Dear Parents, Welcome back to a new school year! I believe it is going to be quite an adventure. We have been working all summer long to prepare for your return and I really feel like we have done everything possible to get your children back into the classroom and to keep them safe and in school. In the event that we have to return to a virtual platform, we are well prepared for that as well. There are several details I need to share with you so please bear with me and read through this letter. I will try to be clear and concise but it’s a lot!
Open House: This event will look much different this year. It is more of a ‘drop off’ activity rather than the social event that is has been in the past. One parent and one student may come in through the Activity Center doors wearing masks. The temperature scanner is sitting right in the hallway. Each person entering the building needs to take a second and check his or her temperature. You may then head up to your child’s classroom to drop off supplies, return Chromebooks, see where your locker is, and possibly meet your teacher. A few teachers will be out of town and will not be available and the school is still being prepared for the first day so it’s not quite perfect yet. There won’t be time to decorate lockers or spend a lot of time chatting. ****Please note these dates. If you have multiple children you can just come once on the youngest child’s day. Tuesday August 11th 5th graders and 1st graders 5:00-6:00 Wednesday August 12th Kindergarten and 4th graders 5:00-6:00 Thursday August 13th 2nd graders and 3rd graders 5:00-6:00 Procedures: All students in grades K-5 need to come through the Activity Center door wearing their masks. This has been mandated by the governor and therefore required. The only thing I will say about masks is that they need to be appropriate for the school setting. The kind folks at Hunan King donated 3000 disposable masks so we will have those available for various situations….you know; sneezing in the mask, lost masks, wet ones from chewing…. Upon entering, the students need to walk by the temperature scanner then go to their designated waiting areas. Time spent in the gym between 7:30-7:50 will be used for silent reading. Mrs. Hammer will have some books available, but it would be best if your child brought their own book each day. Even if students are arriving at 7:50 they need to enter the Activity Center doors. Visitors will not be allowed in the building unless there is an emergency. Preschool and extended day users need to enter the front Washington St. doors. The temperature scanner is down in between the 2 preschool classrooms. We will dismiss like we did last year. 4th and 5th will be picked up on the church parking lot. 4th will exit one door, 5th will exit the GYM doors. Be sure to enter from Melmore St. K-3 will dismiss on the playground. Be sure to enter from Melmore St and exit onto Washington St. Please try not to park in the garden area and wait as preschool has pickup at the same time and they are required to enter the building therefore they need to park and get out. Cars will line up further back than they did last year to allow the kiddos to spread out a bit more. Teachers will again walk the children to their cars. Please be patient as you wait. We have this process down to less than 10 minutes. Just don’t try to cut in front of the car ahead of you and this will go smoothly. Phased Start First Day of School: 4th and 5th will start on Thursday, August 20th. K-3 will start on Friday, August 21st (no school for 4th-5th). Monday, August 24th, PreK-5 will bring us all together. Extended Day services will be available. We are looking for someone to work part-time, approximately 15-20 hours per week. Please email me at mseislove@calvertcatholic.org or Amy Fretz at afretz@calvertcatholic.org if you are dying to come work in our Extended Day!! Miscellaneous items: ~We created a triage room right next to my office so Mrs. Goshe has a place for students to wait to be examined or for parents to pick up their children. ~It is not a bad idea to have your child start practicing wearing a mask. ~As an option we will provide a face shield for each child that needs to stay at school. ~Beware of social media. Not everything you read on Facebook is correct. If you have a question or concern about something please just ask me. ~We are working on a special kindergarten activity to make their first day extra special. More info to follow. ~Students are going to need to bring their own water bottle every day. We have 2 of those Water Bottle Fill Stations, thanks to the Calvert Elementary Boosters, but students cannot drink out of the water fountains. ~Social distancing is key to our success. Wash those hands, wear your mask, and stay 6 feet apart!! Please continue to pray for our school, our families, and our community. This is going to be an amazing year!!
-Marilyn Seislove
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