Jamie's Update: Back to School Documents & Plans

Dear SGS Parents,

The start of the 2020-21 school year is growing near, and we continue to process new information and guidance to adjust our plans accordingly.  Our back to school information packets were mailed yesterday and additional information and forms to be completed have been posted on-line in the Parent Portal in the 2020 Back to School Documents folder. We are looking forward to starting the adventure of what school will be this year and working with our eager students.  

 

Late last week, Dr. Pam Kohlmeier (SGS Board Member), Ryan Peplinski (SGS COVID-19 Coordinator) and I met with Dr. Lutz (Spokane Regional Health District Health Officer) and members of his team to further review our re-opening plans. We discussed the safety consideration in place and mitigating the risk of transmission of COVID-19 if someone tested positive.  In addition to requiring face coverings, social distancing and regular handwashing, Dr. Lutz and his SRHD team’s recommendations continue to emphasize small groups/cohorts and a progression of adding students back to campus over time based on overall conditions and data. 

 

The safety and well-being of our community remains at the forefront of our decision-making as we progress to a hybrid model that will allow students to return to campus.  This includes the county data on COVID-19 case occurrence, which at this time is indicating a decrease in occurrence in the county.  It will take a continued community effort and commitment to follow all safeguards that we have in place at school and responsible behavior away from campus.  That includes safe practices off-site of social distancing, wearing masks, limiting numbers in gatherings, etc.  We can mitigate risks on campus, however COVID-19 can be introduced to campus from outside.  Our protocols will limit the spread with the precautions in place, but they will not completely guard against the introduction of COVID-19 to the school itself.  We will ask students and families to sign 1.) a Community Commitment Agreement and 2.) an Acknowledgement of Risk form before arriving on campus. 

 

A community-wide commitment will be an essential element to our success going forward.  Our goal is to make our hybrid model available as conditions improve and health and well-being considerations are addressed to our satisfaction.

 

Our conversation with the SRHD team then turned to two topics: 

 

1. Orientation Week (August 31-September 4) is an optional event to bring small groups by grade level to campus to meet teachers and new students, receive supplies for Distance Learning, get books and materials, review technology and technology training, and introduce safety guidelines.  This will occur for grades 3-12 over the course of that week.  Busses will not be used this week to limit close contact.  Students that choose not to attend in person will be able to attend orientation classes remotely and arrangements will be made for them to pick-up the necessary materials disseminated that day. Students/Families will be required to complete a symptoms attestation survey that confirms a child has no symptoms prior to arriving on campus.  Division Heads will be sending out details today for each division.

 

2. Grades K-2 (Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2)– to start in a hybrid model that will include in-person instruction.  The SRHD recognizes online learning is difficult for the youngest learners as they miss out on much of the social-emotional components vital at that age and the risk for transmission is lower for younger students.  The path to re-opening at SGS will begin with K-2 students starting with a hybrid model (in-person or Distance Learning).  This will be a methodical process that will begin the week of September 8, after the Labor Day holiday, with three days of class (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday).  There will not be classes on Friday September 11, as that day will be used to review our processes and make any additional adjustments to the program and protocols.  These classes will be taught in grade level cohorts each day, along with the face covering requirement, social distancing, frequent handwashing, and daily attestation that confirms a child has no symptoms before they arrive at school.  Bus service will not be available until further notice to limit contact between students in different cohorts. Kathy Johnson, LS Division Head, will be communicating more details today that will include a questionnaire for each family to choose in-person or distance learning the first week and each subsequent week for planning purposes.  Students in grade K-2 will not attend an orientation during the week of August 31, to prevent cross cohort contact prior to attending in person.  

 

We all know this will be a challenging year and there will be variables we can control and others that will be out of our control.  We are working proactively to make the process as smooth as possible as conditions allow us to bring more students on campus.  Our spacious campus, outstanding facilities and commitment to small class sizes is helping us to move forward in this process.
 

 

We have heard from some of our families, that students are nervous about starting the school year in person.  There is a great deal of media coverage of schools re-opening with varying degrees of success both domestically and internationally.  We want to validate these concerns and urge families to use discretion to determine when your child feels safe and ready to return. We will provide the resources for all students to receive an excellent Saint George’s education, either online or in-person and will provide counseling support as needed throughout the year.

 

There will be continued updates leading up to the start of school as the situation remains fluid.  We remain optimistic that our plans and coordinated efforts with the SRHD will allow us to progress forward to the best of our ability.  There is a great deal of information and adapted procedure that we are trying to communicate in a timely and reasonable manner.  Our goal is to avoid overwhelming people with details, while still providing time for families to plan and process the changes.

 

Thank you again for the feedback and support we have received as we navigate these challenges.  We are excited to welcome our new families as they join the Saint George’s community in these unconventional times.  

 

As always, please contact the Division Heads or me with questions and/or concerns as we all prepare for the start of school.  Go Dragons!

 

Sincerely,

 

Jamie Tender

Head of School