Hope Valley School SUMMER UPDATE

September 9, 10, 11 - State PD Days (teachers only)

September 14 - 1st Day of School for K-4 students

September 16 - 1st Day of School for PRESCHOOL students

Although school will certainly look different to start the year, I want to assure parents that we have a great plan in place. I am extremely confident with what we have in place. Will it be perfect? Most likely no, but if changes need to be made we will be flexible and make adjustments. I just want families to know that safety is of the utmost importance to me. The staff at Hope Valley School will ALL look out for your loved ones. I want to sincerely take a moment to thank you for entrusting us with your child. There is nothing more important than the safety, education, and well being of your child. Just like they are the world to you, they are the world to us as well. Never forget that. We are in education because we love kids. All Kids. All the Time!

If you have NOT completed one of the following survey's, PLEASE do so by noon tomorrow (9/10). If your child is in-person learning or distance learning, please complete the appropriate survey. If you are need of a service offered at school or need a device for distance learning, and we do not have your survey on file, then you will be out of luck for the first week of school. Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.

IN-PERSON LEARNING SURVEY

For the children attending in-person, please complete this survey ASAP. Please click this link to let us know key information as we plan for the year. (Parent Pick Up, Before School, DreamBox Math, Parent Pick Up, YMCA After-School). > Hope Valley Program Participation 20-21

DISTANCE LEARNING SURVEY

For the children attending Distance Learning, please complete this survey ASAP. Please click on the link to access the survey. > Link for Technology Survey

Daily Self-Check

Parents will submit a COVID -19 Health Check for each of their children on a Daily basis in PowerSchool. *Students will not be able to submit a COVID-19 Health Check using their account. Parents please do not login using your child’s PowerSchool account as the COVID-19 Health Check will not function. A Parent/guardian will log into PowerSchool from a computer at: https://ps.chariho.k12.ri.us/public/. If parents/guardians do not have an account they will need to create an account and link their children. Parents will receive a web access letter supplied by their child’s school for each of their children if applicable. If a parent/guardian is using the PowerSchool Mobile app, they will need to go to the daily bulletin to access the link for the COVID-19 Health Check.

Click directly below on the Student COVID Health Check PDF file for directions on how to complete the self-attestation. Students who have any symptoms should stay home (see the list of symptoms below). If your child is not symptomatic when they leave the house in the morning, but get symptoms while at school, they will be sent home. I understand someone may have a runny nose possibly due to allergies, but we are under strict guidance that ANY CHILD WITH ANY SYMPTOM WILL BE SENT HOME. Please remember that we are in a public health crisis and are following guidance from CDC, RIDOH, and our district doctor. Therefore, if your child has 1 or more symptoms, please keep them home. If students are able to participate in their learning from home, they will not be marked absent.

Take a look at the following thre youtube videos that Ms. Donna and I created today. These are quick video tutorials of arrival and dismissal procedures. Please take a few minutes to review the plans so we are all clear on what to expect on day 1.

Dropping off your child in the morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbI45M400N0

Picking up your child at dismissal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMsDuZ_FAwM

Bus Dismissal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isBqrCu2YoI (Warning: Be sure to avoid Locustville Road between 3:00-3:45 as it will be congested with buses)

1. Welcome Back letters from your child's teacher were sent out to students yesterday. You may have received it today. If not, I am sure it will be at your home or PO Box tomorrow. Be on the look out for it.

2. Kindergarten Orientation Information can be found by clicking HERE. I recorded the K Orientation as well and can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekSZQv6nKVE.

3. Any family who has registered for transportation will receive an email confirmation by 5pm on 9/10/2020. Lists of student names are provided to every driver to review assigned seats per the new guidance. To find your bus stop location please go to the Chariho website and under the Parent/Student Resources you will select transportation and click on bus schedules. All students must arrive at the bus stop wearing a mask and completing the daily self-check located in PowerSchool. They must remain facing forward in their assigned seat. Only students registered for the bus will be allowed to ride. Please do not drop off your child at a bus stop if they are not registered. If you have any questions please call 401-364-7575. If at some point you decide to register your child for the bus, I want to inform you that it could take up 10 days to fully complete this registration process.

