NVCS Re-Opening FAQ
2020-21 School Year
Note From the Admin Team
Hello Nighthawk Nation,
We want to start this communication by thanking all of you for your patience during this time. We understand that this summer has been a summer unlike any other and that many of you have been patiently awaiting more details regarding school reopening this fall.
Our administrative team has been hard at work this summer planning for a safe reentry plan for all involved. A detailed reentry plan will be shared with all parents as we get closer to the start of the school year. Many of you have reached out with questions regarding our reopening. We have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions that we thought would be helpful for our parent and student population regarding our reopening this fall. Please read the FAQs below. If you have a question that was not answered we encourage you to reach out to your building principal with your questions.
Thank you for your partnership and patience during this time,
Tim Bishop, Executive Director
Mary Baker, K-3 Principal
Marian Hejl, 4-8 Principal
Todd Bissell, K-8 Assistant Principal
Back to School Schedule
Friday, August 14 @ 4:00 p.m.: Deadline to enroll in online learning
Thursday, August 20: K-3 Testing - More information to come
Friday, August 21: K-3 Testing - More information to come
Monday, August 24: Students with last names beginning with A-L for In-Person Learning
Monday, August 24: Online Learning begins for online students
Tuesday, August 25: Students with last names beginning with M - Z for In-Person Learning
Wednesday, August 26: Students with last names beginning with A-L for In-Person Learning
Thursday, August 27: Students with last names beginning with M-Z for In-Person Learning
Friday, August 28: No school for students. Both campuses will be completely sanitized.
Monday, August 31: All In-Person students report to school
In Person Learning FAQs
TSD has just announced that they have delayed the start of school, will NVCS be doing the same?
We will be delaying school by one week to provide teachers more time to prepare their classrooms for the safe return of their students. The week of August 24th will follow this schedule to provide a safe and slow rollout to the learning environment.
Monday, August 24: Students with last names beginning with A-L
Tuesday, August 25: Students with last names beginning with M - Z
Wednesday, August 26: Students with last names beginning with A-L
Thursday, August 27: Students with last names beginning with M-Z
Friday, August 28: No school for students. Both campuses will be completely sanitized.
Will NVCS host a mandatory student check-in this year?
NVCS will be hosting a virtual student check-in this year. You will receive an email from your child's teacher with more information.
Will NVCS host a Back to School night?
NVCS will be hosting a virtual meet the teacher night this year. Please watch the Nighthawk News with information on the dates and times of this event.
When will my student bring their school supplies?
4-8 Students will bring their supplies with them on the 1st day of school. We will have plenty of help to get their supplies to the classrooms.
K-3 Students will bring their supplies with them to their testing time.
Will the K-3 campus still do student testing?
The K-3 Campus will do testing on August 20th and 21st. We will be sending out a sign-up sheet to sign up for a time. Social distancing and masks will be required.
It looks like on the calendar they have two days for last names A-L and two days for last names M-Z. If parents are working with other parents with learning/ transportation but they are not in the same group, is there any room to switch groups?
Please contact your school administrator to discuss this.
What is in-person instruction going to look like? Will kids and teachers be required to wear masks all day?
Masks or face coverings are required for all staff and students if 6-feet of physical distancing cannot be met. The school supply list required one mask, we recommend having multiple masks so they can be washed regularly.
Will my student have to share a Chromebook like they did last year before schools going remote?
No, NVCS has invested in building our technology infrastructure and is now a one to one school. Every NVCS student K-8 will have their own Chromebook for the 2020-21 school year. More details about this will be communicated in our full reopening plan.
How will social distancing be implemented? Will it be required within the classroom and for additional situations (recess, lunch, specials, halls, etc.)?
Physical distancing will be implemented to the fullest extent possible.
Physical distancing may look different between buildings and classrooms due to the uniqueness of spaces and infrastructure.
Students will have their own school supplies and backpacks.
Lockers will not be available except for those students who need them for specific health reasons.
Personal items will remain at the desk with the student. Phones and other personal devices will not be allowed to be shared.
Students will be encouraged to bring their own water bottles. Drinking fountains will be shut off, but bottle-filling stations will be open where available. Students will go directly into the building after drop-off, eliminating the need for parking and walking a student to the door.
If cohorts rotate from one space to another, the room, equipment, and materials will be disinfected prior to the next group's arrival.
