In-Person Learning FAQs (Families)
You can look here for all of the information that you need
Updated
Structure
The link will be included on the Main Heritage webpage, and I will include a link to the newsletter on the with the Weekly Update, along with highlights of changes and additions.
Days for In-Person Learning (Updated 3/23/2021)
Prior to April 20th: For students who chose hybrid, in-person learning is scheduled to be at school two days a week (either on Tuesday/Wednesday or Thursday/Friday). This structure will have them here on an A day and a B day each week.
After April 20th, students who chose hybrid will be able to attend school in-person Tuesday-Friday.
For the remainder of the school year, Monday will remain an asynchronous day for everyone.
Learning Choice (Added 3/23/2021)
From the LCPS FAQ Update:
"The parent choice made in November is binding for the remainder of the school year. Though schools may seem emptier, factors in play include capacity, classroom physical size, and percentage of students in a school that have made the hybrid choice. Large spaces, such as the cafeteria, gym, auditorium and chorus/band rooms cannot safely hold more students unless state guidance changes. Scheduling also would be adversely affected by additional students attending in-person. Teacher assignments could change for elementary students. Schedules for physical education, art, music and other “specials” would be impacted and itinerant teachers’ schedules and building assignments could be impacted"
Exceptions:
LCPS has stated that schools may make exceptions on a case-by-case basis and only when space is available in a grade level or class. In rare instances where space is available, priority will be given to students receiving special education or English learner services, students who do not have internet access at home, are below grade level or are in danger of failing, or have been identified by staff as needing additional support. Many schools do not have space available for any exceptions. However, if you wish to contact your school to discuss a unique situation, please reach out to your child’s counselor between April 5 - 9. All notifications of changes will be made by April 14; no changes will be made after that time.
Daily Symptom Checker
Students and all staff will be sent the daily symptom checker via email. Upon receipt, students and families can also choose to receive the checker via text message.
If the checker doesn't come, families can use this link to the checker. The link can also be found on the Heritage website.
If the student does not have a completed questionnaire upon arrival at school, staff will ask the student the same questions, as developmentally appropriate, during their first block or homeroom morning meeting. If a student answers “yes” to any of the questions, the student will be escorted to the designated Care Room.
A laminated copy of the Symptom Check Questionnaire is posted outside of the building next to the security camera portal. Visitors requesting access to the school will be asked to verify if they have answered “yes” to any of the screening questions. Visitors are not allowed to enter the building if they answer “yes” to any of the questions.
Please contact the School Nurse, Health Clinic Assistant, or the Office of Student Health Services if you have any questions.
What do I bring?
- Their charged Chromebook
- Their charger
- Headphones that work with the Chromebook
If they need any of those items or have problems with any of them, they should reach out to the Main Office at Heritage, so we can help.
Parking
Student drivers that are attending hybrid instruction MUST register to receive a parking permit.
The steps for this process are as follows:
- Student and Parent/Guardian complete the Spring 2021 Heritage High School Student Parking Application
- Students come to the main office between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, February 22nd or Monday, March 1st to pick up their parking permit.
Please note: Seniors that paid to paint a parking space in August will be assigned the space they painted. All other students will be assigned a parking space at random. Please do not “camp out” at Heritage in order to get a specific space. Spaces will be assigned at random. When visiting Heritage, you must follow all Visitor Protocols.
As noted below, student drivers should not come in the building until 9:05. They will be allowed to get breakfast from the Cafeteria, if they choose, before heading to class.
Please contact Mr. Armstrong at ross.armstrong@lcps.org with any questions.
Arrival
Student Arrival Schedule
In order to maintain proper social distancing, we are staggering entrance in to the school by students:
8:30--Doors to school opened to students. Three groups will arrive at school each day (see below for details).
Students who ride a bus to school will enter through the MAIN ENTRANCE and report to the MAIN GYM. Each student will be told to sit in a socially distanced spot on the bleachers.
Students who are dropped off in the car rider line will enter the school through the MAIN ENTRANCE and report to the MAIN GYM. Each student will be told to sit in a socially distanced spot in the bleachers.
Students who are driving themselves will enter through the MAIN ENTRANCE starting at 9:05 and will head directly to their A1/B5 classroom unless they need breakfast.
8:50--Students in the main gym that want breakfast are dismissed to the cafeteria.
9:05--Doors to the academic wing opened. Student drivers allowed to enter school & students in the main gym dismissed to their first class.
9:15--Advisory begins via 1st/5th block.
9:35--1st/5th block begins.
Daily Temperature Checks
Student temperatures will be checked daily using the thermal cameras (detailed below). Those temperature checks will be supplemented with random checks by school staff as students are arriving.
