September 10, 2021

Dear Families,

We are so excited to welcome you back on Monday morning! Our teachers and staff have been working very hard to prepare the building for a safe and fun return for students. As with any first day, but especially as we welcome back the entire school in person, we ask for your patience and flexibility.                               

The first day of school is Monday, September 13 and running from 8:30am to 2:50pm. Below is a lot of information so take some time to read it over. As always, things may change as guidance from the DOE and CDC evolves, so we appreciate your understanding in advance.

 Dropoff & Pickup – Families will wait in their teacher-specific spots on the north or south side of E 12th St. A map is at the bottom of this page. Teachers will pickup the students outside at 8:30am. There is no early drop-off. Due to health regulations, the child’s guardian must remain with the child at drop-off until the teacher has cleared the student. Pickup will be at 2:50 in the same assigned spot. Please do not crowd the school doors, and instead wait for the teacher to ensure their entire class has made it to the pickup spot before letting the teacher know you are there. Teachers must make eye contact with every adult at pickup to ensure the safety of the children.

 Daily Health Screening – Every morning before you leave home you will need to take your child’s temperature and complete the DOE-required health screening form. If you arrive at drop-off without having completed this form, you can either complete it via your phone or on paper and the child’s temperature will be taken outside. Students will not be able to enter the building without this. Teachers must verify it for every student every day. A guardian must remain with the child at drop-off until the teacher has cleared the student. If you need a thermometer for at-home use please contact the office and one will be provided.

 Technology – As we expect that students may need to learn remotely with little notice due to possible quarantines, we will be setting up CWS student email accounts this year to utilize with Google classroom. More information will follow on this. Students need to bring their devices with them the first week of school so that they can be configured to work with their new CWS accounts.

 Breakfast and Lunch – Free breakfast will be available for all students; students who would like to eat school breakfast will do so in their classrooms. Free lunch will be available to all students. Students will be eating lunch outside whenever possible, and if inside, all efforts will be made to keep students 6 feet apart and not to comingle classes.

 Masks – All people in the building (including students, staff, and teachers) are required to wear a mask at all times, except when removed for short periods to eat or drink. Masks must:

• Fully cover the nose and mouth and secure under the chin

• Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face

• Be secured with ties or ear loops

• Based on guidance from health authorities, neck gaiters, open-chin triangle bandanas and masks containing valves, mesh material or holes of any kind are not acceptable face coverings

If someone’s mask does not fit properly (i.e. continues to fall below the nose when they talk) or they do not have a mask, they will be provided a disposable surgical-type mask.

 Classroom safety – In addition to mandatory face masks worn in classrooms, teachers will have their windows open and two sets of window fans to provide as much circulation as possible. Lunch will be held outdoors whenever possible. Teachers will space the students at least three feet apart in the classroom whenever possible, and six feet apart whenever possible to eat. Students and staff will have opportunities for frequent handwashing and/or sanitizing.

 Vaccinations, Quarantines, and Testing – The DOE has announced that all teachers and staff must be vaccinated by September 27. We realize that most of our students are not yet old enough for the currently approved vaccines, so we urge all guardians to be fully vaccinated to minimize the amount of disruptions to your schedule should your child be exposed and need to quarantine. Fully vaccinated people who are exposed to COVID-19 are not required to do a mandatory 10-day quarantine. It protects you and the rest of our community. Guardians will be asked to consent to the same front-of-the-nose, q-tip covid testing performed by trained nurses as last year. Our students did wonderfully with this last year. 10% of the unvaccinated students in our building will be tested every two weeks, but this is not nearly enough. If your child is feeling any symptoms (a slight fever, any vomiting, runny nose, coughing) please keep them home and secure a free PCR test. For testing locations visit the city’s website here.

 At-Home/Virtual learning – Per the DOE’s current guidance, virtual learning will only be available if a student is in required quarantine for COVID-19 exposure for up to 10 days. We are awaiting further guidance from the DOE on details regarding these plans.

 Classroom closures – The DOE has indicated that a classroom will be closed for up to 10 days if there is a case of COVID-19 in that class and the situation room determines that the person may have been infectious during any classroom time.

 For more details on closures and other DOE health and safety guidance, you can visit the DOE website.

 I look forward to seeing you at 8:30am on Monday. Should you need something, your classroom teacher is available via email and Bloomz  If you have a specific question for me, please email me at mvelez4@schools.nyc.gov as I am not able to promptly respond to Bloomz messages.

 Wishing you a wonderful last two weeks of summer!
Warmly,
Maria