New School Year Preparations Related to COVID-19
Dear BCA Families,
The following information should help you with some questions about next year. Please remember that this plan is our best attempt to help our families plan for the coming months here at BCA.
We have had minor adjustments to our school calendar.
We will not have Registration Day or “Tell the Teacher More Day” in August. The remainder of the calendar remains the same, our commitment remains the same, providing a quality education remains the same, and we are excited to be partnering with you in keeping your child safe, healthy and growing in knowledge.
Operation
:
The Coronavirus remains with us, and Belvoir Christian Academy (BCA) will likely not return to normalcy until there is a vaccine or a cure. A return to school will look and feel different. BCA students and staff will need to be flexible, understanding that protecting the health of our students may require changes in procedures.
BCA’s fall school plan is based on Minimal, Moderate or Substantial conditions of the virus in our East Ridge community.
The instructional models will mirror the conditions of spreading in delivery and operation of BCA and its teachers.
Guiding Principles:
BCA’s mission of making disciples for Jesus, encouraging lifelong learners, and valuing students in a nurturing community will be our lighthouse in the shifting tide of Covid-19.
We value and nurture our students by
following the guidance from the CDC as well as local and state health and government agencies.
We are preparing and finalizing our plans for next school year knowing that it is subject to change.
Severity of Spreading Ranking:
Each day, the Hamilton County Health Department posts the numbers for positive Covid-19 cases for each region in Hamilton County. To determine if we are in the
Minimal, Moderate, or Substantial
category for spreading the virus, we will use this formula:
East Ridge reported numbers divided by Hamilton County numbers.
In devel
oping this guideline, we are able to look at concrete numbers and have some notice in knowing if and/or when we need to pivot to the next instructional strategy.
Why Use East Ridge Data?
In the 2018-19 school year we conducted a SWAT analysis that included a plot map showing where our BCA families were located. The data showed that the majority of our students at BCA live in the zip code (37412) area of East Ridge. We determined that this data gave us the best information and provides us with an accurate risk level of our students, staff, and families being exposed to Covid-19. We used positive test results for Covid-19 data from Hamilton County and East Ridge to measure the risk level for all of our families. The following is how we are calculating the Severity Ranking used in the following chart.
Severity Ranking Explained
Each day Hamilton County Health Department posts the numbers for Positive Covid-19 cases for each region in Hamilton County. To determine if we are in the Minimal, Moderate, or Substantial category for spreading the virus we will use this formula: East Ridge reported numbers divided by Hamilton County numbers.
*** NOTE:
Numbers are not posted over the weekend so each Monday would be the same risk level as the previous week.
Simple Example:
Hamilton county has 100 positive cases of Covid-19, and East Ridge has 10 positive cases of Covid-19.
10 (ER) divided by 100 (HC) = 10% - this same formula would be used each day.
Using Real Numbers- Based on July 1, 2020 numbers
East Ridge positive cases - 257
Hamilton county positive cases - 2,525
257/2,525 = 10.2% Rating of Moderate
Using Multiple Days of Data
Monday, we are at 10.2%.
Tuesday, we are at 10%.
Wednesday, we are at 11%.
We will pivot to Moderate Instruction model for the rest of that week and Monday the following week. On Monday we will review the numbers and inform parents of any changes in instructional format.
Online Learning
We will be using Google as our communication platform for information and instructional material. Everything you will need will be there.
Please refer to the chart link below as a quick guide to risk, instructional model and what it will look like for you and your student.
Have a safe and blessed Fourth of July weekend,
David Topp
Principal
