member can pick the child up.
While these are some of the main differences your child may notice, this is far from an exhaustive list of the precautions we are taking! One major difference you will see is that for now, parents must remain on the outside of our building. This may be hard for you or your child after spending so much time together over the past year. You may want to start talking to your child about this, so they are prepared to separate from you when it is time for them to return to school. This is also a great time to practice good hygiene and hand-washing, to practice keeping 6 feet of distance between them and others, to practice mask wearing, and to let your child know that they will be just with the students in their class throughout the school day. As with anything happening at our school, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or to Assistant Principal Susan Lorow with any questions you may have.
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