January 29, 2021
Dear Families,

 Yesterday we reopened the building to welcome back our hybrid students. It was so nice to see the children again!

 We realize that there is a lot of stress for students and their families with the constant closures, often with very little notice. I understand and feel the same way. Given the current levels of spread and the DOE policies for building closures, we should prepare ourselves for possible additional closures at any point going forward. The DOE often informs us the evening before a closure begins, and I will continue to share that news with you as soon as I receive it. 

 There will be continued weekly COVID-19 testing for students in the building on a random day each week. Please see below regarding how long to keep your child if they experience even one symptom and how to proceed if you do or don’t have them tested outside of school. I encourage all families to regularly get tested – it’s free and easy. You can find some testing locations here.

Monday is a fully-remote half-day (ending at 11:30am) for all students so that teachers can attend a professional development session. No students will come into the building on Monday.

 Teachers will be reaching out to families to offer wellness check-ins for brief chats with grown-ups (and students, if they’d like) just to see how everyone is doing. This is different from our family conferences which will still happen in early March. 

 CWS will not be doing its traditional long narrative progress reports this year. On February 5 you can view your student’s progress report on the NYC Schools Account. If you need help accessing your account, please reach out to Dorothy.

 Yoga and music (welcome Third Street Music School!) are back, and the students seem thrilled to be engaging in these activities during their school days. Thank you to the PTA for supporting these great activities!

 Be well, 
Maria

Return to School Protocol for Hybrid students

Any student or staff member who has tested positive for COVID-19 can return to school only after:  
● Isolating for 10 days AND
● Being fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication AND
● Is experiencing overall improvement in symptoms
Please note:
● For people with symptoms, the infectious period generally begins two days before symptoms start and continues for ten days from when symptoms begin.
● For people with no symptoms (asymptomatic), the infectious period is estimated to begin two days before COVID-19 testing to ten days after testing.
● One may continue to receive a positive COVID-19 test result for up to three months even though they are no longer infectious.

 If a student or staff member showed symptoms but tested negative for COVID-19, they can return to school only after:
● Being fever free 24 hours without the use of medication AND
● Overall symptoms are improving

If a student or staff member did not get tested for COVID-19 but showed symptoms, they can return to school only after:
● At least 10 days have passed since symptoms started AND
● They have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication AND
● Overall symptoms are improving

 If a student or staff member is considered a close contact of an individual who has tested positive, they can return to school only after:
● Quarantining for 10-days since their last exposure to that case (even if you receive a subsequent negative COVID-19 test result)

 Students in quarantine should participate in remote learning to the extent possible.