Dear RVCS Parents and Families,
Information Item
Action Item: Please take the survey linked below by Friday, June 26th.
Please read the information below in order to inform your responses on the survey.
I would like to update you on the specific planning progress we have made for RVCS for the 2020-2021 school year. I have been participating in district level task force meetings and reviewing guidelines and protocols for all schools. As we began planning for re-opening schools for some form of in-person learning, it became clear that RVCS needed to have it's own subcommittee, to plan specifically for middle school needs and schedules.
Our subcommittee compared several models, using the priorities of safety for both staff and students, educational impact, socio-emotional impact, the impact on families and our school community, and equity. Through discussion and comparison, we were able to determine that the only effective hybrid model for our school would be an A/B cohort model. In this model, students attend school on campus two days per week, and learn from home three days per week. Students receive instruction from teachers every day, whether from home or in class.
Logistics of this model are still being worked out, but the main focus will be to keep students in cohorts, limit student and teacher exposure, and provide direct instruction using technology, teacher collaborative support, and lessons focused on key standards. We will be providing students with guidance and support in getting to know their peers, whether in person or in the virtual environment, building our school community, and progressing as learners through middle school.
All other health and safety requirements for the district as a whole will be in place at RVCS. These include:
- Training- All staff and students will be trained on behaviors that reduce spread. These include: safety and cleaning protocols, social distancing requirements, personal hygiene and hand washing
- Limited Contact- Contact between student cohorts and with non-instructional staff will be limited. Any maintenance work, IT work or cleaning will be limited to off-hours when possible
- Contact Tracing- Staff that are not assigned to specific classrooms or campuses will digitally check-in to all sites and classrooms before entering the campus or site for potential contact tracing purposes.
- Face Coverings- Staff and Students will be required to wear coverings. Any student that is not able to remove a face covering unaided will not be required to wear a face covering
- Adequate Supplies- We have secured PPE, additional hand washing supplies and cleaning supplies
- Exposure Notification- The county health office has provided protocols for notification of families and staff of potential exposure. These protocols include guidance on maintaining privacy of staff and student medical information.
- Signs and messaging- All campuses will have significant signage to reinforce safety guidelines and provide social distance markings on the ground
- Isolation Rooms- All campuses will have social isolation rooms for students that present symptoms during the day
- Health Checks- All staff and students will be required to submit daily health checks before arriving on campus. The district has also purchased touchless thermometers for every classroom to allow for additional on-campus health checks.
- Cleaning- The district is developing new clearing protocols with guidance from local health agencies.
- Limited Sharing- Educational practices are being adjusted to limit the sharing of learning supplies (pens, pencils, manipulatives, etc)
- Desk Spacing- Desks will be spaced out and all face the same direction in alignment with the health department guidelines
- Physical Barriers- Physical barriers such as plexiglass screens will be deployed where appropriate
- Increased Ventilation- Use of outdoor spaces, having windows and doors open and adjusting the ratio of fresh to recirculated air in HVAC systems are all being investigated
When Models May Change
- We will be asking all families to commit to a model. We will likely not be able to transfer students between models after the school year begins
- If we enter stage 4 we may be permitted to return to full class size in-person learning with strict health protocols in place
- We may at some point be required to no longer offer in-person learning. In that event, those cohorts will be a move to a remote learning model until in-person learning can resume
More information on specific schedules will follow soon. Thank you for helping us make these decisions; we want to see your children in school as much as possible, and also hold safety as the priority. Further information can also be found at rvusd.org. Thanks,
Hannah Bates
Principal Rincon Valley Charter School