Handwashing is critical to minimizing the risk of spreading COVID-19 and will be required at multiple times throughout the day.
Will students remain in their classrooms all day?
We are working to schedule breaks in and outside of classrooms. Recess is still a scheduled activity, although the playground and some equipment will not be available at this time. Students will remain with the same cohort for the day. This practice will allow for contact tracing if needed.
How many teachers and/or other classrooms will they come in contact with each day?
This will be limited but varies based on grade and individual student needs. If you would like more details about what contact with adults/teachers will look like for your student specifically, please contact your school principal.
What will recess look like? Are they allowed outside? Are there multiple classes outside at once? What kind of sanitizing practices do you have for the equipment?
Recess will be limited to activities within the same student cohorts and cohorts shall not mix.
Due to safety precautions, the use of playground equipment will not be accessible at the beginning of the school year.
Student cohorts will be assigned designated areas on the playground and/or fields.
Students will wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before entering and after exiting the playground.
Students will be encouraged to engage in hands-free activities such as soccer, shadow tag, jump rope, hopscotch, running, and other similar activities.
When playground equipment is determined to be accessible, the number of students and time allotted on playground equipment will be limited.
Who is responsible for providing cleaning and sanitizing materials?
NVCS has invested in a variety of high-quality cleaning and sanitizing materials. Students have been asked to bring hand sanitizer on the school supply list, this is so each student can have access to their own personal sanitizer.
We are following the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) guidelines in response to COVID-19, which includes longer system run times and increased exhaust.
Daily disinfection of all areas throughout the building will occur, including multiple daily restroom disinfections.
Classes will be held outside when possible and appropriate.
Visual cues such as floor decals and/or signs will be utilized to indicate the flow and direction of one-way traffic and effective distancing.
Plexiglass shields will be used in select areas with fixed interactions, such as reception desks. Additional plexiglass shields will be used in other applications, such as one-on-one counseling sessions, meetings, or individualized instructional needs.
Additional handwashing and sanitation stations will be placed in schools as needed to promote cleanliness.
To help minimize the number of people on school grounds, school volunteers will not be allowed to work in district buildings or grounds during the school day.
How will specials (Music, Art, PE, etc.) work this year?
The administration is taking guidance from TSD and the Larimer County Health Department and is scheduling specials to maximize cohort tracing.
If a Specials teacher gets COVID, do you have to shut down the school since they have seen every student?
To protect our cohort groups, our specials teachers will not see every student, every day. Their schedules will be adjusted to maximize contact tracing and limit the number of classes they see in a day/semester.
How will lunch work? Is a sack-lunch required or will buying lunch be allowed?
Lunch will be available. Although cafeterias will be closed, items will be available to eat outside or in the classrooms.
Students can enter the cafeteria to pick up their food. Items will be served to the students. There will be no self-serve options such as salad bars.
Drive through grab-and-go meals will be available for online students--TSD will release more information regarding this process to families who choose the online option.
Are they eating in the cafeteria or are they required to stay in their classroom?
As of now, students will be eating in their classrooms or in other areas of the school that will allow for safe social distancing. Administrators are working hard to create a rotation for all classes so that students get relief from the classroom environment. We plan on utilizing our outside spaces while we have good weather.
Are there multiple classes together for lunch?
Only if we can achieve 6 ft distancing between all students.
How will bathroom breaks work for the students?
Students will be asked to sign out to leave the room (contact tracing logs will be kept in all rooms) and a health monitor will be utilized to ensure social distancing is achieved while students wait to enter the restrooms.
What will drive-line look like?
In the mornings when the kids were usually on the playground or in the gym (depending on weather), where will they go now?
Students will go directly to their homerooms. There will be no holding areas for students. Drop-off times to be announced.
After school do kids wait in their classrooms?
Students will be released through driveline. Walkers and bikers will have a protocol to safely move through the building that ensures social distancing and student safety.
How much time will it take to get through drive-line with your implemented changes?
At this time we cannot give a specific time that it will take. The administrative team is working hard to ensure start and end times are staggered so that driveline can be a very structured, well managed, safe experience. A complete driveline protocol will be released with the final reopening plan.
Is there a plan for temperature or symptom checking before kids or staff are allowed in the building?
Parents need to temperature check their children prior to school each day. If the child’s temperature is elevated, please contact the school.
