June: Initial Thinking for Reopening 2020-2021 (FAQ for Parents)

Please find answers to key questions that we reviewed at our initial reopening sessions in June; note that answers may change with updated information.

Q: When is Opening Day? August 19th, 2020. The Lower Campus will begin with half day sessions on the 19th, with regular full day sessions starting on August 27th.

Q: How will the school be disinfected and cleaned? Disinfection, cleaning, and ventilation are an ongoing component of our reopening readiness in addition to: daily, regular cleaning of all surfaces and objects after use; air filtration will be serviced and assessed in partnership with each church; classrooms and offices will be regularly ventilated by staff; surfaces and objects will be regularly cleaned with disinfectant.

Q: Will masks be required? Yes. Parents will be asked to provide masks from home, both for hygiene reasons and to ensure student comfort. Some students with sensory, respiratory or other needs may require exceptions.

Q: Are visitors allowed on campus? Non-faculty/staff adults are not allowed on campus. While we love our community, this includes parents, for hygiene reasons, and to reduce the spread of germs. Parents should speak with teachers over the phone or via Zoom wherever possible. For the time being, tutoring will need to be remotely.

Q: How will drop-off work? Students will have temperatures taken at drop-off with parent(s) waiting in the car. If normal (<100.4 degrees F), parent may depart. Students with temperatures 100.4F+ will depart with parent until they have a normal temperature for a period of 48 hours without medicine/fever reducer. Lower Campus note: the Preschool will have a staggered drop-off to allow for social distancing (8-830A and 830-9A).

Q: How will you keep students from spreading germs during the day? We’ll use a concept called “bubble constancy.” This means that each student will have a small “social bubble” of peers that they move around with, to minimize the number of people they come into contact with. “Bubbles” are no more than 10 students on the Lower Campus, and likely no more than 12 on the Upper Campus.

Q: What will a typical day look and feel like for our student(s)?
  • Upper Campus: Instruction will be offered 5x/week. While we would love to see everyone back on campus, we understand some families may continue to choose distance learning and we will support those decisions. We’ll use the practice of “bubble constancy,” described above, in which classes are roughly split in half and have a dedicated space and are supervised by a combination of their homeroom teacher and their teaching assistant. Specials classes will be offered outdoors or via Zoom. Desks will be socially distanced: rooms have been measured to ensure desks can be spaced 6’ apart.
  • Lower (Preschool) Campus: Instruction offered 5x/week, although some families may continue to prefer distance learning. We’ll use the practice of “bubble constancy,” described above, which is also a requirement from Community Care Licensing. Preschool students will be split into groups of no more than 10, with assigned teachers throughout the day.
Q: Will there be “Specials” (ex: Art, Music, Design Thinking, Science, Service Learning) classes? Yes, these are an integral component of our curriculum. To minimize both the sharing of materials and spaces, Specials classes will be offered outdoors or via Zoom.

Q: How will you help ensure the safe use of materials? The school will choose materials that can be easily cleaned. All school materials must stay at school and no home materials should be brought to school, with the exception of school library books. Wherever possible, students will be given their “own” set of materials to use. iPads, laptops, computers must not be shared; devices will be regularly cleaned.

Q: How will playground use/recess be impacted by social distancing? We have created revised recess schedules to provide increased time for outdoor play, while limiting the number of students on the playground. Lower Campus playtimes will be staggered to maintain bubble constancy.

Q: Will you be offering a hot lunch program on the Upper Campus? In an effort to minimize visitors to campus and germs, we will not be offering hot lunches. We hope to resume this program as soon as possible.

Q: Will there be an Extended Care Program? Not initially. Students must be kept in small, stable groups with a faculty member present, and a designated space for each small “bubble” group of students must be available on campus (see “bubble constancy”, above, which promotes good hygiene). This makes providing Extended Care extremely challenging. We realize this cause difficulty for parents who rely on EC, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We greatly appreciate parents’ flexibility and understanding during this unprecedented time.

Q: Will there be a distance learning alternative for families not comfortable returning? Yes; every family has a different risk tolerance and set of circumstances. We will support each family’s decision.

Q: Will faculty and staff be trained specifically for Covid-19 risk minimization? Yes, this is a core priority prior to the start of school.
Q: What is the protocol if a student or staff member is diagnosed with Covid-19? If a student or any member of a student’s household is diagnosed with COVID-19, the school must be notified at once for contact tracing and to communicate with others. Students must quarantine at home until they are cleared for school re-entry by a doctor.

Q: What happens if there is a resurgence of the virus in the fall? We will again be ready to move to a distance learning model. As we did previously, we will look to public health agencies to make final decisions about learning models.
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