LCE Return to Campus
Our TK - 2nd Grade Waiver Has Been Approved!
November 8, 2020
Dear Families,
Sincerely,
Emily Blaney
Superintendent Sinnette's Recent Email
"Our TK-2 Hybrid Classrooms at all three elementary schools will reopen on Tuesday, November 17, 2020. This allows LCUSD next week to actualize all of the finishing touches to the Department of Public Health Protocols, making our campuses completely ready for the return of TK-2 students, and in turn, our teachers, and staff.
For TK-2 Parents in the Virtual Learning Academy (VLA), please be assured that virtual instruction will continue as it has been, without interruption. TK-2 teachers on the Hybrid Schedule who are preparing to return to on campus instruction will provide their classes with asynchronous assignments and learning opportunities on November 12, 13, and 16, providing teachers time to ready their classrooms and make the shift to in-person teaching and learning. If your child’s teacher instructs both a VLA class and a Hybrid Class, the VLA class will be provided with a substitute teacher to direct the lessons.
Along the same lines, some of our families who elected the Hybrid Schedule have communicated that they are not ready to return to campus for in-person instruction at this time. We are working hard to accommodate these requests with minimal disruption to class rosters, but it is not always possible. Principals will be contacting families who have indicated that they would like to remain virtual to explain your options. Sometimes it requires an AM or PM swap, a teacher change, and in 2nd grade, we have hired an additional temporary AM Virtual teacher to accommodate the number of inquiries regarding remaining virtual at this time."
- Wendy Sinnette
Hybrid Schedules
AM Cohort:
7:45 - 8:10 Arrival
9:00 - 9:20 1st and 2nd Grade Recess
9:10 - 9:30 TK and Kindergarten Recess
11:05 - 11:30 Dismissal
11:05 - 12:05 Cleaning of Classrooms
PM Cohort:
11:40 - 12:05 Arrival
1:00 - 1:20 1st - 2nd Grade Recess
1:10 - 1:30 TK and Kindergarten Recess
3:00 - 3:25 Dismissal
Photo Credit: Photo by Malvestida Magazine on Unsplash
Survey Results and Changes
I have contacted all families who did not fill out the TK - 2nd grade survey and will be reaching out to those families who are not comfortable with their children returning to school at this time. I'll do my best to keep students in an AM or PM schedule and shift those students to a Virtual Learning Academy class with another teacher. However, some students may have to change teachers and schedules. Check your email and voicemail.
Kindergarten/TK: Change in Numbers is Necessary
"Preparing and filing our TK-2 Reopening Waivers was an intensive process, and a few times we found the requirements changed on us mid-stream. Most significantly, the strict cohorting requirements set the maximum class size for students at 12. This was not the case in the summer as we loaded our AM and PM classes. Our TK and Kindergarten classes in some cases were loaded at 15 students because we could maintain 6’ of social distancing when students returned to campus, and that was the requirement in August. The point of sharing this with you is that over the next week we will need to adjust Kindergarten rosters. We have interviewed and will hire next week 2 AM K teachers who will be assigned to PCY. In order to meet the 12 student limit in our AM classes, we will need to move some students into those classes. Your principals will be reaching out to ask for volunteers, then we will be looking to students without siblings to transfer, and then we will go to a lottery process. I apologize for any disruption this may cause to a family, but we could not foresee the waiver requirements in summer when we planned these classes."
- Wendy Sinnette
Protocols at School
Arrival
Students will arrive via the carline, from CEC, or by walking onto campus. The protocols for each scenario are similar. Students will get their temperature checked before exiting the vehicle if they are in the carline. Please wait for a supervisor to come to your car for the temperature check. If students are coming from CEC, they will follow the CEC protocols for checking in and walking from CEC to school. If a student walks to school with their parent, both student and parent should check in at a station where a supervisor will take the temperature of the student. In all scenarios, a student who has a temperature of 100.4 degrees will not be allowed to go through the gates. Students will stop at a hand sanitizing station before entering the gates, and from there, they will go to the playground to line up for school.
Waiting Area
We will have a supervisor monitoring the hallways as well as supervisors on the playground, and each cohort will have a paw print to mark where they line up to wait for their teacher. This is similar to the traditional school year, but now, students will be spaced 6 feet apart both in line and between lines. Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade parents will say good bye to their children at the gates. TK arrival works differently. TK has a separate gate, and students will be screened. TK parents may stay behind the TK gates (not in the waiting area) and wait there with their students or say good-bye at the gate.
Dismissal
Health Protocols
If a Student is Sick
We are running multiple scenarios by the Department of Public Health, and I will update you on protocols as things change or I get more clarification, but the bottom line is this:
STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK.
More Protocols at School
Mandatory Face Mask Policy
Frequent Hand Sanitizing and Hand Washing
Six Feet Distancing and Other Safety Measures
Bring Water
Cohort Visits Before November 17
Emily Blaney
Email: eblaney@lcusd.net
Website: lcelions.net
Location: 4540 Encinas Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, CA, USA
Phone: 8189528350
Twitter: @lceblaney