4. On Friday at 2:00, I have 3-4 parents coming to the school, to help assemble the 20' by 30' tent which will be used for an outdoor learning space. If anyone would like to come and assist, feel free. Thank you Caleb Grant, Tyler Champlin, Bill Clarke, and Ron Spears.

Please carefully read the following information for students attending in-person learning:

MASK POLICY

Masks are required for staff and students. Parents, please work with your child to build mask tolerance. Supervised periodic mask breaks will be held when students can socially distance, preferably outside. Masks obviously will be removed when eating. Chariho Guidance

MASK BREAKS

Similar to movement breaks, teachers will provide multiple mask breaks during the day. Teachers will try to get students outside for fresh air and give children time without masks while being socially distanced of course.

OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS

Our PTO has generously donated a 20' x 30' tent to enable classrooms to schedule time for outdoor instruction. The fire chief inspected our tent and it does meet the fire regulations. Now we have to put it up. Are there any handy parents who are willing to come and put it up on the front lawn. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

SELF-CHECK

Parents/guardians must review the self-attestation criteria each day. See information above.

SEVERE ALLERGY PROTOCOL

With lunch now in the classroom during the pandemic, the SIT voted to make Hope Valley School PEANUT & TREE NUT FREE. This has been the protocol for all classrooms at Hope Valley for years, so naturally this was an easy decision to ensure the safety of all students. Therefore, students will eat their lunch in their classroom. All classrooms will require students to eat an allergy safe meal that is peanut-tree nut free. Note: Chartwells meals are peanut-tree nut free and can be purchsed as well.

We have multiple children in all grade levels with severe allergies to both peanuts and tree nuts. Please understand that there is a difference between peanuts which are grown underground and tree nuts which are grown on trees. Some children may be able to eat peanut butter but have a severe allergy to tree nuts and vice versa. Some have severe allergies to both peanuts and tree nuts. We sincerely appreciate your cooperation with this health and safety issue.

CLASSROOM CLEANING

Our classrooms, restrooms and other high-touch areas will be cleaned regularly using district approved disinfectant and electromagnetic sprayers. Resource teachers, related therapy providers and interventionists will clean their classrooms after servicing small groups of students. These students will be serviced either alone or with other students from the same pod.

HYGIENE

Hand sanitizer and hand-washing will occur often. A silver lining in all this is that our children will or have a very good understand of the importance of hygiene.

DEVICES

The plan is to assign iPad's to Kindergarten students and students in grades 1-4 will be assigned a Chromebook. The device should go back and forth with the child each day and be charged every night. Waiting on guidance for PreK students.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM

All students will have access to Google Classroom. Go to this LINK for all of the features Google. Click on the second tab above and get help on other popular apps as well.

ZOOM

Teachers will be given Zoom accounts. It allows them to easily do breakout rooms and other functions that Google Meet did not.

EARLY MORNING CARE INFORMATION

Early morning care will be available BUT only for those families that will use the program consistently. The morning program cannot exceed 25 students due to space and social distancing guidelines. You may be asking yourself, what if I don't need it every day but need it 2 or 3 days a week. In this case, families can utilize the program for those 2-3 days each week. UNFORTUNATELY, WE WILL NOT ALLOW FAMILIES TO USE THE MORNING PROGRAM ON A DAY-BY-DAY BASIS. If you will be using the morning program, please contact the school at 401-539-2321 and inform Ms. Donna.

BUS ARRIVAL INFORMATION

• If your child will be riding the bus to school, be sure you have registered for the bus by clicking HERE.
• Buses will drop off students in the back of the school like they have always done.
• Breakfast students get off the bus at 8:25am and will get a "grab and go" breakfast which will need to be eaten in the classroom.
• Beginning at 8:35, all other students exit the buses slowly one at a time and will enter through the back office door staggered by bus pods. School staff members will be outside monitoring students. Other staff members will be located throughout the building to greet students and adhere that they are following the guidelines.
• Masks will be worn as students walk directly to their classroom to wash and/or sanitize hands.