Thermal Cameras
LCPS has installed thermal cameras at the most-used entrance to each school. These cameras can scan up to 45 individuals per second and are set to identify individuals with a temperature at or exceeding 100.4 degrees. Students with a temperature of 100.4 or higher will be escorted to the Care Room for further assessment and support. School staff will notify parents if their child has an elevated temperature and needs to be picked up from school to return home. For more information, you may review frequently asked questions HERE.
Breakfast
Breakfast will be available for students who are attending in person that day.
Eligibility: Any student who is in attendance is eligible to receive a school meal.
Process: After arrival, students will report to the Main Gym. Students who are interested in having the school-provided breakfast will be allowed to go to the Cafeteria. Students will enter the cafeteria and take a meal from one of the service tables. Students will have a choice of a meal either with or without meat. Please note: students who are driving themselves will be allowed to go directly to the cafeteria once they are allowed into the building at 9:05 (see Arrival section above).
Cost: No one will be charged for lunch this year and students will not have to put in any student numbers.
Microwaves: Because of their shared nature, microwaves will not be available for students use.
Food Deliveries: We cannot accept food deliveries for students from restaurants or delivery services. We can only accept food delivered by a parent/guardian or other family member. If there is a situation that you believe creates an exception to this practice, please call the Main Office, so we can discuss it with you.
Attendance
Please check the main page of Heritage Website for attendance
procedures regarding absences, tardies or early dismissals.- Attendance for students in hybrid and distance learning will be continue to be taken in each block.
- Attendance will continue to be taken during the Advisory time.
- Parents/guardians are asked to inform the school using the Attendance Hotline or ParentVUE that their student will be absent.
Classroom Practices and Procedures
Instruction
Concurrent Teaching
Concurrent teaching occurs when in-person and distance learning students are taught at the same time by the same teacher utilizing digital friendly pedagogy. Concurrent teaching uses both synchronous and asynchronous instructional strategies.
A hybrid classroom concurrently operating with distance learners will consist of in-person students and students who remain in distance learning attending remotely. All learners will engage in asynchronous instruction on Mondays.
All Heritage teachers have undergone professional development to help support them with this change in instructional delivery.
Proctors
Teachers who have been approved for distance learning due to a qualifying need will be assigned a proctor, a substitute teacher, or an existing site-based substitute teacher to supervise their in-person students. Proctors and substitute teachers may also be assigned to monitor classes when a teacher is absent due to illness or quarantine.
Desk Arrangement (Updated 3/23/2021)
Each room has been set up to allow for at least 3 ft. of distance between students (see the Color-coded seating section below) and to allow for 8 ft. of distance between the teacher and students. Depending on the number of in-person students in a block, rooms may be adjusted to allow for teacher movement, but at least 3 ft. of distance between students and at least 8 ft. of distance between staff and students will be maintained.
Plastic shields have also been installed on Student and Teacher desks in all classrooms.
Color-coded Seating
Based on increased numbers of students in the building, we will continue the color-coded seating in classrooms where this is possible. In rooms where it is possible, desks have been marked with a Red or Black dot. Red is for odd numbered classes; Black is even numbered blocks. So a student who is in the room for Blocks 1, 3, 5, or 7 should sit in a desk with a Red dot, and a student who is in the room for Blocks 2, 4, 6, or 8 should sit in a desk with a Black dot.
Transitions
Bathroom Breaks/Passes
We have given teachers the following guidelines regarding hallway passes. Many of the guidelines reflect the need to limit the amount of students in any one place, including the hallways:
- Bathrooms will not be available between classes
- Only one student at a time should be allowed to leave a class to use a restroom, unless it is an emergency.
- Students should not be sent within the first five minutes or last five minutes of a class change.
- Students will continue to use ehallpass for any kind of pass requested.
- Staff will be monitoring the number of students allowed in a restroom at a time.
For those that are unaware, e-hallpass is the online pass system we use at Heritage. For those students who have never used e-hallpass, we will help them get started.
Lunches (Updated 3/23/2021)
Lunches will be available for students who are attending in person that day. As always, students may also bring their lunch.
Eligibility: Any student who is in attendance is eligible to receive a school meal.
Process: We will continue to follow the published lunch schedule. At their designated lunch time, students will proceed to the Cafeteria. Students will enter the cafeteria, and those who are interested in having a school-provided lunch will take a prepared meal from one of the service tables. Students will have a choice of either a lunch with or without meat.
Cost: No one will be charged for lunch this year and students will not have to put in any student numbers.
Microwaves: Because of their shared nature, microwaves will not be available for students use.
