BC Bear Facts
Transition to Phase 3 Learning: 9/20/20
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE:
Dear Boulder Creek Families,
We are beyond excited to have our Boulder Creek Bears back on the school campus for the first time, other than in small groups, since last March. We thank our families for sticking with us during all the changes and important decisions this pandemic has brought to our schools.
We are acutely aware of the wildly differing opinions and strong feelings about what schools should and should not be doing during this unprecedented time. Before the start of the school year, the trajectory of the positive COVID cases in our county was going up to the point that we thought we would land on the state watchlist within a few weeks after the start of the year, thus the difficult decision was made to start in Distance Learning. Since then, positive cases have decreased which led our district to decide to transition to in-person learning. Our district officials know that whatever decision they make, there will always be others who will end up being unhappy. In that sense, it is impossible to meet everyone's needs completely. Nevertheless, try we will!
We want to do everything within our ability to honor those who do not feel comfortable sending students back to campus, just as we want to honor those who do. Through surveys and calls to and from our families, we have narrowed down those who want to continue with Distance Learning (DL). Initially, we thought we would have the ability to provide a DL teacher for every grade level. But, once the requests (approximately 10% of our families) for distance learning began coming in, EESD could not provide a separate DL teacher for every grade level. The decision landed on making sure our youngest students (K-3) would receive the DL teachers, while our 4-8 students would be served by their current teachers.
So, what does this mean for your DL child? K-3 students will have a new DL teacher. Your child is STILL A BOULDER CREEK STUDENT. Your child's teacher may be from a different school in our district, but your child will be able to return to Boulder Creek in 2021-2022. It is also possible he/she will be able to return if space is available this school year. We will assess the situation at the end of each trimester.
The same is true for our 4-8 DL students. The only difference is that those students will continue to receive DL from their current teacher. This will look a little different than it has up to this point. It depends on how your child's teacher is structuring his/her live time with DL students. Your child may be involved in live interactive learning when each lesson is delivered, or your child may be live-streamed during the lessons but the interaction with the teacher is taking place at the end of the school day. This structure will vary from teacher to teacher and their comfort level with managing nearly a full in-person class along with DL students simultaneously.
We all need to understand that learning this year will not look the same as much as we would like for that to be the case. However, we will do everything in our power to provide the best learning experience possible under the circumstances and restrictions with which we are dealt. Please know that your teachers and support staff have worked tirelessly to prepare for every change and obstacle that has come their way. I commend them for recognizing all the adversities our families are facing and doing their very best to serve them.
Please read this entire newsletter, as it is packed with important procedural information that you must know before your child returns to campus.
Thank you, families, for partnering with us as well as for your patience as we navigate this challenging school year.
Sincerely,
Tina Croes
What do you and your child need to know BEFORE returning to campus on Monday, September 21st?
- EVERY MORNING BEFORE LEAVING FOR SCHOOL take your child's temperature and run through the EESD self-screening checklist (see list in health protocol letter below). Students and adults with any of the symptoms on the list should stay home and notify the office.
- Students will arrive as close as possible to the start time (see bell schedule below) of the youngest child in the household. There will be no early drop-off as the playground and cafeteria will be closed per Shasta County Public Health and the need to not mix cohorts of students. Students will go directly to their classes upon arrival and will not be allowed to congregate on school grounds.
- Adults/volunteers are not allowed onto campus without a pre-approved appointment. ALL adults must wear a mask when on campus.
- We will make an exception to the above in the mornings for Kindergarten students only. Parents wearing a mask may walk K's to the exterior classroom door and leave promptly. During the first day or two, parents of 1st, 2nd, and new students may walk your child to the exterior classroom door only. Make sure you are wearing a mask, maintaining social distance, and leaving promptly to as to minimize the number of people on campus.
- ALL students (TK-8) will wear a mask and practice social distancing when arriving on campus and departing at the end of the day, as these are our highest traffic times. PLEASE BE SURE YOUR CHILD LEAVES THE HOUSE IN THE MORNING WITH HIS/HER MASK. If you need help obtaining a washable mask for your child, please contact your child's teacher or our school office.
- ALL 3-8 students are required to wear a mask while on campus with the exception of lunch, as they are eating, and during outdoor recess and PE times. K-2 students are also encouraged, although not required, to wear a mask while in class.
- At a minimum, all students will be asked to wash and/or sanitize their hands every time they enter or exit the classroom.
- Students will need to maintain social distancing wherever feasible while at school. They should always follow the directions of their teachers or support staff.
Please review these rules with your child so he/she knows what is expected before they return.
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING EESD SCHOOL YEAR PLAN BUTTON FOR OUR DISTRICT'S DETAILED PLAN.
DROP-OFF/PICK-UP TIMES AND PARKING LOT PROCEDURES Where/when should I drop-off and pick-up?
Grade-Level Start and End Times
If you have more than one child at Boulder Creek, your family's start time is decided by the start time of the youngest child in the family. Teachers know which of their students are older siblings and therefore will not mark them tardy for coming in a little late. This flexibility is built-in because we can't have younger siblings on campus early with no place to go. Please see the times below and drop-off accordingly so all children in the family can go straight to class upon arrival.
