Covid-19 FAQs
Dear Upton Lake Christian School Community,
Over the past several months, the ULCS community has been assured by our shared faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, buoyed by expressions of care within our school communities, and inspired by our dedication to quality Christian education. My heart is full of gratitude and admiration as I watch this special community respond to the COVID-19 pandemic with new levels of partnership and care for one another.
It is with thanksgiving and joy that I share with you that ULCS has a solid plan for re-opening on-campus and in-person on Wednesday, September 9, 2020! Over the past several weeks, members of the Board and our newly formed safety committee have been engaged in examination of research and faculty, parent and student feedback. As we prepare for any scenario, our plan includes a quality continuous education program supported by safety protocols for on campus school and a virtual option for those who need to be away from campus. Please take a few minutes to read through this summary and check out the frequently asked questions document for more detail.
Promoting Student Health and Safety
As we think about returning to campus, We are implementing a variety of responsible and reasonable changes to further protect the health and safety of our students and staff while minimizing the disruption to students' education. A few examples include:
New staffing:
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School nurse for the entire school day to assist in monitoring community health and provide needed care
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Maintenance person to provide enhanced cleaning routines including, but not limited to, more frequent wiping down of commonly touched surfaces and the spraying of classrooms each evening with CDC recommended disinfectant.
Personal hygiene protocols:
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Hand sanitizer stations in each room and throughout the building.
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Handwashing and sanitizing as a regular component of daily practice (especially before and after snack/lunch, PE and recess).
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Coughing and sneezing covering / tissue disposal
Social distancing strategies:
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Increased physical distancing between student desks
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Schedules and procedures to encourage the safe passing between classes and the safe gathering of students
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Face masks assist in the reduction of aerosol transmission of harmful pathogens. We understand the challenges that may come with wearing face masks, but will follow the mandates of the state, which we anticipate will require the wearing of face masks when not able to practice social distancing. More details will follow as the state determines these mandates. Regardless of the current regulations, ULCS will foster a culture of acceptance about mask-wearing. Any student or staff who elects to wear a face mask more than is required will be allowed and encouraged to do so.
Screening and on campus illness responses:
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As we always have in the past, but now more than ever, we are directing parents to keep their child home when they are sick or not feeling well (i.e. fever, body aches or chills, cough, sore throat, headache, loss of taste or smell, upset stomach, diarrhea, etc.). At this time a temperature registering 100 or higher requires the student to stay home until fever-free for 48 hours. (This is a policy change from fever-free for 24 hours.)
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Health screening will be performed before building entry each day.
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Isolation pick up procedures with nursing care will be in place for those who develop symptoms during the day.
Providing Flexible Learning Options What is becoming increasingly clear is that schools are going to have to provide instruction and student engagement both on and off campus throughout the 2020-2021 school year. We anticipate more frequent need for students and staff to be off campus because they or a family member are immunocompromised, are displaying unhealthy symptoms, or are uncomfortable being in a more public environment. As a result, ULCS will offer off-campus, flexible learning options that build upon our distance learning strategies successfully employed this past spring. The focus of these options is on offering students the opportunity to participate in their classroom experience even if symptoms or caution necessitate their absence. The summer months will afford us the time to prepare for enhancements to our flexible learning options, and we will communicate more specifics about those options later this summer.
Reopening Informational Evening We would like to invite you to a special Google Meet on Thursday, July 9th at 7PM which will include an informational discussion with our safety committee and our school nurse. We hope this meeting will be a place to provide the most updated information about reasonable and responsible ways of preventing transmission and steps to take if your child becomes sick. The link to the Google Meet is here. Feel free to email karina.house@uptonlake.com to submit a question that you desire to be answered during this meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions Posted to our school website are responses to some of the questions we anticipated our families would have about our reopening plans. I hope you will find that document helpful, but, as always, if you have questions that are not addressed there, please don’t hesitate to email me at barbara.marrine@uptonlake.com.
Financial Assistance Also, we understand that some in our community continue to experience unexpected job loss or financial hardship that make paying tuition increasingly difficult. We are a community that cares for one another, and if this is your experience, please send an email to beth.coon@uptonlake.com. Due to the added expenses we are encountering with additional staffing (full time nurse and maintenance person) and extra cleaning supplies, equipment needed to disinfect, and technology required to provide quality remote learning, our financial assistance is limited this year, but we will do our best to support those who are in need.
Schedule for Reopening Planning We hope to finalize our reopening plan by July 20th. The following is a point by point calendar which will guide our process.
Schedule for Reopening Planning We hope to finalize our reopening plan by July 20th. The following is a point by point calendar which will guide our process.
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July 1, 2020 - Reopening letter to parents
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July 9, 2020 - Reopening Informational Evening, 7:00pm
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July 13, 2020 - Board of Regents to meet about reopening schools
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July 15, 2020 - Governor’s decision
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July 20, 2020 - ULCS Parent Commitment Deadline for 2020-2021 We are starting to receive requests for registration from new families. As we rely on continuous enrollment for student calculation, we want to make sure our numbers are accurate before admitting new students.
I am thankful for your ongoing commitment to our students, faculty, and families as we collectively navigate this pandemic. May the Lord continue to bless our efforts as we further His kingdom through Christian education.
In His Service,
Barbara Marrine
Principal
Upton Lake Christian School