FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IS HERE!

THURSDAY,AUGUST 26TH

WE ARE SO EXCITED TO WELCOME STUDENTS BACK TO THE BEST YEAR YET -

ONE WHERE WE WILL MEET STUDENTS WHERE THEY ARE BY MAKING MOMENTS MATTER

Please check your child's school newsletters for important dates like Meet the Teacher at Grove and Avery Parsons (Tuesday) and 6th and 9th grade Orientations (Wednesday).

BV Schools' plan for opening has been distributed and discussed over the last weeks. Our recovery plan remains the same as communicated and is linked below. You can also find an article from August 9 that gives an overview of the plan at the end of this newsletter. We continue to monitor local data which remains stable. Each Monday, you can join a video call during which I share more information and can respond to questions.

Please make sure your student has a mask with them at school at all times so it can be used in higher risk situations. When masked in high risk situations, it eliminates "close contact" identification by public health. And most importantly, if your child is sick, please stay home.

In many ways, the risk of quarantines is weighing as heavy as the risk of COVID infection. As a school community, we must not overly restrict access to a quality education through the quarantine process that was in place during the emergency phase of the pandemic. In the recovery phase, it is our responsibility to students and families to not put at risk the academic and overall wellness needs through disruptive quarantines. Isolating sick and infected students and staff is not a question, but as we move as a community to recovery, we must carefully weigh the cost of keeping asymptomatic students out of school and activities.

Let's join together, building upon our success from last year, to make the return to the 2021-22 school year uplifting for our students. Our mindsets, words and actions set the tone for our children. We have an opportunity to launch them with hope and a commitment to love them well, expecting them to give their best effort and kindest regard for others. Together, we can meet students where they are, making moments that matter, and challenge them to lift higher than alone they believed possible.

Believing each moment matters,

Lisa Yates

Superintendent

Over the last year, the Buena Vista School District Board of Education has been working with a consultant to develop both a Maintenance Plan to care long term for our facilities as well as evaluate the growth and property use needs of the building overall. The Board of Education has set the following goals:

1. Achieve additional space for preschool and elementary programming

2. Address long term ADA and space needs at the district administration office space

3. Remedy the safety issues of the old gym through demolition or repair/repurpose

4. Maintain some land asset for additional expansion in future years

5. Create efficiencies in use of facilities around the Main Street campuses

6. Contribute to accessible housing for staff recruitment

As well, the Board is committed to pursuing solutions to these needs without a tax increase to the community.

The District is inviting the community to learn more about plans at a meeting on

Monday, August 30th at 5:30 pm at the Buena Vista Middle/High School Athletic Commons.

BV Schools continues to monitor local health data and is in communication with Chaffee County Public Health. The District position remains: provide a consistent in-person learning experience using the least disruptive mitigation practices. Based on our successful experience last year and current, real, and local data, we will balance health protocols with a comprehensive approach emphasizing academic learning, social and emotional well-being, and opportunities for students. Unrestricted in-person learning is not only possible, but essential to the overall well-being of our students, staff and community.

Below are the mitigation practices we will have in place to begin the year, recognizing we can add layers of protection as local data indicates is needed.

Ventilation – The Least Disruptive Indoor Protective Measure

The District has a brand new ventilation system at the middle and high school. Filters are changed with increased frequency. Air Quality indicates "high performance" similar to outdoors. Avery Parsons added an ionization system to our ventilation and also increased our filter changes. CCHS has a more residential system and so window and door ventilation is prioritized.

Disinfecting

Portable UV, ionization and oxidizing devices are used routinely for added air cleansing. We have retained four day time custodians to support frequent surface disinfecting.

Personal Responsibility

COVID is part of our reality in schools now. Recovery phase means learning how to operate a high quality learning experience and attend to yet another risk in our society. Schools have done this with other risks and will do so with this one. Personal prevention and responsibility is always a critical part of our shared success. Personal responsibility with COVID primarily means staying home when ill. Generally, personal responsibility includes:

1) staying home if you are sick;

2) frequent and thorough handwashing;

3) covering coughs and sneezes;

4) avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands;

5) and, using a face covering if you are immuno-compromised, at high risk, or live with someone who is at risk.

Mask Wearing

At this time, mask wearing will not be required except on buses (federally mandated). Every staff and student must have a mask with them each day to use in situations when learning experiences include an extended close contact (typically more than 15 minutes consecutively, less than 3 feet, and in low ventilated areas). Our Response Team will consistently evaluate data and make decisions about additional needs for masking.

Any person may voluntarily wear a mask and we will fully protect and honor the person’s choice as a school community. It will be our responsibility to ensure this is protected.

Zoom Meeting Monday at 5:00 pm (link below). Local data will be shared demonstrating the District's position to open.

Each Monday, BV Schools will host a virtual meeting at 5:00 pm. This is open to all families to hear more about the status of learning in the school and to ask questions.

Join through the link below or by going to ZOOM and entering: 821 3222 5223

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82132225223?pwd=a01jaHphSER6cHJLMTJBRGliclF3dz09

Thank you to so many who have completed online enrollment for this year. If you have not done so yet, please do! You can log in to register through Infinite Campus to begin. For more information about online registration link here.

Email: lyates@bvschools.org
Website: bvschools.org
Location: 113 North Court Street, Buena Vista, CO, USA
Phone: 719-239-0435