School Start Times:
6-8 grades begin at 8:00 am (classrooms and front office gate will be open at 7:45)
3-5 grades begin at 8:07 am (classrooms and the back lot gate will be open at 7:52)
K-2 grades begin at 8:15 am (classrooms and the front Kindergarten gate will be open at 8:00)
Students will be released from class based upon the dismissal time of the youngest child in the family. This way, parents will not have to wait for two or three dismissal times. This helps us clear our parking lots must faster and avoid long periods of time with many students in our pick-up areas. Students will be walked to a designated pick-up area (see below) and remain with their teacher/classmates. If they have an older sibling(s), the sibling will be excused from class early to meet their youngest sibling at the designated pick-up area. Please coordinate this with your children.
School End Times:
4-8 dismissal @ 1:10 pm (teachers on duty in assigned lot) until 1:25 pm
K-3 dismissal @ 1:00 pm (teachers on duty in assigned lot) until 1:15 pm
It is crucial that your child/children are picked up from school on time. We do not want them to mix cohorts, and there is no supervision for them beyond their own teachers' duty time.
Assigned Parking Lots for Drop-off and Pick-up
This location is decided by the youngest child in the family. Older children in the family will need to find their youngest sibling at the pick-up location that is assigned to that sibling's grade level. For example, Kindergarten will be picked up in the front parking lot, so all older siblings of Kindergartners will be dismissed at the Kindergarten dismissal time to find their Kindergarten sibling's class at the front of the school and wait for their parent there together. We will be out to help older siblings find their pick-up point. This should only take a day or two to get into the routine of where to go.
Parking Lot Assignments by Grade-Level:
- TK/K (and all older siblings) - Front Lot
1 and 2 (and all older siblings) - Back Lot
3 and 4 (and all older siblings) - Front Lot
5 (and all older siblings) - Back Lot
6-8 (and all older siblings) Front Lot
Please do not arrive earlier than your youngest child's release time (see above), as we want to be able to clear the parking lot quickly for each group. Thank you for your cooperation.
Please review the BC Flow of Traffic Map in order to determine which way to enter/exit the campus from the neighborhood depending on which parking lot you are assigned. Front lot = red arrows. Back lot = green arrows.
CHROMEBOOK RETURN
Only 6-8 grade students will be taking their Chromebooks (CB) to and from school each day. They will be keeping their charging cord at home where they will be expected to charge their CB each night so the CB is fully charged the next day and ready for school. 6-8 grade students will be provided with a district case to help keep their CB safe during travel to and from home. This case will not protect the CB from negligent behavior on the part of students. Students should always take diligent care of keeping their CB safe from damage.
REQUIRED SCHOOL VACCINATIONS
Incoming 7th graders, Kindergartners, and other new students:
California school immunization requirements remain the same. Please take care of completing these as soon as possible. Students who are not current on vaccinations and who do not have a medical waiver will need to be excluded from school until requirements are met in accordance with state law.
There are many convenient locations that provide vaccinations, including pharmacies at Rite Aid, Safeway, etc. Often, no appointment is necessary.
Please contact our health clerk, Andrea Wilson at awilson@eesd.net if you have any questions.
Thank you.
HAVE YOU COMPLETED YOUR REQUIRED FORMS?
Another extremely important form required by every family (one form per household) is the yellow free/reduced lunch form. This form is required even if your family does not qualify. Forms are available outside of the office each day. Please return to the dropbox.
Complete your child's emergency card and all other district beginning of year forms by clicking HERE for instructions and links to complete forms.
Thank you for taking care of the outstanding forms as soon as possible.
SCHOOL HEALTH PROTOCOL DURING COVID-19
OFFICE HOURS AND PROCEDURES
LUNCH AND BREAKFAST
Distance Learning families meal pick-up time on the curb each day from 9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
POWER SCHOOL PARENT PORTAL
By now, you should have received a letter from the district office about creating an account in the PowerSchool parent portal. The letter contains a unique username and password for each of your students, so you will want to hang onto it until you set up your account. You will be asked for your student access code. If you can't find this access code, please contact our school office for assistance. Why do you need to create a parent account? This is a secure platform through which you will receive your child’s report card, complete enrollment, and complete the necessary beginning of the year school forms like your child's emergency card. In the future, this is also how state testing results will be communicated. We have created how-to videos for you on our website, and you can always email help@eesd.net or call your school if you need further assistance.
Click HERE for the link to the parent portal.
IMPORTANT LINKS
- help@eesd.net: for Chromebook questions (including how to get a device); technology troubleshooting as directed by your child's teacher
- eesd.net: for online resources and other district information
- bouldercreek.eesd.net: for weekly newsletters and other information
Boulder Creek School
Website: https://bouldercreek.eesd.net/
Location: 505 Springer Drive, Redding, CA, USA
Phone: 530-224-4140
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bouldercreekschool/