Food Deliveries: We cannot accept food deliveries for students from restaurants or delivery services. We can only accept food delivered by a parent/guardian or other family member. If there is a situation that you believe creates an exception to this practice, please call the Main Office, so we can discuss it with you.
Seating (Updated 3/23/2021)
Seating has been arranged to maintain 6 ft. distance between students.
Dismissal Schedule
Health and Safety
School Counseling Resources for Students
School Counseling and Unified Mental Health Team
Your School Counseling and Unified Mental Health Team are ready to continue to support all members of the Pride, whether you’ve chosen Hybrid or Distance Learning.
Counselors and Unified Mental Health Team members will be back in the building full-time beginning on February 23rd in preparation for Hybrid return.
To help facilitate safe and socially-distanced-support, we ask that students reach out to their counselors via email, individual office hours/Bookings link, or through our 'Request for an Appointment Form' found on LCPSGo to schedule a Virtual or Face-to-Face meeting. This Google Survey allows you to request an appointment with any of the following members of the School Counseling Department or Unified Mental Health Team (UMHT) during school hours: School Counselors, School Social Worker, School Psychologist, Student Assistance Specialist, Career Center Specialist, Testing Coordinator and Director of School Counseling. Your class time is important to us! Please know that when at all possible, we will try to meet with you on Mondays or during your study hall to help you avoid missing instruction. Members of the School Counseling Department and UMHT strive to respond to your requests in a timely manner. It is important that you are aware that this form is NOT monitored 24/7 and should NOT be used as a means to receive immediate mental health support outside of school hours. IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY DIAL 911 AND COMMUNICATE WITH A TRUSTED ADULT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Our team will hold all in-person meetings in spaces large enough to accommodate social-distancing, while still maintaining confidentiality.
We are ready to be creative to help support our students and we ask for your flexibility as we navigate this new educational environment along with you. We are so looking forward to having students back in the building again!
Health Mitigation
Health Mitigation Measures (overview-Updated 3/23/2021)
Update: On March 17th, LCPS communicated a change in the distancing guidance, beginning on April 20th. In order to support the in person attendance of students who chose hybrid to 4 days a week instead of two, there may be some situations in which social distancing is reduced from 3 ft between students, rather than 6 ft. We will try and limit those situations to the extent possible.
Face Coverings and Masks
The LCPS Face Covering Protocol describes the expectations for students, staff, and visitors while on LCPS property. LCPS has purchased face coverings for students from economically disadvantaged families, and these are available upon request from the school health office. Disposable masks will be available in the classroom and during morning arrival for students not wearing a face covering.
Some highlights from the Protocol are described below.
Requirements:
- LCPS requires all staff members, visitors, and students older than 2 years of age to wear cloth or disposable face coverings at all times, except as referenced below in the “Periodic Breaks” and “Exceptions” sections. This includes while in the LCPS workplace, at school, at school activities, and while entering, exiting, and riding the school bus. Students and staff must wear face coverings at all times even if six feet of separation is maintained.
- Disposable or cloth face coverings are to be worn properly to comply with this requirement. The face covering must cover the nose and mouth and be secured under the chin. It should fit snugly against the sides of the face with little to no gaps.
- Extra masks will be stored in each room for staff or students who need one.
Periodic Breaks:
- Wearing a cloth face covering consistently, every day, all day, and without a break can be challenging. School teams will coordinate times when a “face covering break” can be safely implemented while maintaining 6 feet of physical separation between individuals. An appropriate example would be a scheduled work or school break such as lunch or during recess that is held outside with adherence to physical distancing requirements. Students who require a brief mask break during class should request it from the teacher.
- Exceptions to this requirement will be made in accordance with the CDC and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) recommendations regarding face coverings. Additionally, students and staff will not be required to wear a cloth or disposable face covering in the following circumstances:
- while eating or drinking.
- while exercising, engaged in high intensity aerobic activity, or school athletics if 10 feet of physical distance can be maintained by all participants (instructors, students, and spectators). Spectators must wear face coverings consistent with any active Executive Orders.
- when alone in a classroom, office, or a cubicle with walls 7 feet or higher, with the door closed.
- while communicating with people who are hearing impaired for which the mouth needs to be visible.
Improper Mask Wearing
- LCPS expects students to comply with health mitigation policies if they are making the choice to return to hybrid instruction. Students that do not do so will be given a chance to correct their behavior. Students that repeatedly choose to not follow these policies will meet with school administration and their parents and run the risk of being moved to 100% distance learning. Teachers have been instructed to notify school administration if they are having issues with students not complying with the face covering protocols so that the students may be addressed promptly and directly.
