Message from the Executive Director
Dear parents, 

It is important to me that we continue to communicate with you regarding our reopening plan for the 2020-2021 school year. I sincerely appreciate the patience of our community towards our school leaders and me, as the dynamics relative to COVID-19 and school reopening continue to evolve. This email serves as an update to share actions that GLOBE has taken to date and next steps in our planning. 

As many of you know, the Georgia Department of Education in partnership with the Georgia Department of Public Health has developed guidance to support districts and communities in determining their plans and strategies for reopening schools.This framework to re-opening outlines the complexity and decisions that schools and districts will need to consider. I encourage you all to review this information. The framework outlines the need for schools to have a 100% digital/distance learning model if the pandemic becomes more severe; to have a 100% in-person model if disease spread is low to none; and to have a hybrid (digital and in-person model) when disease spread is minimal to moderate.
 
GLOBE’s plans to reopen will be based on this framework, informed by the plans released by Dekalb county, and adjusted to meet the needs of our community and academic dual-language immersion model. Our primary efforts for 2020-2021 will be to :
  1. Safeguard the health and safety of students and staff; 
  2. Provide options for learning that will account for the need to appropriately contain the spread of COVID-19, support dual-language immersion, and reflect the different needs across our two campuses

We recognize the success of this upcoming year will also rely on: 
  • Emphasize equity, access, and support to the students in our community 
  • Foster strong two-way communication 
  • Factor into decisions about reopening the challenges to the physical safety and social-emotional well-being of our students when they are not in school
  • Support our community as we help each other, stay patient, and remain flexible

In the upcoming weeks, we will make decisions on what the hybrid model, which combines distance learning and in-person learning, will look like at GLOBE. 

We have lessons learned from the Spring on the distance learning experience at GLOBE. Our teaching teams are actively incorporating what worked, and are making adjustments where needed, to improve our plans for teaching and learning remotely.  

For in-person learning, there are many operational considerations that we are planning for. These include cohorting of classes, implementing social distancing in our facilities, and wearing face covers when possible. 
Cohorting: Emphasize grouping students and teachers into a team so that each team functions independently as much as possible. Details on how we will implement cohorting by grade and language track will be forthcoming. 

Social Distancing and Facilities: We have reviewed the space we have in each campus including classroom space, gymnasium/cafeteria, and outdoor space to maximize social distancing, consistent with public health guidelines. We will also be using reminders such as signage and tape on the floor so that staff and students know one way paths as well as where to stand in the hallways. Social distancing also means that some of the students’ day-to-day activities should expect to be adjusted (lunch in classrooms to minimize mixing across cohorts, for upper campus no more waiting in hallways before going to classrooms, etc)

Face Coverings: All staff, students, and visitors will be expected to wear a protective face covering or a face mask that completely covers the nose and mouth when inside the school building, except for certain exceptions. Teachers will also be offered face shields as an alternative in select settings (e.g. language classrooms when providing instructions so children can see month movements for language learning). 
Additional actions for operations that will be implemented include: increased hand hygiene, use of temperature checks and touchless thermometers for the nurses and front office, isolation rooms for children/staff that may become ill, increased custodian cleaning with DOH guidelines for disinfecting, visitor check in will be adjusted so that visitors are greeted at the door before they can enter, and no visitors for lunch or mystery reader.

Once the county releases its plan, a GLOBE team, composed of members of our board, school leadership, and parents, will meet to finalize our school’s operational plan. 

Given the changes of COVID-19 cases since May, as well as our understanding of the virus, we would like to get your feedback to better understand our community's needs. We will send out another survey in the next two weeks. We strongly encourage you to fill this out as the responses will help guide our final plans.  

Our team is committed to making informed decisions that will best meet our community’s needs. We recognize that this is a difficult, unpredictable time. Once we have a plan released for reopening we will have to be prepared to adjust if public health data changes. We need to remain flexible. We are in this together and appreciate your continued support and patience. 

Please continue to stay safe.

Sincerely,
Christi Elliott-Earby
Executive Director, The GLOBE Academy