Dear Carondelet Families,
As you know, last week Contra Costa County officially moved to the Red/Substantial Tier, and we are happy to report this week that the County remains in the red tier. As we mentioned in our email on September 29, today's communication includes the significant upcoming dates regarding CHS/DLS school reopening plans in the hybrid format.
The planning that already occurred over the summer months, along with the flurry of activity that the administration, faculty, and staff at both Carondelet and De La Salle are currently engaged in, is immense. We are doing our best at adapting to the uncertainty. Navigating our campus reopening is challenging and evaluating what works and what doesn't work is going to be a continuous improvement process. Know that our highest priority continues to be the safety and well-being of our students, families, faculty, and staff. View our Return to Campus Guidelines.
Anticipated Timeline for Return to School
The thought-out timeline we share below considers a number of factors that will ensure that we make the health and safety of all community members our highest priority, while optimizing the quality of academic instruction that our students will receive. The timeline allows both schools to do the following:
- Finalize any campus modifications, including technological infrastructure;
- Enable faculty preparation for the transition to the hybrid environment;
- Finalize all hybrid class rosters and create class lists;
- Message expectations to students and their families; and
- Orient students and faculty to new campus procedures at both schools.
Week of Oct. 12
- Mon. 10/12: School Holiday
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Tue. 10/13: No Classes; Faculty/Staff Professional Day, (As long as we stay in the red tier, we anticipate that schools will be released to return to in-person instruction per the guidance from the State and County.)
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Wed. 10/14: Flex Day, SAT (CHS/DLS), and Frosh Virtual Day of Service
- Thu. 10/15: 1/2/3/7 (Distance learning)
- Fri., 10/16: 4/5/6/0 (Distance learning)
Hybrid prep - Week of Oct. 19
Asynchronous Learning at Home and Student On-campus Orientation
Asynchronous instruction is teaching and learning that does not happen in “real time,” meaning that teachers can instruct and students can learn at different times and places. Students will still be given assignments with set due dates during the entire week, as we want to keep as much instructional time as possible while we transition back to in-person learning.
All students must check Schoology for specific directions from their teachers. Teachers can meet with their student's via Zoom, but this is optional; assignments will be given to all students, and all students must complete all work for credit. The current Bell Schedule will be kept, and teachers will direct their students if they are synchronous or asynchronous on these days.
- Mon. 10/19: Asynchronous learning starts
- Tue. 10/20: Asynchronous learning continues
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Wed. 10/21: Flex Day (Spotlight: 10th), On-campus COVID-19 Testing
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Thu. 10/22: Student Campus Orientation and Faculty Prep Day; Asynchronous learning continues (You will receive more info next week regarding the time and day for your student's orientation.)
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Fri. 10/23: Student Campus Orientation and Faculty Prep Day; Asynchronous learning continues (You will receive more info next week regarding the time and day for your student's orientation.)
Hybrid instruction begins - Week of Oct. 26
Half of Students on Campus Each Day
- Mon. 10/26: 1/2/3/7 (Last Name A-K on campus)
- Tue. 10/27: 4/5/6/0 (Last Name A-K on campus)
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Wed. 10/28: Flex Day (Spotlight: 11th)
- Thu. 10/29: 1/2/3/7 (Last Name L-Z on campus)
- Fri. 10/30: 4/5/6/0 (Last Name L-Z on campus)
Future Communication
You will be receiving further communications prior to the start of in-person school including the Orientation schedule, on-campus COVID testing info, and Return to School safety protocols and procedures.
On-Campus COVID-19 Testing
Carondelet is working with Agile Force and PMH Laboratory to provide on-campus COVID-19 testing and antibody testing on Wednesday, October 21. The testing is voluntary but encouraged. Testing is open to students and employees at NO cost to you—your insurance is billed directly, and if anyone is uninsured, the government pays for testing through the CARES Act. We are constantly reviewing California orders regarding regular testing programs required for schools and will be implementing future testing as needed. We will provide more details as we work with Agile Force on the logistics of that day.
Community Responsibility
As we begin to move forward with our hybrid plans, we want to reach out to all families in the Carondelet and De La Salle community to ask for your help. We are aware that there have been large gatherings of students at private homes and at other locations. As we bring students to campus we need to be diligent in following all distancing and masking protocols for the safety of others and in order to maintain our ability to have students on campus. We are still in the midst of a pandemic with a very contagious disease, and though we can control interactions on campus, we cannot control off campus events. These could very well lead to an outbreak on campus that would not only be dangerous, but also could lead to a quick closure of campus, as we have seen in colleges and other high schools.
Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and partnership. While we know that you will have many questions along the way, please note that we will be answering a lot of your questions in a FAQ going out next week and you can always refer to our Flexible Learning Plan. We will continue to communicate with you throughout this process and are excited to welcome our students to campus in the very near future.
Blessings for safety and well-being for you and your family,
