This edition of the newsletter will contain a lot of information regarding our COVID-19 safety procedures. As I previously mentioned in the last edition, the Marion County Board of Education has created a solid and detailed plan for reentry. (You can read the entire plan by visiting the school website, under the LATEST NEWS section.)

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers as we have been preparing to start school. We want to keep your children safe and healthy while providing them with a quality education. As always, please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or concerns. My contact information is listed below.

Looking forward to a fabulous year!

Mrs. Headrick

kheadrick@mctns.net

423-658-5635

Students will remain in cars until they have been screened. The screening involves 5 simple questions and a temperature check. Once the screening is complete, students may exit car and enter the building. Students riding buses will also be screened. Buses, however, will take precedence over cars. For example, students on buses are required to have a mask and have been traveling in a hot bus with no air conditioning. Our priority will be to screen them first so that they can exit the bus as quickly as possible.

Four people will be outside each morning screening our students. Two additional people, including the SRO, will be on traffic duty. We want to ask that car traffic be as patient and understanding as possible if there are delays with students being able to exit cars in a timely manner. We will work as efficiently as possible, giving the buses our first attention.

Once a student has been screened, he/she will enter the building and proceed to the bus room. Bus room times are 7:00 - 7:45. This school year, the bus room has been divided into two areas so that we can properly social distance. Fifth and sixth graders will report to the auditorium. Seventh and eighth graders will report to the gym. Seating in both areas has been marked with yellow circles, so that students can easily see where they should safely sit.

Teachers will be picking up their classes from the bus room at 7:45 and escorting students to respective homerooms. Multiple exits from the gym and auditorium will be used when exiting. If a student is dropped off after 7:45, he/she will report directly to his/her classroom. There are also large yellow circles on both sides of the floor as reminders to social distance at all times when traveling.

First and foremost, car riders will not exit the building in one large group. They will remain in the bus rooms until they are individually called. Each car rider driver will be given a visor placard with your child's name on it. This visor placard should be placed on the driver's sun visor. When the visor is down, the child's name should be visible to school personnel. This visibility will help school personnel when calling for students who are safely waiting in the building. Again, we are asking for your patience with this procedure. More than likely your wait time is going to increase. We do apologize in advance for this inconvenience. We want to keep your children as safe as possible.

1. Have you been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the past 14 days?

2. Are you experiencing a cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, or stomach symptoms?

3. Have you had a fever in the last 48 hours?

4. Have you had a new loss of taste or smell?

5. Have you had vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours?