Dear Families,

We need your assistance to ensure a safe school year. I’m writing today about two important issues: COVID testing and dropoff/pickup.

COVID testing: Students in grades 1-5 need to consent to random covid testing. As with last year, it is a tiny qtip placed just inside the front nose by a DOE covid-trained nurse. We had hundreds of these tests last year and all of our students were wonderful. Testing will be random (not everyone will be tested every time) and will occur every few weeks for about 10% of our students. Consents from last year are not valid after September 30, so please consent online here or ask your teacher for a paper consent form. As always, if your child is feeling ill at all, please seek out a free PCR test from any of the many venues available in the city. Testing is free regardless of insurance status. Do not send children to school with any symptoms of any illness (cough, fever, vomiting, etc.)

Dropoff/Pickup: There is a dangerous amount of cars driving through 12th St and parking in the bike lane during dropoff and pickup. Please, if you can either park a block away and walk in, or get to school via other means, please do so. We have hundreds of children who need to be able to safely cross the street with their teachers and guardians. If you absolutely must drive to drop off your child, please complete your health screening at home and send it to your teacher via Bloomz, and then drop them off. You may not stay parked in the bike lane. Please go very slowly down this street and yield to all pedestrians in the street. For pickup you may not park in the bike lane as you wait for your child. You must park on another block and walk over to pick them up.

Thank you for your cooperation and support as we work to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
Warmly,
Maria