EECV Family Newsletter
August 2021 - News and Information for our Families
Welcome to EECV and the 2021-2022 School Year
Dear EECV Families,
Welcome or welcome back to EECV! I speak for myself and all the Elyria Early Childhood Village staff when I say we are excited to kick off what is sure to be an amazing year of growth and development for your children.
Our district Superintendent, Ann Schloss, provided information regarding the start of the school year and health and safety practices in her Pioneer News communication to families. As we return to in-person learning, below are some important points made in the Pioneer News from Superintendent Schloss:
COVID-19 safety precautions will remain a priority in our daily happenings.
Custodians and maintenance staff will place utmost emphasis on sanitization of school buildings, adhering to the cleaning guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It's strongly recommended that masks continue to be worn, but the school district will not mandate it at this time. The exception to this is for bus riders; masks are required on public transportation per the CDC.
Ohio health professionals are advising students and staff who are unvaccinated to wear masks in the classroom. We will continue closely monitoring COVID-19 developments in our community and revise our plans if necessary.
A critical reminder: Students and staff should not come to school if they are showing ANY signs of illness, such as headache or fever, cough, sneezing, shortness of breath, stomachache, etc.
This cannot be overemphasized: Please do not come to school if you are feeling ill.
The CDC provides excellent guidance on symptoms of illness and symptoms of COVID-19.
As always, please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns that you believe I can help with. Also, please make sure to follow us on social media for updates and posts on the wonderful things happening at EECV!
Facebook: Elyria Early Childhood Village (@EECVSchool)
Twitter: EECV (@EECVschool)
Sincerely,
Jackie Plantner, Principal
plantnerjacqueline@elyriaschools.org
Myia Bruening, Secretary - brueningmyia@elyriaschools.org
Dawn Resar, Secretary - resardawn@elyriaschools.org
Jennifer Packman, School Nurse - packmanjennifer@elyriaschools.org
Elyria Early Childhood Village Open House
When:
Thursday, September 2nd
- Morning Preschool Students = 5:00-6:00 PM
- Afternoon Preschool Students = 6:00-7:00 PM
Where:
Elyria Early Childhood Village
42101 Griswold Rd. Elyria
NOTE: This is a new time and format from what was in your mailed welcome letter.
Preschool Screening Appointments 9/7/21-9/9/21
September 7th, 8th, and 9th will be individual screening/orientation appointment days for Preschool. You and your child are asked to attend an appointment to complete a screening questionnaire with your child’s teacher. The screening questionnaire will include academic skills, self-help skills, and physical skills. This is a time for your child’s teacher to get to know your child at the meeting. Your child will also be screened in hearing and vision during this appointment.
First Day of Preschool
The first day of school will be on Monday, September 13th, 2021. Students will attend either a morning or afternoon session.
Arrival and Dismissal
The buses will run as usual beginning on Monday, September 13th and classes will be held at the normally scheduled time. If your child will be riding the school bus this year, you will be notified of the bus schedule by First Student Transportation. If you have any questions regarding the bus number or times for drop off and pick up, please contact First Student Transportation directly at 284-8030. Students riding the bus are REQUIRED to wear a mask at all times while on the bus.
Arrival
Morning Student Arrival begins at 8:55 AM
Afternoon Student Arrival begins at 12:35 PM
Parents choosing to transport their child by car must enter and exit from the Griswold Rd. entrance only. Construction for the new Westwood Campus makes it impossible for both cars and bus traffic to enter and exit from Adelbert. Please ONLY use the Griswold Rd. entrance and exit.
Parents must park and walk their child to their designated arrival door (see below). At the door parents will leave their child with an EECV staff member who will escort them to class. No parents will be allowed to escort their child to the classroom.