Care Room
Each school has identified a “Care Room,” an area/room that is separate from the health office for students and staff who may demonstrate symptoms of COVID-19. The Care Room will be used to monitor or observe students that have symptoms that may be related to COVID-19.
The Care Room will be staffed by a trained full-time LCPS substitute or contracted vendor. Care Room responsibilities include: taking the student’s temperature with a no-touch thermometer; asking the student to identify their symptoms using the symptom check questionnaire, recording the information, and consulting with the school nurse or health clinic specialist to contact the parent/guardian for student pick up.
We are using two of our locker rooms as our two Care Rooms.
If a student is showing symptoms while in class, we have instructed teachers to discreetly contact the main office, and we will send an escort to take the student to the Care Room. Every effort will be made to protect a student's privacy.
Health Mitigation Monitors (HMMs)
Health Mitigation Monitors are contracted by LCPS to help us gauge our success at implementing the plans to keep everyone as safe as possible. Their role is to be present and report to Heritage Administration and LCPS on our areas where we are being success and those areas where we are experiencing challenges. These individuals will conduct inspections throughout the school each day and will report any mitigation issues to the administrative team. Health Mitigation Monitors fill out a daily report and interface with Admin and Safety and Security multiple times a day. Their job, however, is not one of enforcement. It is still the role of Heritage Admin and Safety and Security to address students or staff that are having difficulty complying with Health Expectations through our disciplinary/Personnel processes.
Cleaning/Air Quality
Cleaning of high touch surfaces in the public areas throughout the school will take place frequently throughout the day. Classrooms will be cleaned thoroughly at the end of each day.
LCPS has provided air filtration units for every classroom. Combined with the PPE, these units will help improve air quality in the rooms. Additionally, LCPS has installed MERV-13 air filters for our HVAC system.
Please note: Home cleaning products are not authorized for school and are therefore not allowed to be used. Students should not bring their own disinfectant wipes to use at school.
Contact Tracing/Risk Matrix
All diagnosis and medical information is private and confidential which limits the amount of information that can be shared, even as we are contact tracing.
In order to prevent COVID-19 transmission in schools, students and staff who are determined to be a close contact of a person diagnosed with the Coronavirus are expected to comply with quarantine guidelines. Students and staff who are directed to quarantine or isolate, due to illness, will not be permitted to attend school or school activities while under the order. The Student Health Services Office or school health office staff is available to answer questions related to this important mitigation protocol.
LCPS will use the following matrix to determine shifts between Hybrid and 100% Distance Learning, as well as the guidance contained in the "Instructional Model Decision Making during Transmission in Schools" that can be found on slide 23 of the Interim Superintendent's presentation to the School Board from January 26, 2021.
Quarantine
In order to prevent COVID-19 transmission in schools, students and staff who are determined to be a close contact of a person diagnosed with the Coronavirus are expected to comply with quarantine guidelines. Students and staff who are directed to quarantine or isolate, due to illness, will not be permitted to attend school or school activities while under the order. The Student Health Services Office or school health office staff is available to answer questions related to this important mitigation protocol.
What could prompt a return to distance learning?
The School Board directed staff to consider all three core indicators and implement the Risk Matrix for In-person Learning to determine learning modality for all students. The motion adopted by the School Board authorizes the superintendent to implement 100 percent distance learning should COVID-19 transmission occur within particular classes, a school, or schools. This action supersedes previous motions adopted by the School Board.
Hybrid instruction is contingent on LCPS’s ability to provide adequate staffing to supervise students and deliver instruction. Schools that experience a high number of staff absences may temporarily transition to distance learning while additional substitute teachers are secured.
For complete details about mitigation measures, please view the Hybrid Model in Stages Implementation Guide.
Wait, I Still Have Questions
General questions or not sure who to contact?
- Heritage Main Office
- Hours: 8:30-4:30 M-F
- Phone: (571) 252-2800
Specific questions can be emailed to the following individuals:
Health Mitigation, Scheduling, Communication: Jeff Adam (Principal)
Parking, Transportation, Testing, Furniture: Ross Armstrong (Assistant Principal, Students A-G)
Cleaning, Building Use: Adrian Powell (Assistant Principal, Students O-Z)
Daily Schedule, Special Education: Kim Turner (Assistant Principal, Students H-N)
School Counseling, Mental Health, Scheduling: Suzanne Eicholtz (Director of School COunseling
Athletics, Arrival/Dismissal: James (JJ) Totaro (Athletic Director)
Contact Tracing, Daily Symptom Checker (student), Health Questions: Sarah Larson (Nurse)