Phase 3 Reopening at the ES
October 26, 2020
Dear Elementary School Families,
Thank you for participating in the recent Reopening-Phase 3 Survey. I appreciate your flexibility with the accelerated timelines and understand the weight these decisions have on families and caregivers.
Over the last week, Mr. Hobson and I have been planning for the safe return of all students rejoining us for in-person instruction on November 2nd. To prepare, we have reviewed all survey results, revised class rosters to accommodate placement changes, reworked the master schedule, and reimagined the logistical procedures to ensure the safe day-to-day operation of the building. We hope this newsletter provides you with the information needed for a smooth transition to Phase 3 Instruction!
- If your child participated in the hybrid cohort, your teacher assignment will not change.
- If your child participated in the virtual cohort, your teacher assignment will not change.
- If you opted to switch from in-person to virtual, or vice versa, you will receive a letter in the mail. The letter will have the teacher's name and classroom number, as well as a welcome letter!
- On November 2, students from Cohort A and Cohort B will attend school in-person and follow their classroom schedule. Currently, elementary class sizes range from 19-22 students.
- All instruction will follow the traditional schedule: five (5) days per week, a full-day schedule.
- When six-feet of social distancing is not possible in the classroom, students will have a divider (and mask) to protect them. The lightweight divider can easily be transported by the students to their related arts and will be sanitized each night by the custodial staff.
- The lunchroom will continue to afford students six-feet of space. All students will be facing the same direction while eating.
- Snack will still be permitted. We have plans in place in each building to allow students to safely eat and remain socially distant.
- Mask breaks will continue to be implemented throughout the day. I encourage your child to ask the teacher for a break anytime they need one. Our students are doing wonderfully with their mask routines. We are so proud!
- Bus information will be emailed to parents through Genesis.
As we prepare for our return to Phase 3 instruction we ask that you do the following:
- Please return any district-issued device if you are returning to in-person instruction. These devices will be cleaned and stored in our classroom carts. Students participating in in-person instruction will no longer need to carry their devices to and from school. Your child may bring his or her district-issued device to school on November 2nd.
- Please resubmit all parent pick-up notes to your child's teacher and the main office to reflect plans for Monday through Friday. We will need new parent pick-up information in the main office by Friday, October 30th. You may email Mrs. Piccininni at lpiccininni@millstone.k12.nj.us
- If you will be utilizing Parent Pick-up, please have your child's name posted for our pick-up staff upon arrival at the elementary school. For the safety of students and staff, we ask that you do not create a 2nd lane of traffic and remain parked until otherwise directed. We encourage families to utilize district-provided transportation whenever possible.
We are very excited to begin the next phase of reopening but will remain vigilant in our commitment to the safety of all in the building. This year we have simple goals for students. We want our students to feel valued and loved...and to be healthy and safe, we must continue to follow our local and state guidelines. Thank you for being a partner in these efforts.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Guidry