We will be taking and recording teacher temperatures on a daily basis at the start of each day.
What is your threshold for closing the school again?
This is determined in partnership with the Larimer County Health Department.
Who calls the ultimate shots regarding closure since you are a Charter School?
Larimer County Health Department has the ultimate say in our ability to stay open or go remote.
SCHOOL CLOSURE - The two (2) entities who have the authority to initiate school closure for New Vision Charter School (NVCS) are Thompson School District (TSD) office and NVCS, which is initiated by the Executive Director.
What is the plan if a teacher, student, or family member tests positive for COVID?
We will be following TSDs protocol for this and are waiting for their guidance on how this will be achieved.
What happens if you cannot find substitute teachers?
We will use support staff to cover classes when/where needed. All of our administration hold a valid teaching license and have stepped into classes to help where needed prior to the pandemic. We are confident we will be able to secure classroom support when necessary.
Will I be able to volunteer in my child’s classroom this year?
At this time we, unfortunately, cannot have visitors and parent volunteers in the school, but many teachers have things you can do at home to help them out.
If we do choose to send our child to school, are we able to change transitioning them to online if we no longer feel comfortable with them being in the class?
Please contact your school administrator.
How will a change in how lessons are delivered (online vs. in-person) change funding that the school receives?
The funding difference is minimal.
How can we support you and the school at this point?
Please be patient as we work through the reopening process. We are aware that it is very difficult to not have all of the answers. Please know that the New Vision Administration is working hard to ensure that we reopen in a way that is safe and healthy for all involved. Your patience, understanding, feedback, and kindness are the biggest support in this process.
For clarification purposes, if in-person learning moves to online learning the classroom teachers will continue to provide online education for the students that chose in-person learning.
Online Learning FAQs
- How do I enroll in online learning?
Please use this link to enroll in online learning.
What curriculum provider is NVCS using for their online program?
We have contracted with Florida Virtual Learning and will be taught by two New Vision teachers.
Is this online choice for the entire school year?
As of right now we know that it will be available through the first semester. We will be monitoring the need for extending online options for the remainder of the year throughout the first semester.
Is there any additional cost associated with choosing online?
No, families who choose the online option will have access to the online option at no additional cost.
By when do we need to make a decision about the online option?
We are asking families to commit to a decision no later than Friday, August 14, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.
Is the online curriculum taught by New Vision teachers?
We have two NVCS online teachers committed to providing a high-quality online education program.
How will specials (Music, Art, PE, etc) be handled online?
The online education program provider we are working with has specials offered through the online program. Individuals who choose the online option will be updated with this information when we have a more defined process of what this will look like.
What is the time commitment going to be for students and parents? Is it all day every day, 4 days on 1 day off, half days, etc?
The online program provider we are working with allows more self pacing than what was experienced last school year. Students and families will be able to pace in a manner that works for them. Our online teachers will help guide families in where they should be in their percentage of content completed throughout the semester, but there will be more flexibility in time and task management for students and parents who choose the online option.
How involved will an adult need to be to ensure online success?
This depends upon the grade, home structure, and time allocated in each home. We are asking that there is an adult to facilitate the learning of the student, however they will not need to be present for every lesson, video, activity, etc. for their student to be successful.
Will there be an option to move online students back into the classroom should things change for the better?
Families who commit to the online option from the start of the year will need to remain in the online platform for at least one semester.
Will in-person students combine with online students in their online classes should things change for the worse?
No, students who are participating in the in-person option will have classes hosted by their homeroom/core content teachers. Online students will continue progressing through the online program with their online instructors.
Will a student in any way be penalized for choosing online?
No, many families are choosing online for the 20-21 school year. We understand and respect this choice and will ensure a high-quality online program so that students can return to their classrooms well prepared for the second semester.
Does choosing online affect subsequent admittance to New Vision for the current student or for any younger siblings?
No
Does an online student still need to provide school supplies?
Yes, these lists will be provided to families who commit to the online option.
What interaction will there be between online and in-person students, if any?
We have created an online learning center in our building where students who are participating in the online courses can come in and get support from our online learning teachers. Students will be expected to enter through the main entrance and will be met by a teacher and taken to the online learning center to get the support they need. Students will need to set up times with the online learning teachers, this support is not a drop-in model.