STUDENT LUNCHES

Students who bring lunch from home will place lunch in their individual basket by their desk as they enter their classroom in the morning. Students will wash and/or sanitize hands. Lunch will be in the classroom and any student ordering lunch from the cafeteria will be delivered to classrooms.

RECESS INFORMATION

Students will have access to 30 min of daily recess. Each class will have a designated recess area and locations will vary (blacktop, playground, lawn areas, Langworthy Field). Classrooms will be separated by at least 14 feet and will not be able to mingle during recess. Masks can be removed outside as long as students can maintain 6 feet of distance. Students will need to wear masks if they are 3-6 feet apart. Students should not be closer than 3 feet. A teacher assistant will be assigned to each classroom during recess.

DISMISSAL ROUTINE

Parent Pick-Up and Bus Dismissal will certainly look different. Please be sure to read the orange highlighted section on page 8 of the reopening plan (link is below). This is an area that may need to be modified before school starts. I met with the bus company, police chief, fire chief, and director of DPW last week to review the bus dismissal procedure. Here is what was decided on to start the year. We may need to adjust the plan as we go forward. I will always keep you all informed.

• Buses will pick up students on Locustville Road (in front of Langworthy Field)

• School staff members will monitor the walking route and stairs to ensure safety of students while they walk to the buses. All students and staff must wear masks.

• Students are dismissed by their classroom pod as buses arrive. Teachers will walk students to the exit door and the remaining staff on the route and on the stairs will ensure the students get on the bus safely.

• NOTE: This is a longer than normal walk but it is the only viable option to ensure everyone is safe. The only issue is if it is raining (or snowing). In that case we will have buses pick up in the back of the school AFTER all parent pick-ups are gone.

PARENT PICK-UP INFORMATION

Please notify the school if your child will be a CONSISTENT parent pick-up at dismissal time (3:20). These consistent parent pick-up families will be issued name cards to hang in their vehicles. At the end of the school day, students will be dismissed to the gym by PODS. Students must wear a mask walking to the gym, in the gym, and until they enter the parents vehicle. Parents will loop around the back parking lot and stop at the gym door. PLEASE always have your ID on you.

If a parent is requesting to pick up their child on occasion or in an emergency situation, those students will exit a different door (library door) than the regular parent pick-up children. Please be sure to inform the school by using one of the parent pick-up slips that will be sent home on the first day of school. A note is required but in an emergency situation, you can call the office. Be prepared to answer some questions about your child to ensure we are talking to a family member on the your emergency release form.

AFTER-SCHOOL CARE INFORMATION

The YMCA will offer after-school care. Please contact the YMCA if you have any questions about this program at 539-2306.

Distance Learning Option

If your child is participating in the Distance Learning option, here is some key information. For those of you who chose the Distance Learning option, an email was sent to parents with Distance Learning expectations over the weekend. A team of administrators and teachers developed this plan to ensure the learning meets the districts academic requirements. It is expected that students follow the daily classroom schedule and electronically submit work into Google Classroom. Next week, your child's teacher will be in touch with a welcome back letter. Included in this letter/email will be details on how to pick up student materials.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS/DEVICE PICKUP for Distance Learning Students ONLY

To pickup materials for parents/guardians is September 11th between 8-12. Pickup for both the device and materials will be done at the school. We will provide more information closer to the date. We will supply students (Distance Learning and In-Person) with the following items:

• a device (if applicable)
• a pencil box with school materials (pencils, crayons, glue stick, etc)
• math tools/manipulatives (if needed)
• reading flash cards (for students in younger grades)
• paper and/or notebook
• Math workbook
• Handwriting workbook
• and other misc items (if needed)

ZOOM MEETINGS

Students will be required to attend live ZOOM meetings with the teacher and specialists when assigned. This will likely be multiple times through each day. Please plan accordingly. Teachers will be given Zoom accounts. It allows them to easily do breakout rooms and other functions that Google Meet did not.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM

Assignments and the daily classroom schedule and weekly specialist schedule will be posted on Google Classroom. All students will have access to Google Classroom. Go to this LINK for all of the features Google. Click on the second tab above and get help on other popular apps as well.

DEVICES

The plan is to assign iPad's to Kindergarten students and students in grades 1-4 will be assigned a Chromebook. The device should go back and forth with the child each day and be charged every night. Waiting on guidance for PreK students.

