Dear Osprey Students and Families,
With teachers and high-risk community members receiving COVID vaccinations, testing readily available, lowered transmission rates and warmer weather on the horizon, we are exploring the possibility of transitioning from 2 to 4 days of in-person learning per week sometime before the end of the 2020-21 school year.
Please share your perspective about a potential move to 4 in-person days a week by completing the survey below by next Monday, March 8.
As a reminder, we plan to transition from 2 half days to 2 full days a week of in-person learning on Tuesday, March 23 when we return from Spring Break, a decision that aligns with feedback we gathered from our staff, students and families.
We would want to see our local community transmission rates be low and stable before making a move to 4 days a week in-person in order to minimize the possibility of quarantining and/or needing to revert to online learning. Having La Plata County stay in Level Blue on the COVID dial for consecutive weeks post-Spring Break would be one data point we would look for before we'd feel this shift might be advisable.
What is clear is that in-person learning is best for our students, and that maximizing the opportunity for students to learn alongside their peers with access to their teachers best aligns with our school’s mission, vision and values. We also know that there has been a recent increase in COVID cases among the student-aged population in our area, and that one of the more contagious COVID variants has emerged locally, with predictions that we will see additional variants. As we have done for a year now, we will continue to closely monitor data and public health guidelines as we weigh options.
Important scheduling factors:
- seniors will be on campus in the mornings only when we return to full days as their afternoons are set aside for off-campus Senior Project Action Project work in the community
- juniors will be off campus April 26 to May 14 for LINK internships
- there are 8 weeks of classes in between Spring Break and the end of the year, plus 1 week of preparation for Transitional Presentations of Learning and 1 week of TPOLs
If we do move to 4 in-person days a week we would have the following safety measures in place to minimize risk and COVID exposure for all:
- continue to practice mask-wearing, social distancing and hand washing
- maintain cohorting practices, with students only interacting with their pod
- pods stay in same classroom with teachers rotating
- increase use of outdoor classrooms
- lunch outside, in designated locations at staggered times
- establish grade-level zones; 9th/12th and 10th/11th grades share buildings but remain separate
- electives remain online only on Wednesdays
Please share your perspective by completing the following brief survey
by Monday, March 8:
Your input is important to us and, as always, we welcome your feedback as we continue to navigate this year of decisions while working together to provide the best possible education for our students. Thank you for your continued support and engagement!