- Green, Orange, Peach and Lilac Rooms - Entrance located toward the playground area at the northeast corner of the building
- Yellow, Gray, Pink, and Aqua Rooms - Main EECV Entrance
- Gold White, Silver, and Burgundy Rooms - Entrance at the end of the front sidewalk (past the EECV Main Entrance)
Dismissal
Morning Student Dismissal is at 11:40 AM
Afternoon Student Dismissal is at 3:10 PM
Parents choosing to transport their child by car must enter and exit from the Griswold Rd. entrance only. Construction for the new Westwood Campus makes it impossible for both cars and bus traffic to enter and exit from Adelbert. Please ONLY use the Griswold Rd. entrance and exit.
Parents must park and walk to their child's designated dismissal door (see below). At the door parents wait for the child's teacher to dismiss the child to their parent or guardian. Identification will be checked until staff are able to identify the person picking up the child. Please remember to bring an ID with you each day.
- Green, Orange, Peach and Lilac Rooms - Dismissal located at the exit toward the playground area at the northeast corner of the building
- Yellow, Gray, Pink, and Aqua Rooms - Dismissal at the Main EECV Entrance
- Gold White, Silver, and Burgundy Rooms - Dismissal at the end of the front sidewalk (past the EECV Main Entrance)
COVID-19 Precautions
Student, staff and community safety is paramount as students return to in-person learning in traditional school settings.
The CDC urges students and staff who have not received the full dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine to wear masks.
At this time, a mask mandate has not been issued by the state or by local health authorities though they concur that masks will help slow the spread of COVID.
Elyria Schools strongly recommends the use of masks.
It will be difficult to socially distance in the school setting though we will pay close attention to seating arrangements in the classrooms and lunchrooms, and will space students out as much as possible.
As before, schools will emphasize good hand hygiene. School custodians and cleaners will continue attending to a detailed cleaning schedule with special emphasis on common areas and shared surfaces. The custodians adhere to the CDC guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting schools.
Health officials continue touting the benefits of "layering" prevention strategies to slow the spread of illness.
These layers include vaccinations, masks if unvaccinated, hand washing, distancing when possible, attention to cleaning and ventilation, and most importantly, daily self wellness checks and staying home when sick.
COVID-19 and its variants are not the only illnesses impacting children and families.
It's important to take measures to prevent illness and keep current on vaccines.
The Ohio Department of Health recommends vaccinating children against vaccine-preventable diseases. The CDC provides resources for parents in tracking vaccination schedules for children under the age of 18.
Illness at School: What Next?
These procedures closely mirror the process the district has followed since the start of the pandemic.
Elyria Schools employs five full-time nurses and several health aides that are integrally involved in the overall health and wellness work of the district, and certainly with COVID-19 protocols.
Classroom teachers are with students all throughout the day and are typically the first to notice symptoms of illness in the classroom. When that happens, students are assessed by the school nurse, health aide or school administrator and next steps are determined.
If school staff members are notified of a positive COVID-19 case within the school, the nurse and administrative team begin tracing any possible contacts in the classroom setting that may meet the CDC's definition of a "close contact."
Our school nurses and district administration will follow the Ohio Department of Health guidance for tracing classroom contacts and making decisions on quarantines. This process is detailed by ODH in a flowchart on the agency's website.
Please note in the ODH flowchart: students and staff who are vaccinated or wearing masks are less likely to be impacted by quarantines in a close contact situation.
School families will continue to be notified when a positive COVID-19 case happens in their child's classroom or school. The ODH will continue to record cases in Ohio and publish the information by district on its website.
Prevention strategies are key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and that work begins at home.
Please monitor your family's health and wellness at home and do not attend school if any symptoms of illness are present.
Upcoming Events
- Thursday, September 2nd = EECV Open House
- Tuesday, September 7th - Thursday September, 9th = Individual Screening Appointments
- Monday, September 13 = First Day of Preschool
Elyria Early Childhood Village
Elyria Early Childhood Village
Email: plantnerjacqueline@elyriaschools.org
Website: www.elyriaschools.org
Location: 42101 Griswold Road, Elyria, OH, USA
Phone: (440) 284-8250
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EECVSchool/
Twitter: @EECVschool