INSTRUCTION

Assignments will be posted on Google Classroom. They will mirror classroom instruction. Students will have access to synchronous and asynchronous learning. The Ready Common Core math book and the Zaner Bloser handwriting book will be kept at home. Some supplies may need to be picked up from school on a regular basis related to science, specials and other assignments.

ASSESSMENTS

Students learning at home will meet with the teacher virtually for formative and summative assessments. Student work may be entered into google or uploaded from a photo to allow the teacher to assess and provide real-time feedback.

LUNCH

The district will offer “grab and go” lunches each day from the high school for distance learning students. A student ID number will need to be presented for verification.

PreK Times and Drop-off/Pick-up Information

The AM session will run from 9:00 -11:15

• Arrival: Please arrive NO EARLIER than 8:45.
• Dismissal: Please be sure you are at the school by 11:15.

The PM session will run between 12:45 - 3:00.

• Arrival: Parents can arrive as early as 12:30, but we will NOT let cars drive back until 12:40 because of recess.
• Dismissal: Please be sure you are at the school by 3:00.

IMPORTANT NOTE to the parents of students in Mrs. Mankoff and Mrs. Ciullo's rooms

• These parents will continue to drop off their child in the back of the school. Please arrive NO EARLIER than 8:45. Any earlier causes congestions with the big buses and mini-buses. Please wait in the stacking lane as you normally do and wait for someone to wave you around back. The BIG change is that parents must walk their child to the preschool door.

IMPORTANT NOTE to the parents of students in Miss Bougault's AM session and Ms. Lambert's PM session.

• These parents will have to park on Locustville Road or at Langworthy Field and walk their child to the classroom door which is in the front of the school. A sign will be put on the door for families. If there is a medical concern, there are handicap parking spots in the back of the school. For parents who attend the CHS CHIP program, the drop-off and pickup will remain the same.

Pick-Up General Information

• At pickup time, the teacher or teacher assistants will check off student names once a parent/guardian picks up their child rather than each parent signing out their child. This helps limit the possible exposure of the virus.

• It is important that parents are on time to pick up their child at both the AM and PM dismissal since we will be on a tight schedule.

More key information regarding preschool:

• Check out this great YouTube video called Lucy's Mask: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5jHkKW_lHY. It’s a simple, fun story that helps children make sense of their emotions and makes this new reality more relatable and less scary. It is a wonderful tool to continue the conversation about germs, viruses, the pandemic, and what families have to do to keep themselves safe.

• We suggest parents send in a snack that the children can eat or open on their own to minimize the risk of adults touching snacks.

• Unfortunately, there will be no volunteers in the classrooms or at the school.

• As I have stated in previous updates, there will be monthly tuition payments. As a reminder, there is no tuition for students with an IEP or associated with the CHS CHIP program. Tuition payments are expected the first day of each month and made out to the Chariho Regional School District. Here are the fees broken down: 2 days a week = $80, 3 days a week = $120, 4 days a week = $160, 5 days a week = $200.

• If you have not returned the PreK registration packet, please complete the forms and return to Donna Sunderland at Hope Valley Elementary School.

Click the link for the most up to date school calendar or download the calendar directly below. Link to the 2020-21 School Calendar.

We have finalized our reopening plan based on the Governor's announcement. Please click here to review the letter to our community that outlines our reopening schedule. I am also including our September E update. The update has important information for the start of school. Please take your time to review. Thank you for your continued support and collaboration.

Sincerely,

Gina M. Picard

Superintendent

Important sites to review:

• The Chariho Reopening District FAQ
• Revised Reopening Plan
• Virtual Learning Parent Site

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Hope Valley Elementary School is to work in partnership with our colleagues, students and families. We are committed to creating a learning environment where children are expected to achieve their full potential.

Email: ggen@chariho.k12.ri.us
Website: hopevalley.chariho.k12.ri.us
Location: 15 Thelma Drive, Hope Valley, RI, United States
Phone: 401-539-2321
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mr.Gencarelli/?ref=br_rs
Twitter: @JoeGencarelli1