Dear Bobcat Families,

I am often asked, “How are things going? How are kids handling masks? Have you seen a lot of sickness?” I can honestly answer that the operation of Springs Ranch is going really well. I attribute this to the hard work and cooperation of staff, students, and parents. Staff and students are practicing our protocols of mask wearing, distancing, and hand hygiene with a positive attitude. Parents have been flexible and understanding. And we have been able to respond appropriately to students that display symptoms of any illness. We have appreciated how parents have kept kids home when they have been sick and have communicated with us. Because of many individuals working together and staying positive we are having success at SRES. Thank you for your perseverance and collaboration!

Moving into Flu Season

You may be wondering, “What if a student or staff member gets sick at school?” This is a great question, especially as we head into the flu and cold season. First, our staff is being attentive. If a student at school is displaying minor or major symptoms that could be related to COVID-19, we immediately alert the nurses clinic and the office. We kindly and discreetly isolate that student from the cohort and we quickly allow the remaining class to leave the room so we can disinfect the area. We make contact with parents and we work with our school nursing staff as well as the county health department to determine any next steps and courses of action. So far, anytime that we have seen symptoms there has been an alternate diagnosis of a cold or allergies.

Moving Into the Next Quarter

As we close the first quarter, we are looking forward to planning for the second quarter. As we started in-person learning, we continued to offer an online option for families. We currently have an online teacher at every grade level allowing us to split students between teachers of in person students. As we approach the second quarter, we have seen some families want to switch from online to in-person learning. This has worked well where we have had room to accommodate students. It is more of a challenge where we have classrooms that are already close or at capacity. We are in the process of determining which and how many students will return to in-person and we are making adjustments. In many cases, we can absorb the students into the classroom, but where we can’t we have to make a different plan. This may mean that our online teachers take on some in-person students. Or depending on the numbers, we may adjust the assignment of who is teaching online or who is in-person. As we gain more clarity into our plans, we will share them with you. Our desire is to accommodate all students in these dual formats with as little shifting as possible however; we know that some change is inevitable as more in-person students come. As always, we thank you for your patience and flexibility. Please do not hesitate to ask us any questions that you may have.

Bobcats Rising!

Jim Kyner, Principal