Greetings Ospreys,
As promised, today we are sharing our most up-to-date decision-making around bringing students back to campus.
Based on our analysis of local COVID community transmission and positive case data alongside input we gathered from our school community last week, we have determined that our current plan is for students to return to in-person classes on Monday, February 8. In the surveys we administered last week, the majority of our school community expressed support for delaying our return to in-person learning in order to hopefully allow local transmission rates to drop and to minimize disruptions caused by quarantining.
To further increase the likelihood that we will be able to remain in-person once we return, in-person days will be shortened to half days, with release midday before lunch. As in the fall, 9th and 10th grade students will attend in-person core classes on Mondays and Tuesdays and 11th and 12th grade students will be on campus Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesdays will continue to be set aside for online elective classes and deep cleaning of our buildings. We will share adjusted grade-level schedules for in-person days in the next couple of weeks and we will coordinate with Durango 9R to maximize our families’ access to bus transportation.
While the move to half days will decrease overall in-person class time from what we were able to provide in the fall, it also will significantly reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission. With colder winter temperatures, it is less possible to eat comfortably outside and unmasked eating in classrooms increases risk for our students and teachers. Our hope is that by delaying our return to in-person classes and shortening our days we will be able to keep everyone safely on campus for the 5 weeks between February 8 and the start of Spring Break.
When we return to in-person classes:
-
Cohorting will continue, with students only interacting in-person with those in their pod.
-
Students will once again be asked to follow safety precautions that were in place in the fall semester including social distancing, frequent hand washing and mask wearing.
-
Students must stay home if they have any COVID symptoms.
We recognize that there are some in our community who had hoped that we would be able to return to in-person learning sooner and more fully. Please know that we share the desire to be in person with our students and understand there are very real challenges that go hand-in-hand with classes being fully online. The safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and families continues to be our top priority, alongside providing the best possible education we can, given the constraints of COVID.
Again, we are appreciative of the collaborative spirit of our school community. In last week’s surveys, so many of you expressed your appreciation for the outstanding work our teachers are doing, your trust in our decision-making process and your acknowledgement that there are no easy answers this year. We are extraordinarily grateful for and humbled by your continued input and support.
